an all american diner restaurant and rather swanky bowling alley; a match made in heaven which all star lanes have got seamlessly covered. after much foodie research and a few recommendations (you know the score) i booked a table and two games of bowling for my boyfriend's birthday road trip up north.
fear not, this is not a restaurant with bowling alley bolted on, nor is it bowling with a soggy side of burger and chips. these guys have got it down, i really mean it. here's why...
having been asked if i was booking for a special occasion, i chirped up and told them it was my boyfriend's birthday. a friendly welcome to our table and the mister was greeted with a birthday card, pin badge and cocktail voucher. cue a sol cal sour and we're perusing the menu of delectable american inspired starters.
i went for the popcorn squid and aioli whilst sam chose the short rack of ribs.
presentation as you can see is fab for the calamari. crispy just how it should be, a generous portion and fresh garlicky aioli. no need for the chopsticks here but i was a sucker for the novelty of them anyway.
these sweet, sticky ribs were right up his street. devoured in seconds, we were left wondering why the salad tried to pretend making this starter look healthy. perfect portions which left us excited for the main course.
again we were struck by some stunning plates of food. as you can see i'd ordered the grilled lobster and sam chose the rib eye, both accompanied by shoestring fries. busy with my various lobster tools, i didn't try any of the steak. though it got a thumbs up from birthday boy! for £27, the whole lobster was a fantastic portion, bursting with fresh flavours and a gorgeous grilled cheese sauce. and as for that hollandaise, oh my, i'm not ashamed to say i dipped every last chip in that.
i should mention in between all these courses, it was a drink top up here, a new napkin (i certainly needed it!) there and a new cutlery there - all without prompting. i can't rave enough about the attention to detail from the staff to be honest.
now nigella's brownie recipe is hard to beat. this just missed the gold, but it came pretty damn close. with a warm chocolate sauce and nutty flavour, it was an incredible dessert to finish the american theme on. but if that doesn't tickle your fancy, you could always try an elvis shake...
come 9pm and the fun isn't over yet. with our lane ready, we pottered over and put our shoes on in our own time. next thing we know, our trusty drinks have magically followed us to our booth.
two games of bowling later and it's safe to say i didn't even beat michelle keegan. i'm terrible really, but it's always a laugh isn't it?
in all fab night, excellent food, brilliant atmosphere and sensational staff. isn't it great when a plan comes together?
note: i paid for my meal and all opinions are my own.
I seriously need to visit this place. That looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteThis is my next date night sorted. It looks fab :)
ReplyDeleteMissPond x