Showing posts with label Diner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diner. Show all posts

Papa's is one of the many places to eat in Darwen, but is quickly gaining a reputation as somewhere you can get good American food in a simple and welcoming environment, whilst not breaking the bank.

There's a great free car park pretty much opposite it, which is always nice. It's always a bit awkward when you want to go somewhere you've heard good things about, only to find there's nowhere nearby to park.

The frontage is relatively small, but inside there are several tables and booths, stretching back into the diner itself. It's not a 1950's soda-pop type diner, but more of an American style 'dive bar', with chunky wood battening, mounted hubcaps and lighting features made from bottles and glasses, as well as full sight lines into the action in the kitchen.





As we walk in, we are greeted at the main desk by a cheerful member of staff, who tells us to sit wherever we like and order at the till when ready. We opt for a booth towards the back of the restaurant as a birthday party is in full swing in the middle. The menus are more like take-out menus, but jam packed with all sorts of amazing sounding things from deep fried pizzas and chicken parmo, to a dedicated mac and cheese menu.

Whilst browsing the menu, we see a gigantic plate of chunky ribs covered in sauce taken out to the party table and placed in front of a stunned looking man, as the rest of the party gasp, laugh, and take photos.

We decide as the menu isn't structured formally with a starter, main, dessert etc, that we will both order a burger each, and ordered the Nutter Clucker and The Darrener respectively, and also a serving of Dressed Up Bacon Mac from the mac and cheese menu.



Now here's the interesting part which impressed me; despite the theming as an American diner/dive bar, and the setup of a small restaurant, the service I saw and heard in the kitchen was excellent. The team were checking timings of food with each other to make sure everything was prepared properly and in the right time frame, and I even heard discussion about whether the bechamel sauce was ready, and saw a chef taste it to make sure it was ok. That's a good thing. It's really nice to see a kitchen team with such slick operation, and genuine interest in the quality and taste of their products.

Before long, our meal came out, all together, presented in metal serving dishes, to further go with the American dive feel. I like that the paper lining of the dishes had trivia questions for you to uncover and quiz each other with as you progress in your meal. I was also really impressed that we were able to order root beer. So many American themed places never have root beer, and it really is an American diner staple!



I had to try the bacon mac and cheese before anything else, and it was absolutely amazing. The real deal, really well made and seasoned, and full of flavour and comforting melty cheese. I could've sat there any simply ate my way through the whole bowl, but needed to move onto the burger.

The fries were fresh, hot and crisp, perfect. The burgers were juicy and cooked perfectly. The barbecue sauce was really nice quality, and the soft brioche bun was the right choice too. Basically the food was really excellent.

The staff were friendly, cheerful, and helpful. They asked how we found the meal, if we enjoyed various elements of it, and when asked if we could have a take-away box to take home, were happy to suggest one of their foil boxes to keep our mac and cheese fresh.

The value was excellent, the quality of the food was excellent, the staff were excellent, and the atmosphere and venue was excellent. The website looks more geared to take-away or ordering online, but don't judge a book by its cover, because Papa's itself could very easily have a full on website, and full restaurant style and menus if it wanted to, because its that good. Seriously, give it a go.

We'll definitely be returning, because there's a lot of other things on that menu I'd like to try!


Papa's American Diner
193 Duckworth Street
Darwen
BB3 1AU
(01254) 777 977
www.papas-diner.co.uk

Papa's American Diner

by on 00:14
Papa's is one of the many places to eat in Darwen, but is quickly gaining a reputation as somewhere you can get good American food i...
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Lincoln's American Bar & Grill is the new kid on the block in Bolton Town Centre. It's literally only just opened (as of August 2017), and promises a classic American style menu with gourmet burgers. How could anyone resist that? It seems rare that Bolton town centre gets any new restaurants these days, and so when a new one opens up, it's exciting!



Lincoln's is downstairs in St Andrew's Court, and only upon writing this review did I actually remember that it's downstairs, in a basement space. It's decorated with great lighting and décor that I forgot about the lack of windows. The décor is modern and simple, with music inspired touches, LP sleeves and guitars on shelves, and some truly excellent music playing.





I was seated by a friendly member of staff, and given the relevant menu information, as well as my drinks order being taken. The menu is true to the claim of American in style, starting with "appetizers" and including steaks, gourmet burgers, speciality pasta etc, as well as milkshakes and desserts, and daily special offers, as well as Chef's Specials. The only thing that stopped it fully pulling away from its location and immersing in American style is that they offer a full English Sunday roast dinner too!


I ordered an appetizer of panko crumbed chicken fingers, and a main of the Texan burger, taking advantage of one of their special offers where two courses were a set price. As I was dining alone, I was helpfully asked whether I'd like my starter and main at the same time, to which I said yes.

The food arrived in good time, and although the burger was presented on a chopping board as is the fashion these days, the food looked very good!




The panko chicken was perfectly crunchy and juicy, and I really enjoyed it. The burger looked good, but for reasons unknown I think I was expecting it to be a dry "generic" burger, but it was juicy and pink in the middle as a good burger should be! Perfect! Do you know how hard it is to find a good burger done properly in Bolton?! Well it's hard let me assure you! Well done, Lincoln's!

At this point I started to get quite full, realising that I perhaps shouldn't have had both starter and main course at the same time, and had the heartbreaking realisation that... I WAS NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE A DESSERT! Even worse... upon curiously reading the dessert menu as I left, I realised the two courses for one price offer included some of the desserts... noooooo!! Next time that key lime pie WILL BE MINE!! (Also I unashamedly took some of the chicken panko fingers home in a doggy bag!)

So in conclusion, the food was excellent, the service was friendly, professional and attentive, which I really appreciated, and the value was superb, and would be great value even without the special offers.

I had sceptical expectations, but was left thoroughly impressed and happy, and will most definitely be back! Go and give them a try!



Lincoln's American Bar & Grill
18 St Andrew's Court
Mawdsley Street
Bolton 
BL1 1LD
(01204) 774 321
www.lincolnsbarandgrill.com
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The Wild West Diner is an impressive looking new restaurant that has appeared in The Sands Venue on the Promenade in Blackpool. It's really enticing as it's clear money has been spent on the theming, giving it the right feel for Blackpool. It looks impressive and fun, and the menu looks quite good too!

When you walk in, the theming is superb, all wooden beams, mock Western facades, and photos of the Old West, as the song "I'm Just A Country Girl" plays. High hopes! A server in a plaid shirt asks us to sit wherever we like.





The menu is what you'd expect from a Western themed restaurant, big breakfasts, ribs, chicken, burgers, steaks etc. As we were deciding what to have, the waiter came over to ask us for our drinks order, so we just went for a couple of Diet Cokes. This waiter seemed quite stone faced and didn't seem very happy or interested. When he brought the drinks he asked for our food order, but we weren't ready. He came back another 2 times before we were ready... giving us the sense that he just wanted to get us in and out. We opted for appetizers of breaded garlic mushrooms and cheese and bacon potato skins, and mains of the smoked chilli dog and the Wild West Beef Cheeseburger. The waiter asked if he should bring the starters at the same time as the main... this was a really weird thing to ask, but we just said ok, we didn't mind.

At this point we both realised that the cola tasted as if it was either diluted, running out of syrup, or a cheap copy of Coke, it was also going flat. We didn't complain though, it was just a glass of pop.

The food turned up in a strange order, the first being one of our starters and the other one's main, then the others a few minutes later, again with no smile or anything from the waiter. The garlic mushrooms were tasty, if not pre-frozen, and the potato skins had lots of bacon, but were sadly quite dry.



Then we moved onto the mains. The chips were plain frozen chips, and cooked well, but also a bit dry. A bit of seasoning would've pepped them up a bit, but as they weren't seasoned we just used salt and pepper. My partner said his hot dog was tasty, but the chilli on top was luke warm, and not very spicy. My burger was an 8oz monster, but a real solid block of meat which again was pretty bland, lacking seasoning. It had cheese and a bit of limp lettuce but it was in a nice bun. It was also extremely greasy! After biting into it, I was able to hold it over my plate and squeeze it, to then have liquid fat pour out onto the plate. I couldn't finish it. The music stopped being country at this point, veering into dull modern songs I've never heard of. Shame.




At this point I popped to the toilet, where the theming continued, which is a nice touch. However after I washed my hands I noticed that although it was 6pm on a thursday, the cleaning rota said it hadn't been checked since 10am the day before! Not really what you want to see of the levels of cleanliness, especially when you know your customers will see this rota!


When I returned, my partner said that the waiter had asked if we were finished, and cleared our plates, but he didn't ask if everything had been ok (he also didn't ask this during the meal) or if we wanted the bill or desserts, so we were left sat at the table wondering what we were meant to do. The waiter was just stood at the bar chatting with another member of staff. Did he want us to get his attention or go over to him to progress the meal? 

Eventually he came over and picked up our glasses, "shall I get you your bill?" he asked, but I interjected, "uh... do you do desserts?", he genuinely looked surprised, "we do... Did you want something?", "well is there a menu or anything?", "yeah I'll get it", he then went to get the menu (not taking the glasses with him, oddly), so we had a quick look. The desserts didn't really look that interesting, they didn't even have a description, they were just a footnote in a small box at the bottom of the back of the menu. 

So we didn't bother. We got the bill paid and left. The waiter didn't smile once.

It's a real shame, because visually the place looked great, it's had money spent on it, from the antler chandeliers down to the brushed leather booths, but as was displayed on this visit, it seems to be all show and no substance, with the food being mediocre and the customer service being abysmal. 

Wanted to like it, but we won't be going back here again. Poor show.



Wild West Diner
The Sands Venue
Promenade
Blackpool

Wild West Diner

by on 13:49
The Wild West Diner is an impressive looking new restaurant that has appeared in The Sands Venue on the Promenade in Blackpool. It's ...
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New Yorker opened fairly recently on Portland Street in Manchester City centre, and thanks to the style of the building it's part of, it looks straight from New York City itself. Originally seeming to be named New Yorker Diner, it doesn't have a diner vibe, so instead is now presenting itself as American Street Food, serving burgers, waffles and chicken, gourmet burgers, and some other American sides too, as well as milkshakes and Belgian Waffles.


It doesn't have a huge range, but what it has it does well. As you descend the steps into the diner itself, it's got that industrial look that most of the Northern Quarter is doing at the moment, complete with bare brick walls, wood cladding, and filament bulbs. Definitely not the Ed's Easy Diner style 50's American diner. Also, it's not a full service restaurant, but in fact a counter-service place with a dining area.




The menu is simple but appetising, with some really tasty offerings and at a price that is very reasonable for Manchester City Centre, especially with some of the lunch deals available. I went to the counter and ordered the "American Boy" burger with fries and a Cherry Coke. The friendly staff member gave me a flashing/buzzing box similar to what you get when waiting for seating at big chain restaurants on a saturday night, and said it would buzz/flash when my meal was ready for me to collect. Handy.



The food was ready, and what I got was very tasty indeed. The burger, although not pink, was cooked through, but still juicy, and the trimmings were perfect, although the 'Brooklyn Sauce' built up spice pretty quickly for me, so I'd probably skip that next time. The fries were really good! Properly hot and crisp, and seasoned perfectly meaning the sachets of salt I picked up were never touched!

New Yorker is a simple affair, offering good simple food when you want it, at a good price. I'd go again :)


New Yorker
48 Portland Street
Manchester
M1 4QU
(0161) 228 3860
www.newyorkerdiner.co.uk

New Yorker

by on 14:16
New Yorker opened fairly recently on Portland Street in Manchester City centre, and thanks to the style of the building it's part of...
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Northern Soul is the UK's first gourmet grilled cheese restaurant, and sits in a shack of small shops near the Arndale, in the trendy Northern Quarter of Manchester City Centre.

The place genuinely makes you smile as soon as you approach and hear the music playing, and people inside chatting, laughing, and the staff themselves smiling and laughing too. They've embraced the casual rough-and-ready style, with chunky wooden furniture and exposed roofing, and bar seating giving full view into the kitchen, giving the place the feeling of a classic American diner, but with a modern twist.


The clever way this place is set up means that as well as bar seating and "booth" or table seating, there's also seating allowing you to sit outside and face inside, or inside and face out, to watch the world go by, and on a summer's day like today, the open feel of the place gives it a pleasant and happy vibe.



We took a seat at the bar, and were asked if we'd visited before, which we haven't. We were told to check out the main menu chalkboard, and when ready, simply order at the main till, give our name, and wait for our food to come out. The menu is hugely appealing, with simple "cheese toastie" style offerings such as "The Soul", to full meal sounding offerings such as Tandoori Chicken, as well as sides and soups, and nothing costing more than £6.50, which is very pleasant indeed. There was also a separate drinks prep area with a blackboard offering teas, coffees, and hand made loaded milkshakes.



We decided that we both fancied the Ham & Swiss, and ordered at the till, where it was nice to see that despite the place looking simple and rustic, we were able to pay by card. Drinks-wise I went for a pomegranate San Pellegrino, and my partner went for a Cookies and Cream milkshake, which at £5 seems a little pricey compared to the rest of the menu, but was very good quality, and thoroughly enjoyed.


It was satisfying to be able to sit at the bar and watch the kitchen team in their black and yellow aprons preparing our sandwiches, and using heavy presses to keep them pressed down onto the cooking surface to cook to perfection. This made me feel like watching an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on Food Network, and I really liked that; it made the place feel genuine and unique. I could imagine Guy Fiyeri watching the sandwiches being made, and tasting them with satisfaction.


Our name was called out, and our grilled cheeses arrived in front of us, presented on gingham paper wrap with a pickle spear and a side of freshly made coleslaw. Just from looks alone this was no simple toastie, this was a big grilled cheese sandwich that meant business, oozing the secret three-cheese blend, and packed with delicious ham. The toast itself was perfectly smooth and crunchy from the sandwich-press method on the cooking surface, and gave a hugely satisfying crunch to bite through, followed by the warm and gooey delicious filling.


We both thoroughly enjoyed the sandwiches, and agreed the quality was superb. Even whilst munching our way through, we looked up at the menu, deciding what we fancied next time. I definitely fancy The Classic, with caramelised red onion chutney!

Looks can also be deceptive. Sure this was a toasted sandwich, but by the time I was half-way through my second half, I was getting full! This was a FILLING sandwich... when has that ever happened for under seven quid?


Northern Soul isn't fine dining, but it's simple and good hearty comfort food which makes for the perfect freshly made lunch that won't break the bank, which for Manchester's Northern Quarter is pretty rare, and as they also have a loyalty card, it's very tempting to make it a regular thing instead of just bobbing into the local Tesco Metro for an overpriced plastic packaged sandwich, or a lukewarm sausage roll from Greggs.

Love you, Northern Soul. Back soon!



Northern Soul Grilled Cheese
Church Street
Manchester City Centre
M4 1PN
http://northernsoulmcr.com/
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