Aisle or window? The Cockpit Cafe flies in the face of fashion

On the face of it, opening an aviation-themed eaterie in Beverley would seem a geographically-questionable decision. After all, the nearest airport is 25 miles away and in a different county. It’s only when you discover that the owner of the Cockpit Café is a former “trolley dolly” (her words, not mine) that the concept makes more sense.

After her career as an air hostess, Lucie Mountain went into mobile catering, selling crepes from the back of a wagon at music festivals. She then decided she wanted something more permanent and the Cockpit Cafe was born.

Situated on the sunny side of Wednesday Market, the cafe features luggage as tables and aeroplane food trolleys for cake stands. There is airline ephemera scattered around, propeller-esque lights hang from the ceiling and the waiting staff dress in airline uniforms. It runs the risk of getting a bit too annoyingly themed but manages to stay on the right side of Disneyland-ish overload.

The front half of the cafe is light and spacious with shabby chic chairs and tables. It’s where you’d want to sit during the day. Further back are plush, low-lit booths which are much more suited to intimate evening dining. I visited on a sunny weekday for lunch and found it bustling with shoppers and even a couple of dog walkers, happy to find a pooch-friendly place to eat. A rarity these days.

The food is very good, if not particularly distinctive. The menu is the one area where there doesn’t appear to be a theme. Instead there is a sort-of greatest hits line-up. Bagels, toasties, sandwiches and salads will keep the daytime crowd happy but it’s the evening menu where you need to be looking for more adventurous fare.

Pork pâté with red wine jelly, sourdough toast and smoked bacon is a fine starter. The pâté initially felt a little too smooth for my liking but it actually worked very well with the extra crunchy sourdough. There was something distinctly boozy about the dish (mainly the red wine jelly, but possibly in the pâté as well) that suited the pork very well.

Of the lighter dishes, I can also recommend the roast sweet potato and goat’s cheese salad. There’s a marvellous texture to the sweet potato in a dish which would actually work perfectly well without the pomegranate and pickled beetroot smuggled in the leaves but definitely benefits from their presence.

A main of pan-fried salmon with harissa and salsa verde is perfectly excellent and the nicely al dente cauliflower florets the fish sits on are an unexpected and tasty touch. It is, though, accidentally overshadowed by the accompanying cheese-stuffed, deep-fried courgette flowers, which are outrageously moreish. They’re perfect mouthfuls of bhaji-looking crunchy softness and well worth checking out by themselves off the starter menu.

Surprisingly, given Lucie’s creperie background, the savoury crepe I tried – stewed apple, cinnamon and crème fraiche – was disappointing. Given the quality of the rest of the food, I’m sure it was a one-off aberration but it was claggy and bland.

Much better was a chocolate terrine with white chocolate mousse, chocolate “soil” and mixed berries. It was an intense slab of loveliness surrounded by other bits of loveliness of various textures and hues. So good, it almost eradicated the memory of the crepe.

Prices are about what you’d expect – starters and puds are £5-£7-ish and mains move up to the £15-£17 mark. Very good value for the quality of ingredients and the size of the portions.

The Cockpit is clearly a labour of love and you would never guess that this was Lucie’s first attempt at restauranteering. I do wonder, though, if the menu could do with being a little more ambitious. Businesses can either play it safe and risk being lost in the crowd or they can be unique and really make their mark. I think the Cockpit would benefit from a menu as distinctive as its design and concept. Chef Lee Miles clearly has talent and it might be good to let him run away with a few dishes. Don’t think this means you shouldn’t try the place, though, you absolutely should. Beverley needs more independent ventures and the Cockpit Cafe is a very welcome addition indeed.

8 Wednesday Market, Beverley, HU17 0DG. 07421 225900, www.thecockpitcafe.com.