This 2008 review is of the Pump Bar. As the restaurant is quite different there is a separate review for that, which was written in 2010. All comments on this venue should now go on the new review.

Many mysterious things go on behind closed doors. For example, the election of a new pope is a particularly secretive procedure as cardinals assemble in Rome during the interregnum, taking an elaborate oath of secrecy and whispering amongst themselves in their conclave.

Away from the election of a new pontiff, behind more domestic doors, people are knitting alimentary canals, tormenting bees or selling virtual real estate in Second Life.

Wandering through the seemingly deserted streets of Seaview one Monday in January, Matt and Cat concluded that the population of this pretty village must have cleared orf for the winter, only to return in time for August's yachting regatta. But, shining out from the surrounding blank-eyed darkness of the High Street properties were the welcoming lights of the Seaview Hotel. Wasting no time, M and C entered the salubrious premises and were welcomed into the front bar area (the post-Christmas finances being too squeezed for the restaurant's tempting but pricier a la carte menu).

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The bar was empty, save from your dining duo and the barman; who politely processed his solitary visitors. Whilst the drinks were poured Cat declared her hands to be jolly cold. At this point, the barman's manner changed ever so slightly as he offered Matt and Cat the chance to thaw out at the real fire in The Other Bar...

Having stayed one night at the Seaview Hotel back in 2004, M and C were familiar with the dining room, the front bar and even the upstairs lounge. However, behind closed doors at the back of the Seaview Hotel is a charming bar which, on the night Matt and Cat entered it, was thronging with chatting locals and warmed with a crackling log fire. Well, well, well...

Taking a seat on a banquette, which was upholstered in the most threadbare of nautically-themed tapestry, your reviewers glanced around the room. Sepia photographs of ships, sailors and piscators vied for wall-space with old oars, ropes and other boating debris. So far, so Spyglass. Warming herself by the cosy fire, Cat examined one of the photos which was of a group of Seaview fishermen taken in the 1880s. In a laboured calligraphic style the caption offered the fishermens' names, which included the spectacularly improbable Hexillexxon Howe and Nugent Caws. Other pictures were of local children splashing about at the regatta, and ginger-whiskered hero Peter Evans who appeared to have thwarted an invasion by Russians! Unlike other instant nautical memorabilia theme pubs, the items in the Seaview Hotel's Pump Bar had genuinely local provenance, offering a great deal of history and satisfying continuity.

Sausage baguette

Tearing their eyes from the decor, Matt and Cat turned their attention to the bar menu. As expected of a seafront establishment, there was a good selection of seafood including fish and mussel stew. Also tempting was the slow-cooked lamb shank, wild mushroom and spinach tart and Mr Gardener's venison sausages. As Cat had unclasped her purse, Matt took advantage and chose the rib-eye steak with roast tomatoes, field mushroom, chips and garlic and herb butter - the menu's most expensive offering. Cat balanced this expenditure by ordering sausage baguette with honey and mustard dressing, served with salad and chips.

To while away the wait for food, Matt and Cat visited the remarkably luxurious 'facilities'; in contrast to the homely Pump Bar, the rest of the hotel is furnished in a pleasant modern style. If a visitor was keen to take home a voguish item, there are some contemporary ceramics and jewellery for sale, displayed in glass cabinets near the toilets. Those with more... ahem... style than sense, could be the proud owner of a Fredrikson Stallard solid oak bird box with a cast aluminium twig for a perch - a snip at £80. Your tits will thank you.

Ribeye steak

Finding so many things to distract them from the task in hand, Matt and Cat nearly forgot to eat. Cat was pleased with her parsimonious alternative to Mr Gardener's sausage and mash (£12.95) for, at half the price, she enjoyed a brace of very tasty sausages drizzled with a sweet honey and mustard dressing, accompanied by a bowl of chunky chips and some dressed fresh foliage.

Matt's steak looked pleasing, tasted good and was cooked rare, as required. A freshly-cooked mushroom perched cheekily on top, and a knob of garlic butter complemented the meat very well; a nice touch.

So, having been invited into the Seaview Hotel's inner sanctum, Matt and Cat can declare the village open for business during the off-peak months. Good food in a delightfully authentic bar served by attentive staff will certainly chase those winter blues away (although it won't do much for the post-Christmas waistline!).

Visit the website: http://www.seaviewhotel.co.uk/