Hide Bar and Restaurant, Skipton

7:09pm Saturday 8th March 2008

In case you hadn't noticed - and I confess I hadn't - Skipton's Escape Bar and Restaurant has become the Hide Bar and Restaurant.

Mothering Sunday was a fairly intense affair for various reasons and we arrived slightly late for our table. The restaurant manager didn't bat an eyelid. She made us feel very welcome and went out of her way to give us the best available table. In fact, service was superb all night.

We ordered quickly, then sat back to check out the Hide re-brand. The vivid blue paintwork looks cool, but it's a shame about the assorted objets d'art littering the walls and other surfaces.

The menu is typically modern: a decent mix of meat and fish, some oriental style dishes and the odd veget-arian option, all reasonably priced. There was also a special Mother's Day menu, but we went for the a la carte.

I had Caesar salad to start, followed by wild mushroom and spinach risotto. Husband began with goat's cheese terrine, then lamb as the main course. All the food was good, some very good.

The Caesar salad had slightly too many ingredients - olives and bacon were superfluous - but it was tasty. The goat's cheese dish came with a delicious pepper sauce, which was as nice as anything I've eaten in ages. The risotto had loads of flavour and managed to be luxuriously creamy without losing the peppery bite of spinach and rocket. Husband's lamb was "perfectly cooked"; the accompanying sauce was unusual but, again, perfectly executed.

While waiting for pudding to arrive, we had a look at the drinks menu for the downstairs bar. I think the bar is a lovely space, and the occasional night here makes a pleasant change from more usual pubs. But it often looks deserted, which my unscientific research says is largely due to the high price of beer. Let's face it, charging around £3 per pint is pushing it in down-to-earth Skipton, not to mention £5.50 for a cocktail or £8.30 for a glass of bubbly.

The pudding was excellent value, however: £4.95 for two huge pieces of fabulous chocolate brownie, the best I've eaten outside America, plus ice-cream. The final bill, including drinks and coffee, was £53.20.

So, Hide has a new owner, a new menu and new blue walls. To be honest, I didn't notice many significant differences between the old Escape and the new Hide. It's been a while since we ate at Escape, but the food was always good quality and good value, and the downstairs bar always overpriced and empty.

At the moment it feels like Hide is struggling for an identity. Hence the incongruous decor and the seriously schizophrenic background music. However, they've got the essentials right: good food, fairly priced and impeccable service. Now, if they'd just knock a few quid off those champagne prices In case you hadn't noticed - and I confess I hadn't - Skipton's Escape Bar and Restaurant has become the Hide Bar and Restaurant.

Mothering Sunday was a fairly intense affair for various reasons and we arrived slightly late for our table. The restaurant manager didn't bat an eyelid. She made us feel very welcome and went out of her way to give us the best available table. In fact, service was superb all night.

We ordered quickly, then sat back to check out the Hide re-brand. The vivid blue paintwork looks cool, but it's a shame about the assorted objets d'art littering the walls and other surfaces.

The menu is typically modern: a decent mix of meat and fish, some oriental style dishes and the odd veget-arian option, all reasonably priced. There was also a special Mother's Day menu, but we went for the a la carte.

I had Caesar salad to start, followed by wild mushroom and spinach risotto. Husband began with goat's cheese terrine, then lamb as the main course. All the food was good, some very good.

The Caesar salad had slightly too many ingredients - olives and bacon were superfluous - but it was tasty. The goat's cheese dish came with a delicious pepper sauce, which was as nice as anything I've eaten in ages. The risotto had loads of flavour and managed to be luxuriously creamy without losing the peppery bite of spinach and rocket. Husband's lamb was "perfectly cooked"; the accompanying sauce was unusual but, again, perfectly executed.

While waiting for pudding to arrive, we had a look at the drinks menu for the downstairs bar. I think the bar is a lovely space, and the occasional night here makes a pleasant change from more usual pubs. But it often looks deserted, which my unscientific research says is largely due to the high price of beer. Let's face it, charging around £3 per pint is pushing it in down-to-earth Skipton, not to mention £5.50 for a cocktail or £8.30 for a glass of bubbly.

The pudding was excellent value, however: £4.95 for two huge pieces of fabulous chocolate brownie, the best I've eaten outside America, plus ice-cream. The final bill, including drinks and coffee, was £53.20.

So, Hide has a new owner, a new menu and new blue walls. To be honest, I didn't notice many significant differences between the old Escape and the new Hide. It's been a while since we ate at Escape, but the food was always good quality and good value, and the downstairs bar always overpriced and empty.

At the moment it feels like Hide is struggling for an identity. Hence the incongruous decor and the seriously schizophrenic background music. However, they've got the essentials right: good food, fairly priced and impeccable service. Now, if they'd just knock a few quid off those champagne prices Mary Arber

Editor's Choice