THERE can be few restaurants in Yorkshire that are as stylish or in such tranquil surroundings as Warehouse 12.04, the cafe bar and bistro in Sowerby Bridge.

It sits on the side of the canal away from the hustle and bustle of the main street and has been tastefully converted from an historic stone-built warehouse into a minimalist, contemporary bar.

The upstairs restaurant is set around a balcony overlooking the bar with semi-circle alcove seating. It's very calming and relaxing looking out on to the water but, at the same time, you can "people-watch" those down below.

And in the early days there were always plenty of interesting, glamorous individuals to spy on because owner Michelle Hind used to be head chef on the Emmerdale set and it became a favourite eating place for plenty of celebrities, who like regulars, loved Michelle's traditional home-cooking with a twist.

The 34-year-old who trained with a well-known Italian restaurant group in Leeds as well as a respected catering company, brought a lot of original and fresh ideas to her first business venture which she named after her birthday, April 12.

Very few restaurants at the time were offering the sort of menu she created. It wasn't complicated restaurant stuff but it certainly wasn't your run-of-the-mill pub grub either. It fell in between and captured the public's imagination because it was tasty, filling, well priced and, a bit like the interior, stylishly presented.

Customers went mad for her fish pie, fried calves liver on a bed of bubble and squeak, homemade burgers with the fattest chips imaginable and slow roast lamb shank. You struggled to get a table at a weekends unless you booked months ahead.

But the problems started when Michelle and her business partner, John Whitham, split and she become sole owner. John was front of house and had a great repertoire with customers, leaving Michelle to be creative in the kitchen.

The split was followed by a tough couple of years for Michelle. While the restaurant remained busy, some customers had slight niggles about both the service and the food.

The good news is that Michelle appears to have bounced back and says her aim now is to take 12.04 back to its glory days. She's training up her nephew, Jamie Powell, to be a chef and plans to bring in another experienced chef so she can spend more time out front with customers.

She is also about to introduce a new summer menu along with a Sunday carvery.

It's a while since I've eaten at 12.04 so I went along last Saturday night to check the place out. It was busy, had a nice buzz and staff were courteous and friendly.

I made a conscious effort not to go for my favourite dishes and instead choose something different. Large capped mushrooms stuffed with sunblushed tomatoes and Shropshire blue cheese and creamed leeks for starters followed by cajun spiced swordfish with aubergine crisps drizzled with balsamic syrup.

The other half had beer battered asparagus on a hollandaise sauce topped with a poached egg and then swordfish cooked in garlic, chilli, coriander and lemon butter. If it had been a competition I would have won hands down because we both agreed my two were bursting with different tastes and flavours, while his were a tad average in comparison.

That might just be down to personal taste however. I think it's a sin to put asparagus (which I adore) in a batter and I'm not an egg lover.

And while his fish was cooked beautifully, mine had that interesting sting – thanks to the cajun spices – and oozed colour, making it far sexier. The mushroom starter I'd recommend to anyone. The ingredients work well together with the cheese giving it a robust, comforting feel.

We shared an Italian baked cheesecake with blackcurrant sauce for pudding. Michelle spent a couple of years working in Italy with a pastry chef and is a sweet lover, so most of her desserts are homemade and well worth a try.

Service was slow (which meant that instead of just one bottle or wine we ended up having two) but that was our only complaint. As far as I'm concerned 12.04 has a lot going for it and it would be a shame to see it become just a pub or another curry house ( Michelle has been approached by a company wanting to do just that), so I hope food lovers vote with their feet and help it once again become a jewel in Calderdale's crown.

Ratings
Name: Warehouse 12:04

Address: The Wharf, Sowerby Bridge

Phone: 01422 836545

Food 4/5
Atmosphere 4/5
Service 3/5
Value 4/5