Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Blackpool is enjoying something of a renaissance more recently, and whilst the reputation for bright and breezy is never too far away - and why should it not be - there is now a wider spread of expectations from those who come to enjoy this icon of British seaside entertainment.

ToasT Cafe Bar and Grill Restaurant sets out to meet these head on, offering something for everybody, with a Taste Lancashire Quality Assured award to demonstrate their success in so doing. Located in Corporation Street Toast is not far from the Grand Theatre, Blackpool's famous Tower and the Winter Gardens, and close enough to the city centre nightlife if it's the clubs and bars you are after later in the evening.

As with most things in Blackpool, there's nothing particularly formal about ToasT. Most people are there to enjoy and relax, and escaping from formality is high on the list. So too is the freshly cooked food, the ingredients for which are sourced locally wherever possible.

One of the delights of being away from home on holiday is the relaxed breakfast prepared for you by somebody else and at ToasT it's on offer all day, so no risk of feeling deprived if you're a late riser. A Lancashire rarebit to start the day is made from Bowland Cheddar cheese and bacon, and baked beans are the product of Mr Heinz, so have that extra zing factor.

Later in the day the speciality sandwiches such as chicken Club triple decker do more than just fill a gap, and different types of more conventional sandwich keep all tastes happy. Toast is a place where imagination is positively encouraged amongst both customers and staff. More substantial dishes might include the highly popular beer battered haddock and chips, with fresh fish from nearby Fleetwood, chilli con carne and a delightful steak and ale pie, the meat slow-cooked for full flavour and tenderness.

Amongst the burgers look out for the Blue and Black version, a 6oz steak seasoned with Cajun spices and topped with blue cheese. Plenty of pasta dishes have salmon and prawn, tomato and basil or tuna and sweetcorn amongst their constituents, and light bites of loaded potato skins, prawn cocktail and lamb koftas are also popular.

Every day from 5pm ToasT shifts mode, with the emphasis on an à la carte menu that offers more elaborate dishes such as blackened salmon, apricot pork, Bowland lamb shoulder and a nice range of tapas, fast becoming one of Britain's established must-haves.

A well annotated wine list offers a good range by the glass and a French house selection that gives full value for money. The net is well cast with Argentina, South Africa, Italy and California all included. Service is of the sort given by staff who are clearly valued and trained, and as a result enjoy their work, hence well-pleased customers.

Do check on their Website for special events, menu changes and other details.

Based in Preston's town centre in Winckley Square, facing landscaped parkland, the Olive Press is in a location that is truly beautiful throughout the year. Walking through the door, you are at once aware of the warm, relaxed atmosphere that characterises the restaurant scene in Preston.

On arrival you will find the open fire is complimented by exposed brick, distressed plaster, and muted tones of wood, creating a sense of rustic surroundings.

The blend of young, vibrant staff make this a friendly and welcoming experience. It is a great place for that family gathering, when you can let the children make their own pizza whilst you enjoy an appetiser or a starter from their extensive menu.

You can go into the Olive Press and have a great sandwich for lunch or a simple pizza or pasta as a meal - or you could really let rip and enjoy a three course dinner, including their 21 day old matured rump steak with garlic butter or pepper sauce, with wine in the evening.

So talking of starters, what's on offer? San Daniele Italian cured ham and melon makes a bracing introduction, but then so do spicy lamb and bacon meatballs. Chicken liver pâté with macerated grapes, red wine and charred ciabatta, and for those who can't wait to latch on to that fishy flavour there's deep-fried squid, king prawn and whitebait with celery leaf and Romaine salad.

An Olive Press lasagne never fails to please - a simple dish but a satisfying one. Spaghetti Napoli, or carbonara with poached egg, crispy pancetta, peas and Parmesan all ring the bells too. From the oven or char grill there's a delightful whole grilled sea bream with gremolata, or hand pressed Curwen Hill rump steak burger, fries, sweetcorn and red pepper relish.

The stone baked pizzas have delicacy - none of your superannuated roofing tiles here - the base is an accompaniment rather than a conversation stopper, with the customary well-loved toppings, none more so than the buffalo mozzarella with plum tomatoes and basil.

Olive Press takes the requirements of children very seriously, and their own menu, designed with pleasure in mind, comes complete with some little puzzles to solve whilst waiting for their order to arrive. As well as making up their own pizza, Little Olives, as they tend to become for the duration, can choose from a pasta selection, sandwiches and garlic bread, burgers, or chicken, before moving in on the knickerbocker glory or banana split. Meanwhile parents and favourite uncles can contemplate a vanilla yoghurt with fresh blackberries, honey and crushed amaretti biscuits.

A well balanced wine list rarely strays far from Italy and includes Thesauram Corvina, Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 from Veneto that is big and spicy with rich dark chocolate and blackberry flavours.

For further details, including latest deals, menus and images, their Website should prove invaluable. The menu changes twice a year - for Autumn/Winter in September and in March for Spring/Summer.

Heathcotes Brasserie offers a range of British and French classics, sprinkled with the celebrated signature dishes of MBE chef, Paul Heathcote. Guests can relax in an elegant setting filled with glistening silverware and spotless white tablecloths.

Made using fresh local produce, the Heathcotes menu offers starters of roast beef salad with leeks and walnuts, lobster risotto with tarragon and coral butter and hash brown of black pudding with Lancashire cheese, mustard butter and caramelized pear. Sumptuous main courses at Heathcotes restaurant range from slow-cooked lamb with creamed flageolet beans and jus, to grilled halibut with duxelle, champagne sauce and fine beans.

Round off with an indulgent treacle tart with marmalade ice cream, chocolate pots with salted caramel or Paul Heathcote's famous bread and butter pudding. A variety of white and red wines complement the food perfectly, whilst a chic cocktail bar serves refreshing mixes.

Set in pretty Winckley Square, Heathcotes Preston is a short walk from Fishergate Shopping Centre.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

This is where the renowned chef-restaurateur Paul Heathcote made his name, since when his restaurant empire has spread across the North of England. After being awarded the coveted AA Three Rosettes rating again, The Longridge has moved to a different league altogether and is described as 'one of the best in the world'. This top accolade follows an excellent review in the Good Food Guide and Heathcote's decision to take the restaurant off the property market and work closely with Head Chef and Gordon Ramsay scholarship award winner Chris Bell and his wife, Kath who is also the General Manager.

The décor calls on creams, greys and blacks skilfully blended in to what started life as a 19th century cottage. A private dining room seating 14 increases the versatility of what has always been a forward looking range of events and happenings in this attractive restaurant. The ability to spread the word has been enhanced by the addition of a cookery school, created by designer Karen Brierley.

Much of Chris's food has an earthy base to it, using local products like excellent black pudding, but is then elevated either by being served in interesting combinations or by the sheer flavour and technical expertise deployed. Puddings have always been praised, with one of the finest bread and butter puddings in the country, served spoilingly with a compote of apricots and clotted cream.

Menus at any Heathcote restaurant, whilst exploring interesting backwaters, and keeping faith with British cuisine, could be expected to offer a duck terrine with rare wood pigeon, seared Scottish scallops with roasted foie gras, and ham hock and Lancashire cheese hash brown. A risotto of pea and mint, Cumbrian ham and slow cooked duck egg makes a real treat of a starter, but even simple dishes such as salmon gravadlax are given new meaning with marinated cucumber, ratte potatoes, warm shrimps and cress.

Bowland beef enjoys a reputation that appeals to the increasingly concerned and steadily growing minority who like the ingredients used in creation of their dishes to have a credible background. Here a roast fillet is served as a main course with fondant potato, creamed and roast parsnips, Savoy cabbage, green peppercorn and thyme. Pan roasted sea bass with creamed cauliflower, spinach, new potatoes, shrimps and parsley is also worth every penny.

Leaving on one side the renowned bread and butter pudding, the sheer artistry of coffee and bay leaf crème brûlée with white chocolate sorbet and peppercorn meringues is hard to ignore. Don't even try!

Those seeking value will find the lunch menu an attractive proposition, competitively priced and offering the sort of selection more commonly associated with a top notch à la carte.

The wine list is superb, but very little dips beneath the £20 mark. Console yourself with the thought that food of this quality should not be associated with anything less.

For more information, including their latest menus and details on any special offers, do visit their Website. The menu changes seasonally - three times a year - for Spring in February, Summer in June for and October for Autumn/Winter.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.