Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts


I'd heard of Bakers, but I wasn't quite sure what exactly it was. I saw it named as Bakers Tea Room (which appeals to me!), but the internet also lists it as a coffee shop, an ice cream parlour, a gift shop, and other signs list it as a bar and kitchen.

So I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the great thing is that it's actually a mix of all of these things! No wonder they don't have a single label!


This eclectic approach also extends to the décor, which is not akin to anything I've really seen before. It's not a traditional English tea room, nor a coffee shop in terms of design, but more like a themed design, but I don't know what the design is. I'd call it perhaps rustic? Either way, I really like it, it's solid and uses lots of wood, chrome ducting and faux exposed brickwork, and fun decorative elements as well as some bits which are just a bit odd (buckets mounted on the wall anyone?), but I like it. It's unique.







It's split into two areas, a lower area which is more aimed at the coffee shop element, and a rear upper area which has comfy bench seating and larger tables for diners. We initially sat in the lower area as it was quite busy, but after the upper area emptied a little, we retreated up there for a little quiet from a few mums with their little ones (who sounded like they needed a nap!).

The menu is simple but has some good choices, and regularly changes, so there's not an online menu. This is good though, it means you get something new fairly frequently.

We ordered a pot of tea. The Kilner jars stocked behind the bar show a great variety of teas for us tea lovers out there! Good tea too!


From the main menu we ordered a toasted chicken and stuffing sandwich, and the Bakers Burger, both of which sounded great, and I liked the sound of the burger... I wasn't expecting burgers at what was potentially a tea room!

The staff are friendly and helpful, making recommendations, and going out of their way to make customers comfortable and welcome.

The food came in good time, and was presented well. To be honest it looked great!



The burger was juicy and satisfying, and dripping onto the wooden board a bit, not due to fat, but sheer juiciness! The chips that came with it were crisp and delicious. The chicken toasted sandwich was full of flavour and really nice quality. It also came with what looked like a bucket full of fresh salad (!) but we found it to have a cleverly concealed ramekin within the bucket allowing for a normal sized portion. The salad by the way was fresh and very tasty.

As we only popped in to investigate, we thought we might get a scone and a pot of tea or a slice of cake, but ended up getting a big lunch each, meaning we filled ourselves up to the degree of having no room for dessert... rookie mistake! The cakes and ice creams looked great, and now that I know the sort of food and quality to expect from Bakers, I'll definitely be back to give them a try... and some more of the rest of the menu... but... but... try not to overfill myself first... gah, maybe I'll make several visits instead!


There is free parking at the venue, but it's to the left of the shop and not in the small road to the right of it where I accidentally parked, requiring a 17 point turn to get out again. Whoops!

Go along, give them a try, they're good, and showing that local independent places can cut it with the big boys!

 Bakers
247 Blackburn Road
Egerton
Bolton
BL7 9SN
(01204) 306 266

Bakers

by on 14:00
I'd heard of Bakers , but I wasn't quite sure what exactly it was. I saw it named as Bakers Tea Room (which appeals to me!), but...
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When another York restaurant let us down, we had a look online to see what options were nearby, and one that stood out was Winner Winner. A classic American style menu with tongue-in-cheek elements, we thought we'd give it a go, and so went in and sat down. We realised it was 9:00pm, and according to the site, they were open UNTIL 9pm, so I clarified with a waitress, "are you closing now?" and she smiled and said "uh... yeah" with an awkward smile. We were about to get up when she said "don't worry though,it's no problem!".

I'm so glad they were accommodating for a couple of people coming in right at closing, although there was another table still eating too.





The decor has gone for an American dive bar, and it works well. The menu is genuine American style fare, down and dirty, and appealing. They also sold root beer which is a tick for the genuine menu to me!

We decided that although we weren't going to have starters, we both fancied trying the beer battered pickles served with ranch sauce, so we asked them to come with the mains.

Food was all made fresh to order which was nice, and the staff were friendly and pleasant during our wait.



The battered pickles were surprisingly morish! Very tasty! But now it was time for the mains. My partner ordered a "So Last Year" burger, which was a bacon double cheeseburger with onion rings, barbecue and blue cheese sauce. Seriously, how good does that sound? HOWEVER, given the name of the place is Winner Winner, I had to try one of the Chef's Specials... a chicken dinner! I chose to go for Maryland's Own Fried Chicken.



The food was SUPERB. I mean like REALLY DAMN GOOD considering they could've just thrown it together to get us out of the door, but it was really good! The fried chicken was juicy and succulent with perfectly seasoned breading (too many places go nuts with making the breading really peppery!), and crispy tasty fries with great seasoning. The burger was a fantastic dirty stack of saucy juicy meaty goodness, really well made and prepared, and served with sweet potato fries which were absolutely perfect.

The best bit is that it's also not a shockingly expensive place. It's casual and friendly and serves really good food! Of all the places I've visited and eaten in whilst in York, this is most definitely one we will be revisiting when we next return, guaranteed!

Well done, Winner Winner, you live up to your name!



Winner Winner
5 King's Staith
York,
North Yorkshire
YO1 9SN
(01904) 848 989
http://www.winnerwinnerrestaurant.com/

Winner Winner

by on 14:21
When another York restaurant let us down, we had a look online to see what options were nearby, and one that stood out was Winner Winner ....
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Retreat has two restaurants, Retreat Bolton and Retreat Adlington. At this point I'd been to neither, but decided to try Adlington for my partner's birthday, as it's nearer me and the newer of the two. It's in a former church, which is quite striking from the outside, but when you walk in, it really has that wow factor! It doesn't feel like a church at all, and has the feeling of some of the modern and stylish restaurants in Manchester City Centre, decorated with simple classic modern furniture, and light fixtures that both illuminate and decorate, forming decoration themselves. The venue is split onto two levels, the ground floor and a mezzanine, with an open centre, forming a minstrel's gallery.


As we entered we stood at the podium for a bit as the manager was on the phone presumably taking more bookings. I can't say I'm surprised either, the queues were there all evening with people eager to get in and dine! He was friendly and prompt though, and took us up the central staircase to the upper area, which was great for people watching!



Interestingly, it seems the kitchen is on the ground floor, but instead of installing a dumb waiter to such a small mezzanine area, there are two hidden staircases at the back of the area, allowing staff to covertly come and go to the kitchen without having to use the big central staircase. Nicely done.

When seated and given the menus, we had a browse, but were immediately grabbed by the Sunday Roast offer, which was three courses for £16... how can you turn that down?!

We ordered a couple of drinks, and for starters we chose a garlic bread, creamy garlic mushrooms, and tempura black pudding. Interestingly a chrome bucket-shaped frame was placed on our table. We later found this was to place the garlic bread on, so that it was elevated, and wouldn't take up as much table space when the plates were brought out. Very clever!



The garlic bread was subtly flavoured but good, with a grainy crunch, presumably from semolina, but it worked well. The black pudding was very good, and came with a very tasty cider and apple buttersauce, which really worked well with the black pudding. The creamy garlic mushrooms came on grilled ciabatta with pesto, and was too very tasty.

For our mains, as we'd both chosen the sunday dinner, we chose lamb and pork respectively.


My only criticisms with the dinners were that they presentation was a bit lacking, perhaps due to the size and shape of the plate, so everything looked a little lost and the gravy had slid around a bit, but that certainly was no deal breaker, as the food itself was very good. The vegetables in particular were perfectly cooked.

At this point we realised that we hadn't been introduced to our waiter, and this seems to be as the waiting duties are a group effort, with different waiters bringing dishes out or taking orders as and when needed, from a rather young staff. Some people might have a problem with this style of serving, but it worked well, and clearly works well for Retreat.

For dessert we chose what was simply listed as apple tart, and what was only listed as "shortbread and ice cream", which gives a rather bleak mental image. That's a criticism I would mention actually, the food quality and offerings are great, but the menu itself is ugly. It uses some very ugly fonts which you'd more commonly see in a pub or on a cafe menu, and I don't feel it suits the style of the place, especially as they use this font on their main logo. A little modernising and updating and their menu would be befitting of what they offer.



The desserts turned out to be really good! Why undersell these? I didn't have "shortbread and ice cream", (which gives the mental image of a shortbread finger stuck in an ice cream cone), I received thin shortbread discs with strawberry ice cream and fresh strawberry layers, and a scoop of nice quality vanilla ice cream. This was lovely, but sadly the menu didn't reflect this! The apple tart was also delicious and full of flavour.



The meal was a pleasant visit for a special occasion. The food and drinks were good, the service was friendly, food came out in good time, and the value was excellent. We'll definitely be back! Well done, Retreat!



 Retreat Adlington
19 Church Street
Adlington
PR7 4EX
(01257) 481894
http://www.retreatrestaurants.co.uk/

Retreat

by on 12:19
Retreat has two restaurants, Retreat Bolton and Retreat Adlington . At this point I'd been to neither, but decided to try Adlington ...
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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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But Adam, dubTAP is a new tap room and bottle shop from the guys behind Drink Up Brewing, and you don't drink, so why are you doing a review on dubTAP?

Well I'll tell you why, you little scamp, you! Because I thought the same thing! I thought dubTAP were just a new drinking hole, and so despite the popularity and praises being sung, I didn't visit until recently, because I found out that they also do food, and also serve soft drinks and hot drinks. Hooray!

 

The venue itself is on Lee Lane in  Horwich, in a former small take-away unit, but despite their small size, they've used the space well, and I'm told have further plans to open the first floor for a more specific dining space, showing that they have every intent to keep the food coming, rather than it being an afterthought at a bar. 

As you walk in (mind your head, the doors are low in this place!), the first thing that strikes you is that with the wood cladding on the walls, lamp shades made from reclaimed metal containers, aspace saving seating, and long bar, it feels very much like somewhere you would find in Manchester's Northern Quarter, but slotted into Horwich.


The welcome is warm, and as we walk in we notice a family on the left hand side sharing a table with some parents and their little girl, everyone having breakfast. This is a good sign. At some bars which are just simple boozers, you expect to walk in at 10:30am to simply find middle aged blokes called Frank sat around on their third pint, but dubTAP have realised that you can have a drink based venue, but one that still appeals to families and the non-drinking crowd by offering things like food, Fentimans soft drinks, and tea and coffee.


As I mentioned, there's not a huge amount of seating in the downstairs space, but the best has been made of the space to allow people to sit without chairs and tables cramming all into the space. We sat on a side-bar with stools and read the food menu, which sounds very good, some really nice ideas for simple lunches, such as steak Canadian and black pudding scotch eggs, but today we fancied a bit of breakfast, and so opted for some toast, and the full breakfast, as well as a pot of tea for two.


The tea came promptly, in a funky teapot and Le Creuset mugs, which kept them hot for ages, very nice. Breakfast however on this instance for us was a bit of a miss. We found the food to be a bit greasy and not of the highest quality, and also the toast was burnt, both the toast with the breakfast and the toast I had myself. But this of course is just our opinion, for a lot of people this would be just fine, and a good price. It's certainly on a par with many of the other breakfast offerings in Horwich.


The reviews of the place for drink offerings are nothing short of stellar, and both the food reviews and photos of the general menu are also very complimenting, and look amazing to boot, but I think they've only just started doing breakfasts, and as the place has only been open a very short period, it stands to reason that they are still finding their footing in some regards, so I wouldn't judge the place on this one miss (for us). I think once they've been doing them for a while longer, and they turn the toaster down a bit, they'll be on to a winner.


The service was friendly and efficient, and it was nice to hear the plans for the future of the place, with a bigger focus on dining. And don't worry, dubTAP, even with the breakfast hiccup, I'll definitely be back again to try some of those other dishes on the menu! 

What's also nice is that as it's right in the middle of Horwich, there's plenty of free parking on streets and free parking all around the area making it easy to visit. 




But clearly, dubTAP is aimed first and foremost at drinking, rather than eating, and for those visiting to try out the alcoholic refreshments on offer, I think you're in for a treat, as there is a massive selection available, from the cans and bottles displayed in the large chiller units opposite the bar, to wine menu, and the blackboard boasting the daily offerings such as "Beelzebub's Tears" and "Big Bertha". How could you resist? Why not give this new local independent a try sometime whilst they're finding their feet instead of going to that chain pub and drinking that same old drink you always have?


dubTAP
179 Lee Lane
Horwich
Bolton
Greater Manchester
BL6 7JD
(01204) 397 440

dubTAP

by on 12:17
But Adam, dubTAP is a new tap room and bottle shop from the guys behind Drink Up Brewing , and you don't drink, so why are you doin...
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