Reviews in Lancashire

The Emporium.... ladies who lunch, the soccer-mum set, X5s and Porsche Boxsters.... you name 'em, they're there. Regardless of the clientele, the Emporium has been absolutely exceptional in the past. Once they know you, you're pretty much guaranteed a good dining experience. We used to hide ourselves in there on a Sunday afternoon and spend a good few hours reading the papers and abusing the staff's good will. The menu is varied without being eclectic, and we would recommend going for the larger dishes as some of the smaller portions can be a little on the begrudging side. I had a rare rib-eye steak on a number of occasions and considered it exceptional, served simply with slender, crispy salty French fries and a sprinkling of salad leaves. The cheese platter used to be a sporting stand-in for less substantial diners, and is dished up with a variety of cheeses and pate. Some of which could have come from the adjoining Sainsburys, but the majority were good to excellent. Their pasta is generally very agreeable and comes with what appear to be semi-cuit tomatoes - whatever they are, they're damn good. Drinks are served well and efficiently, and the glassware is perfectly proportioned. Iced-water is provided promptly when asked for, in the correct glasses and with the right amount of ice and lemon. Cutlery is of an appropriate standard, and the napkins are clean, crisp, white linen. The place itself is maybe a little cluttered, particularly so on the ground floor. If you don't smoke, make the journey upstairs where the atmosphere is much more pleasant. The building is air-conditioned, although it was always light and airy when we were there. Decoration is provided by the adjoining furniture / bric-a-brac shop - worth a look if you have more money than you know what to do with - and everything is for sale. Sometimes the tables can be a little on the 'aged' side, with creaking joints and wobbly legs. However, the furniture is re-varnished and repaired on a fairly regular basis, and anyway, the judicious use of a few beer mats (or discarded sections of your Sunday Times) will prevent your chicken ragout from taking a dive... However, in the past year it appears that the magic formula has lost it's sparkle; the staff are occasionally surly, the food is occasionally un-inspiring. Last time we visited (3-4 months ago) we witnessed one of the female staff (why do they always want to show us their bellies, even when they've got bigger ones than mine?) actually arguing with a customer over the size of a salad portion.... unthinkable! Seems to me that whoever ran the place between 2002 and mid 2004 took their eye off the ball. Maybe the franchise is spreading a little too fast.... James Warburton, please make sure that you don't neglect your existing customers in the rush for further expansion! Go when it's mid-busy; too quiet, and the staff get bored. Too busy, and you may want to nip next door to Sainsburys for a snack in-between courses. In summary, I hope that the management get to grips with the (minor) problems that have crept in over the 12 months, because it really used to be an exceptional place to 'do lunch'.

Antonys is a great place for lunch.the menu caters for everyone.I have been going for years now and the food is always excellent and great value for money.The evening menu is lovely too and excellent value. The portions are good and the food is nicely presented.10/10

when we visit the Agra we know that we will be assured of an excellent meal, friendly service and a good night out. Highly recommendable is Chicken Tikka Shashlik in medium rogan josh sauce and chicken Tikka Garlic Massala the list could go on and on- never had a bad meal yet. I love the Agra

What a fantastic gastropub! They have made a great job of renovating an old boozer into a choice dining venue. The place has a modern feel but has retained its original rustic charm. I went for lunch and had an amazing fish pie and top wine by the glass. Thankfully the place is completely non-smoking as well!!

I visit the Agra regularly and every visit is as good as the last. The food is fantastic, I have tried a lot of different dishes and they have all been great!!! I am particularly addicted to their Chicken Tikka Masala at the moment!! The staff are friendly and always happy to help. Overall verdict is SCRUMDIDILUMPTIOUS

superb food on a well run restaurant. Friendly staff and very professional. Service is flawless.

I have dined at P&P (Chorley) regularly for the past twelve months and am very surprised that no one has commented about it on this Website. The food at this quaint Italian Restaurant is constantly at a high standard, with a variety of dishes to suit all tastes. The proprietors boast a large menu, specials which change monthly and a large fish board. They also have "happy hour" times, between 12-2pm and 5.30 - 6.30pm throughout the week!! The last meal I ate there was on 15/01/2005. I had Chicken Picante to start, a spicy starter of chicken and bacon in a spicy tomato sauce covered in cheese. My main course was Baby leg of lamb, sat on garlic mash potato covered in port wine jus, with an array of fresh vegetables. For dessert I enjoyed dime bar cheesecake with vanilla ice cream. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, just like the service; the restaurant is small but cosy and is soon to move location to larger premises. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys good food and good times!!!

Super meal, very nice place, was rushed a little through the meal. Overall a top place. The company was also perfect, you know who you are xXx

As I live in the Fylde, the Italian Orchard is the perfect place for a pit stop on the way home from January sales shopping with the missus. Fantastic pasta in great surroundings. I was also very impressed with their wine by the glass. Not the normal watery tepid nonsense that alot of Italian restaurants have by the glass!

Went on Friday night about 7pm, there seemed to be a lot of screaming kids knocking around, maybe we went too early?! No complaints other than that.

All dishes were individually well made, the ingredient quality was excellent. The service was always at a high standard.

I visited Truffles restaurant last week with my husband and family and have bored all my friends to death about how much we enjoyed it. The menu is fantastic, and there were traditional and more adventurous items on the menu so all of our party were happy? good selection of veggie stuff too. I had monkfish in tamarind, lime and coconut broth and it was delicious. All portions were very generous too-nouvelle cuisine without the stinginess! Also, a really nice touch was that the chef/owner came out of the kitchen to chat to all the customers and to ask if everything was alright, which made us feel really pampered. One more thing-try the assiette of desserts. Three different desserts on one plate. Heaven!

Brilliant! The best gastro pub in Lancashire and one of the best in the country. Try the lamb cooked in ale and served with goats cheese mashed potato and the set vanilla yoghurt with sauternes jelly, outstanding.

me & my husband came here for our first wedding anniversary and every thing about the night was great truely special, the food was great.

A very comprehensive pub grub menu ranging from sandwiches to T-bone Steaks at a very good price. Quiet hospitable and homely.

The staff were very helpful and I enjoyed my meal thoroughly, I think the staff should be rewarded after this fantastic experience, the meal was too good to eat, but I still ate it.

Visited Carlos recently and round the price was great. The atmosphere was excellent and the staff were helpful

I eat here all the time. The food is always fantastic (I especially recommend the Hawaiian style gammon). My partner and I usually get a main course plus a side dish and a couple of drinks for less than £15 for the two of us. The portions are nice and big with plenty to choose from. The staff are friendly and I always feel like I'm at home.