A SUDDEN deluge had caused such a build-up of water on the A4074 as I headed to Wallingford from Oxford that I almost turned back - there's only so much water a little Mini like mine can take without being swept off the road by the wash from an oncoming lorry. I'm so glad I didn't. By braving the flooding roads, I got to sample the food in Wallingford's new venue - The Partridge, in St Mary's Street, formerly the Royal Standard pub and later the Royal.

As there's no parking in this street, we used the public car park in the centre of the town and walked from there, which only took a few minutes. The thought of a well-prepared meal, cooked by an award-winning chef spurred us on through the storm which persisted for much of the day. The Partridge's proprietor is Jose Cau, an experienced chef who has worked for the Roux brothers, Raymond Blanc, Nico Central and even for a while for the Aga Khan as private chef to Renate Thyssen.

Apparently Jose is a great believer in using seasonal produce whenever possible. What more could I ask when seeking the perfect place to raise my glass to my colleague Chris and his forthcoming wedding?

The exterior has been painted in a soft grey turquoise, a deeper turquoise has been chosen for the sign. As turquoise has been respected through the ages as the colour that makes us feel happy, it proved an apt choice. We certainly felt happy when we entered and were greeted so professionally by a charming French waiter who went on to prove he could handle both food and drink orders for more than 20 customers without getting flustered.

The spacious restaurant with its cream/grey carpet, and stylish furniture shows just what can be done these days to cheer up an old pub. It was good to see that the attractive old red brick fireplace which was uncovered during 1989 when The Royal Standard was extended has remained a feature.

There's an a la carte menu featuring items such as Cornish fish soup with rouille and croutons (£5.70), lemon sole meniere with new potatoes and vegetables (£16.95), oxtail and kidney pie with seasonal vegetables (£14.50) or wild mushroom risotto and white truffle foam and roquette salad at £13.50. We chose from the Market Menu, however, which operates from Monday to Saturday during lunchtimes and weekday evenings until 7pm. This menu offers a choice of two courses for £12.95 and three courses for £15.95.

For our first course, we chose cucumber carpaccio and crayfish salad which was absolutely superb. The crunch of cucumber slithers and the delectable soft flesh of the crayfish proved a delightful combination.

Chris chose moules marinieres with French fries for his main course and said they could not have been bettered.

My main dish was absolutely superb. It was listed as a grilled pork chop with mushroom risotto and mustard foam which sounds such a simple dish. Thanks to Jose's culinary skills, this was transformed into a meal to be remembered, mainly because the creamy mushroom flavours from the risotto complemented the pork so perfectly. Only a chef who understands how to combine and harmonise ingredients could have produced such glorious flavours.

Two double cappuccinos (£2.50 each) completed our meal. Due to the adverse weather conditions, I didn't dare take even a sip of alcohol as I was driving, so I toasted Chris and his future bride in water. I liked the fact I was not persuaded to go for a bottled variety. An elegant jug of iced water was brought to the table immediately it was requested. Chris had a glass of chilled Viognier (£4.50) which he enjoyed enormously. The Partridge seems all set to place Wallingford firmly on Oxfordshire's culinary map - I shall return.