Showing posts with label blackrod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blackrod. Show all posts


The Cherry Tree in Blackrod is a traditional looking English country pub, complete with picturesque thatched roof, but aside being a pub, it is also a very popular restaurant, in which a party of four of us chose to spend a special occasion. I liked that the website itself allowed us to make a reservation without any fuss, and we were sent reminders about it nearer the time. Handy!

As we walked in, a member of staff greeted us and asked if we'd like to sit at the bar whilst we waited for the rest of our party. We ordered a few drinks, and it was helpfully suggested that we could put them on the table's tab instead of paying right away. It was nice to see that ale on offer was from local business, Black Edge Brewery. The bar area also has a lovely log burning stove, which was singing away cheerfully, and a welcome feature on a cold evening!


After our party arrived, a manager took us through to the dining room where we took our place at a table (and all exchanged looks as the chairs were a little softer than you'd have thought!), and were asked if we'd like to place a drinks order, as we were handed the menus and the specials menu by the manager, who told us that the soup of the day was sold out, but luckily they had another on offer. They also ran out of the pie of the day, and the sticky toffee pudding, which is understandable on a sunday, and with both being popular dishes!


The starter I chose was the rustic bread board, which I thoroughly enjoyed! The bread was fresh and tasty, and as I remarked to our waiter, I think the balsamic vinegar was the best I've ever had! Bravo! The rest of the party were also pleased with their choices, and looking forward to their mains. 


The mains we chose included smoked haddock, roast chicken, brisket, and a burger with pancetta and Monterey Jack cheese (and very tasty crunchy fries!). The meals were tasty, but there was one hiccup... the mashed potato on the roast chicken dinner was absolutely stone cold! The mash on the brisket however was warm. So after informing a waiter, he took it away and returned a little while later with a fresh meal. Although the rest of the party had nearly finished, I think that this incident was handled well. The replacement meal wasn't simply the same meal with re-heated mash, but a completely fresh meal. This is a very good point in my book, as we all know plenty of places that would whack the meal in a microwave for 2 minutes and bring it back out again with some herbs thrown on top. Nicely done, Cherry Tree.


We ordered two desserts (I just wanted a pot of tea, and one of the party was miffed that he was missing out on sticky toffee pudding as he was looking forward to it). The desserts ordered were an orange crème brulee with chocolate chip cookies (which we found odd... creme brulee with cookies? It didn't matter, I had them with my pot of tea instead!), and bread and butter pudding, At this point we all laughed, because the size of the bread and butter pudding was comical. It was the size of a Mr Kipling Country Slice, and as pleasant as it was (including very tasty custard...sorry... crème Anglais), it was a stingy portion for £6.95! If the dish was two of these slices, then it might have been a little fairer.

Basically, the  starters and main courses were good, but the desserts could be better, especially given that The Cherry Tree is not the cheapest of restaurants. I also found it funny that my pot of tea was only half full, and so only made one-and-a-quarter cups of tea, but luckily I was so stuffed on that big tasty burger that it wasn't really a problem!


The other issue was a service issue. It was a Sunday, and so granted it was busy, so staff were very busy too, however, aside Tom (the manager), nobody told us their names, and so we didn't have one particular waiter/waitress taking care of us, we had several who checked on us, brought out the food etc, but not a "main" waiter in particular, and so we weren't introduced to anyone or given any names. This normally wouldn't be so bad, but as we didn't have one particular waiter keeping an eye on the table, it meant that nobody asked us when we'd like the bill, and after an hour of sitting at an empty table, one of our party decided to go over to the bar to ask for the bill instead, which came a few minutes later. Our meal from start to finish took just under three hours, but despite this, it was a pleasant and relaxing experience.


During this time I popped to the loo, and found it amusing that although being an older pub, there is only one cubical, no loo roll holder, and an ancient hand-dryer, they offer amenities like a chic London or New York bar. Nothing fancy or expensive, but a nice gesture nonetheless. Certainly something different to other places I've been. 

As we left, Tom asked us if everything was okay. The party member who didn't get his sticky toffee pudding had a whinge (to which we all rolled our eyes), but it seems that Tom hadn't been made aware of the cold mashed potato incident, but apologised, and explained that as they don't microwave anything, the mashed potato is heated to order, and that it was a simple oversight by the kitchen, and that a wrong pan was used during preparation. This was fair enough. It was dealt with pretty quickly anyhow. 

My overall thoughts are that although the food was tasty, and the venue itself very pleasant and relaxing, the menu is a little pricier than other similar restaurants I've been to in the area, and although the staff were definitely friendly and professional, service was a bit slow and inattentive.

I would possibly visit again, perhaps on a quieter day when all of the food is still available, and service would be a little quicker, but I'd probably order from the lunch menu as the price is a little more palatable. 




The Cherry Tree
A6, Chorley Road,
Blackrod
Bolton

BL6 5LA
(01257) 481 234
www.cherrytreeblackrod.com



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The Cherry Tree

by on 08:32
The Cherry Tree in Blackrod is a traditional looking English country pub, complete with picturesque thatched roof, but aside being a ...


The Rivington Pub & Grill (formerly The Ridgeway Arms) in Blackrod is a warm, cosy, and comfortable traditional English pub, with a large focus on dining.

If you enter the Rivington from the car park, you would firstly think that you've walked into a the bar of a pleasant restaurant, complete with leather winged armchairs, candles, and historical photos of the area. If you walked into the Rivington from the other entrance, you would think that you've walked into a traditional and friendly pub, complete with a roaring fireplace, wood panelling, and comfortable chairs. Fortunately, both are true. Whether you're there for a pint, or there for your dinner, the warm and pleasantly decorated and furnished surroundings automatically make you feel relaxed and comfortable.


BBQ Saddleback Ribs
The main dining area for the restaurant side of the pub is in a horseshoe shape, with open fireplaces on each end, and a raised seating area in the centre. The food offered has something for everyone, ranging from the traditional to the modern, but done superbly well, and in good portions. The head waiter told us how nothing is ever frozen, and everything is bought and created freshly, hence sometimes there can be a wait for your food, but frankly if you want good food created fresh, you should anticipate a bit of a wait. It only makes sense
Camembert cheese in filo pastry
Bruschetta, with home-made bread 


Of the above starters, I had the Saddleback Ribs, which were in a delicious BBQ sauce, which was very much a home made sauce, rather than the thick ketchup-like BBQ sauce you seem to find everywhere today. The meat was so tender, that I was able to simply lift it up, and the bone fell out! Very tasty indeed!


The serving staff here are friendly and helpful, but for many of them it seems English is not their first language. This isn't a criticism as much as an observation, and a note that a few times we had to say things a couple of times before they understood, as we were often asked "sorry, what was that?". My only criticism might be a one off, as we asked the head waiter for our bill, but it didn't arrive, and after 15 minutes we asked another waiter about it, but as we did so, we saw the head waiter walk in, see us, and have a moment of realisation, before he dashed off to the bar to collect our bill. Everyone forgets something now and then, but as soon as he realised, he was on it!

Although there are many vegetarian dishes available, I do have to say that the Rivington's forté is their meat! All of their steaks are dry aged for 32 days hung on the bone, and all of their beef is from traditional breed cattle. My personal favourite dish here is the rare breed minute flash-steak, which is tender, juicy, and full of flavour (as were my dining companions' above dishes too!). My flash steak came a specific way, but for other meats you are asked how you want it cooked, and obviously which sauces and accompaniments you would like. Steaks cooked without a sauce get lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. I personally love their chips! Big, chunky, old fashioned chips. Proper comfort food!

Herdwick lamb chops
You see the photo of the Herdwick lamb chops here on the left? I feel I must point out that when asked what he thought of them, my father-in-law, who is a very difficult man to impress, declared them "excellent!", which frankly blew the rest of us away (my mother-in-law dropped her fork!). This is an old fashioned man who would usually say something was "not bad" or at most "not bad at all!", but to declare a food 'excellent' is something we've not heard before... so that's saying something!



They offer a nice selection of after-dinner goodies, from teas and coffees to after-dinner tipples, but as beautiful as their desserts sound, I have yet only ever had their sticky toffee pudding, which is home-made and very light (not stodgy and heavy like you'd imagine) and served with vanilla icecream and butterscotch sauce (my favourite!). It's not that I don't want to try their other desserts, but I can't resist their sticky toffee pudding whenever I'm given the choice!! Frankly I should go there one day and JUST have a couple of desserts!



The Rivington Pub and Grill is superb basically, and if you've only ever been there when it was The Ridgeway, I emplore you to go along and give it a try! Maybe have one of their amazing sunday roast dinners. It's the sort of place you could go as a couple, with friends, your parents, or even the whole family. It's a good example of a traditional English dining pub done right! I look forward to my next visit.



The Rivington Pub & Grill
Station Road
Blackrod
Bolton
BL6 5JF
(01204) 696 027
www.rivingtonpubandgrill.co.uk