* This is a sponsored review
What safety measures did Banyan Ilkley have in place?
I have to say I think Banyan have got their COVID safety measures spot on! From hand sanitiser on entry and additional screens between booths to the footpull on the bathroom door they really have thought of everything.
Banyan Ilkley is only using every other free-standing table so we were easily 2m from the next group of diners. All booths are in use as the seats back on to each other but new screens have been added between each booth for additional protection. We were seated at a table rather than in a booth and it was clear the table and chairs had just been cleaned, we also saw staff cleaning the tables and upholstery of the booths during our visit.
The test and trace system is completely contact-free, all you have to do is login to the Banyan Ilkley Wi-Fi and your details are added.
The Food and Drink at Banyan
On to the good stuff- The food was delicious!
We rushed in out of the rain and were seated by the friendly host and provided with the Kid’s Menus. Our drinks and food menus were already on the table. The kids were enchanted by the changing bar lights and really enjoyed the music. It was just loud enough to create an atmosphere but not too overpowering that we couldn’t enjoy a conversation. We booked a table for 5 pm and it was lovely to see families already seated and more arriving as we left.
After choosing what we wanted I headed to the bar to order. There were clear markers on the floor to ensure social distancing remained in place. On none “Eat Out to Help Out” days you can download an app and order from your table. Once our order was placed our waitress brought a side plate of cutlery and napkins to the table with our drinks.
Mr Mumbler is more into savoury so he started with Calamari which came with a lovely Sriracha mayo – I had to try it- purely for review purposes! I was holding out for dessert so we moved onto the main course.
I had the Rustic Ciabatta Steak Melt. Advertised as Tender steak fillet, rich sautéed mushrooms, Monterey Jack cheese, watercress, red onion marmalade and wholegrain mustard mayonnaise on a rustic ciabatta it really delivered! The red onion marmalade was amazing! This went perfectly with a glass of house red.
Mr Mumbler opted for the Chicken Schnitzel. A Breadcrumbed & flattened chicken breast, pan-fried and served with house fries and garlic mayonnaise. The fries were crispy, the chicken tender and the garlic mayonnaise was the perfect accompaniment. Again I HAD to sample his meal for the purpose of the review!!
You can view the Food Menu here.
The children were dining from the Kid’s menu. The menus were paper and had puzzles and games on the back which kept them happy while we waited for our meals to arrive. Remember to take some crayons as Banyan cannot provide them at this time. Both kids have a sweet tooth so bypassed starters with their eyes on a Nutella Waffle prize! They really do take after their Mummy!!
They ordered Popcorn Chicken and chips and a Banyan cheeseburger and chips. Both were demolished with Master Mini-Mumbler rating it a 4.5/5 Star! He really got into this review!
The Kid’s menu is priced at £5.50 for any main meal or breakfast, (or £2.75 each on Eat Out to Help Out days) with a FREE drink. Or you can make it two or three courses by adding a dessert for £1.95 or a starter for £2.50. The portion sizes were good, my LB is 9 and sometimes a child meal is not quite enough for him.
You can view the Kid’s Menu here.
On to dessert- The Baked Waffle (Baked waffle smothered in Nutella and toasted marshmallows topped with a combination of both ice cream and squirty cream. Finished off with smashed Oreos and hundreds and thousands.) certainly did not disappoint the kids! In fact, I couldn’t take a picture quick enough before they dived in.
I could not decide between the Black Cherry Cheesecake (my favourite ever cheesecake) and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Brownie (my favourite chocolate!). The decision was made for me as the brownie had sold out! I was not disappointed, the cheesecake was beautiful. The cherry cut through the sweetness of the cheesecake wonderfully. The only downside for me was that I would have liked a thicker base.
We enjoyed a lovely, leisurely meal, with no pressure to vacate our table so the next booking could be seated and there was plenty of attentive staff on hand to help with the inevitable additional ketchup needs. We would definitely recommend Banyan Ilkley to other families and will be visiting again.
Banyan is located in the centre of Ilkley with lots of local car parking available plus it is only a short walk to the Train station.
How does Eat Out to Help Out work?
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme takes place from 3 August 2020 and will run until 31 August 2020, every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays at participating establishments, including Banyan.
You’ll get a 50% discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in (up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner). You won’t need a voucher to use this scheme and there is no minimum spend. All diners in a group of any size can use the discount- so the children are eligible for half-price meals too. You cannot claim a discount on alcoholic drinks or service charges.
When receiving your bill, the work’s done for you and you will be given the reduced price of meals and drinks.
Disclosure: Mumbler was lucky enough to receive this meal for free, however, as always this is an honest and truthful account of our meal & experience.
