Formerly one of Leamington's most popular lunchtime hangouts Rhubarb was famed for its eclectic atmosphere and great food.

The café-shop was closed at the beginning of the year for an extensive refurbishment and many of us awaited the result with bated breath.

Would they destroy forever the character of our haven for raffia, wraps and fruitcake? Or would they merely make it bigger and better?

Well Rhubarb now serves alcohol, boasts and extensive wine list and is more restaurant than café.

It retains some of its original hippie charm but has coupled this with a Victorian elegance, adding in an attractive staircase, a long bar and a large open eating area surrounded by rhubarb-painted walls and ceiling.

Prices have taken an equally elegant hike and gone are the popular wraps and salads-of-the-day.

They have been replaced by dishes like a pequilla pepper and wilted baby spinach risotto topped with goats cheese.

This came in at £10.95, as did the escalope of salmon served with wholegrain mustard mash and salad verde, drizzled with balsamic dressing.

Both dishes were exquisite, perfectly cooked and put Rhubarb firmly in the ranking of Leamington's top restaurants.

But the days of crowded bustle and table-sharing seem to be over as a reflection of the increased prices and it no longer seems to attract the volumes of lunchtime clientele it once did.

Rhubarb used to be exclusively vegetarian, compromising with a few fish dishes so I was shocked to discover steak and chips nestling at the bottom of the menu.

But despite this incongruity it still provides a good selection of vegetarian food.

There is also a mouth-watering desert menu, from which I selected the deliciously sticky fresh berry and clotted cream pot served with a brandy snap disk.

My companion, an inveterate chocoholic felt there was no contest and opted for the chocolate and hazelnut amaretto tart served with kumquat marmalade.

The dish was so intensely, rich, chocolatey and generally wonderful she reluctantly had to admit defeat.

In short, Rhubarb has replaced one of Leamington's finest and best-loved institutions with a top quality restaurant. It's the price of progress.