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by Ian Briggs |
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Starters
Roast french black pudding with a piccalilli mash and onion gravy - £4.95
Main course
Ham shank in a cider sauce with a bowl of chips - £7.50
Crab and spring onion pasta in a coriander cream sauce with brocolli and potato au gratin - £6.95
Total cost (incl pot of tea and two glasses of pure orange jusice) - £22.50
WHAT WE THOUGHT| Food * * * * |
| Service * * * * |
| Atmosphere * * * |
| Value for money * * * * |
| Key: * * * * Very good * * * Good |
Our writers comment on what they find during a single visit. They accept standards vary from day to day. In the interest of fairness they do not reveal their identities, and they pay for their meals in full. Each venue is judged against other restaurants of a similar type.
On the rare occasion that we reporters get a day off during the week it's important to make the most of it
Personally I enjoy a walk at one of the districts beauty spots such as Bolton Abbey, Haworth or Ilkley
On this day my girlfriend and I decided to visit the latter to indulge in some Christmas shopping
After a couple of hours traipsing along The Grove on numerous occasions, and getting more and more frustrated at not finding anything suitable for closest family and friends, we decided to stop and take time out for a late lunch.
As a former Ilkley Grammar School pupil and a frequent visitor to the town to sample its nightlife, there are numerous eating spots that have often caught my eye.
One in particular, the cafe in Wells Road, has frequently been talked about as a place worth further investigation.
Tucked away next to the HSBC and opposite the Ilkley Gazette office and Po Sang restaurant, The Wells cafe has the exterior of a small quaint country refreshment stop.
As we stepped inside, the atmosphere was every bit as cozy as it appeared from the outside as the friendly waiter greeted us.
The cafe was bustling and all six or so tables were packed with diners. The clientele was made up of suited types on business lunches, elderly ladies enjoying a glass of wine out of the cold and students drinking pots of tea.
We were planning to have a light tea so fancied a mid-afternoon feast
There was an extensive choice of dishes to consider with the daily menu and blackboard of specials. Feeling ravenous I chose a starter of roast French black pudding, piccalilli mash and onion gravy from the blackboard.
As a main course I decided to go for the ham shank in cider sauce with chips.
My girlfriend decided to skip the starter and go straight for the main course. But, after conversing with the jovial waiter (who also owns the place) she plumped for a starter of crab and spring onion pasta in a coriander cream sauce bumped up as a main course with vegetables.
We also ordered a pot of tea and a couple of glasses of fresh orange juice.
My starter arrived and left my girlfriend looking on in envy as two steaming black pudding sausages were perched on top of a heap of creamy mash.
The piping hot French treat melted in the mouth and - mixed with the mash and gravy - the flavour was terrific.
The bowl that held the ham shank was only just big enough to contain the meat feast. To be honest the shank was on a bone fit for a hungry dog and the meat literally dropped off at the touch of the cutlery.
Mixed with a heap of chips, thick cider sauce and a touch of Dijon mustard, the ham was delicious and cooked to perfection.
The only criticism my partner had about her bowl of pasta and accompanying vegatable dish of broccoli and potato au gratin was that there was too much.
But she heartily tackled her meal and said the flavours came together superbly.
However, after trying a mouthfull of the dish, I thought the crab was a little over-bearing.
But I'm being picky and we were highly satified with our late-afternoon lunch. And despite ordering our food just 45 minutes before the cafe closed for its daily afternoon break, the staff waited patiently as we finished our meals.
Then it was off back into town to try to walk off our bulging stomachs in the fading light.
And with the cafe putting on a special Christmas and new Year menu, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see the venue attracting customers used to dining at the better-known locations in town.