When the signs first went up in Horwich for Empire, promising a cocktail bar and restaurant, there was an excited chatter amongst the residents. Although Empire opened at first just as a cocktail bar due to further planning being required for food, it is now a fully fledged bar and restaurant, and steadily gaining popularity and fans.

Situated next door to its partner venue, Avocado, on Chorley New Road, it comes alive at night when Avocado goes to sleep, and is bathed in theatrical lighting and flame heaters outside in the darkness. The main issue if you don't know Horwich is a lack of parking, but there is street parking around the place, and a small car park behind it.


The vibe when you get inside is more akin to Manchester's Northern Quarter, complete with the current popular style of Industrial chic, with chunky furniture, filament light bulbs, leather booth seating and dark cosy lighting, whilst large framed photos of Audrey Hepburn, Prince, and Elvis Presley add to the American feel . The upstairs area is a dedicated bar, whereas downstairs is the restaurant, which looks every part as high quality as you'd find in Manchester. Nothing has been scrimped on here.



The menus and the specials menu are very tempting, and the offerings are more of a special decent meal rather than a quick "that'll do" style meal. Given the descriptions, they sounded like they would be quite substantial, so this time we chose to skip a starter in favour of leaving room for a dessert, but we couldn't QUITE turn it down altogether, so chose to share a garlic bread between us.


And I'm glad we did! What came out was a super fresh dough with semolina dusting, and a subtle but delicious garlic butter. Fresh bread. Not dry. Superb. It came on a big wooden board with a large pizza cutter, allowing us to slice as we felt free.

For our main, I couldn't resist the idea of the Empire cheeseburger with triple hand-cooked chips, whereas my partner opted for the home-made pie of the week, which was a steak and ale. Who could resist the idea of that?

Whilst we waited we chatted to the staff, who were friendly and professional, and as its Christmas at the time I write this, they were all in their Christmas jumpers, joining in with the festive spirit. It wasn't too long a wait before our food arrived.



There was a definite "wow" when our food was placed in front of us. It was beautifully presented, but still good and wholesome looking, making you want to tuck in straight away. So we did. The burger was huge, and I could barely fit it in my mouth! However, the meat itself was juicy and excellent quality, and superbly seasoned. It's often a shame when you get somewhere that does big burgers to find that the patty itself is bland, but that is definitely not the case with the Empire cheeseburger! The tasty cheese really complimented the flavour, and the mustard added a superb little kick of flavour without blowing my head off. The chips were perfect. I can't describe them anything more than that. Perfect. Exactly what good chips should be!

The pie had an excellent quality pastry, and the filling was absolutely spot on. It came with perfectly prepared seasonal vegetables and a tiny saucepan of gravy, which was jam packed with flavour and really finished the dish off.

I have to confess at this point that I couldn't finish the burger... nothing to do with quality or anything, it was just huge! Talk about getting your money's worth! We could probably have shared it!

Now, as we were still happily reeling at the quality of our mains, we decided to choose our desserts! I had my eye on the sticky toffee pudding since I first read it before I even ordered drinks, and my partner chose the mixed berry crumble with custard.



We didn't luck out on dessert after a great main... the desserts were sublime! The sticky toffee pudding was a beautifully deep flavoured sponge and moist as hell, with a lovely big scoop of ice cream on top, and sat in a puddle of sticky toffee sauce.. and once again, this portion was quite probably the biggest portion of sticky toffee pudding I've ever been given in a restaurant, and I've been to proper food pubs in Yorkshire!

The mixed berry crumble was excellently fruity and screaming with flavour, it also came with another tiny saucepan of truly wonderful custard, and a couple of pieces of shortbread.

Best way to end a meal. Really good filling food followed by a really amazing set of desserts. Price-wise, Empire may be a touch more than the average Horwich restaurant, but it's very well priced compared to places offering similar quality, and definitely better than those nearby chains offering a similar price for nowhere near as good an experience or quality.

Well done Empire, you're on my favourites list and we will be back!

Empire Bar and Restaurant
602 Chorley New Road
Horwich
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL6 6EX
(01204) 584 816
www.empirehorwich.co.uk

Empire

by on 16:02
When the signs first went up in Horwich for Empire , promising a cocktail bar and restaurant, there was an excited chatter amongst the re...
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I found The Black Horse by chance! My car broke down on Long Lane, on the way to Chorley, and so I took respite in the classic country looking inn and had a lovely lunch. Today I returned for dinner, having meant to come back for dinner ever since I enjoyed that first lunch visit by chance.

It's not new either. It's over 1000 years old. Yes you read that right.

The Black Horse is believed to be one of the oldest serving taverns in the country, and was the second pub in the country to be granted a license back in 1577. Every corner and beam exudes the feeling of a classic English pub/tavern. It's comfortable, cosy, and welcoming, with dark wooden furniture, a roaring fire, and warmly lit side rooms. It's everything you would want in a proper English pub. 




As I don't drink, we were here for dinner, and were greeted warmly and given menus. The staff are friendly and familiar, it's their business and their baby, and they want to make sure people enjoy their visit. 

The menu has recently been updated and has some fantastic sounding options, as well as periodical specials. On this occasion, we chose the starters of black pudding scotch egg, and garlic flatbread.



We were surprised. It's a pub, so you don't quite expect the artistic and pleasant presentation of the black pudding scotch egg, which was beautifully tempting to look at, and perfectly cooked with a lovely soft yolk. The mustard sauce was creamy with a gentle kick. The garlic flatbread was subtle on the garlic side, but lusciously buttery and fresh. The staff checked on us now and then to make sure everything was ok, even the chef herself at one point. Very enjoyable indeed. For our mains, we chose the cheese and onion pie, and the fish and chips, two classics of British pub food! The best bit? The chef came out and asked how I'd like the side of bread and butter cut with my fish and chips! We all know why too... preference... do you just want bread? Chip butties? It's all dependant on that cut! It was nice to be asked!



Both were again presented pleasantly. The pie was unctuously cheesy in a perfectly crispy pastry, not a soggy bottom in sight! The mash you could tell from the moment it was placed on the table was proper home made mash, and the comforting thick gravy provided was perfect for flooding the lot! Wonderful! The fish and chips were equally good. The mushy peas were nice, and the tartare sauce was particularly good, however my praise is mainly on the fish, which was outstanding! The quality of the fish alone was excellent, and the batter was crunchy, crispy, golden perfection! 

For dessert we chose the sticky toffee pudding (it's a classic!) and from the specials menu, the jam roly poly. Both with custard. We're Northern.



The sticky toffee pudding was deliciously rich whilst being super light and fluffy! The smell of the jam roly poly slapped in the face as soon as it arrived, whisking me back to nostalgic childhood sunday dinners. The taste was amazing, not just in flavour, but the crust on the pudding was just right, with the occasional chewy crunchy bit. Bloody marvellous! I'd come again just that jam roly pudding!



Basically The Black Horse is everything you want from a proper old English pub. It's established, cosy, warm, welcoming, and offers great drinks, excellent food, and a thoroughly pleasant atmosphere. I recommend it thoroughly!

The Black Horse
Long Lane
Heath Charnock
Chorley
PR6 9EE
(01257) 671 497
https://www.blackhorselimbrick.uk/

The Black Horse

by on 20:18
I found The Black Horse by chance! My car broke down on Long Lane, on the way to Chorley, and so I took respite in the classic country...
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This is another of the places on my "been meaning to visit for ages" list, and straight off the bat before I say anymore, let me just clarify... I'm SO glad I did!

The outside of Yard and Coop is simple enough. But what I love is that the theming builds as you spend more time inside and notice more things. For me, aside the giant cock outside (heh), the first thing I noticed was the fox shaped door handle, and as I looked around, I realised the theming of chicken was clear, but also that of foxes, in all sorts of little details.



The decor inside has some of the Northern Quarter classic elements, the rustic industrial thing, but also great little nods to the name, including chicken coop structures inside around the seating. The chairs and tables are very reminiscent of school, the plastic bucket type seats. The staff were really friendly and welcoming, and enthusiastic about the offerings. Great staff. We were served by Samantha, and a couple of other girls too. Thanks everyone!






The menu is simple, but fun, tongue in cheek, and really appetizing! Aside the large plates or sides, the main option is to basically pick your type of chicken, sauce (made in-house), and fries. I was with my partner this time, so I opted for thigh, with ranch sauce, and although I was going to go for standard fries, I saw cheesy fries, and asked my server if they were proper cheese fries or the thing that some places do of grating some cheese over chips and it turning into a congealed mess. She assured me it was cheese sauce. SOLD! My partner ordered 'Winner Winner' from the large plates, which promised buttermilk fried chicken, creamy mash, dirty greens, bacon, Yorkshire puddings and smothered in their in-house chicken gravy. Tell me that doesn't sound amazing? We also couldn't resist the idea of the deep fried stuffing balls on the sides menu, so ordered some to share!




The chicken being the main superstar is what we tried first, and we agreed, even though the batter was crispy crunchy and amazing, the chicken itself was so beautifully cooked and tender that it was a juicy treat by itself! The cheese sauce chips were amazing as you can imagine, and the Winner Winner plate was amazing quality, with some really sublime gravy. I must sing the praises of the deep fried stuffing balls though; sage and onion, chestnut, and sausage meat stuffing balls, served with the same brilliant gravy and some cranberry sauce. The feeling I had when eating them wasn't the same old blown-away feeling, but a wonderful, comforted and content feeling. They were so very very nice and made it feel like Christmas. Pure comfort. I really loved them.

The dessert menu is small, as I assume it's changed fairly often. Only two options (and there happened to be two of us... oh well!), there was Crack Pie, promising a sweet and salty treat, served with clotted cream, and the other was a chocolate brownie with choice of chocolate candies mixed in, with SPRINKLES, ice cream, and chocolate sauce. Who the hell needs a dessert menu with those two bad boys!?


Now...uh... I would've taken a better photo but we both completely forgot to wait before we dove into the sweet deliciousness... so this photo is the best I managed! Whoops! They were amazing though!

The theming continued right up until we paid, when our bill was presented in an egg box. I love little touches like that. Completely unnecessary, but there for the sake of fun. Love it.


We will most definitely be returning to Yard and Coop, and probably bringing friends and family (even my parents would love it here!). Listings just call it a "chicken shop" or "chicken joint" but that is massively underselling it as some sort of KFC or Dixy's Chicken, which by god it ain't! It's a proper restaurant doing the real deal! You're doing something right, guys. Keep doing it! :)


 Yard and Coop
37 Edge Street
Manchester
M4 1HW
(0161) 710 2570
www.yardandcoop.com

Yard and Coop

by on 15:48
This is another of the places on my "been meaning to visit for ages" list, and straight off the bat before I say anymore, let m...
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Wythenshawe in South Manchester isn't really known as a gastronomic destination. The majority of restaurants listed for the area are take-aways and cafes, all of which I'm sure are great in their own regards, but they're all pretty similar.

This is why I like The Met Stop Diner. Someone decided to take a vacant space in Wythenshawe's town centre Civic Centre shopping precinct and build an American themed diner. Something different! A new angle!


When you walk in, it's nice to see that they haven't half-baked it, they've gone for the full classic American diner interior, with red, white and chrome seating, condiment baskets, and a big mural of the New York skyline on one wall.

The menu does try to cater for multiple tastes, with some classic English cafe classics such as the Full English Breakfast, but they have a good selection of American breakfasts too, as well as hot dogs, burgers, deli style sandwiches, and a few house specialities.

My favourite part of England meets America was that on the tables there was one of those little silver ice cream dishes, which we came to realise were specifically for putting your tea bag in after taking it out of your tea! WHY DON'T MORE PLACES DO THIS?! This is such a simple idea, but I've only seen The Met Stop Diner do it so far, and they're American themed!


There were three of us on this day, and we were all ready for breakfast, and so chose the American pancake stack, the Full English Breakfast, and the American Breakfast, as well as three mugs of tea. The tea came out first which was good as we all needed a brew, but as the breakfasts were cooked fresh to order, we'd drunk our tea by the time our food came out. A pot of tea might be a better idea, but it's not very American!




The Full English was a standard cafe breakfast to be honest, but still decent homely stuff. The American breakfast was so substantial that it couldn't be finished, but it was agreed that the pancakes were great, as they were also on the stack of pancakes. Very enjoyable indeed.

We'll definitely pop in again when we're next in the area, as the rest of the menu looks great too! The only thing I would suggest is reprinting the menus (as they were looking a bit dog-eared), and checking the spellings (Chicago, not "Chicargo"!), but if that's really the only thing I can find to suggest as an improvement, you're definitely doing something right, Met Stop! See you again soon!


 The Met Stop Diner
Hale Top House
Hale Top
Wythenshawe Civic Centre
Manchester
M22 5RB
(0161) 425 0660

The Met Stop Diner

by on 13:44
Wythenshawe in South Manchester isn't really known as a gastronomic destination. The majority of restaurants listed for the area are ...
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Dogs n' Dough. That's what they serve. Hot dogs and pizza. And to be honest I've been meaning to give them a try for quite a while but only tended to remember about them when I walk past their neon lights directing them down Bow Lane, near St Peter's Square in Manchester City Centre, but it's usually not when I'm looking for food. This time I made a point of finally going to visit.



I like that at night it feels a bit secretive being down a little side street, then down into a basement restaurant. Inside feels reflective of being outside at night too, with theatrical lighting, neon signs, and dark wooden furniture. One thing about the decor I particularly liked was the cartoon drawing all over of various hot dogs. When I asked the staff about these, they apparently originate with a guy who travelled all around the USA trying the speciality hot dogs, then drawing them as posters. What a job! It's a good talking point and unique as a decoration, I'll say that much!




The atmosphere is friendly and cosy, people laughing and chatting whilst trying bits of each others pizzas and hotdogs. The menu has great tongue-in-cheek names for their offered dishes, and in the drinks menu I was happy to see that there was a large selection of soft drinks available for those of us who don't drink, including imported US sodas that aren't easy to come by here. It's so nice to find somewhere doing soft drinks other than the standard Coke/Fanta/Sprite fountain guns.  We chose a root beer and a Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla (although a Pepsi Cherry Vanilla came out, we didn't realise until afterwards because it was still pretty damn tasty). You're also given a bottle of water per table so you can enjoy your drinks rather than feeling you've rushed them due to thirst.





Staff were friendly and enthusiastic, as well as knowledgeable of their product and environment. We were told how things were served, the types of pizza, hot dog sausage types etc, and when we decided to order some fries to share instead of a starter, the guy serving us observed this and told us that if we wanted to share the hot dogs that we'd ordered, they could be cut in half in the kitchen so we could easier share. That's a nice idea for couples and friends, I like it. I was very much considering the mac bites as a starter, but thought it best not to overfill before the main!




We ordered the Kiev Fries, which were cheese, garlic butter, and herb crumb. Very tasty, and genuinely did taste like chicken kiev which gave me a giggle.

We both took ages to decide what to have for our main, and instead of pizza we decided to go for the hot dogs. I ordered Cheesus Christ Superstar (heh) which was three cheese and caramelised red onion chutney. I was a bit surprised that the cheeses in question were melted slices of cheese rather than a sauce or grated cheese, but it worked, although I think a bigger serving of the caramelised red onion chutney would be better to balance out the cheese with the sweet. My partner ordered The Cowboy, which was house chilli, nacho cheese, crispy bacon, jalapeños and sour cream. He tells me that although it was very tasty, and the beef frank was great in flavour, it could perhaps have done with a little extra chilli.

However, we were both impressed, and it certainly didn't come close to breaking the bank. So for good quality hot dogs in a pleasant atmosphere for pretty damn good value, definitely give these guys a visit!

We will definitely be returning to try the other hot dogs, the starters, the pizza menu, maybe some of the drinks and th...in fact... well.. lets just say we'll definitely be going back!

Dogs N' Dough
17 Bow Lane
Manchester
(0161) 834 3996
http://www.dogsndough.com/

Dogs N' Dough

by on 13:36
Dogs n' Dough . That's what they serve. Hot dogs and pizza. And to be honest I've been meaning to give them a try for quite a...
at No comments: