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What better to way to celebrate the harvest than with a tasting at the UK's oldest working cider press? Muddy does the tour - and you can too, with £100 worth of tickets to win!

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A dome-shaped museum-turned restaurant, newly refurbed with 1930s Gatsby glamour and glorious ocean liner views. Baz Luhrmann, we've found your next film location!

If you’ve ever walked around Plymouth waterfront, you’re bound to have clocked The Dome, with its unusual shape and lofty spot overlooking The Sound.

Built in the 1980s as a museum charting Plymouth’s history, it’s had a chequered history, opening in various guises, including as a restaurant for the late Gary Rhodes, then closing again and falling into disrepair…such a waste of such a fabulous building and location.

But then, last winter John Milan and Steve Bellman, well-established West Country hospitality professionals (they also run Plymouth eatery The Waterfront and The Three Crowns in Chagford) took the helm, zhuzhing it up with a massive refurb and reopening as an all-day restaurant and cool cocktail bar. 

Right on the waterfront, with Smeaton Tower just behind and Tinside Lido to the front, a suitably Art Deco reflection of the restaurant’s elegant curves, geometric designs and domed glass roof.

Think Gatsby-style transatlantic liner. When you walk into the grand circular bar, leading to the restaurant, it’s like setting sail on the ocean waves, with a deep burgundy, teal and matt gold colour palette, and wooden floorboards, reminiscent of a gleaming deck.

Attention to detail is everywhere, from the chandeliers to the door handles in the beautifully appointed ladies bathroom. The Ivy has competition for those ladies loos insta poses!

A small entrance lobby leads to the restaurant where you are greeted by attentive staff who are knowledgeable regarding the menu. Think pleasant dining in a small country house hotel rather than a large, airy restaurant.

Floor to ceiling windows lean curvaceously towards the expansive view over Plymouth Sound, Drake’s Island and beyond. Sitting there with my other half felt like looking out of a giant porthole. And sitting was very comfortable btw: varied and ornate, with tables and seating booths to suit groups of friends, families or date nights.

Local produce features highly with an understandable bent towards seafood, although meat eaters and vegans are also well catered for.

The cocktail menu was interesting and varied and included a number of mocktails, so we started proceedings with a suitably elegant Hemingway Daiquiri, apparently inspired by the author on holiday in Cuba but in this beautiful summer we’re having the holiday vibe suited Plymouth Hoe just as well.

For starters I opted for the seared scallops with sage, capers, sweet chilli sauce and watercress.

Himself chose the local whitebait with sweet chilli sauce and lemon – both were fishily delicious.

For mains, He chose a chargrilled West Country sirloin steak with particularly tasty field mushrooms, pickled onion rings and peppercorn sauce (with the option to add scallops at £8 to make a surf and turf).

I opted for the summer salad with an alarmingly large pile of Saltash salad leaves and the fish of the day, which was an expertly cooked sea bass which paired deliciously with the waitress-recommended glass of Dart Valley reserve from Sharpham. Truly nice to see beautiful local wines offered by the glass.

Full tummies meant we only a shared dessert of lemon possett and berries with coffee. Although if driving hadn’t been an issue, there was an interesting selection of dessert wines with pairing advice. I did stare rather longingly at a glass of late harvest Viognier Sauvignon but showed uncharacteristic restraint. 

Lunchtime and early evening I would say definitely. The kids’ menu looked really sensible with options including garlic bread made with a sourdough baguette for £3 and pigs in blankets and ketchup for £4.95  and a bland sounding Pasta with butter mild herbs and parmesan – bang on for fussy little palates.

Different parts of the restaurant have slightly different vibes. The table in the centre of the round window is referred to by staff as the ‘engagement table’ for understandable reasons.

There’s also a private dining room with glass doors which shares the view while giving you that feeling of intimacy – a delightful venue for a big celebratory family meal for up to 12 or a good way to make a business meeting more exciting.

Plus, it’s not just lunch and dinner, they offer traditional afternoon tea, slap-up Sunday lunches and it’s dog-friendly, say, if you just want to pop in for coffee and cake when you’re walking around the harbour front.

Further developments are afoot with news downstairs is to be redeveloped as wedding venue, with floor to ceiling glass windows and incredible views with capacity for up to 160. Watch this space.

Elegant, fantastic location and views but not actually super-fancy so affordable for a night out with the girls or for taking the extended family out for lunch without having to remortgage the house. Weekends are most lively with booking strongly advised. Makes a great location for viewing yacht races and yep, I may book for the upcoming Fireworks Championships on 17 and 18 August (if you don’t beat me to it).

Not for: probably not for those on a tight budget. And on the flipside perhaps not the place for you if you are seeking a truly top end fine dining experience as there isn’t a whiff of asparagus foam on the menu.

The damage: The pricing was reassuringly reasonable considering the elegant atmosphere. For one cocktail, one lager, two main courses, two starters,  bread to share,  one glass of wine, an Irish coffee, one Americano and one dessert, £108.60.

Ocean View at the Dome, Hoe Road PL1 2NZ Plymouth. To book, call 01752 393777 or email info@oceanviewplymouth.co.uk.

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