I’VE been driving past the construction site at the former White Horse Inn on Wakefield Road, Lepton, four times a week for many months on my way to and from Wakefield.
I was beginning to wonder just how long builders could keep working on what looks like an unprepossessing semi-detached house when the signs for 315 Bar and Restaurant finally went up and it opened in April.
It was therefore with some anticipation that I went along to the new restaurant, home of chef Jason Neilson, who trained with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons near Oxford.
He then went on to become the only Englishman working in a 3-star Michelin restaurant in Alsace before moving to Thorpe Grange Manor, Almondbury.
On arrival in the car park, the Tardis-like qualities of 315 soon became apparent. The plain exterior houses not only a bar and restaurant with large conservatory, but also an eight-room hotel and a conference/wedding room for 100.
Entering the restaurant was like stepping into a chic new London venue. The bar area is modern glass, steel and wood but, like the restaurant, it has warm lighting, candles and a welcoming atmosphere.
The elongated glass panels in the faux wall at the entrance are an exact copy of the wallpaper behind and are also used as background for the signage and menu.
Clearly attention to detail is important for Honley-based designer Joan Webb who was responsible for the interior transformation.
There are four eating areas with a total of 94 covers. We were in the main restaurant which combined an elegantly modern silver and purple décor with a relaxed ambiance. To my relief, the tables were a respectable distance apart.
The conservatory with its panoramic views North towards Kirkheaton and Upper Hopton is the most popular area. But there are also two trendy ‘chef’s tables’ where you can watch the chef at work in his stainless steel palace of a kitchen. The bar area is a gastro pub with slight variations on the main menu.
A friendly waitress in smart silver and black livery brought over the interesting and eclectic wine list, with prices starting at £13.95 for a merlot or chenin blanc up to £60 for an Australian Irvine grand merlot.
We liked the look of the Vina Leyda sauvignon gris. But after a quick check of the Examiner budget, we plumped for an Argentinian Las Manitos Viognier at £17.95, which proved to be an excellent choice.
There was a reasonable, but not massive, choice of dishes on the menu, which described the food as ‘English with a French influence’.
I ordered the mille feuille of asparagus and wild mushrooms in a light herb cream sauce (£6.95). It was superb. The flavours were distinct, yet delicate. The asparagus tips were perfectly complemented by the flavoursome wild mushrooms, all sandwiched between sheets of wonderfully light and flaky pastry.
My dining companion Trish had the rough pate with toasted brioche, also £6.95. This too was delicious, with a surprisingly pure texture and positively brimming with subtle flavours.
Other starters included home-made soup, 315 prawn cocktail, mini Yorkshire pudding with foie gras and the vegetarian dish was feta cheese, which arrived at the neighbouring table in a foil swan.
For the main course Trish chose the grilled sea bass fillet with a fresh herb risotto at £15.95 and I had the penne pasta rolled in gaberon cheese with toasted pine nuts and baby spinach at £12.95.
Trish’s smallish sea bass was excellent, the white meat was very tasty and the skin was crispy. The dish came with delicious crispy strands of leeks.
My pasta was good, but not on quite the same level as the starter. Chef Jason Neilson obviously has a delicate touch in the kitchen, but I would have preferred a little more flavour to the cream sauce, and a few more pine nuts and baby spinach leaves would not have gone amiss.
Other mains had a more meaty theme, including char grilled fillet steak, rump of Yorkshire lamb, venison and belly pork. The side dishes were extra, and the side salad with roasted vegetables was worth the £2.75
Our waitress served from the left and cleared from the right, in proper silver service style. She was happy to oblige when I unashamedly asked for a doggie bag to take the rest of the pasta home in.
It arrived in a trug-like foil sculpture and if anything tasted even better the following day!
We decided to share a dessert, there were a choice of six all priced at £5.95. The truffle of dark chocolate with orange sauce was tempting, but we chose the home-made sticky toffee pudding with vanilla pod ice cream.
Although we would have appreciated a larger scoop of ice cream, the pud was a big hit – light, fluffy and very tasty.
All in all we were both very happy with our meals and the surroundings. The food is as good as any I have eaten in Huddersfield.
315 has been a long time coming, but it was worth the wait.
315 Restaurant and Bar
315 Wakefield Road, Lepton HD8 0LX
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 12 noon to 1am (last table booking 9pm). Sunday 12noon until clients leave (last table booking 5pm)
Children: welcome as long as well behaved.
Disabled: full access
Bill: £69 for two with a bottle of wine
Would you go back? Yes, definitely
Tel 01484 602 613
Website www.315barandrestaurant.co.uk/
