THINK of Lymington and immediately you imagine upmarket bars, bistros and fine dining on locally-caught sea food.

But what about fun and funky cuisine from an unpretentious tapas-style menu?

Graze Bar and Kitchen restaurant is a great little haunt located just off from the main high street.

We stumbled into the eaterie on a Saturday afternoon while trying to outwit the hungry, thronging masses who were browsing the Lymington street market. On arrival we were greeted by a bevvy of young and eager staff who were only too pleased to engage in some friendly banter and find us a table. This personal touch immediately put us at ease and set the feel-good tone for the duration of our lunch.

The staff clearly enjoy working at Graze and this rubs off on the customers who were a mix of young and old.

Taking a snug table downstairs, we admired the decor which is shabby chic and complementary to the relaxed environment.

The menu is an exciting melting pot of exotic influences and I picked two dishes that came as a very reasonable 2 for 1 offer. To keep out the January chill out, I had a broccoli and blue cheese soup that came with a hearty helping of bread.

After polishing off the soup, the potato wedges with delicious tomato and chilli dip arrived as the second part of my lunch order. Both were delicious and perfect for light snacking while holding a conver-sation.

My wife took the healthy option with a luscious looking pea, feta, mint and butterbean salad with an accompaniment of halloumi and gluten-free bread.

The attentive staff made sure we were suitably refreshed with a jug of table water and we also topped up with a cappuccino and apple juice.

The quality of the dishes and the service really is first class. If you are in the area, Graze is a must and it won’t break the bank.

This is an independent review by a reporter without the cooperation of the establishment.

The Bill

Broccoli and blue cheese soup with bread & potato wedges with dip £7

Pea, feta, mint, butterbean salad £7

Gluten-free bread £3

Halloumi £2

Cappuccino £3

Apple juice £1.65

TOTAL: £23.65