The George in Rye, East Sussex

Dinner for two, with wine, £110

Saturday night at the George in Rye. We're in the bar, relaxing over a pre-dinner drink. Or trying to relax. Sharing any kind of space with a shrieking wedding party is always going to be a challenge. The atmosphere verges on disorderly. I mention this because the restaurant is practically empty. Locals have boycotted the place since the owners took the decision to ban noisy customers from the bar area lest they disturb the more profitable patrons eating in the adjoining restaurant. They made a concession for hotel guests, of course, so now we have plenty of noise in the bar, but no diners.

At least it takes the pressure off the waiting staff, most of whom appear to have trouble differentiating between crucial and trivial. Is it old-fashioned of me to expect front-of-house to tell us where we are supposed to be sitting, rather than describing the possible location of someone else who holds this vital information?

The chef's priorities are more customer-friendly, although choosing to boil rather than grill a decent portion of asparagus rendered it bland and lifeless. Roast bone marrow on toast seemed a steal at £5. Of the mains, the pea and ham risotto was minty and fresh, but lacking in salt. Incidentally, the pork "three-ways" is actually four if you include the bacon, a welcome bonus in an already satisfying dish. The crab linguine works well too: perfect, al dente pasta in a rich sauce, with plenty of sweet crab chunks to discover. This is clearly Rye's best restaurant by some distance, but crossing the picket line to eat here remains a mixed experience.

David Woodward