WHISTLERS has a lot going for it. It's in a prime position, its pleasant airy bar and restaurant overlooking Pershore shopping centre.

It also has an extensive dinner menu, including pizzas, pasta and a selection of seafood, steak and chicken dishes. The food is tasty. nicely prepared and presented in generous portions.

The one ingredient not up to scratch when three of us paid Whistlers a visit was service. Maybe we caught the wine bar and restaurant on an off night, but the service was painfully slow.

The restaurant was only moderately busy, but it took half an hour for the three starters we ordered to arrive and there was another 20-minute wait for the main course to be delivered to our table.

Other diners seemed to be experiencing similar delays and when it came to getting the bill we were again kept waiting.

Which was a shame, because when the food came it was mostly of a good standard. I had opted for one of the Whistlers Steak Out specials, available on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, when eight-ounce and 12-ounce traditionally matured English or Scottish sirloin steaks are offered with a choice of starters and desserts and options of one, two or three courses.

Three courses of the 12-ounce option were priced at a reasonable £16.95p. The steak was lean and cooked to perfection, topped with garlic butter and accompanied by chips, peas, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and onion rings.

Melting sesame Brie with cranberry conserve made a good starter, while the delicious chocolate confection on offer as dessert rounded off a satisfying meal.

One of my companions was delighted with her starter of a Greek feta salad at £5.95, but less satisfied with a small and uninspiring main course pizza (£5.95).

She rounded off her meal with banoffie pie (£4.45).

My other companion selected her favourite starter,deep-fried whitebait (£5.45), and was very satisfied with a main of blackened swordfish in Cajun spices with mint and sour cream dip, accompanied by roasted vegetables and couscous (£11.95). The dessert was vanilla cheesecake (£4.45).

A bottle of wine at £13.75, plus hot chocolate, coke, lemonade, a floater coffee and one glass of Cointreau brought the bill to £78.30.

WHISTLERS ROYAL ARCADE, BROAD STREET, PERSHORE Tel: 01386 556900

SERVICE: ** FOOD: **** VALUE: *** AMBIENCE: ***

John Abbs