FIRST, an apology. I don't know why I did it, I just did. I can only promise that it won't happen again. It's not really in my nature and it was a one-off aberration.
My crime? Readers of a more sensitive disposition may want to look away now, but here goes: I ordered a seafood starter and then followed it up with a seafood main course.
There, I've come right out with it. It's on the page and no longer on my conscience and I already feel strangely salved.
I have excuses of course. It was my anniversary. I have been on medication. I suffered a deprived childhood during which we were allowed fish only on a Friday.
But the truth is that I love the stuff - I am a seafood obsessive. And if I'm honest I was just being shellfish, er, selfish (see what I mean).
The scene of the crime? The Golden Lion at Rossett, and I know what you're thinking. How can a restaurant reviewer offer a well-rounded assessment when he is so single-minded?
Luckily, I had Beverley with me - after all it would have been an odd anniversary celebration without her!
Anyway, let's begin at the beginning - a very good place to start, as Julie Andrews so sagely pointed out all those years ago.
We enjoyed drinks at the bar - one of those stripped-down, wooden minimalist affairs that can often appear unwelcoming.
Thankfully, there was a good atmosphere, helped by the authentic craic supplied by a party of Irish visitors in the corner who were busy doing what the Irish do so well, creating a good-natured hullabaloo which even developed into an impromptu sing-song at one stage. This was at 8pm!
An open fire was surrounded by stacks of firewood waiting for the return of winter. I bet the atmosphere is something when that lot gets torched.
A word of warning on the wine served at the bar. Beverley was asked if she wanted a large glass when she ordered an excellent Pinot Grigio (£4.60). Being Beverley, the answer was in the affirmative.
What she had not taken into account was the 250ml goldfish-bowl-on-a-stem affair it came in. All very generous, but such a portion could create problems for anybody planning to drive home.
The restaurant, really a series of alcoves off the main bar, is also heavy on the wood but dozens of quirky framed pictures, depicting pigs, cricketers, agricultural implements and ancient advertisements are an interesting feature.
For our wine accompaniment we stayed with the Pinot Grigio - this time a rosé.
To our surprise, the wine waiter didn't do that wine waiter thing. You know the one I mean - one hand behind the back and then pour with a flourish.
Why do they do that? I'm being serious - I would be fascinated to know. Is it something they learn at wine waiter school? Is it a show-off thing, like footballers doing keepy-ups? Is it their way of saying: 'I'm so professional I can pour liquid from a bottle into a glass with ONE HAND!!!?
Unsurprisingly, this obvious oversight did not affect the taste one jot.
So to the starters. Beverley found her Greek feta cheese salad (£4.95) a little too balsamic - she would have preferred an olive oil dressing. I totally disagreed. I thought it was delicious.
The feta was not too salty and the sun-blushed tomatoes, roasted in marjoram, were interesting.
I'm glad to report the olives were just so. I had a very bad experience with an olive on my first visit to Spain which left me gagging. For a decade I was convinced they all tasted like boot polish.
It has taken years of patience on Beverley's behalf to heal the psychological damage, but I have to say these were some of the nicest I have tasted this side of Cephalonia.
I chose the seared scallops with minted mushy peas and tartar sauce (£7.95), which arrived adorned with bacon.
Tender and delicate, the scallops and sauce sat superbly well with the peas, although I still can't quite decide if the bacon added to the experience. Interesting, though.
There was only one main course I could order, despite an impressively varied menu.
I stopped dead when I came to the magic words 'thermidor-style lobster' (£19.95) which was surprisingly but pleasingly served with chips.
Lobster must be the only creature in the world that still fights back after it's dead. You don't so much eat it as go to war with it. Forget cutlery, you need implements to tackle a lobster - probes and nutcrackers and strong fingers.
That, of course, is all part of the fun, but the real point is the taste - and the subtle mix of mustard-based sauce and the sweet meat did justice to a meal rightly acknowledged as one of THE classics.
The chips were another highlight. Served on a side plate, they were the real thing: sliced satisfyingly large, these were proper grown-up chips, not fast food portions of twigs.
Beverley's fish of the day (£13.50) consisted of salmon, sea bass, cod, tuna and king prawns served on a bed of polenta cake and ratatouille. The tastes and textures of the different fish offered an interesting contrast and she was particularly taken with the polenta. The ratatouille avoided the common trap of being too rich.
We shared the cheeseboard (£5.75) for dessert but unfortunately it arrived chilled from the fridge. Why do restaurants do that? It's one of those annoying little details that can spoil an otherwise excellent impression.
We accompanied it with small glasses of Rioja (£3.50) and Merlot (£3.10), resisting the temptation to order another bottle.
A decent cappuccino (£1.75) proved a relaxing post-prandial relaxant while we watched overspill customers from the bar begin to transform the restaurant back into what it really was all the time - the back room of a pub.
There was a slightly confusing end to the evening when a helpful member of staff - in fact they were all helpful, polite and charming throughout the evening - ordered us a taxi.
She explained that we would have to go to the front door to meet the cab as taxi drivers refused to enter pubs.
The Golden Lion uses a Wrexham company and apparently this is the norm in Wrexham. All very well, and we didn't mind, except that she pointed us to the back of the pub.
'Isn't that the back door?' I asked. 'No, that's the front door,' she answered.
The taxi arrived promptly, and we left without difficulty - but I'm glad we hadn't had another of those mega-glasses of wine!
Location: The Golden Lion, Chester Road, Rossett (01244 571020).
Price: £84.30 (including drinks at the bar, wine, three courses and coffees)
Would suit: Just about anybody, thanks to a varied menu.
Best thing: Good food and good service in warm, welcoming atmosphere.
Worst thing: Cold cheese.
