Public Servant Lifestyle

In the first of a new ‘Dining Out’ series our reviewers head to West Yorkshire to sample the local cuisine.

Mustard & Punch restaurant lies right in the middle of the quaint little village of Honley, West Yorkshire - and if you’re not from Yorkshire it quite simply is their hidden treasure.

Mustard and Punch is conveniently located at 6 Westgate, directly across from a public car park. Having arrived at 8pm we received a very warm welcome and were shown to our table. Immediate impressions were good. All the staff were smartly dressed in black and were pleasant and helpful, the tables were perfectly laid and the décor was subtle and inviting.

Upon Arrival

The young waiting staff were all extremely professional, polite and gave the impression nothing was too much trouble. The interior had a pleasant mix of elegance and rustic warmth, with white walls contrasting with wooden cladding and many interesting items displayed throughout the restaurant.

The semi-formal atmosphere works well allowing it to have a discreet level of sophistication without all the stuffiness. Personally the lighting was a little too bright, but that said, the ambience was the correct mix of relaxed intimacy and subtle background music.

Having been given our drinks we were given the appropriate amount of time undisturbed to make our choice of food.

Varied Starters

The menu provided a wide and varied choice of starters and the same number of main courses, with a vegetarian dish at each course and a couple of fish dishes. Not to mentioned the tantalising dessert choices. We both chose the spiced sweet potato with tomato salsa soup, absolutely delicious!

Pictured (below,left): Our reviewers – Brandon and Philippa – sample the extensive menu at Mustard & Punch.

We then moved onto our main courses. I had the rump steak, well done - accompanied by sautéed potatoes, onion rings and a pepper sauce, with baby vegetables - and my wife had braised lamb shank - served with dauphinoise potatoes and rosemary jus. We also ordered a portion of roasted parsnips with parmesan cheese and chips, we both managed to wash it all done with a fruity Australian Merlot! Everything was beautifully cooked and extremely well presented, and the portions were well sized so that they didn’t look overwhelming but ensured we were both left satisfied.

Dessert

Surprisingly, we managed dessert! Tempted with the likes of vanilla pana cotta to fine cheeses. I chose the award-winning apple and sultana crumble with home made honey ice cream and my wife chose the hot chocolate brownie with home made peanut ice cream and crème anglaise. Delicious, however we left wishing we had an extra loop on our belts!

We opted to choose our food from the set menu priced very reasonably at £17.95 per head including a bottle of house wine (£14.95 without wine). We decided to veer away from the house wine and treat our selves to an Australian Cabernet Merlot from their more than extensive wine menu. With a total bill of less than £40 (food only) we were pleasantly surprised, as the whole experience felt far more expensive than that.

From the moment we arrived at the restaurant, and all throughout the meal the service was absolutely impeccable. The staff were really well presented and professional, dealt with everything with a smile. Our table was cleared away efficiently without us feeling rushed or having to stare at dirty plates for any length of time. The staff had obviously been well recruited and trained, and knew exactly how to make the dining experience special.

We will definitely be going back to Mustard and Punch, and would have no hesitation recommending it to friends.

To learn more about Mustard & Punch why not visit the Mustard & Punch website?

More information available in Dining Out, United Kingdom