What a difference a decent road can make when visiting a country pub. When The Three Hares was last reviewed by this paper in 2001, the bar and restaurant were all but empty and the atmosphere poor - its car-borne customers apparently deterred by roadworks chaos on the nearby A64 at Copmanthorpe.

I shouldn't think having to pass through a dangerous gap in the central reservation at nearby Bilbrough Top to get to the village helped much either.

The Copmanthorpe roadworks have long since gone and, thanks to a nice new flyover, when I dined at The Three Hares with my wife last weekend I didn't have to take my life in my hands.

When we got there, the place was busy and buzzing. Not that the increased popularity is necessarily due to the improved roads system. There's clearly been a significant investment at this pub and restaurant over the years, right down to the stylish loos - complete with wallpaper featuring a host of pub quiz-style questions and answers.

There was also an impressive level of customer service, which began the moment I rang to book a table and was asked if either of us had a food intolerance, so that staff could ensure we didn't eat the wrong thing.

On arrival, we went straight to the dining area and were met by the flickering light of an extraordinary number of candles and nightlights - I think I counted 17 in our area alone. This made it nice and intimate, though darned near impossible to read the menu until the waiter thoughtfully turned up the lights a little. The walls featured exposed brickwork, with flagged floors beneath.

The menu, and an accompanying list of "specials", revealed a good range of choices - about half a dozen starters and a similar number of main courses. Some were not cheap: Chateaubriand worked out at £38 - although admittedly that was for two. The menu carried a clear warning that this was no fast food outlet and we could expect delays if it was busy. Fair enough - we were in no hurry.

To set our taste buds tingling, we asked for marinated olives and home-made bread in olive oil, at £2 each. The olives tasted absolutely delicious, while the bread was strangely sweet and slightly drier than I would have liked, and I could also have done with a little butter.

For starters, I decided on saddle of rabbit and smoked Ribblesdale cheese, wrapped in parma ham and with a stockpot of carrot puree, for a slightly pricey £7.25, while my wife asked for saut of wild mushrooms in cider reduced cream, red shallots and fresh tarragon, for the same price.

All the courses were presented attractively, nouveau-cuisine style, on huge plates that often dwarfed the food. Our starters were tasty enough, although the rabbit was a little tough.

For our main course, I opted for lasagne of griddled okra, orange peppers and courgette, bound in tomato and garlic ragout and served with aubergine caviar and basil and tomato pesto, for £10.95. My wife chose moules mariniere, for £11.50. The lasagne came not in a bowl, as I expected, but in the centre of a plate. It tasted good, with the aubergine providing an unexpected flavour. The mussels came in a huge bowl, sitting in a sea of rich, creamy sauce, into which I could not resist repeatedly dipping my remaining bread. We accompanied our meal with a pint of San Miguel lager for me, and a glass of house red and sparkling mineral water for my wife.

We were flagging by now, but I managed a pudding, choosing bitter chocolate tart, mango puree and thyme ice cream, for £5. The latter sounded a little off-putting, but tasted fine, and the chocolate nicely avoided tasting too sweet.

The bill came to just over £50 - not too bad for a nice evening out in pleasant surroundings.

Mike dined at the Three Hares on Saturday October 15, 2005

The Three Hares, Bilbrough, between York and Tadcaster.

Tel: 01937 832128

Updated: 10:38 Saturday, October 22, 2005