Plated not slated

Ilkley

Martha and Vincent

There is sometimes a fine line between innovatory taste and daft pretension and I am not quite sure which side of it Martha and Vincent lies. I refer not to the food, which on the day I had lunch there was perfectly acceptable, but by the bizarre idea of serving it on what appeared to be slate roof tiles rather than china. Glass is bad enough, and I always feel sorry for the poor restaurateurs who have made the mistake of investing in stacks of glass plates which inevitably develop chips and cracks around the outside edge. The last time I ate from one of these I found myself searching for slivers of glass in the food and hoping that I was not going to end up in outpatients.
But first the bread rolls, tiny and obviously homemade, arrived on a slate and then my starter of chicken liver parfait was dished up on a larger version. The smooth pate was quite delicious, and the toasted brioche slices cosying up to it were warm, fresh and precisely and evenly browned in a way that gladdened the heart, and made one think of someone watching over the grill for the perfect moment of toastiness to arrive. A portion of compote of figs in a side dish was perhaps a little too generous (leaving one hoping that the remainder did not go back into the jar), but it had the right spicy pungency even though it was a little on the sweet side. The sad little collection of leaves completing the slate were an irrelevance, especially as they were unanointed by any hint of dressing.
Mackerel is not something I order very often, having been disappointed in the past, especially in England. But the fillet of fish which arrived next was fresh, toothsome and perfectly cooked, with not a bone to be seen (the careful soul in the kitchen had been busy with his tweezers). The "veloute froth" was creamy, and light, and well, frothy, and the pile of green beans under the fish were surrounded by tiny confit tomatoes which were a perfectly acidic foil to the richness of the mackerel. Thankfully, it was served on a white china plate.
I ate from the set fixed price lunch which at £13.95 is a bit more than the usual budget eats but this is Ilkley and a prime position on The Grove, so there is bound to be a supplement for snob value.
Overall, a good job well done, Martha or Vince or both. But why not save the slates for roof repairs and nip out to British Home Stores for a budget box of crockery?

Verdict - value for money 8/10 service - 7/10 quality of food 8/10