Restaurants

[ABBEY]

i had one of the best kebabs ive EVER had last week.SIZZLEZ on County Rd ,near Goodison. It was a fiver and was fantastic.

[gumboots]

I once went in the restaurant on Lovely Hall Lane (closed now prob due to it's clientelle moving on as it were), Pendle View I seem to rem it being called, and it was just like that! I thought a chara load must have trapped up from the local nursing home except they had all driven there. The menu was godawful and straight of of a 50's ration book!

btw whats funny about fromage?

If I knew, I'd put a stop to whatever it is that's going on but it's been an issue with that lot since year 8 I think. Every now and then one of them just says cheese and the rest of them fall about laughing. I put it down to their being immature little boys and one of these days they will move onto something else. This week it was the staple of all schoolkids everywhere - paper aeroplanes. If they were half as good at French as they are at those, I'd be in teacher heaven

[Paul]

We went to the Royal Oak at Riley Green for the first time in years last night. Decided to go there as I knew it had added dining and it was convenient for us to jump off the M65 on the way home. The car park was full when we arrived and I didn't expect to get a table but when we walked in the drinking areas proved to be very quiet and the dining area at best 50% full.

We had an excellent meal for two including drinks and desert for £42 - less than I expected by around £10, which is always a nice surprise and helps to increase the feeling of value for money. I had venison sausages with red cabbage and garlic sauteed potatoes and Mrs P had loin of pork with mustard mash. Vegetables were really good, sugar peas, snap peas, baby carrots all freshly cooked, no microwaving - a plus for me. The meal was clearly cooked while we waited and was served piping hot - I don't like lukewarm efforts which are cold by the time I've finished.

All the meat is sourced via Spout House Farm which for me is a BIG plus but also a smart move. If you live local to The Royal Oak, presumably you are the target market. Anyone who lives locally will know Spout House quality (they are building a new shop at the moment).

The menu is much as you would expect and will cater for all tastes including young families. The "specials" menu had five good dishes to chose from. Portions are very adequate and with a third less on my main I would have been happy, desert was easily large enough for two. Staff were very friendly and happily joined in the banter which they must have heard a thousand times before.

When we left the car park was still full but the place even quieter. Strange. We had been talking in a similar vein to thenodrog re competition. For us the Royal Oak has to face up to competition from eight similar and similarily priced pubs / restaurants - only three of which are in theno's list proving how many there are!! It must be very tough, we don't eat out that often. Current favourites would be the O&O and based on last night the Oak. Wouldn't bother with the Clog anymore, it was great when it opened but has declined and I wouldn't want to run the RISK of a bad night. That is in fact worse than being bad because it means we don't consider it, if you know a place is bad at least there's a decision to be made.

The other aspect is if a pub doesn't have good food why go? If we wanted a boozy night we can walk ten minutes to a good local. Driving has been out of the question for years so a place like the Royal Oak with minimal local residents is going need to stay on it's toes. Hope it does, we've planned a summer evening walk on the canal to go there again.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Paul

[Ozz]

I would echo those words, whenever I have had some food there, its been excellent. Very low ceiling though, I constantly was in fear of banging my head on the roof beams!

[ABBEY]

SPOUT HOUSE? Is this the one where farm produce is sold at bottom of Bett Lane?

[Paul]

It's on Blackburn Road, Wheelton about .25 miles after Bett Lane. They mainly sell their own meat rather than farm produce. Also have good eggs. ice cream and cake!! Sometimes bread first thing on Sundays.

[thenodrog]

Spout House is very good and SHOULD be used in preference to the supermarkets. Bit like in rural France where local quality food is placed above mass produced quantity every time. So too should Pauls Farm produce at the top of Dunkirk Lane, Leyland for their excellent quality fresh fruit and veg.

Moving on. Despite having a new kitchen fitted last week I allowed er indoors to cajole me into eating out last night and give the newly refurbished Butlers Arms a go. As with most unplanned impromtu stuff it turned out to be an excellent night. A number of close friends had done the same and as we had all arrived at the same time a table for eight was quickly arranged. I had moules mariniere to start and gammon for mains whilst the missus elected to have a sirloin steak. I've no idea who supplies their meat but the gammon was absolutely excellent, thick and juicy with no fat or gristle as can frequently be the case and the three who had the sirloin all praised it highly. Good reports too for the Butlers burger and the Fish and Chips. Everybody was too full for puddings and the night turned even better and gained a party flavour when another four friends turned up for drinks after having eaten at the Oyster & Otter.

Early days as yet but I must say the new Butlers does remind me somewhat of the O&O in that they do appear to be doing most things right. However like the Clog and the O&O it is not cheap rendering it a bit of a stretch for weekdays and I wonder if there are enough customers to go around all these eateries at the weekends. Personally if I were a landlord I'd be looking to provide a cheaper weekday option as the prospect of deciding whether to eat in or out during the week is simply not an option with the prices involved. All the while the Dressers continues to pack em in with their 'pile it high' Steak nights. Personally I wouldn't want to do a steak night all that often but a clean, cheap and cheerful option with a simple but attractive home made 'Mon-Thurs' menu would be nice.

Edited May 19, 2013 by thenodrog

[Sparky Marky]

Spout House is very good and SHOULD be used in preference to the supermarkets. Bit like in rural France where local quality food is placed above mass produced quantity every time. So too should Pauls Farm produce at the top of Dunkirk Lane, Leyland for their excellent quality fresh fruit and veg.

Moving on. Despite having a new kitchen fitted last week I allowed er indoors to cajole me into eating out last night and give the newly refurbished Butlers Arms a go. As with most unplanned impromtu stuff it turned out to be an excellent night. A number of close friends had done the same and as we had all arrived at the same time a table for eight was quickly arranged. I had moules mariniere to start and gammon for mains whilst the missus elected to have a sirloin steak. I've no idea who supplies their meat but the gammon was absolutely excellent, thick and juicy with no fat or gristle as can frequently be the case and the three who had the sirloin all praised it highly. Good reports too for the Butlers burger and the Fish and Chips. Everybody was too full for puddings and the night turned even better and gained a party flavour when another four friends turned up for drinks after having eaten at the Oyster & Otter.

Early days as yet but I must say the new Butlers does remind me somewhat of the O&O in that they do appear to be doing most things right. However like the Clog and the O&O it is not cheap rendering it a bit of a stretch for weekdays and I wonder if there are enough customers to go around all these eateries at the weekends. Personally if I were a landlord I'd be looking to provide a cheaper weekday option as the prospect of deciding whether to eat in or out during the week is simply not an option with the prices involved. All the while the Dressers continues to pack em in with their 'pile it high' Steak nights. Personally I wouldn't want to do a steak night all that often but a clean, cheap and cheerful option with a simple but attractive home made 'Mon-Thurs' menu would be nice.

Steak, gammon, burgers....sounds like brewers fare. I never eat in a place where I can cook the menu.

[thenodrog]

Thats such a strange comment I'm even not sure I understand it. What type of food are you unable to cook?

[Sparky Marky]

Are you being serious?....any knob can cook gammon. Why go out and pay someone else to cook it for you...? Especially at them prices. If I am to eat out and pay then I always like to have something that I don't think I could make....curry(can you make a curry like a restaurant? The Oliver Press in Preston make a duck ragu that is just fabulous....the clog used to do a crab cake with a caper sauce ..).just a few examples...I could never cook any of these things like that and therefore I pay for it.....

Edited May 19, 2013 by Sparky Marky

[thenodrog]

If you can manage google, read a recipe and turn a cooker on then you can.

Authentic curry is a piece of cake if you have the necessary spices and as for Duck ragu and Crab cakes this took 30 secs to find. Get your pinny on and you can eat in for the rest of your days and save enough money to get proper brass handles on your coffin.

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/recipes/duck-ragu-recipe

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Crab-Cakes-with-Creamy-Caper-Sauce-103473

[ABBEY]

We went to the boars head at Hogton yesterday for a family meal . It was awful last time I went but its improved big time .

[adopted scouser]

Took titch to Red Hot World Buffet on Deansgate. Hardly haute cuisine but really enjoyed it, tex mex for me

[Paul]

Are you being serious?....any knob can cook gammon. Why go out and pay someone else to cook it for you...? Especially at them prices. If I am to eat out and pay then I always like to have something that I don't think I could make....curry(can you make a curry like a restaurant? The Oliver Press in Preston make a duck ragu that is just fabulous....the clog used to do a crab cake with a caper sauce ..).just a few examples...I could never cook any of these things like that and therefore I pay for it.....

thenodrog is right it is rare to find a place which offers good gammon, it's the source of the meat not the cooking that makes the difference. Gammon is often a get out menu item for the person who deosn't want "fancy stuff" in a larger party.

From the other side I agree about certain foods; I have never, no matter where, eaten burgers of the quality my wife makes (beef from Spout House!!). She can beat them all hands down. A very high quality curry is simple to make at home BUT you have to be prepared to source fresh, authentic ingredients, marinate for hours etc. and to prepare your own spice mixes such as garam masala. This can be very time consuming and I've spread preparing an Indian meal for eight over 36 hours or more. Fish cakes or a good fish pie (try Jamie's -= and I don't usually rate his recipes) is again very simple.

Edited May 20, 2013 by Paul

[gumboots]

Surely the point of eating out is that, whatever you choose, you don't have to shop, prepare, cook or clear up the kitchen and the dishes afterwards. That's why, evewn if we have gammon or steak or whatever that is fairly easy to do at home, we enjoy it - it's an easy option. and cooking steak at home is very difficult anyway

[dave birch]

Got to admit that this thread facinates me.

It tells me what you guys are eating and to some extent drinking (along with the real ale thread).

I'm somewhat amazed at the lack of variety on offer. For example less than one mile away I can get:

good pub food

Italian

Japanese

Chinese

Modern Australian (never worked that one out)

Thai

The Chippy with a great variety of exotic fish.

All what I would consider as good and value for money.

This, in a small suburban centre that services no more than 4-5000 people.

Yep, it has gained a reputation and people come from all over (it's impossible to park at times), but it offers variety.

It seems that the success of one restaurant has others to try it.

I wonder why something similar hasn't happened in or around Blackburn and it's environs?

Edited May 21, 2013 by dave birch

[thenodrog]

Got to admit that this thread facinates me.

It tells me what you guys are eating and to some extent drinking (along with the real ale thread).

I'm somewhat amazed at the lack of variety on offer. For example less than one mile away I can get:

good pub food

Italian

Japanese

Chinese

Modern Australian (never worked that one out)

Thai

The Chippy with a great variety of exotic fish.

All what I would consider as good and value for money.

This, in a small suburban centre that services no more than 4-5000 people.

Yep, it has gained a reputation and people come from all over (it's impossible to park at times), but it offers variety.

It seems that the success of one restaurant has others to try it.

I wonder why something similar hasn't happened in or around Blackburn and it's environs?

Haven't you read this thread Dave? We have more choices than enough on the outskirts whilst inner Blackburn is take away city for the 'less discerning' and the dollopers. Admittedly japanese we are a little light on but around here we have tapas, Italian, chinese and Indo/Balgla/Pak by the score.

No modern aussie unsuprisingly and I'd suggest Old Aussie cuisine would be what we see on 'I'm a celebrity... get me out of here' with a selection of weevil infested ships biscuits and a smattering of stale bread and cheese for afters.

Edited May 21, 2013 by thenodrog

[Stuart]

I don't understand how the takeaway shops survive given the lack of nightlife in Blackburn. They surely can't all make their living out of the Postal Order clientele?

[Tom]

Had an awesome meal at TGI Fridays yesterday after a day at Chester zoo

Some people will assume its terrible without going but the jack Daniels chicken tenders are brilliant

Plus they made a fuss over our boy for his second birthday as well

[Sparky Marky]

I don't understand how the takeaway shops survive given the lack of nightlife in Blackburn. They surely can't all make their living out of the Postal Order clientele?

The same way many sunbed shops seem to be open and nothing going on.......it's called money laundering.

[adopted scouser]

The same way many sunbed shops seem to be open and nothing going on.......it's called money laundering.

There are large areas of Blackburn where sunbed shops will definitely not work !

[thenodrog]

I don't understand how the takeaway shops survive given the lack of nightlife in Blackburn. They surely can't all make their living out of the Postal Order clientele?

No it's really odd isn't it? But they do still manage to continually defy gravity don't they? They must be dong something right I guess.

Edited May 22, 2013 by thenodrog

[Ozz]

They take advantage of all the stay at home drinkers by offering a delivery service.

[ultrablue]

Steak, gammon, burgers....sounds like brewers fare. I never eat in a place where I can cook the menu.

You'd be screwed over here in Korea - you HAVE to cook the menu. you cook most things yourself in restaurants here.

Edited May 25, 2013 by ultrablue

[gumboots]

and there's me thinking I'm coming to Korea for a holiday!