I never went into Merton's Bar at the Eastgate Hotel in Oxford's High Street - and, judging by what I could see through its windows, neither did anyone else. Now a costly renovation by owners Mercure has transformed it into up-market restaurant called The High Table. It was launched a fortnight ago with two rather spiffing parties laid on by manager Abigail Rose, one of which I attended.

I would normally give a place a few weeks to settle in before writing a review. But this one opened with such razzmatazz that I thought I should make an exception on this occasion. That chef Christopher Bentham already had things well sorted in the kitchen had been made clear by the variety and quality of sample dishes from the menu that we had been offered at the party. Like so many others, Christopher was trained by, and worked for, Raymond Blanc - a fact evident in the presentation and flavour of his dishes.

There have been significant alterations to the High Street end of the building. The most important in terms of making best use of the space is the relocation of the bar. This makes for a brighter, more spacious feel. Rosemarie was less enthusiastic about the changes than I, considering them a little drastic in a building - as she thought - of such antiquity.

In fact, the Eastgate is not particularly antique. It was built to the design of E.P.Warren in 1899/1900 - "very tactfully pretending", as Nikolaus Pevsner put it, to be stuccoed Oxford of the 18th century. It was considerably expanded in 1965 with the incorporation of three houses further along Merton Street, whose gardens became the hotel car park.

The most significant development in recent years was the takeover of the bar and restaurant by Nick Jones, of London's (and later New York's) ultra-trendy Soho House fame. He ran it as Cafe Bohème from December 1998, but it signally failed to attract the bright and moneyed - at least on a long-term basis - and quietly closed. It is never mentioned in any of Mr Jones's (very many) media profiles.

And so to dinner - pausing only to praise the splendid cocktails we enjoyed en route to the restaurant at the Grand Café further up the High. Mine was a bellini, Rosemarie's a mojito and Olive's something wonderful with raspberries. Since there's a half-price offer at present, they cost only £3.50 each. We rendezvoused there (Rosemarie having come from London) because The High Table's own bar isn't opening until late January.

Arriving at the restaurant, we were shown to our table by manager Travis and very soon made choices from the menu. I went for fish soup, once I had established through inquiries of the kitchen that it contained no great quantities of high-cholesterol seafood. In fact, it was a lavish mix of gurnard, bass, bream and sole, blended to a rich, winey smoothness, and served with saffron rouille and Pecorino cheese.

The cholesterol came with my main course of roasted organic cod, with its sauce of cream and saffron (again - but I like it) and rather more than a garnish of mussels. There was wilted spinach too - all absolutely delicious.

Rosemarie, who began with potted shrimps in mace butter, continued with a full portion of the pork belly dish she had so enjoyed in taster size at the launch party. Two biggish chunks of well-flavoured land-raised pork were served with a mixture of fresh cabbage and beans and a fine apple mousseline. For Olive, there was a starter of excellent eggs benedict, selected from the all-day brunch section of the menu, and a juicy roast rack of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes, green beans and juniper sauce.

Both she and her daughter had puddings - Olive's was apricot and almond tart with apricot sorbet, Rosemarie's that Raymond Blanc 'trademark', the soft-centred chocolate fondant, with a crunchy coffee ice cream.

I had a glass of South Africa's Heldersig pinotage (with a judicious touch of viognier), whose spicy fruitiness made it a suitable substitute for pudding - even a Christmas one.

Earlier we had drunk a bottle of deliciously herby Pouilly Fumé. Next time we will try something from the Mercure list of Grands Vins, which very impressively are only marked up at £5 more than they are bought in at - Premiere Cru Chablis, for instance, at £25.

There will, of course, be a next time.