SO sir, how would you like your ostrich - rare, medium or well done?

Not exactly your everyday patter from a smiling waitress, but then it's not that often you discover ostrich on the menu.

"We've been trying out a few new dishes here," explained the waitress from Charbar, the barbecue restaurant based at Port Solent.

"Recently we've had bison and springbok, and ostrich has been going down well with customers. We'll be serving ostrich here until we run out of supply."

Where Charbar get their supply of ostrich, the waitress wasn't sure. "I haven't tried it myself," she insisted. "A lot of customers said it tastes like rump steak."

A challenge is a challenge, and ostrich it was.

If you've been to Charbar before you will know what makes this restaurant different is that customers get to barbecue their own food. Sitting in the centre of the table is a charcoal barbecue with a grill over the top. There are vents placed in the ceiling above the table to draw away the smoke.

Your meat, fish or vegetables are brought to you raw, the waitress will advise about cooking times, and then it's up to you to cook your dish. If you burn it - then it's your fault!

Accompaniments such as salad, chips, baked potatoes etc arrive minutes later, and what you have is your own customised dish.

So what about barbecued ostrich? Well, it's chewy, has the texture of steak, but it is difficult to detect a discernible flavour. My wife suggested chicken, I thought beef. Ostrich came with a truly gorgeous salad - the best I have had for a long, long time, and chunky chips.

The Charbar makes for a different dining experience. We took the children there, and the environment is created for safe barbecuing. There's no raging flames and diners are warned to keep their fingers away from the grill.

We got along to the restaurant early evening and took advantage of the free kids' cocktails before 6pm - Pink Panther (orange, pineapple and grenadine), Bay-Watching Blues (lemon, pineapple and surf essence!) and the Red Devil (cranberry, apple and grenadine).

The children took their pick from the children's menu, plumping for The Charburger - a quarter pound burger served with a sesame bap, and Cheeky Chicken - skinless chicken breast in a marinade. Suitable positive grunts were uttered from the children who cleared their plates.

My wife, who is on a bit of a health kick, went for the Veggie-Babs - two sticks of vegetables; mushrooms, courgettes and peppers, dipped in garlic butter. This was served with salad and jacket potato.

The dessert menu is difficult to neglect. Hot chocolate fudge cake with ice cream was an absolute corker. The children plumped for banana surprise, banana, ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. We waddled out of the Charbar with heavy but hearty stomachs. The total bill for two adults and three children, including drinks, came to almost £45.

As for the ostrich - well, it was different.

Reservations: 02392 787978.