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YOU get more than what’s on the menu at one of West Yorkshire’s most popular restaurants.

Orlando’s Italian Restaurant, on the outskirts of Huddersfield, is not just about the freshest, most delicious, authentic Italian food, you will also be visiting the only restaurant in the UK whose owner is a member of the Magic Circle.

Twenty-five years ago, owner Orlando asked a visiting magician to teach him a trick, and the rest, as they say, is history. He learned one trick after another, and was soon performing them for his customers at their tables.

“My customers love the magic as well as the menu,” he says proudly. “I have regular customers who bring their friends to enjoy the food, the atmosphere, and to see us performing.”

The ‘us’ includes another member of his staff, Jay Abbs, who also belongs to the Magic Circle, and is the son of a magician. The restaurant also welcomes other magicians to perform, including more members of the Magic Circle.

Orlando, originally from France with Italian parentage, has lived in the UK for 45 years and is married to Carolina, who he met on the Channel Islands.

She doesn’t perform herself, because she doesn’t want to learn how to do the tricks – she prefers to believe in the magic. However, Orlando says that she is magic behind the bar in the restaurant.

His favourite trick of the moment is pulling a silk handkerchief right through a customer’s mobile phone. And the hardest trick he performs for friends and family, is to cut himself in half.

First and foremost, though, is the restaurant. Orlando and Carolina are dedicated to preparing authentic food cooked in a classic Italian style. They pride themselves on sourcing only the very best ingredients and, where possible, try to use local suppliers and genuine Italian ingredients to get the authentic taste that is so important.

Orlando’s chef, Simon Treherne, who has been with the restaurant for ten years, practises his magic touch in the kitchen. The well-established restaurant offers a choice from the À la carte menu, both classic and contemporary, pizza and pasta dishes, and blackboard specials.

As the man himself says: “Follow the magic and you get to Orlando’s.”

Open Wednesday to Friday, 5pm to 10pm; Sat 12 noon - 10pm; Sun 12 noon - 9.30pm. Parking is easy in the large carpark, with full disabled access for wheelchairs.

www.orlandosrestaurant.com

Orlando's Restaurant, 5 Wakefield Road, Grange Moor, Wakefield, WF4 4DS

Telephone: 01924 840762; mobile: 07714 449607