Fish, Spittal Street, Marlow

12:06pm Tuesday 4th December 2001

NO chance of getting stuck in a rut. There are so many new eating places opening -or old eateries getting a makeover -and each one claims to be a fresh new eating experience.

When we called at Marlow's latest, Fish!, on Friday there were plenty of people taking a nosey at the place. Fish! reckons it has the right formula to attract diners. It worked in London, where the first Fish! opened in February 1999. Now they've rolled out 17 more, with plans for 30 by the end of 2002.

So what's special about Fish!?

We spent quite a while trying to decide what makes it tick. It's called a diner, not a restaurant, and there's something fast-foodie about it: small formica-topped tables, paper placemat doubling as a menu, pots of sugar packets on the table, chairs that don't invite you to stay the evening.

That's one image. Then there's the up-market, trendy decor, all vibrant colours, clean lines and steel-effect open-plan kitchen, with bar stools where you can watch chef cook your food.

So far, so young and trendy, bright and breezy. But Fish! also panders to many people's serious desire for good fresh food.They offer freshly caught fish, supplied by the company's own fishery division -responsibly caught fish, the menu calls it, in a GM-free zone.

As for prices, these are somewhat metropolitan, with main meals around £13 plus £1.90 for potatoes, £2.90 for salad (not recommended, as mine was simply salad leaves with a cherry tomato), and 10 per cent service charge.

If I were to guess at their target customer profile, I'd say it's someone concerned about their own health and the planet's, happy to pay more to eat well, fond of trendy surroundings, who hates stuffy formality, and doesn't want to sit around all evening in a comfy chair but prefers to eat at a nourishing pitstop before moving on to the next activity.

We shared a starter of devilled whitebait (£4.80) which was tasty.

It came without bread as we hadn't realised this is an 'extra', but it was good and tasty. For main courses, they've picked on a nifty idea. You make your choice from a long list of fish available on the day, then state if you want it steamed or grilled.

Then choose from five different sauces, which come in a little pot in case you don't want your food smothered. Your chosen fish comes with what they call a vegetable garnish -in fact, a nice little pile of stir-fried veg, which was disappointing on the flavour side (perhaps we're too used to Chinese stir-fry) but good and fresh.

There were 15 different fish on offer on our visit, from swordfish to salmon, sardines to red mullet, all of them (except lemon sole) filleted so you don't need to wrestle with bones.

And just in case you come with someone who isn't a fish fancier, there's the option of chicken, steak or vegetarian. And yes, they do fish and chips with mushy peas (£11.80) or grilled lobster if you prefer.

We chose snapper (£10.90) and sea bass (£14.50), both fresh and perfectly grilled. My dressing choice was salsa, which packed a tasty punch, while my husband was well pleased with his novel red wine fish gravy.

A bottle of house sauvignon (£9.90) was excellent. Less gratifying was apricot frangipane tart, best forgotten, though my husband's plate of just-right cheeses and biscuits, with ample celery and apple, made him very happy.

There's a children's menu (£6.95), and if you're in Marlow on weekdays (except Monday when they are closed), between 11.30am and 7pm you can enjoy a two-course meal for £9.95

Fish!, Spittal Street, Marlow, 020 7234 3333

on-line booking www.fishdiner.co.uk

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