The Crescent

Category: £20 - £30

On arrival in Ilkley the Crescent was easy to find as it is located on the corner of the
Traffic- lights in the centre of town. We had no prior knowledge of the car parking facilities so opted to park in the main car park off Brook Street where you can park overnight free of charge. However, on checking into our room, we found details of the limited car parking facilities in the courtyard at the back of the hotel. There is room for about one dozen cars and tokens for the barrier are available at reception.
 
Our en-suite room was compact but tastefully decorated with good quality fixtures and fittings, television and tea and coffee making facilities. It overlooked the previously mentioned smartly cobbled courtyard, giving it a pleasant outlook: but more about the courtyard later! The hotel has a no smoking policy in the rooms for which we were grateful.

The evening meal was booked for 8pm in the Back to Browns restaurant and we were greeted by the friendly staff that made us feel very welcome. The relaxing Brasserie style restaurant is furnished in deep rich colours, mixing contemporary with traditional, with seating for around 40 people, making it a cosy and intimate eating area.

The menu offered a good selection of English and Mediterranean dishes with emphasis on local dishes. There are two sections on the starter menu, ‘Bits and Bobs’ and ‘Nibbles and More’ which includes dishes such as Olives and Dipping Oils served with chunky bread at £2.95, Duo of Wedges tossed in Cajun sauce and served with curried mayonnaise at £4.25 or a selection of Tapas, either 3 choices for £6.95 or 4 choices for £8.95. On the second section of starters, there is a better selection for the diners whose taste is less adventurous, such as soup at £3.50 or Gala melon at £4.50. However, on this selection there are still dishes for those of us who adore spicy food, such as Hot Salad of Citrus Hoi Sin Duck at £5.25 or Homemade Thai Style Crab Cakes at £4.95. I was particularly impressed with the fact that the majority of starters are available in small or large portions and are all served with the most delicious warm home baked crusty bread rolls.

After much deliberation, we decided on the selection of four Tapas.  It was a difficult choice to make as they all sounded irresistible, but we decided on 1- Marinated Seafood Salad. 2 – Feta, Olive oil and Roast Peppers. 3 – Chorizo sausage. 4 – Garlic King Prawns. All four were absolutely mouth wateringly delicious. We spend a lot of time in Spain and have frequented many a Tapas Bar but we both agreed that the quality, quantity and authenticity of these could not have been bettered anywhere in Spain. By now I was feeling rather full and felt that we should have chosen only three and not four. Although the choice would have been even more difficult to make; which one could we have possibly left out? Even Richard who has, well, let us say a ‘healthy appetite’ agreed that we had eaten too much.

The main course was equally scrumptious. My only complaint would be that there was only one fish dish, Salmon, which for me is something of an every day type of fish and  would have liked to see something such as Sea  Bass or Monk Fish  on the menu.  As I am not much of a meat eater, I opted for the vegetarian dish of Spicy Vegetable Soy Balls with noodles served with a tangy tomato sauce costing £7.95, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The other vegetarian option was Portabello Mushrooms topped with Welsh Rarebit at £7.95. Richard decided on the local speciality of Slow Cooked Devonshire Lamb at £9.95, which was cooked to perfection and simply fell away from the bone .All the main courses are served with a variety of fresh vegetables. Side orders are available, including Real Chips for £1.75 and a selection of Salads ranging from £1.75 to £4.95.

Now, I do not normally give into temptation and eat a sweet but in the interest of research I decided that just this once I would allow myself a treat. The choice once again was a difficult one. It was a close call between the Toffee and Banana Crumble and the Pineapple Sponge with Rum Custard and Coconut Ice Cream. I think my love of Pina Colada got the better of me and I chose the latter. The sponge was beautifully light and fluffy with just a hint of rum in the custard, but unfortunately, the kitchen had run out of coconut ice cream, so we had vanilla instead, but the dish worked well enough with it and not a crumb was left on the plate. Well worth the £4.95 as there was plenty for two people.

The wine list was very comprehensible with the wines being listed in different priced categories with a very good and wide-ranging choice. We chose a Tempranillo
Rioja, which went down extremely well.  We finished off with liqueur coffees, one Baileys, one Irish, even though they were not listed on the menu but the amiable staff were more than happy to oblige our request. There were only two members of staff waiting at tables in the restaurant, they were just attentive enough and did not rush us at all and were obviously well organized.

Adjacent to the restaurant is the hotel bar with a lovely polished wood floor, is comfortably furnished with lots of large leather settees and chairs, giving the atmosphere of a city centre wine bar. In addition, there is an attractive outside area in the courtyard with patio heaters, which were proving popular with the ladies.

Richard, unusually, decided not to have a drink in the bar, possibly something to do with the cricket highlights being on the television. So we went straight back to the room. The bed was extremely comfortable and I soon went to sleep, but not for long. This brings me back to the courtyard! I was not the only person to think that it looked a nice place to hang out as I was awoken several times by late night revellers, or should I say early morning revellers, using it as a meeting place or general thoroughfare. The last time I looked at my watch before I finally fell back asleep was 4.15am. Having said that, I am a light sleeper and can be woken by the sound of the proverbial pin dropping, whereas Richard, who can sleep for England had a brilliant nights sleep. Therefore, my advice to anybody thinking of visiting the Crescent would be to request a room at the front of the Hotel, away from the courtyard.

Overall, apart from the lack of sleep on my part, and no blame can be laid at the Hotel’s door for that, it was an enjoyable visit and I would highly recommend it and hope to repeat it one day soon.

Review Summary

Atmosphere ♦♦♦
Food ♦♦♦♦
Service ♦♦♦♦
Value ♦♦♦

Contact Details

The Crescent
Ilkley
LS29 8DG

Tel: 01943 600012