As a rule, any restaurant that you walk into which has kitchen roll on the tables as standard, is likely to show you a good time. Smokies has two venues, one in Darwen and one in Chorley. As Chorley is nearer to me, we decided to try this one. 

I like that when you walk in, it already has a warm atmosphere, created by varying lighting, high ceilings, and lots of wood in the decor and furniture. In fact later in the evening, one of the owners would tell me that she loves upcycling, and the wood from the bar came from a Scottish distillery, and the tables throughout were made from old casks from the same distillery, simply sanded and oiled, and that what I thought was a table number on our table was in fact one of the original barrel numbers! I love a bit of provenance! I was surprised to find that the restaurant goes further back into another room, and even has another floor with even more seating for diners!

As we entered we were welcomed warmly by who I assume is one of the owners (mentioned above). She checked for our booking and pointed us to our table. Another member of staff brought our menus and explained about the specials menu, and specials on the chalkboards throughout the restaurant. 

The menu is a vegan's nightmare and a carnivore's wet dream! Delicious meaty starters and mains, a section dedicated to meat from the smoker, and even a couple of sharing platters all described in a way to make your mouth water before you get chance to order. This is a proper southern States style bbq joint, their mantra is "real food, real smoke, real slow", and despite that very much being accurate given their quality offerings, the prices are incredibly decent. We decided on the "couples platter" which was beef brisket, pulled pork, half a rack of ribs, chicken wings, home-made sausage, fries, coleslaw and beans... and it was just £20! In fact including the starter and drinks, the whole bill came to less than £35! CRAZY!

So before our platter main, we ordered some nachos as a starter. You know what nachos as a starter tends to look like if you go somewhere like Chiquito etc... about 6 doritos with a blob of melted coagulation-dried cheese and some jalapenos on top. We... weren't expecting what we got from Smokies! We got a huge tray full of nachos, covered in nacho cheese sauce, freshly made guacamole, pineapple salsa, (you also get jalapenos, but we asked for them without) with side pots of guacamole and sour cream. It made me swear when it arrived.

They were miles beyond the usual doritos-nachos starter you usually get. They were fresh, with perfect crunch, the salsa was fruity and fresh, the cheese was excellent, and it was incredibly moreish. We found ourselves even mopping up the tiny bits at the end with our fingers... thank god for that kitchen roll and wet wipes!

Our main platter arrives just after a side portion of fries each. I ordered plain with pitmaster's salt, and my partner ordered cheeseburger fries from the specials menu, which was the same fries but with bits of burger meat, cheese, and chipotle relish!  

They came with really lovely fresh coleslaw, and what he says as some of the best beans he's ever had... beans with brisket mixed in! HEAVEN! The fries themselves were hot, crisp, and perfectly seasoned. Absolutely perfect.

Then just as they arrived, we were brought out our platter! The owner I mentioned earlier then came over to us and explained to us fully about our platter, what meats were what, how the meats were prepared, down to information about the pink smoke ring on the brisket. It's really nice to see that amount of passion and enthusiasm go into food!

This platter was excellent. The sausage was flavourful with a spice which didn't get you at first, but which snuck up behind you and slapped you in the fact afterwards! The chicken wings were so tender that you could suck the meat off the bones. The pulled pork was absolutely perfect, and the brisket was so tender that I swear it literally melted in my mouth. This is the best brisket I've had! Even the pickled cucumber provided was pickled by them in brine using the flavours from the smoker, and was described as a 'palate cleanser' as it was fresh and tangy. Really good! I could imagine it on a burger quite easily! There were also their own blend of sauces on each table comprising of a sweet BBQ sauce, American style mustard, and Louisiana style hot sauce. I imagine they were lovely, but as the meat itself was so amazing as it was provided, I really didn't get chance to try them as they weren't needed! Maybe next time!

At the point I was about to try the ribs when the chef/pit-master came into the dining area, and was even introduced to us. When we talked to him about the quality of our meal, his enthusiasm and passion for the real deal of southern BBQ was evident, from how he does it and his smokers, to the difference between competition cooking and regular cooking. It was genuinely fascinating to hear, and as I said, a real treat to see someone excited about something they do.  Under the rib rack was a serrated knife. I picked it up and cut through the ribs, which promptly fell apart and off the bone as soon as they were touched. The chef laughed, "we provided a serrated knife for you there as a bit of a joke". He wasn't wrong! The meat on the ribs was so tender and juicy that I could've practically blown it off the bone if I'd let out a big sigh! As a special treat, the chef even brought us a taster of the burnt ends covered in their own J.D sauce, which were a real taste explosion! He should rename these, "THE VEGETARIAN CONVERTER!". 

We loved Smokies, and found the quality absolutely stellar, as well as truly friendly, professional and passionate staff who love what they do. We will absolutely definitely be returning!!

Aside the decor, the first thing I notice is that the staff are casually dressed, not wearing any sort of uniform. The only thing that makes them recognisable is that they also wear a small black apron. I think this, coupled with popular music playing is a good idea, as it takes the grand and fancy style of the venue and softens it slightly, making it feel a little more casual, and not as intimidating or elite.

The menu boasts some delicious selections, whilst not being overwhelming in choice, meaning that you can still "umm" and "aah" between a few dishes you fancy, but know that they're concentrating on doing the dishes to the best they can be done.

We look through the cocktail menu, at which point our waiter comes over and opens with, "lets get you some alcohol!", causing us both to laugh. We don't drink, so chose the softs of "Ginger and Juice" and "Mint and Apple Swizzle". The waiter didn't actually tell us his name, but he was friendly and casual, and nothing seemed like too much for him.

My burger was what I can only term as astounding. I was advised that the burgers are cooked through, but may sometimes be a bit pink, and I was asked if this is okay... this is my preference, and good god this burger was cooked PERFECTLY! Unctuous and juicy, when I bit through the burger there was no resistance! My teeth went straight through because of how soft and perfect the meat was, and full of flavour, not relying on a huge splodge of melted cheese to coat it, but just enough to add some extra texture and a flavour accompaniment. 

The triple cooked chips actually lived up to their name, rather than many places which use the term "triple cooked" simply to be on a bandwagon. These chips were crispy, golden, and perfectly seasoned meaning you didn't need to so much as touch the salt on the table, and although bringing ketchup to the table was a nice thought, it wasn't needed! (Although I tasted it, and it was a lovely sweet and fruity ketchup!). 

My partner proclaimed the sticky toffee pudding as the best he has ever had, despite not having his favourite topping of good old fashioned custard. When I pointed this out to him, he replied that at this stage he thought that custard would in fact spoil the pudding! High praise from this person, believe me! The clotted cream on top and toffee sauce were perfection.

My sundae was delicious. The ice cream and toffee sauces were wonderful, and to my surprise, the sundae itself also contained sticky toffee sponge, presumably the same type used in the pudding dish. This was perfection, the toffee itself was a deep and incredibly rich flavour, and went down perfectly. The other sundae option is raspberry ripple, and I couldn't help but wonder what marvellous treat that must also be... I'll be trying that next time!

Relaxing in our food-comas, we chatted to the waiter, and reflected upon how it's a good thing that the building had wide door-frames so they wouldn't have to butter them up to squeeze us back out of them. 

We went back downstairs to collect our coats and chatted to the hosts at the reception desk about how sublime our meal was, and how much we had enjoyed ourselves. They told us their favourites, and recommendations for next time. They were as enthusiastic and happy as we were!

We walked back through Manchester in a very slow dreamlike state.

We had a wonderful time. Thank you, Hawksmoor, for being the icing on the cake of our wedding anniversary. We will most definitely return!

The feel of the place in terms of operation seems very similar to Manchester too, a host greets you and takes you to your table, asking if you've visited before, and mentioning the specials, before leaving you to the service team. Another thing that made me think that the daytime trade is yet to establish is that whilst we were there, there were only around 3 tables in use, but no less than 4 servers, the host at the door, a barman, and a couple of managers. Although this is good, meaning you get good and attentive service, it did also mean that they were often stood at the side of the bar, looking at the dining room and waiting for something they could do. This resulted in us being asked if we wanted any more drinks by several different servers one after the other. All very well meant, but a little disorganised.

The menu comes in a wooden clad casing, very stylish, and another menu explains the origins of the meat they use, and their cooking methods. I like this, this is the sort of thing people like to read about whilst waiting for their food. 

We decided to try one of the specials, the "Texas Toast" and an "Onion Bomb", which I've only ever really seen in the States, but usually known as a blooming onion or onion blossom. 

The starters took a little while to arrive, but there was good music, and one of the servers updated us to let us know that the starters wouldn't be too long. I really don't mind this, I'd rather wait a little longer knowing the food is being prepared fresh than coming out of a microwave or from under a waiting heatlamp. We also ordered some soft drinks. It was nice to see that root beer was available. A true American staple!

Both starters were excellent. The onion bomb was perfectly crisp and tender, and came with a delicious ranch dressing. The Texas toast was wonderfully thick and crunchy, with several types of melted cheese and garlic. Really morish!

For our main, although we were considering one of the tasty sounding burgers, or taking advantage of it being "rib thursday", we looked at each other with a grin, and ordered the adventurous sounding "Pit Master Platter", designed for two to share. Everything about it sounded great.

What turned up was a table-full of wooden boards, some with little iron pots containing sides, some as plates (I prefer real plates as a side plate to be honest, but hey it's a wooden theme, lets go with it), and one containing the main meaty stars, which was very cleverly placed on a stand, raising it above the sides, and allowing more space on the table. Very clever!