While visiting Orkney, my parents and I visited the town of Stromness, the second town of the mainland after Kirkwall. We stopped for lunch at the Stromness Cafe Bar, located close to the Pier Arts Centre.

The entrance to the cafe is also a small shop, for sandwiches etc, and there are a couple of cafe tables in the middle of it. At first only these were free, which I wasn't too happy about - I didn't fancy having my lunch by the door in the middle of the shop.

However, we managed to get a table in the cafe proper. There are comfortable bench-seats around the walls, the tables are a good size and separated by low partitions.

Service was attentive although perhaps a touch intrusive. We were asked twice if we were ready to order, and it was the third time we were asked that we actually ordered - and we weren't being that slow. We were asked if everything was ok once we had our food, something which shows customer care but which personally I don't like, especially if I'm mid-chew and have to answer with my mouth full.

The food was very nice, although nothing terribly special. I had a brie and mushroom toastie, my mum had cheese and ham and my dad had chicken and pepper, all of which was just what we wanted. Each was served with a small side salad. The menu was what you would expect of a cafe like this, a selection of sandwiches and toasties, and a few hot rolls. You could make your own sandwich/toastie/panini from a list of fillings, something I always like as I sometimes find that the listed options aren't quite what I want.

To drink my parents both had coffee and I had Irn Bru. They also both had cakes, but there was nothing that I fancied. The cakes were homemade, and apparently quite nice.

Now here's the bad part - the price. It came to £23!!! Other lunches in Orkney had cost no more than £15 for similar, and that has been our experience elsewhere in Scotland. The sandwiches at the Stromness Cafe Bar seemed to be standard prices, but the cakes at the Stromness Cafe Bar were over £2 each, and the two coffees totalled £4.50 - which is expensive for a cafe like this. We couldn't believe that total, and in fact would have questioned it if my mum hadn't had another look at the menu to get an idea of how much she would be paying.

While I can't fault the food, the price would be enough to put me off going back if I'm in Orkney again.