Watch: I went to a Willenhall restaurant our readers love to find out what makes it so popular

It was a topic that brought a lot of suggestions and places that people said did the best food, had the best service and was a place everyone needed to see, taste and enjoy.

One name which kept appearing on the list and which readers raved about was Ye Olde Toll House in Willenhall, with plenty of compliments made to the quality of the food, the friendliness of the service and the loveliness of the restaurant.

It was named as a readers favourite from Food and Drink Month and, as a way of acknowledging this, I created a certificate to hand over to the manager and head chef Trevor Dunn.

In order to do this, and because I wanted to try the food and see if it was as good as people said it was, I decided to take a trip over to Willenhall on a Thursday evening to present Trevor with his certificate and enjoy an evening of good food.

The restaurant is set on the busy Walsall Road on the edge of Willenhall and, as  the name suggests, Ye Olde Toll House was built in the early 19th Century by an enterprising businessman who realised there was money to be made charging people to use his road which provided a quick, direct route between Walsall to Wolverhampton. 

It is believed that once it had outlived its original purpose, the building was used in the early 20th Century as a brewery, becoming a cafe after the Second World War, and finally being taken over and turned into a restaurant in 1971.

Driving up, it's a building which stands out among a somewhat drab area, with a black-and-white frontage which looks much older than its Georgian origins suggest, with a distinctive arched window to the upstairs, and a high, almost conical roof.

An old-style cast-iron pillar box is a curious feature in the foyer and the small bar area is an interesting contrast of styles, the black ceiling beams and white walls giving a distinctly olde worlde feel, while the bench seats were neatly trimmed and spaced out for comfort.

The bar is neatly stocked as well with a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, which was handy for me as, once again, I was driving, so I could enjoy a nice, cold and refreshing 0% Guinness.

I'd also arrived on Steak Night where, on Wednesdays and Thursdays for £25, visitors could enjoy an 8oz Sirloin or Rib-Eye steak or, for £9.50 more, a Fillet steak, plus a dessert and a house drink, which I thought was pretty good value.

However, I wanted to try a range of things, so took a look at the varied menu, losing myself in visions of crispy chicken, saucy scallops, rich pork belly, crispy duck and soft and succulent lamb.

It was time to make a choice, however, and I chose to go with the Salt and Pepper popcorn chicken, full of chilli and served with peri peri mayonnaise, a trio of Welsh lamb which promised a range of rich flavours and then finish off with the brandy snap basket, a sweet and sugary treat full of vanilla ice cream and tangy fruit.

My mouth was already watering as I was led to my table inside the restaurant, which was a distinctive mix of a high roof and a vast expanse of timberwork and while the brick work gave the impression of being inside a terraced house, rather than a restaurant, it just added to the unique feeling of the place.

The layout of the restaurant allowed people to dine in comfort and space, which was handy as on the night I arrived, the place was packed full of families celebrating birthdays, older couples enjoying a night out and people having a night away from cooking and treating themselves to a nice meal.

The staff were a friendly bunch as well, making sure you were comfortable and had what you needed without being overly attentive, and you were left alone to take in the surroundings and enjoy the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen.

Tellingly as well, even though the restaurant was a chef down due to holidays, no one was being kept waiting for any of their courses and the atmosphere was a noisy, but good spirited one.