The restaurant is bigger than it looks on the outside, with a light and modern dining area that extends into a second room at the back, where we were seated and had the room to ourselves (for about 10 minutes, then it quickly filled up). After an agonising deliberation about whether to have the avocado and brie cheesecake or smoked duck salad as our shared starter we eventually opted for the duck salad. It was a delight. Turns out smoked duck is delicious, and it was served with cherries, poppy seeds, rocket and a filo basket, all of which complimented one another and made for a perfectly light starter – the filo might have been a little unnecessary, but it added a nice crunch.

The choice of mains was equally alluring, but we each found a dish that spoke to our particular tastes; mine was the butternut squash, sweet potato, beetroot and celeriac stew which came with an oat and nut crumble topping as well as some kind of crème fraiche. I have an overwhelming love for root vegetables, as well as oats and nuts, so it couldn’t have been more up my street. I loved it and found it rich without being overly filling, and it had an almost curried taste yet no spice whatsoever, which is also perfect for me. It was a fairly large portion and was fairly one-note in terms of flavour, but as I loved it this wasn’t a problem. My only complaint was that it was incredibly hot (like, centre of the earth, scorch the skin of your tongue type hot) when it arrived and took a very long time to cool down, but that’s better than it being cold, I suppose!

Dan had the mixed game grill, which was pan fried venison rump, a wild boar sausage and a pigeon breast topped with a fried quails egg, a bacon and onion rosti potato and brown sauce jus. All the meat was perfectly cooked and tender, the quails egg was as cute as you could hope and the sauce and rosti were both surprisingly incredible. Dan loved every bit of it and I was pretty in love with the few bites I managed to nab.

We still had a small amount of room for dessert, so decided to share the mixed berry eton mess as I’ve recently discovered I love berries after years of finding them weird and off-putting little niblets of squish and am currently delighting in all things berry. It was served in a glass and was a perfectly proportioned and light ending to the meal. We spent most of our time eating it sighing in gentle, berryish glee.

All things considered and snarfed, Lime House was certainly worthy of its recommendations and we were very pleasantly surprised by the bill at the end. We fully intend to return, if only to try that avocado and brie cheesecake (I mean, come on).

The only reason I say Missoula is an ‘unexpected’ gem is because from the outside (and if you’ve ever walked past on a Saturday night) you might expect this to be the kind of place that puts drinks first and the food is a bit of an afterthought. It does attract more of a night-time crowd on a weekend, but if you head in a little earlier or on a weekday, it’s often fairly quiet and makes a perfect setting for a relaxed meal – I’ve even taken my parents there before! The balcony area overlooking the river is a particularly delightful area if you can manage to get a seat there – not always the easiest on a sunny day!

Last time we went it was quiet enough that we sat at a table towards the back of the dining area with a river view. I, for some reason, cannot get enough of summer salads since the warmer weather has hit (although this is a bit of a moot point considering on this particular Tuesday it had been raining torrentially all day and I was still damp from the soggy walk in to town), so I went for their delicious sounding superfood salad with celery, cucumber, spring onions, peppers, edamame beans, tomatoes and mixed seeds with a lemon and olive oil dressing and, as you can see from the picture, an almighty pile of smoked salmon. It was exactly what I fancied and was as yummy as it sounded, with the avocado and beans helping make it more substantial. My only criticisms are that I ended up pushing aside much of the spring onion as raw onion does not a pleasant mouth make, and the dressing was a little overpowering at times – next time I’d ask for it on the side.

DanMan went all in with the black and blue burger which featured a creamy pepper sauce, sautéed mushrooms and crumbled dolce latte, and came with a side of skinny fries. He loves black and blue burgers and this one had the addition of mushrooms which he absolutely loves, so I was expecting him to be all over it…and he was. He actually said it was the best burger of this kind that he’s ever had, and specifically mentioned that the whole meal didn’t leave him feeling stuffed and ready to roll out the door, which is often a problem with a burger and chips combo.

There’s a reason we end up coming back here so frequently – Missoula is a dead cert when you want an easy meal somewhere nicer than a pub but not so fancy you can’t relax. The food is always satisfying and delicious, and they change their menu often enough that there’s always something new, but you know there’ll be something that you like. So don’t be put off by the weekend revellers, and give it a go!

I already love this place as a night-time watering hole for its rustic feel, little roof terrace and frequent live music, but it translates just as well into daytime when you want a comfy spot for a coffee, bite to eat or an afternoon drink.

We were all hungry Horraces by the time we arrived, my friends having travelled down from Edinburgh earlier that morning, so it didn’t take us long to choose; the boys both went for sandwiches, my friend Leonie went all in for the full English (and god knows she’d earned it finishing the Edinburgh half marathon the day before!) and I opted for the healthy breakfast bowl.

It was very quiet but there was a little bit of a wait for the food – although it is possible our rumbling tummies made it seem longer than it was – but when it came I think all of us were impressed with the quality. The two sandwiches looked tasty served on little crate boards with seeded bread and skinny fries and the full English was a darn sight lovelier than the average fry up, garnished with vine tomatoes and not a drop of grease in sight. My breakfast bowl was right up my street, with spinach leaves, tomatoes, avocado, smoked salmon and a perfectly soft-boiled egg.

Everyone tucked in and not a scrap of food was left by the end; we all commented that all our meals were just the right amount that we left satisfied and fuelled for some sight-seeing. I could certainly make a habit out of that (GET IT?)!

We arrived a little early, so got a drink and sat in the sunny outdoor area attached to the restaurant, before being seated on a cosy table in a stunningly decorated room inside for our meal. The low lighting made for an intimate atmosphere (but unfortunately not so fantastic pictures!) and we settled into comfy armchairs while we took a look at the menu.

I wasn’t feeling a starter but DanMan was hankering for some mussels, so he ordered the mussels of the day which came with a creamy lemon and tarragon sauce (classic moules mariniere were also an option, but what can I say, Dan’s a daredevil). They were huge mussels and there was the perfect amount for a starter portion, and Dan seemed to thoroughly enjoy them as he polished them off pretty quickly! I was more than ready for the mains by this point so that was fine by me.

With all the beautiful sunny weather we’ve had recently I’d been craving a proper salad – not the rubbish kind with too many leaves that you make at home, but a proper, veg filled, summery salad. So I was very excited to try Judge’s Lodging’s ‘super salad’, which involved butternut squash, beetroot, herb tabbouleh (which I’m obsessed with but struggle to find nice versions of), chargrilled corn and courgette, seeds and a pomegranate vinaigrette. Yums. I also added in the optional goat’s cheese extra because I’m a wild woman and I could not have picked better; it was a beautifully balanced spring salad. I love the combination of butternut squash, goats cheese and pomegranate, and might just be a beetroot convert after having it in this dish.

ManDan opted for the spiced ginger barbecue ribs which came with a veg and cashew salad, coleslaw and skin on fries. He loved that the ribs just fell off the bone and the flavour of the sauce, and he said it was a good portion size as the thick ginger sauce might have become sickly if there was much more of it.

We couldn’t manage a pudding so got the bill and had a little chat with the waiter – the service was great all evening, as both the waiter who served us and the barwoman were lovely and upbeat (not always easy on a busy Friday night!). We came away satisfied, having both had meals which were (quite specifically) perfectly suited to our tastes, and we’ve both already said we’d love to go back as there was plenty more on the menu we both want to try.