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A Room With A View
By Paul Heaney, www.sugarvine.com
August 2006
A great dining experience amounts to more than just the food and drink. It encompasses the service, the atmosphere, the decor and the ambience, not to mention the company you’re with. And if you’re lucky, the icing on the cake is being seated at a table with a fantastic view.
A restaurant with a memorable vista is something of a rarity but one such place is CragRats Brasserie. Funny name, quirky background, lovely setting in the astounding Yorkshire countryside of the Holme Valley. You’re most likely to know the area from the TV series Last Of The Summer Wine. The place is not far from the village of Hepworth, just outside of Holmfirth, and the name CragRats is taken from the climbing fraternity. It actually springs from a training organisation of all things, which subsequently opened a theatre in the same building - a converted mill - in Holmfirth to provide theatre-led motivational training. Eventually the CragRats Café Bar was opened, swiftly followed by CragRats Brasserie. This is in fact a bar and restaurant. The bar side is open throughout the week, whereas the lower Brasserie section is open only from Thursday to Saturday. Set at the foot of a hill, it boasts two wonderful planted courtyards, one being more concealed and intimate than the other by the entrance path, which in itself is a lovely spot with the same great view as the Brasserie. The rolling countryside looks towards Barnside. And there is art and sculpture everywhere - inside and out - to feast your eyes on.
You enter the reception area and the warm and cosseted nature of the place hits you straight away. Passing the comfy leather sofas, you walk up the bar to be ushered either to your table or you can take a drink inside or out beforehand. Lilies abound, low key lighting is the thing and the colours are of browns, orangey browns and creams. Very retro trendy yet likely to stand the test of time. As for the menu, well you won’t be too upset if you pass up the Brasserie or arrive on a day the Brasserie is closed, as you should be very happy with the bar dining, as impressive as it is. The lunches provide a series of light offerings, with wonderfully concocted sandwiches and other light bites. In the evening though it turns into a den of iniquity. You’ll be thankful you tried the wonderful leek & spinach risotto (£5.50), or the equally lovely Chicken Liver paté. Then there’s the Camembert fritatta (£10.50) and a decent Rib eye steak (£15.25) for the less adventurous. Having said this, the Brasserie menu is wonderful to behold, with an eclectic mix of tastes for those with a fine palate. Check out the chilled roasted pepper & sweet tomato soup, crab & avocado gateau (£4.95), or the Risotto of wild mushroom & lovage, chicory & blood orange salad and Roquefort dressing (£6.25). Then for mains, sink into a Roulade of braised belly pork, toffee & sweet potato sauté.
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