Alan Cookman, visits Bons Amis, Nantwich

Which are the questions you least like to be asked in a

restaurant?

I can think of several: "I don't suppose you happen to have

a can opener on you?"; "Al Dente? Wasn't he a 1940s

bandleader?"; "Your card's been declined, sir, do you have an

alternative form of payment?"

All are guaranteed to take the gloss off the occasion, but

the question that really does my head in is this one: "Is

everything all right with your meal, sir?"

I'm not sure why I find the question so irritating, but I

always feel that it points to a worrying lack of confidence in

the product, especially when it is posed four or five times at

one sitting.

I tend to suspect that I wouldn't be repeatedly asked if

everything was all right with my meal unless there was a strong

possibility that everything was not all right with my meal.

"It's just that you're the only one who hasn't

complained."

It is, of course, a question to which the majority will

answer in the affirmative. It may challenge us to have the

bottle to reply in the negative, but most of us never do.

I have heard people at adjacent tables moan about everything

from cold soup to tough meat and watery gravy, but when asked

if everything is all right with their meal, they invariably

answer, "Yes, fine thank you".

And those who are predisposed to complain don't need to be

invited to speak up.

The reason I bring up the issue is that at Bons Amis we were

not asked at regular intervals if everything was all right with

our meals. If we had been it would have been a transparent

fishing expedition resulting in a bumper haul of

superlatives.

When the food is as good as it is here, there's no need to

ask if it's all right.

This chic, bistro-style venue, with cool decor, soft colours

and a distinct air of Gallic informality and insouciance, is

located in Hospital Street and has a frontage that might have

been imported whole from Montmartre.

Here the specials board, listing the plats du jour, is the

mouth-watering focal point of the room, a list of treats so

alluring that you are thrown into a torment of indecision.

How do you choose between fillet steak strips on roquefort

salad with caramelised onions and balsamic glaze (£14.95) and

honey-glazed ham hock on mustard mash with cabbage and cider

sauce (£13.95)?

Those were just two of the seven mains on the chalkboard,

another being lemon and pepper-crusted salmon fillet on Greek

salad with hummus. I made a bet with the Son and Heir that this

would be Herself's choice.

I lost. Instead she ordered from the menu proper, choosing

the wild mushroom and Gorgonzola risotto with fresh asparagus

and roast vine tomatoes (£10.95), and it was the Son and Heir

who opted for fish, though not the salmon.

He chose another of the plats du jour, the smoked haddock

rarebit with roast vine tomatoes, asparagus and fries (£13.95),

and enjoyed it as much as his mother enjoyed the risotto.

When I first looked at the chalkboard I momentarily read

"rarebit" as "rabbit," and I only survived the disappointment

by choosing another favourite - pan-fried duck breast with

saut??ed new potatoes, celeriac pur??e and a pear chutney sauce

(£15.95). The duck was the right colour, texture and flavour,

though slightly tougher than it might have been, and the

celeriac pur??e was divine.

I'd started with a classic Caesar salad (£5.45), which

actually came with anchovies, as well as the usual components

(I know that in the authentic recipe the taste of anchovy is in

the dressing, but I like my anchovies to be rendered unto

Caesar in a form I can recognise). Anyway, it was a great

Caesar salad.

Herself started with the tasty chicken liver and pork pat??

(£5.95), and The Son and Heir had the Colliers Cheddar and leek

croquettes (£5.95), which looked a quality dish to me.

I finished with cheese (lovely Stilton and Brie, generously

garnished, for £6.95) while Herself drooled her way through the

Peach Melba Mess with crushed meringue and fresh raspberries

(£5.95).

The Son and Heir set an example to us all in these difficult

times by skipping dessert altogether.

The details

Name: Bons Amis

Where: Hospital Street, Nantwich. Tel 01270

628347

Open: @12 noon to 2.15pm and 6pm to 9.30pm, Tuesday

to Saturday; 12 noon to 2.15pm and 6pm to 10pm, Friday and

Saturday.

The Bill: with drinks and olives to share: £80.95

Customer Service: 8½/10

Quality Of Food: 8½/10

Overall Experience: 8½/10