Oakley's, Skipton

Ah, here is the wine, left silently on the table, screw cap already removed, no offer of a tasting, the young waitress off on her toes in seconds without a word exchanged. I should have said I'd prefer the bottle to be opened at the table. Why the rush? Maybe she was catching a bus? Maybe she was just not told how to do the job.

Skipton is a tourist destination, possessor of the best high street in the land, according to one survey. The visitors need to eat and I'd recommend the nice authentic Italian facing the Castle Inn. Oakley's is a bit harder to find, down a ginnel. Aim for the Narrow Boat pub. When I was young, this part of Skipton was lots of terrace houses, between the High Street and the canal. Today there are other shops and apartments and this lively grill and pizza business is in one

of the original buildings. On a Bank Holiday Sunday night it was busy

and bustling.

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It is the sort of thrum and hum that implies that whatever you think about the food, the majority are munching happily. You step down into the restaurant, faced by the reception desk, on this visit handling some take-out orders. Behind the hatch is the kitchen, at full throttle doing pizzas and salads and "crispy potato wedges". I would not miss ever so slightly having another potato wedge, but they do them

well enough here, plus decent baked potatoes.

The pizzas are good, too. The base is between thinly crispy and thickly doughy. Try saying that with a mouthful of calzone, the flipped pizza that looks like a giant Cornish. Here the calzone is just so huge. A chap in a casual shirt on the next table had one. I wanted to go and measure it. I'd say it was more than a foot long, and four inches high. He did not finish it.

Our table had a plate of spiced olives, then a warm rocket salad with smoked bacon, some lightly battered calamari, a main course of fishcakes and another of The Devil pizza, then at last some bought-in but very good ice cream and a marbled chocolate cake, plus two coffees. The bill was about 42 plus 15 or so for a bottle of 14 per cent Californian Lodi red.

The rocket salad was so-so. It is hard stuff to eat anyway, with the fronds determined to explore your nostrils as you fork it in. The bacon had been left in rashers, a laxness which was encountered in other facets of the night at Oakley's.

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Better news. The rings of squid were first rate in flavour and texture, just as good as I'd had beside the sea in Ibiza the week before. They were served in a miniature frying basket. This was a cute touch, yet the waitress had to be reminded that the mayo garlic dip was missing. A dining grande dame was asking for something she had ordered but not received. This lackadaisical attitude was already flagged-up on a website about Oakley's and you'd think the management would have got

it sorted.

The food is good enough but not all that cheap and therefore a bit more professionalism would be in order. The forgotten orders and the dismal wine delivery are unwelcome.

The fishcakes were hefty and good, though an unmatched pair, with a paucity of fish in the first. The presentation was a sign of rushing. They arrived with a bowl of salad sat partly on one of the cakes. The salad was fresh but dry. Too late did I discover I could have had a dressing, but this was never offered. I had to inquire about the

no-show of the tartare sauce. It proved to be made with chopped cucumber instead of with capers.

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The side order option was potato or potato: baked whole or wedged. Which dietician would advise having potatoes with fishcakes? The pizza was blameless, though I prefer a crisper base. It came uncut, with a roller slice provided.

The puddings are from a firm called Beckleberry's. Very good, too, but why bring to the table ice-cream which has melted so much that it is flat in the bowl? The best waitress of the night apologised. I could have it for no charge, a decent offer.

Now that I know the format I'd probably return to Oakley's and make sure I got what I ordered at one shot. I'd have bread with the oil-drenched olives. I would ask for a dressing with the salad. I would have the calamari again. I may even leave a tip if they got it right. It's a mixed bag of staff here, with a communal tipping kitty. How can you reward the good without paying others for indifferent service?

The best tip I can offer after the first visit is for Oakley's to put some finesse into the service.

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Oakley's Grill and Pizzeria, 5 Albert Street, Skipton BD23 1JD, North Yorkshire. Telephone 01756 796216. Evenings only, from 4pm on Sunday and 5pm Monday to Saturday.

Early bird menu Tuesday to Thursday between 5 and 7pm. Check the children's Sunday meal deal.

Disabled access: ring first. The toilets are upstairs.

Pay and display parking is nearby.

YP MAG 17/7/10