Set within the impressive The Celtic Manor complex, at the luxurious Twenty Ten Clubhouse, Rafters is an exciting restaurant that makes a striking statement with its contemporary architecture and solid cedar wood beams. The fantastic atmosphere was the first thing to impress, and the rest of our visit more than lived up to our initial impressions.

The mezzanine floor and bar areas offer comfortable lounge seating to cater for pre and post-meal enjoyment, and the friendly staff are keen to enrich customers' dining experiences with their in-depth knowledge of the menus. The cuisine here is simple and elegant, utilising some of the finest ingredients that Wales has to offer. You can enjoy breakfast from 7am, lunch and snack menus from midday until 6pm, and the dinner menu is available from 6pm until 10pm.

The dinner menu celebrates local meats and cheeses, and boasts steaks from cattle raised in the Usk Valley. To start I chose the pan-seared scallops with Jerusalem artichoke purée and sauce vierge, while my partner opted for ham hock terrine, perfectly complemented by quince and rosemary compote and fig bread. Each dish was a perfect preamble to the exciting blends of tastes and textures to come. My main course of turbot baked in Taffy Apple cider was wonderfully firm and flavourful, served with tomatoes, mustard and thyme, and pink fir apple potatoes. My partner's Welsh venison haunch steak with sweet potato purée, juniper Savoy cabbage, beetroot game chips and chocolate sauce looked incredible, and I couldn't resist a mouth-wateringly tender mouthful. From the dessert menu we chose a trio of homemade ice creams and sorbets and vanilla pannacotta with Kirsch-marinated cherries and sesame snap - both of which we wanted to go on and on enjoying. The Rafters wine list offers a range of well-known varieties (from £19 per bottle) and a generous selection is available by the glass too - each variety our waiter recommended complemented our food beautifully. Everything about our visit was decadent and delightful. When it comes to luxuriously relaxed dining, Rafters delivers the complete package.