Occupying the site of what was once Clegg's electrical store and was more recently Tubby Wadlow's, Martha & Vincent's chic black shop-front façade, cream and black interior and growing reputation signal a certain ambition. To be taken seriously maybe, to appear "modern" maybe, but I think most importantly they want – and perhaps need – to set themselves apart from such chain arrivals as the Pizza Express and recently opened Piccolino's.

Once inside for a late supper one Friday night, the tone is maintained – a maître d' in a suit and tie, French waiters in white shirts and waistcoats, delicate long-stemmed wine glasses and softly folded proper white linen napkins. The smartly printed menus tick all the right boxes, too, extolling the virtues of careful hand preparation and local suppliers, and touch every base from shellfish, game and fresh fish to seasonal roots and wild mushrooms.

Pricing also indicates the ambition of the place, with starters hitting the £8 mark and mains up to £23. These feel like big city prices (even in the flush environs of Ilkley) making it a potentially expensive night out, but the great thing is that the place gives off such a confident, sassy vibe that you can't help but shrug and ponder what to eat and drink.

The wine list is a sensible length with 20 or so whites, a similar number of reds and an impressive 10 sparklers. Being split into "tasting note" headings made choosing easier. The only English wine on the list was a zesty Chapel Down Flint Dry – reminiscent of a gooseberry-sharp New Zealand sauvignon on first sip, it matured in the glass into a more complex and rounded apricot-fruit driven mouthful with more weight than expected.

With wines starting at £15, paying £22 for the Chapel Down was near the bottom end of the list price range, but felt great value for money for this quality of wine. It also offers a "green" glow since its wine miles are the lowest on the list.

A roast pigeon starter was top end in flavour – liverish and gamey, nicely cooked and great winter food with its roast roots and rich jus. Possibly an older generation of diners would have judged it not quite hot enough. The Jerusalem artichoke salad with brioche was the kind of dish I love to make at home and didn't disappoint here being nattily presented on slate with the warm nutty root and modish "mirco" salad leaves elegant and tasty.

Maybe I've been spoiled when it comes to scallop dishes as I used to live in Scotland, but the third starter rather let the side down.

This, too, looked great but didn't deliver on the flavour front. The pumpkin purée was a good idea, but should have been warm and spicy in tone and here it was bland to the point of flavourlessness and needed a good seasoning at the very least to help it along.

The scallops themselves were perfectly cooked, if uneven in size, but just got lost with nothing to bring out their sweet savour or delicate freshness.

This unevenness was repeated during the main courses. A rib-eye steak was undoubtedly the high point of the meal, excellent meat, great earthy beef flavour and perfectly cooked.

The hot Yorkshire stone plate was not an innovation "too far" as one of my guests thought, but a sensible way of keeping the meat perfectly hot to the last mouthful. Hand cut chips were very good, too – crisp, melting and fluffy inside.

Venison Wellington updated a classic with roast beetroot and braised fennel, good pastry and a nicely judged mushroom duxcelles on top, but maybe slightly overcooked or rested too long as the meat was more toothsome than it should have been.

Manor House pork did not live up to expectations. This loin was overcooked and so bereft of any of the juiciness that can make well-sourced and cooked pork a joy. Its accompanying rösti and vegetables were all doing sterling work on the plate, but were let down by the main player.

For desserts, the chocolate fondant was very good indeed with excellent prune and armagnac ice cream. Cheeses, however, included a dubious piece of white stilton with cranberries, better suited to a supermarket rather than an upmarket cheeseboard.

In fact, the cheeses rather summed up Martha & Vincent; nicely presented on a slate slab and served with excellent chutney, almonds in honey and an elegant glass of port, but an under-par selection undermining all the obvious care and thought that's gone into
this operation.

This place gets so much right and it's frustrating to be carping about some inconsistencies in the cooking and a service style that, while always correct, lacked a little "soul".

They have the ambition, but alone that isn't enough. It's every night's follow-through that counts.

Martha & Vincent, 39 The Grove, Ilkley, LS29 8NJ. Tel: 01943 602 444. Open Tuesday to Sunday. Early evening offer Tuesday to Thursday: two courses £15.95, three courses £19.95. On-street parking.