WHEN the sun is shining in Bournemouth, the best place to be is on the beach. But when it’s still February and a chill is in the air, the next best place is a restaurant on the beach.

Formerly the Showbar, Aruba at Pier Approach has arguably the best views in town and it was a pleasure to take a break from the hustle and bustle of Saturday shopping for a spot of lunch in this relaxing eaterie.

The floor space is huge, but a large bar in the centre of the room ensures you don’t feel lost as you sit and eat.

On a Saturday lunchtime the restaurant was busy, but not packed, making for a fairly relaxed atmosphere.

This, combined with the palm trees dotted about the place, and that aforementioned view of the beach, means you really do feel as if you’re on holiday.

And that feeling continues when you look at the Caribbean-inspired menu, which features a selection of appetisers, sharing platters, sandwiches and wraps, main meals, pizzas and salads. There is even the option of a roast dinner on Sundays.

As it was only lunchtime, my friend and I refrained from ordering appetisers, although those on offer included olives, houmous and pitta bread or poppadoms and gooseberry chutney.

I opted for a Bang Bang chicken wrap with sweet chilli mayonnaise, which was served with a selection of “crispy bits” – nachos to you and me – and, unusually, a small cup of the soup of the day, which happened to be tomato.

My friend chose a sweet-and-sour chicken salad, which was served with pineapple and toasted cashew nuts.

Other, larger main courses on the menu included Thai red curried chicken, pan roasted monkfish, chilli beef rosti, steak, a burger and a Portuguese-style stew called Algarve cataplana.

Our meals were quick to arrive and, although the salad was a bit on the small side, were exactly as described.

My chicken wrap was deliciously peanuty and the sweet chilli mayo gave it a tasty tang, while the cup of soup was wonderfully thick and creamy.

The salad was also tasty, although the chicken was rather sparse.

Anxious to get on with our shopping trip, we decided against desserts, but we could have chosen from traditional dishes, which appeared slightly at odds with the rest of the rather adventurous menu, such as sticky toffee pudding, Eton mess and knickerbocker glory.

Our bill, including a glass of tap water and a diet Coke, came to £17.