MY SISTER was visiting from Brighton and, in the interest of sibling rivalry, it was very important that I proved that Southampton is every bit as swish as her hometown.

Therefore, when my partner and I decided to take her out for dinner, Oxfords was the first restaurant that sprang to mind.

The restaurant has got that "classy without having to try too hard feel" that always makes me feel very decadent whenever I go there, with the benefit that a meal doesn't break the bank.

Indeed, we were feeling so decadent that we decided to have a pre-starter of sweet roast garlic and rosemary foccacia. A portion for one between us was enough to get our taste-buds warmed up for the main event.

As we were all nursing colds in various stages of progression, we all opted for the soup of the day - leek and potato - for starters. Although it was rather salty, the dish was very tasty. It was just a shame that the bowls weren't a bit more full as we could have eaten plenty more.

As a vegan, I have always found that Oxfords catered for me well, but I must admit that on this occasion I was a bit disappointed. Although I had warned them when I booked that I am vegan, I was asked to come up with some meal suggestions of my own when I arrived. As my own cooking doesn't extend much beyond "open jar, heat", I struggled to think of a tasty dish for them to prepare. In the end I went for an old faithful - wild mushroom risotto. Unfortunately, although the chef had managed to leave the cream out, he had cooked with cheese instead, meaning that I couldn't eat my meal and had to twiddle my thumbs as I waited for risotto # 2 to arrive while my fellow diners got stuck into their meals.

That said, when the risotto I could eat did arrive it was delicious and, to be honest, was worth the wait. What's more, although I valiantly tried to finish my meal, I had to give up and leave some as I was just too full to finish it.

My sister went for roast monkfish tail on a butter bean, leek and chiroso "cassoulet", which was an impressively large and tasty dish, while my partner had courgette, red pepper and haloumi brochettes with lemon and herb cous cous and fattoush salad. The zesty combinations of flavours in the salad brought his meal to life and gave it that higher quality edge that you look for in a more upmarket restaurant.

Our meals more than filled us, giving us no space for pudding and leaving us feeling very well satisfied indeed.

Overall, Oxfords fulfilled its role of impressing my sister who will, undoubtedly, spread the word across the south coast that Southampton is the place to go if you're looking for a good restaurant.

Oxfords is in Oxford Street, Southampton. Tel: 023 8022 4444.