My family and I chose Voda's earlybird menu (5 - 7pm) for a Saturday evening out recently. Although there is no exclusive parking for the bar/restaurant we managed to find a roadside space (of which there were a few) very close by. Located in Huddersfield town centre, surrounded by a variety of other restaurants, Voda is close to the railway station making it an ideal place for those using public transport.

Voda has recently come under new ownership being open only a matter of weeks and the refurbishment has resulted in some improvements with seating in the bar area. Disabled customers are well served here in the restaurant with accessible an accessible toilet and level access to almost half of the tables. The main toilets are located downstairs and anyone that has visited before will be aware of the modern sensor flushes and will be reassured that new signs on the doors let new customers know that the toilet will flush as you open the door to leave!

There is a more informal feel to the whole place since the new owner has taken over. This includes the addition of a wall mounted wide screen TV (playing on silent) which resulted in a happy son who could check out the football while he waited for his meal! There is also a pool table located downstairs where the room is available to be hired for private use. The background music was pleasant and relaxing, pitched appropriately for a relaxing meal. Although we visited at a quiet time, Voda had a good mix of couples and parties all enjoying the evening.
Voda somehow feels more like a bar than a restaurant probably because of the welcoming and informal atmosphere. The menu however, offered a nice selection of food although vegetarian choices are limited. The menu also offers a roast dinner on Sundays.

After a warm welcome on a wet and windy night we had an appetising drink at our table where we were able to browse the menu in the relaxed and comfortable surroundings. We sat on a raised circular seated area, a bit like an American diner crossed with contemporary eating place.. nice!
Our choices from the menu included a delicious Prawn and Crayfish cocktail, grilled sardines and cheesy nachos. The salsa served with the sardines and nachos was to die for and worth coming for that alone! The quality of the seafood starters was excellent and gave us a real appetite. After that the main courses had a lot to live up to and somehow didn't quite make it!

My son had fish and chips and he described the fish as bland and a little watery. The homemade tartar sauce saved the day and was really tasty as were the potato wedges and mushy peas. My husband had vegetable lasagne and garlic bread and although nice lacked a certain something. I selected another starter, crispy duck salad, as a main course. The duck lived up to being crispy and was served on a refreshing bed of salad with cherry tomatoes and orange segments.
The dessert choice was good and I was tempted to Eton Mess or chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream or raspberry crème brulee, all hot favourites of mine. After much debating, I opted for sticky toffee pudding and was bowled over by the generous portion which could have easily served all three of us! A nice pot of tea and a cup of coffee ended the meal nicely before we set off in to the night. The staff were flexible, friendly and attentive without being obtrusive. We enjoyed a relaxed meal in pleasant surroundings.

The earlybird selection was excellent value with two courses for £11 or three courses for £14. The total bill for three people came to £36.00 excluding hot and cold drinks.
Based on our experience I would also recommend the lunch menu which has a similar, but slightly smaller selection at £7 for 2 courses or £10 for 3 courses.

Voda's lunch menu is ideal for ladies who lunch, shoppers, couples and town centre workers. The evening menu is also great for a relaxing meal or pre-theatre dining. The introduction of a loyalty card makes it all the more attractive with the current credit crunch. Voda also offer student discount which may appeal to those at local colleges and the University.
All in all, if you're looking for a good food, a good selection, nice surroundings, generous portions and good value for money Voda is well worth a try!
 

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