Chris Greenwood finds himself perfectly in tune with a classic little eatery in Tadcaster.

ALMOST eight years to the day from when Singers opened, a dark, windy and rainy Saturday night seemed an ideal opportunity to visit this welcoming Tadcaster eatery.

Singers is a small but perfectly-formed restaurant in the town centre, where the emphasis falls on top-quality food served in an amenable atmosphere with a musical theme.

Legend has it that joint-owner Philip Taylor wanted to put his tuneful talents to professional use but decided that the life of a restaurateur was a good compromise, hence the pictures of music industry greats, tables named after musicians and musical scores as place mats.

He has clearly had some success as tables are generally booked well in advance, leaving me to fall at the first hurdle twice, by failing to book early and making the two of us to settle for a 6.30pm slot, three weeks after our originally intended date.

But that's no fault of the endlessly polite Singers staff who let me down gently each time, with the wait only building up my hopes, so that by the time we were heading down the A64 my stomach was awash with anticipation.

Singers has appeared in the Good Food Guide for the past four years - and with good reason. So it is no surprise that many customers are regulars, although as newcomers we were welcomed with confident cheer.

The handful of front-of-house staff are discreet and friendly, while the menu is accessible and along varied, but not too showy, modern European lines.

Typical main courses include pan-fried rib eye steak with bubble and squeak and a green peppercorn sauce - possibly a trade-mark dish - as well as roast salmon with queen scallops and saffron cream or a crispy duck leg with pak choi and an orange, soy and ginger dressing.

Starters are distinct and tasty, from tuna steak with grapefruit salsa to a warm chorizo salad with potato, chick peas and sun-dried tomato dressing.

Catherine and I both went for the full three-course dinner menu (£18.95 each), with a warm salad of pan-fried chicken livers with dry-cured bacon, pine nuts and a basalmic vinegar dressing to start me off and a Parma ham salad with roast tomatoes, mozzarella and sun-dried tomato dressing for her.

My dish was a mound of dark, salty and extremely tasty ingredients with the chicken livers cooked gently so that they were almost dangerously soft. Not for the faint-hearted.

Across the table Catherine said her Parma ham was "noticeably good quality" with the tomatoes sweet and caramelised, although she felt the salad was a little under-dressed.

Our main courses quickly arrived, with Catherine welcoming a slither of sea bass, which she said was beautifully cooked and delicious with buttery noodles and warm, tangy tomato, garlic and basil vinaigrette.

I chose beef fillet medallions, which is a posh way of saying small chunks of tender steak. They came cooked perfectly with Rosti potatoes and a swish of red wine and shallot juice.

If you're still with me you might be feeling a little full already, but it is a tribute to the mature and well-balanced menu at Swingers that we had room for more.

So we tucked into a passion fruit parfait with mango and a raspberry coulis and a vanilla and raspberry creme brulee. Both were superb and a sweet ending to a memorable meal.

We also sank a bottle of medium-bodied Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon (£12.50), which was not probably the best choice for the meal but went down fine with me.

The bill came to a solid £56.40, including a bottle of water (£3) and two coffees (£1.50 each), which seemed reasonable for a special occasion or celebration.

Singers is offering a Christmas lunch and dinner menu in December from Tuesday to Friday, 12 noon until 1.30pm, and Tuesday to Saturday 6.30pm until 9.30pm.

Diners who are passionate about their food and enjoy eating in relaxed surroundings should get their bookings in early to avoid being left out in the cold.

Fact file:

Food: excellent

Service: attentive

Value: good

Ambience: cosy

Disabled access: no

Singers Restaurant, 16 Westgate, Tadcaster 01937 835121

Updated: 10:04 Saturday, November 30, 2002