Black & Blue Steakhouse - Gloucester Road

The most likely secret behind the success of Black and Blue Steakhouses is down to having an excellent executive chef and management team in charge of their kitchens and restaurants, ensuring a consistent quality to all of them - a feature other small chains sometimes need to aim for. The restaurants all share the same passion, to deliver great steaks with a minimum of fuss and maximum of flavour.

Their steakhouses are an eclectic mix of architecture, but what they all have in common is an interior design that has been created to help you dine in perfect comfort, deriving maximum enjoyment.

Black and Blue concentrates on delivering classic, cooked-to-perfection dishes to its tables. Not surprisingly, beef is referred to as the king, and the restaurant goes to great lengths to get the best meat from trusted farmers in Yorkshire and Lancashire, this is then dry aged and tenderised for a minimum of twenty eight days before it arrives in any of the restaurants' kitchens.

Prime cuts of beef, cooked to order and served with fries, salad and a choice of sauces have become the Black and Blue trademark. There is cote de boeuf, for the ravenous, or for two to share, but other than this, sirloin, t-bone or fillet are popular choices. The burgers are handmade and served with a variety of toppings like guacamole, bacon and cheese or even foie gras. From the grill, half rack of lamb, served as individual cutlets with peppers is worth a try.

If being different appeals to you, start your meal with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and toast. Salads such as chargrilled goat's cheese fit well with steaks and burgers. And how can a hearty meal like this be complete without some wine or champagne? You could complete your meal with red or white wine from countries as far apart as New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa.