Of all the odd and peculiar reasons I've had for choosing restaurants to review up to now, this was definitely the most unusual reason yet. A few years ago I made a TV series about my part of Italy and met some interesting people as a result. I was sitting in front of my computer, as I so often do, when Marian Cullen phoned who had worked on the project. 'Would you review a restaurant for us as part of a documentary?' she asked. I was intrigued. 'Tell me more,' I said.

Well it seems that Courtown in Wexford is going through something of a renaissance, climbing relentlessly upmarket. There are more and more chalets and fewer caravans, the mini-markets stock olive oil and ground coffee. Another part of this process of gentrification is the recent advent of a restaurant, Il Mulino by name, with an Italian flavour to its menu. It wasn't that long ago that take-away burgers and chips were the only fare in town. The six-part documentary is being filmed continuously over the summer months. It will chart the season of tourism and hopefully some of it will be in the sunshine. The progress of the new restaurant is a part of the documentary and Marian thought that a restaurant reviewer, especially an Italian, might be fun to have in the restaurant. I took very little persuading to say yes.

My wife had a six o'clock start the next morning and declined the invitation, saying 'If you're doing this for TV you should go with someone telegenic.' I rang the most telegenic person I know and asked Rebecca Robertson to come with me. She's just finished a stint as a weather girl on TV3 and I have to admit that during her week I did something I've never done before: I taped the weather forecast. She's a natural in front of a camera so I was delighted that she could come with me. We got to Courtown around eight o'clock and after driving around a bit, found Il Mulino in what looks like a brand new building. Courtown is a pretty little place which has a long history of tourism, but on the 1st of July, shrouded in mist and rain with damp people walking the streets, it couldn't have been looking at its best. There is little on this earth more dreary than a dark and drizzly summer's day in an Irish sea-side resort.

It was, I decided, definitely a new building as I stepped over some builders' detritus after we parked outside. Inside it's bright, but quite low-ceilinged. Tables and chairs are well-spread and we were greeted and shown to our table while a camera was trained relentlessly upon us. Rebecca took to this like a deb to a frock and positively sparkled. We looked around the room, whose main feature is a large alcove which has a mural that is almost a trompe l'oeuil. It depicts what may have been an original scene in Courtown and is nicely painted. The same hand has painted a circular frieze on the ceiling of the main room with a detail from the Sistine Chapel - the outstretched arms of God and Adam at the moment of creation.

Both the menu and wine list are short and from the wine list I picked the Sicilian red Corvo at £13.95, which is a big, full-bodied wine that fitted Rebecca's request, since she was planning on having red meat. All the wines carry a modest mark up. There were four starters apart from costini and garlic bread - two salads, a soup and deep-fried squid rings, which Rebecca chose. That didn't leave me with a lot to choose from so I picked a pasta dish and asked if I could have it as a starter portion. Rebecca went ahead with her plan of red meat and chose the 12 ounce fillet steak and I had the swordfish cutlet. There was bread on the table to pick at and butter in foil-wrap, which I don't like. Our starters arrived and I tasted Rebecca's squid rings, which had a light batter and were tender. My pasta dish was pleasant enough - but call me Mr. Picky - I do believe that classic dishes should be as described. Carbonara, a dish that's typical of the Lazio region, is quite simply pasta with egg and pork. Ideally the pork is Italian sausage or pancetta, but bacon will do. If there is to be cream it should be a dash, simply to soften the beaten eggs. It should not be lying in a puddle at the bottom of the plate, nor do mushrooms have a place in this dish. Had this been called 'pasta al Mulino' or whatever, I wouldn't have a complaint, but I do wish menus wouldn't describe things as what they are not.

What came next was one of the most tender pieces of fillet steak ever to pass my lips which had been cooked exactly as Rebecca had asked for. She was positively ecstatic about it and took particular pains to say so to our waitress. My swordfish wasn't so great, but in a way that's my fault too. The only way you're going to get a swordfish cutlet in Ireland is frozen, since it's a fish that doesn't find its way into Irish waters. Since I've been lucky enough to sit in restaurants overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and eat fresh swordfish steaks cooked on a griddle, I know how exquisite it can be. Fact is I should have known better than to order it on the coast of the Irish Sea.

We had two desserts, Rebecca chose a mascarpone crumble with strawberries and raspberries and I had a home-made ice-cream with candied fruits. This time I felt that mine was the happier choice; a good ice-cream that was well balanced with the fruits. I finished with an okay espresso and Rebecca with a cappucino. This may not have been one of the better meals that I've had, but there is a strong sense in Il Mulino that they are eager to learn and keen to please. Also it's true that they haven't been open very long and perhaps have yet to settle down and find their feet. My best estimate is that it will turn out to be a good restaurant, simply because everyone we came in contact with seemed to care enough to make it happen. The bill, which included mineral waters, came to £61.85 - which is entirely in keeping with the food, the service and the room. I'd be interested to back there in a month or two to see how they're getting on.