Does Bradford's West End, as the lively quarter around the Alhambra is known, really need yet another bar? As a sucker for anywhere new and smart, I couldn't resist checking it out.

The spectacular, brightly-coloured interior is quite something. The designers have evidently tried to move away from the done-to-death wooden floor and chrome of its West End neighbours.

They've gone for kitsch - patterned carpet, brash colours, random fittings. The clashing primary colours and the age of the clientele bring to mind a sixth-form common room.

Even if this isn't quite your cup of tea you can't help but be impressed by the huge glass roof, weird pipes and ducts which are relics of the old Baths, and fantastically swanky toilets.

It's part of the national Wetherspoon's chain of pubs so there are a good range of real ales, cheap drink promotions and reasonable wines by the glass. Although it had only been open a few days when we went, some things had strangely "run out".

My choice of Chilean sauvignon blanc had "run out " but the friendly, helpful and knowledgeable woman behind the bar was able to steer me towards an alternative. I chose a tasty-sounding leek, red onion and cheese cobbler (£4.79); we were followed back to our table to be told that this had also "run out ".

Fine, I said, I'll have the nut roast. Two minutes later, she was back: this had "run out" too. I settled on fish and chips which were a delicious, if guilty, treat. It was a large plateful, arrived with some salad, and I didn't find a single bone in the fish.

Simon's spinach and ricotta cannelloni in tomato sauce (£3.99) arrived with grilled garlic bread. He felt it could have been hotter but he was impressed with the tomato sauce and thought they'd made an effort with the presentation.

The menu warns you that desserts "are big enough for sharing". We recklessly ordered two - a chocolate fudge cake (£2.25) for Simon which he declared surprisingly un-stodgy - it must have been good because I was only offered one bit. My apple and blackberry pie (£2.45) would have done four people, never mind two!

The Sir Titus Salt is really excellent value and compares well with similar city centre joints offering pub grub (a current promotion offers two meals for £5.25 between 2pm and 10pm Monday to Thursday and 2pm to 8pm Friday and Saturday).

Sarah Walsh

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.