Our visit to The Greenhouse in the town centre of Banbury was so good we left asking ourselves when we could return. 

We booked a table for an evening out at The Greenhouse on the Terrace, a rooftop dining experience located across the canal from Castle Quay Shopping Centre. 

The restaurant, which marks its one-year anniversary next month, is located inside The Light building which includes a seven-screen cinema, 10 lanes of bowling, a retro arcade, a climbing centre, indoor mini-golf, interactive darts, a karaoke room and American style pool tables.

I enjoyed a fantastic film called The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry with my wife, Liz, before going to The Greenhouse. 

The film was brilliant. It was very thought provoking. The seats were very comfortable, and once you lifted the arm in the middle it was just like you were on a sofa at home except with a much much bigger screen and surround sound.

For more information about The Greenhouse see its website here: https://greenhousebanbury.com/ or The Light entertainment venue see its website here: https://banbury.thelight.co.uk/

I ordered the sticky Asian wings as a starter, which were amazing, mostly because of their sauce. I don’t usually like chicken wings, but I would definitely order these again because of their sauce. 

The wings arrived coated in a gochujang barbecue sauce topped with sesame seeds. 

I found the gochujang sauce, which had a tangy honey flavour to it, so tasty I would’ve asked for it to be drizzled on top of my entrée too. 

I learned the gochujang sauce came from a homemade recipe by the Head Chef Kieran Munday. 

He said: "The gochujang sauce is a really versatile favourite of mine.

"Whenever I create recipes one of the main contributing factors is balance. Acidity, spice, sweet and umami etc.

"I want customers to smile whilst eating my food and I believe this is one of those elements that people really enjoy.

"With my partner and son being Filipino, I always enjoy exploring Asian cuisine and fusing it with European techniques/flavours."

I ordered the pan-fried chicken as my main which came served with a pesto mayo, citrus herb salad and triple cooked chips. While the chicken was tasty I decided the next time I will ask for the gochujang sauce to be drizzled over top of it or least to arrive on the side. 

My wife ordered the tuna niçoise, which was a chargrilled tuna steak with a seasonal niçoise salad on the side.

She enjoyed the lovely flavours of the tuna steak which came with some succulent baby potatoes and medley of fresh vegetables intermixed with a bit of egg all made a tasty classic salad-like side to the tuna steak. 

I enjoyed a three large scoops strawberry ice cream for dessert, and my wife had the chocolate brownie, which with a caramel and chocolate sauce drizzled on top. 

My wife, Liz, said: "The brownie was one of the best I’ve ever eaten. It was fudgy, not quite gooey but almost on the inside and the white chocolate moose was a perfect accompaniment to the brownie. 

"I could’ve eaten five of them." 

The menu at The Greenhouse changes with the seasons including more light, fresh ingredients. They have also changed to a more traditional a la carte style menu versus the sharing platter style menu previously used. 

The service we received from our waitresses, Anya and Ellie, was outstanding. They were both personable and regularly checked on us but were not too intrusive either. 

The restaurant offers a unique dining experience because of the quality service, tasty food and atmosphere overlooking the Oxford Canal in the town centre. 

I managed to catch the sunset from the terrace overlooking the canal on visit for dinner. 

The Greenhouse at Castle Quay Waterfront is a great place to enjoy an evening out for a date night, or a meal with the family or just having a drink on the terrace. 

I found it interesting to learn the head chef is a rosette rated chef. 

He said: "I started my career in the kitchen at a local restaurant in The Cotswolds as a commis chef.

"After 15 months I had worked my way through the ranks to become head chef. I stayed in this restaurant for nearly six years and achieved two AA Rosettes.

"Eventually I decided to pursue a new challenge and found myself here at The Greenhouse.

"Inspiration comes for me in many different forms. I'm inspired by Marco Pierre White for his romantic tenacity with this industry.

"I'm inspired by amazing produce, grown and harvested with the upmost care. I'm inspired by customers reactions to receiving a great plate of food."