By George It’s Got It - The George Bistro, Cleckheaton

The last time I had a night out in Cleckheaton was to see an amateur dramatics production at the Town Hall.

Mention the word Bistro and it conjures up a sophisticated dining experience - something that you would not expect to find in Cleckheaton.

The rain is pouring down as if the heavens had opened and the temperature feels more like February than spring. Fortunately The George Bistro have got a good set up for this alfresco dining malarkey, with undercover dining that has wide open sides.

The free standing heaters made it feel more like a summers night than the unusual chilly spring we have been experiencing.

It seems to be a popular eating spot, couples arrive unannounced, but as the restaurant is full they are sadly disappointed.

A good starter is the freshly baked Sourdough served with tepenade, pesto and sun dried tomato and Parmesan butter. The last time I saw tepenade served with bread was in France where they like to serve it on a crusty baguette. Priced at £4.50 you do not get much. Quality over quantity seems to be the motto here.

Vegetarians have their own menu. If you like mushrooms then perhaps the Portobello mushroom with Boursin cheese, spinach and onion crumb, pomme anna potatoes served with mushroom purée might be the one to tempt you. Personally I cannot stand mushrooms but my sister adores them and said it was worth driving through the thunderstorm to have this delicious delicacy freshly made for her. Priced at £14.00 it is magic if you like your mushrooms.

Personally I would have rather drive through another thunderstorm.

The waiters are always on hand to recommend a dish, so I took our waiter's advice and went for one of the Horny Cow Steaks. Like their other steaks the centre cut fillet (£30.00) is Yorkshire grass-fed rare breed steak, dry aged for 30 days in Wilton near Pickering. Served with double Yukon gold chips and either Peppercorn sauce or Yorkshire blue cheese sauce. I found the latter very creamy if a tad too salty.

As the waiter got it spot on for my main I went with his suggestion of Taste of Jaffa Cake for dessert. It might cost a bit more than a pack of Jaffa Cakes but the presentation like the rest of the dishes is like a work of art. Valrhona Jivara chocolate Delice, Orange marmalade, sable biscuit, Jaffa orange jellies and brown sugar sponge are ingredients that stick to your teeth and probably make you want to reach for the nearest toothbrush!

If you have a very sweet tooth than the Apple Pie Cheescake Taco comes with cinnamon and brown sugar tacos, red Prince Apple compote, whipped brown butter cheesecake with a touch of maple and pumpkin seed crumble. It tastes as good as it sounds. All desserts are £7.00 apart from the cheeseboard which is £8.00.

Service was good though I did observe some other customers having to chase up orders.

The prices might be a little high for Cleckheaton but it seems that they get customers from outside the area. It was good for me to return back to Cleckheaton to see this time a very professional show.

The George Hotel, Parkside, Cleckheaton BD19 3RA
Telephone 01274 873084
https://www.thegeorgecleckheaton.co.uk/