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The Wharfside

Thornes Lane Wharf, Wakefield WF1 5RL

The pub was formerly known as the Jolly Sailor and it would be hard to miss now with "The Wharfside eat drink relax" painted boldly on either end. It occupies a pleasant setting by the river with ample parking and a smart little beer garden. In nice weather one could sit and enjoy a view of Wakefield's Waterfront area as little by little the Grand Designs seem to be taking shape.

Grand Designs may be a slight exaggeration, but this is indeed a smart pub, looking as if it might well appeal to the appartment dwellers who have invested their hard-earned cash in Wakefield's regeneration. It is furnished in contemporary style with several tables suited to dining and some comfortable armchairs with low tables. Harmless rock music was being played not too loudly

There are two handpumps on the bar but at this quieter time of year they wisely concentrate on keeping just one cask ale in good order. Black Sheep Bitter was on offer; it was just as it should be and cost �2.60 a pint. The menu wasn't what I was expecting at all. It was described as a "fusion" of English and Italian cuisine and I was presented with an Italian set lunchtime menu. It looked a good deal: choose 2 courses from the 3 course menu wiith a glass of wine, a draught soft drink or a pint of John Smith's Smooth (!), all for �7.95. This is where your bartering skills should come in handy: "I'll willingly pay a bit extra for the Black Sheep" should do the trick. Failing that, the house wine is jolly decent.

For anyone who didn't fancy an Italian lunch, the blackboard offered full English breakfast at �4.50, BLT and fries at �4.95 and various other sandwiches and so on. I decided to sample the Italian menu.

Soup was not available, which didn't worry me, so the choice of starter was to be either Bruschetta Pomodora or Insalata Caprese. I chose the bruschetta: "chopped fresh tomato with garlic, oregano, fresh basil and olive oil on ciabatta bread". This was lovely and I already felt in a Mediterranean holiday mood.

Four pasta dishes were proposed for main course including Spaghetti Bolognese. From these I opted for Linguine Napoletana which came in a copious quantity, served very hot and with grated parmesan. It was an enjoyable dish. Vegetarians are certainly catered for here. If you like pasta dishes such as these, Tuesday night is half price pasta night. There are quite a few to choose from on the main menu and they aren't expensive full price. Had I gone for a sweet rather than a starter, I could have had mini brownies and ice cream or hot pudding with custard. On this occasion the hot pudding was a jam sponge. Everything was served efficiently and with attention to detail.

The set lunch menu is served Tuesday to Saturday from 12-3. There's a more extensive evening menu served from 5-8 also from Tuesday to Saturday. This features a selection of starters mostly around �4, main courses such as burgers (�5.95), 6oz rump steak (�6.95), surf and turf (�9.95) and of course a good selection of Italian offerings. Desserts are a very reasonable �3.45. In fact everything is pretty good value for a meal served in such pleasant surroundings.

A Sunday lunch menu is served from 12-6 but the pub is closed on Mondays. They are offering something a little bit different here and it would be well worth a visit.

The Wharfside, 46 Thornes Lane Wharf, Wakefield, WF1 5RL. 01924 360772 Colin Williams