I have two very clear memories of the Command House in Chatham - one personal and one professional.

The first was when it was Mojos and at the grand old age of 21 I picked my sister up from a night out at a silly time in the morning. While I waited and watched everyone leave I began to feel 30 years her senior - rather than just three. “Won’t be going there then,” I decided.

Then, in 2018 I contacted the venue after there was outrage at them charging £50 for a table to watch England play Colombia in the World Cup.

The explanation was reasonable. The follow up was utter chaos as the showing ended in a mass brawl. Another reason to avoid.

So when I heard it had undergone a major revamp I was intrigued, to say the least.

It was the Sunday before the hottest day on record. Too hot for me but I now look back at the temperature fondly.

I’d put a £10 deposit down which came off our first drink purchase without any awkward reminders.

We’d booked a table but needn’t had bothered - it was empty.

Maybe my anecdotes are echoed by fellow Medwayites or it’s just been forgotten. Part of its charm is being tucked away from the main road and with very little passing traffic.

It's not a pub you'd stumble across during a summer stroll.

Which is a real shame, because you’d be hard pushed to find a better venue in Chatham for a peaceful Sunday lunch.

I opted for an Aperol Spritz - a standard choice in the size glass I always hope for.

We took a seat under an umbrella and had the area to ourselves.

The outside bar opened at midday and we could go up and order, rather than wait to be served, or use the app.

We ordered the Prawn and Calamari duo from the starter menu. It came out with our main which was a bit odd - maybe a repercussion of using the app.

Three pieces of each arranged nicely on the plate. Both tasty.

Although it should have been a Sunday roast, it was too hot for gravy and that much food. So I opted for a chicken burger and my sister went for the scampi.

It was delicious. It had a thick cut of bacon with it and the pickles were cut up and spread across the bun so you had the tangy taste in every bite, rather than it going in one mouthful.

As someone who collects the gherkins from the weirdos who don’t like it - I was a big big fan.

It came with triple cooked chips. These were disappointing.

They tasted good and were fluffy, but I expected a bit of a crunch. Is that not what triple cooked means? More crisp than potato?

Another minor quibble to an all round decent meal.

While we waited for our dessert to arrive, we saw the spray of jet-skis over the river wall.

The next second three men came over the wall and enjoyed a pint and some food mid ski.

An outside bar has many benefits, but being able to use it while drying off after a morning on the water has to be a major perk.

As I’ve already mentioned, we were mid heatwave. And that means we needed ice cream and fresh fruit. While the chocolate fudge cake or the crumble would be my normal choice, it was Eton mess weather.

And it was one of the best I’ve had.

The portion size was good. The mix of strawberries, ice cream and meringue was great and for just £4.99 you can’t go wrong.

We could have sat all day, sipping on our drinks, enjoying the sun and watching the water.

While Chatham continues to get slated in the national press and the food and drink scene continues to grow in neighbouring Rochester, it’s great to find somewhere reasonably priced in the town that competes. Maybe they just skip the football this time?

Out of five:

Food: Solid pub grub. Excellent dessert. Loses a star for the chips ****

Drink: Decent sized glasses is always a good sign for me and the Aperol Spritz was perfect *****

Decor: We were only inside for a few minutes but it was stylish and kept with the nautical theme. Outside was lovely too and had a lot of space *****

Staff: We didn't have a lot to do with them but when we did they were friendly and cheerful *****

Price: Around £50 for three drinks each (not all alcoholic) a starter, two mains and two desserts. That seems more than reasonable to me *****