Angels Restaurant – Still Heavenly

Angels Restaurant Ribchester has held or flirted with, Trip Advisor’s top Preston spot for considerable time – building up significant local support. With an empty stomach, I booked myself in for Angels special Autumn Food Month menu…

After I greedily ate too much posh bread, Angels Restaurant Ribchester started with ‘smoked sweet corn & lime soup confit chicken’ – an unusual ensemble, which worked surprisingly well. I didn’t associate limes with autumn, but it added freshness, balancing the moist, flavoursome meat and provided a zingy talking point if nothing else.

Angels Restaurant Ribchester’s Fish Course produced wonderfully presented ‘seared mackerel, beetroot, horseradish, celeriac’. Gloriously in season with pleasingly blistered skin, the oily fish against the sharp beetroot is a classic combination I’ll never tire of. I finished the plate noting that I must remember to buy more beetroot.

Angels Restaurant Ribchester’s Main Course proudly consisted of ‘Guineafowl, spiced squash & mushroom Bolognese’. Who puts Bolognese with guineafowl? I don’t care if your Italian family’s Bolognese recipe’s passed down mother-to-daughter for generations – it couldn’t compete. A delicately piped thimble of creamy mash and ethereal micro leaves framed the rich guineafowl. It was so succulent I wondered why anyone bothers with turkey?

Angels Restaurant Ribchester’s Dessert produced a ‘Blueberry chocolate blondie, caramelised apple, & caramel cream’. This was how puddings should be – indulgent – not comma-inducing. As if that wasn’t enough, the ‘Northumberland Baltic ale-washed cheese, fruit & peanut loaf’ concluded the consumption, although I wasn’t blown away: I viewed the vaguely geriatric quality of the dried fruit and nut loaves with suspicion.

I haven’t mentioned wine because I’ve gone on long enough; however, the pinot noir was a general crowd-pleaser for this time of year when we eat little else but dead birds. For a tricky dessert pairing the ‘Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon’ with its light honey and peach flavours was just lovely with their creamy dessert.

A lot of thought and effort had gone into the interior of Angels Restaurant Ribchester. Perhaps the glitz won’t be to the taste of conservative persuasions. For my money, Angels Restaurant Ribchester got it just right, with a tastefully muted colour scheme with a touch of kitsch humour. Restaurants need an element of fun – how they achieve that while retaining their professionalism is a big challenge – but one Angels Restaurant Ribchester answered.

Finally, just as much effort was exerted by their hard-working shiny young staff, who will almost certainly make your meal an enjoyable one should you be lucky to visit.

Angels Restaurant
Review Summary

Atmosphere 9   Cost 10    Quality 9    Service 9

Find Angels Restaurant
Ribchester