In the interests of health, a decision was made (not by me) that fish should be prominent on the menu of this month’s business lunch. I consider myself to be reasonably healthy when it comes to fruit and vegetables but as regular readers may recall, when it comes to serious fishiness, I am not the greatest fan of fins.

There’s just something fishy about the value of fish when you are spending good money on a decent meal. Surely it’s an excuse to let your hair down and enjoy a little fat and cholesterol?

Anyway, my companion won the argument and off we went in search of somewhere that had an extensive menu of creatures found underwater.

In retrospect, Fishers seemed an obvious choice, although it was not somewhere I had visited previously.

But its reputation preceded it with its appearance in such trustworthy tomes as The Good Food Guide and the Michelin Guide, so expectations were high as we crossed the threshold of the establishment set in bustling St Clements.

It was surprisingly quiet on this particular Tuesday, with just a couple of the tables with their simple tablecloths taken, so we chose a seat by the window.

The menu had the day’s date on it, indicating that it changes daily but there was plenty to choose from.

We mulled for a while over glasses of Muscadet (in my case) and Prosecco, as there really is an excellent selection.

As well as the usual haddock and seabass, there were more unusual options such as skate, bream and brill.

There was also a wide variety of prices. It is possible to have lunch there for £5, if you want an anchovy salad and a smoked salmon pasta, and there was also an £8.50 option featuring ceasar salad, soup, mackerel, grilled dab and breaded whiting.

I opted to kick-off in familiar territory with the deep fried calamari served with dill mayonnaise.

This was delightfully fresh with the normally rubbery squid rings the most tender I have ever experienced.

The batter was also very light — more like breadcrumbs — and the dish was set off nicely by the tangy mayonnaise. An excellent start, especially accompanied by large slabs of brown bread and butter (I had to up my cholesterol count somewhere).

The battered tiger prawns with sweet chilli sauce were also similarly appreciated across the table. These were large and succulent, each wrapped in a blanket of light batter. Delicious.

By now more tables had started to fill, although the two staff were ticking along rather than being busy. But the service was friendly, quick and efficient.

For the main course I was in uncharted waters having chosen a fragrant red curry made with monkfish tail and served with basmati rice.

This was a very colourful dish but sadly my old demons returned to haunt me. The monkfish tasted of, well, fish and there was not enough sauce for my liking, although the rice was nicely fluffy.

Opposite me a swordfish steak served with red wine and onion confit was also proving heavy going. This dense fish again lacked flavour and was perhaps too much at lunch time. A disappointment.

Despite being relatively empty I enjoyed the atmosphere at Fishers. We were joined by The Oxford Times restaurant critic Chris Gray, who happened to be passing, for coffee and the venue seemed an apt place for a good party with its unpretentious surroundings and convenient location.

Next time I think I will perhaps go for a more simple choice of haddock and chips which I know I will enjoy, especially having seen it on fellow diners’ plates.

While we enjoyed the food and wine, it also seemed expensive for what we had eaten, so choosing set courses is recommended.