Review: La Rue, Saltaire - 'so nice it was annoying'

However, there is a corner of the city where bistros serving French-inspired cuisine are the catch of the day.

Bradford Road in Saltaire is becoming known for its sophisticated boutique shops, trendy watering holes and cool bistros.

But, despite the area's growing reputation as Bradford's premier hipster hangout, Saltaire has one or two more established mainstays holding their own against the young pretenders.

First impressions?

Upon entering, you are met with quiet music and a laid back minimalist atmosphere. There's lots of white on the walls and the tables, coupled with simple, deep colours.

The kitchen is downstairs, so you're met with a small bar and friendly waitress ready to sit you down.

What’s the menu like?

This is where the restaurant excels. A tiny little pocket of culinary flair between Bradford and Bingley.

Starters range from potato cake with black pudding, bacon and poached egg, to deep fried calamari.

Seafood features heavily on the mains, as well as a number of veggie options, while the pick of the desserts has to be the chocolate terrine.

Now onto the food

My starter of ciabatta toast and chicken liver pate. Personally i enjoy pate starters if they include a good ratio of pate to bread, and this didn't disappoint. The smoothness of the liver was complimented perfectly by the red onion chutney. A tangy-yet-savoury dish sided with rocket. My companion enjoyed the salmon fish cake with poached egg and hollandaise sauce, the egg was still perfectly runny

For main I chose the pork T-bone with blue cheese sauce and sweet potato chips. This was effectively a massive pork chop and, as someone who doesn't normally go in for blue cheese, was pleasantly surprised with how its ultra-savory taste played off against the seared pork flavour. My companion had the goats cheese and pumpkin pie with sweet potato chips. She claims it was "so nice it was annoying", with a perfect pie pastry.

And the drinks?

For a bistro, this place has a surprisingly substantial wine list, along with a number of beers.

It was almost enough to tempt us away from our alcohol-free evening, but we managed to stay strong and go for two cokes.

How much was the bill? Was it value for money?

Two courses are £16 from Sunday to Thursday, meaning, along with drinks, came to only £36. I almost felt guilty, as the quality of food warranted much more. The least I could do was leave a healthy tip!

Factfile: La Rue

Address: 61 Bingley Road, Saltaire

Telephone: 01274 595894

Opening hours: Day opening hours - Tuesday to Sunday 10am-3pm. Evening opening hours - Monday to Sunday 6pm til last orders at 9pm

Website: www.laruerestaurant.co.uk

Scores

Food 10/10

Value 9/10

Atmosphere 7/10

Service 9/10