When my friend Chris, whom I met through work, told me his family was opening a restaurant and asked if would I like to go and try it, I knew this review for Weekend was going to be my toughest yet. Would it be the end of a friendship?

You cannot imagine my relief, when I arrived with a friend at the newlyopened family-run business in Bingley, to be greeted by a busy restaurant, brimming with smiling faces.

The welcome at Henderson's was as warm as I expected and it complimented the friendly atmosphere that greets you when you go in to the restaurant in Main Street.

We were seated in the window of the bar area on a comfortable sofa and brought wine lists and menus.

Not only was there an extensive choice of dishes on the menu there were also specials.

These were described to us in mouth-watering detail by the head chef, known to many in Bradford as 'Dibby'. He previously ran a restaurant in Baildon called Dibby's and owned the Brown Cow in Bingley.

Specials included kangaroo, but we gave that the 'down under'.

We ordered a bottle of house white wine. It was beautiful, exactly how I like a white wine to be - well chilled, dry, crisp and light.

It kept well chilled as long as it lasted.

After wrestling with our appetites and perusing a far too tempting menu bursting with choice, we placed our order.

The menu at Henderson's means you can be as adventurous or as unadventurous as you want to be.

It offers both traditional and exotic cuisine with a taste of the Mediterranean.

Meat features a lot on the menu - there was black pudding, duck, lamb, pork, steak, guinea fowl and venison.

But, in keeping with its Mediterranean flavour, there is also an excellent selection of fish dishes and vegetarian meals.

Orders taken, we were seated at a good-sized table that was beautifully laid out in green.

The service throughout the meal was perfect - efficient but non-intrusive.

We were offered a selection of rolls and our starters arrived.

Myfriend ordered Thai fishcakes and I tried them because, to tell the honest truth, I could not resist.

They were light, full of flavour and drizzled in a Thai-style chilli sauce, served on a bed of leaves.

We both agreed they were the best we had ever tasted and I will opt for those on my next visit.

I had ordered Boston-style spinach - fresh spinach cooked in cream and garlic served on a toasted muffin topped with a poached egg and smooth cheddar sauce. Creamy and rich it was, but it tasted delicious.

Both of us opted for fish dishes for our main courses. I had halibut and my friend chose seabass.

The fish were incredibly fresh, of good quality and cooked to perfection. It flaked with the gentle touch of the fork.

The halibut was grilled and topped with herb butter and the seabass was cooked in a bag, stuffed with herbs and butter cooked en papilotte and served with a ginger and spring onion sauce. They were served with new potatoes and vegetables. I opted for a portion of homemade chunky chips too.

We followed a brilliant main course with a homemade cheesecake to share.

We had a debate about the cheesecake base - whether it was better crunchy or soft. I won in this case, preferring it soft; my friend, despite preferring a crunchy base, conceded this was a good cheesecake.

We finished a truly lovely and satisfying meal with coffee and left beaming, having thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Henderson's opens Tuesday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 9.30pm and is also open for Sunday lunch and carvery from noon to 4pm.

HENDERSON'S 122-126 Main Street, Bingley. Tel: 01274 567479

  • Our writers comment on what they find during a single visit. They accept standards vary from day to day. In the interest of fairness, they do not reveal their identities, and they pay for their meals in full. Each venue is judged against other restaurants of a similar type.