KIRKBY Lonsdale and the surrounding area is blessed with some excellent eateries, so much so that it is often tricky choosing where to dine.

But one thing is for sure - I was overjoyed when a group of friends and I decided to visit Plato’s on a day off from work.

It is a charming building, dating back almost 150 years and with an interesting history, having housed in the past a wine merchants. It has also been a ‘pop shop’, where bottles of lemonade and the like were sealed with a marble stopper, bistro, deli and now a bar, restaurant and bed and breakfast.

And for food of this quality, it is reasonably priced, and there are great offers available too.

Not least of these is the tapas and wine deal, where you can choose any four tapas dishes and a half litre carafe of house wine for £20.

It’s value for money and the staff at Plato’s have added their own twist to some Spanish classics, while adding a few of their own concoctions.

First up, we chose flamed chicken and chorizo in cider (normally £4.50). This was as good as it sounds, with the chicken, chorizo and cider complementing each other perfectly.

Next on our list was goats cheese and sunblushed tomato filled aubergine cannelloni (normally £4.95). I love aubergine at the best of times but, served in this way, it was almost too good to be true. The cheese slowly melted in the mouth as the aubergine hit my tastebuds with aplomb.

We also chose the Spanish style fish stew (normally £5.95) which was a tasty blend of flavours.

The fourth dish was good old patatas bravas (normally £4.50) which is essentially cubes of potato served in a spicy, tomato sauce.

It is regularly labelled by food experts as the most popular of all tapas dishes.This particular patatas bravas was really quite lovely, proving Plato’s claim on its website that the team has ‘really mastered the art of tapas’.

* Total cost for four tapas dishes plus half carafe of wine was £20.