that there's just so much to look at, with its unusual and eccentric décor, and entertaining things such as - my son's particular favourite - a rocking train, which he spent some time riding before allowing us to be shown to our table. The staff are clearly used to dealing with children here, which is great because as a parent I was able to relax knowing that he was as welcome as we were.

We sat down, and we could see they were in for a busy night with several large tables set for what turned out to be birthday parties, which this restaurant really lends itself to. We were offered drinks, with a special alternative of a Capri Sun for my son, which he was as pleased about as we were with our glasses of wine. I opted for a glass of rosé, and my mum chose a glass of the Chile red, following a well-informed recommendation from our waitress.

Browsing the menu, we soon realised this isn't run-of-the-mill pub grub. There were some really interesting dishes on offer such as an international sharing platter that included an Ethiopian veggie pot, Burmese style mild chicken curry, and the intriguing African Babootie. The team were only too pleased to advise us, and we were offered a taster of the veggie pot as my mum wasn't too sure about the peanuts (very subtle - we were both convinced).

My son got to choose from a good selection of suitable dishes, from which he opted for the sausages, and as we settled in and waited for our meal we took in our surroundings and enjoyed watching the bustle of the place. It has a very friendly and home-like atmosphere, which all the customers seemed to settle into very easily. And the interior is great - you could spend all day looking around and you'd still find things you hadn't spotted before. While we were relaxing we had a visit from the chef, to tell us that unfortunately the sausages were no longer on the menu. He came out and spoke directly to my son to ensure he'd be happy with an alternative, which we felt was a really nice touch. He chose a Missing Sock burger instead, and was very happy.

The food arrived quickly and the various smells were amazing. The waitress took the time to tell us which dish was which, so we could appreciate them properly, and the Missing Sock burger didn't disappoint - it was a homemade burger in the shape of a sock. In fact all the dishes were clearly made from scratch, with some unusual tastes and original ideas. My personal favourite was definitely the curry.

During the meal our waitress checked to make sure we were all happy and offered more drinks, and we also had a visit from the owner of the restaurant, which was a nice extra. After we'd finished our main meal we had a break and a return to the rocking train, and while my son was enjoying his ride he was awarded some pirates' treasure (some sweets) as a well done for eating his meal, which I felt was a really nice gesture.

For dessert we were offered a selection, which strangely turned out to consist only of different types of cheesecake, so we opted again for a sharing platter to sample a bit of all of them. The portions were a good size and there was easily enough for the three of us to share, but we did feel the choice could have been better - if you don't like cheesecake there wasn't really anything else, and this time they seemed to have been bought in rather than homemade.

Overall we really enjoyed the evening, and the service and food were very good. If you go there expecting something different you won't be disappointed. As we left the place was filling up with party goers, the live music was starting, and the atmosphere was becoming very festive. The Missing Sock is definitely somewhere you could invite people for a fun celebration, especially a kids' party, and they even do wedding packages. When we spoke afterwards to the owner he also recommended we go back on a Sunday when they have their Kids' Sunday Club. I've promised my son we'll go again to try that - it sounds like a lot of fun for all the family, and I'm looking forward to it too!