The Curlew, Junction Road, Bodiam, East Sussex

The décor isn't much to look at – but who cares? It's all about the food at The Curlew

In recent months I have noticed that the more I think about the décor of a restaurant, the less I am enjoying the food served in it. This inverse relationship, which extensive research reveals to be universal, should comfort restaurateurs the world over. Get the food wrong and the décor right and you're not worth visiting. But get the décor wrong and the food right and we might come back.

One means of ensuring you don't get the décor wrong is to avoid having any. At the magnificent new St John Hotel off London's Leicester Square, for instance, the visitor is immediately struck by the simplicity of the dining-room. It's a kind of anti-design, all cleanliness, plain tablecloths and white walls. This means each diner is his or her own décor, and the colours on display change each evening in accordance with the fashion sensibilities of those present.

The Curlew pursues a similar strategy. The exterior slatboard gives the impression of a giant white barn, bereft of inspiration, and perched on a nondescript junction in a pleasant part of East Sussex. Inside, however, there is a clinical proficiency to the design; walls between taupe and teal, lavish upholstery, polished oak tables and a distinct lack of pretension. Minimalist, in other words, and as my friend Dominic and I take our seats, the self-confidence of head chef Neil McCue, who clearly cares more about food than interior design, is palpable. That he recently won a Michelin star must help.

This attitude strikes me as marvellous. Décor is a distraction at best, and a disaster at worst. A memorable lunch has nothing to do with ostentatious art on the walls, and everything to do with great company and great food. Dominic is hard to beat on the former, with more mischievous anecdotes than I thought a man of his youth could muster (and he'll forgive me for saying that there is a strong, causal link between my lack of interest in the décor and deep interest in his chat). And on the latter – great food – McCue deserved that star.

The menu is shamelessly simple, with five options at each course. I can't see a vegetarian main, which is briefly maddening, but then I note that herbivores are directed to a "separate menu" at the bottom. Of the starters, the pickled herring with horseradish and soda bread (£6.50) is slightly too rigid and unyielding, but my pressed ham and duck liver with prune chutney and toast (£7.50) is superb. The chutney is spicy without being hot, and there's a cacophony of textures in the ham, with various degrees of coarseness, each clamouring for attention.

Main courses here are a success story, too. Short of resurrection, I don't know that a dead cow could do better than the Jacob's ladder (Americans call it short rib) with thick-cut chips fried in dripping and served with coleslaw (£17.50).

My companion ate at Heston Blumenthal's Dinner not long ago, and reckons this "chop and chips" surpasses anything he ate there. My black-pudding-stuffed loin, with bacon, leek and shoulder pie (£16.50), is a tale of two halves. The loin is sweet and juicy, and the black pudding ideally soft and salty. There's nothing offensive about the pie, but it's a long, long way between the pastry on top and the leeky goodness below. I wish it were a shorter journey.

The desserts are all £6.50. I have a Choc Ice, which sounds deceptively like one of those Iceland lollies my mother used to bribe me with. In fact, what turns up is a spectacular association of parfait and chocolate sorbet, cold and strong and flavourful. A goat's curd ice-cream with blood-orange salad sounds healthier and less delicious than it is, and if there's anything to make you think giving up dairy for Lent is bonkers, it's this dish.

The wine list has a £16 option on both red and white, but my feeling is that if you want the good stuff, the mark-up is rather too grand. Perhaps restaurants newly ennobled by the Michelin missionaries can get away with this sort of thing, but it's the only sense in which one feels The Curlew is complicated or taking liberties. The food isn't overpriced, which means that when I get the bill it's a pleasant surprise, and there's scope for a digestif before heading back to Dominic's to watch the cricket.

8/10

Scores: 1-3 stay home and cook, 4 needs help, 5 does the job, 6 flashes of promise, 7 good, 8 special, can't wait to go back, 9-10 as good as it gets

The Curlew, Junction Road, Bodiam, East Sussex, tel: 01580 861 394. Lunch and dinner, Weds-Sun; about £110 for two including £40 bottle of wine

More Sussex stars

East Beach Café

Sea Road, The Promenade, Littlehampton, tel: 01903 731 903

The interior has all the charm of the inside of a microwave, but outside, great views enhance the vibey atmosphere of this superior modern beach caff, where excellent fish is the top culinary attraction.

Webbes Rock A Nore

1 Rock a Nore Road, Hastings, tel: 01424 721 650

A popular addition to the town, this year-old operation makes the most of superb fish direct from the fishing boats right across the street.

The Ginger Pig

3 Hove Street, Brighton, tel: 01273 736 123

This buzzy gastropub near the seafront brings the virtues of the Gingerman empire to its imaginative cuisine.

Reviews extracted from 'Harden's London and UK Restaurant Guides 2011' www.hardens.com