Tag: Lancashire

Restaurant Review: Duk, Preston

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Dinner Was A Lame Duk

I initially made a booking for the charming Pond (Duk’s sister restaurant), but without explanation, the reservation was overlooked, and I was redirected to Duk. Having previously been impressed by Pond, I didn’t cause a fuss as I expected a similar quality dining experience.

Duk is one square basement room accessed by a dark staircase – a claustrophobic mustard cube. It should have been easy for the staff to see diners, and manage the small number of tables. Despite being the largest table booked, nobody was on hand to greet or advise our party where to sit, creating an unwelcoming impression. There was just one menu between two tables, but weirdly coffee menus for all. I waited fifteen minutes for acknowledgement, before getting up and communicating the entire drinks order directly at the bar. There was also a lack of information, as the drinks menu provided no indication of what wines were available by the glass, the size of the glass and their respective prices. Two of the diners ordered white wine: one arrived warm, the other incorrectly poured.

Rather than individual plates or in bowls, Duk’s tapas came in a strange system of three bowls shaped into one ceramic form. This arrangement was completely impractical as whatever I ordered, was attached to someone else’s choice twelve feet away. We ate the entire meal from one small saucer, which forced residual flavours to mix that had no business together. Nobody asked if we wanted further drinks or food, frustrating as one item never materialised. The whole concept of tapas is people order little and often – something completely impossible at Duk. After everyone had finished, we wanted more, but after fifteen minutes of obviously nobody chewing, we gave up. When I got up to ask for a dessert menu, I was told there was only two deserts: “Churros and a collection of confectionery”. I enquired into what constituted a collection of confectionery and was reliably informed it was a “mixture”. How helpful.

At least the menu was diverse and exciting, and everything certainly sounded appetising. High-quality ingredients were used throughout but often lacked execution, as the kitchen’s output was a mixed bag. The Chorizo was rich and delicious, but the Pigs Cheek was incredibly tough. Some excellent cheese made a welcome appearance.  The wine was decent but not cheap.

This poor evening was largely in part due to a shortage of staff, on another day a better experience is likely to be had, but it ‘s hard to justify a return to Duk.

Duk Restaurant
Review Summary

Atmosphere 4   Cost 5    Quality 6    Service 1

*Since this review was first published, Duk Preston is unfortunately no longer with us –   hence the lack of link*

Restaurant Review: The Red Cat Restaurant, Chorley

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The Red Cat – Far From Purrfect

I was warmly welcomed into The Red Cat Chorley and browsed the menus in a perfectly clean, but ultimately uninspiring bar area. The cocktails were expensive (for Chorley) averaging £9. It’s an amount I’m prepared to pay, but their constituent spirits were not premium products, making them unjustifiable. Instead, I opted for the lowest priced – but still relatively expensive red wine  – which was undrinkable. The bottle of wine cost less than the price of the glass; if not The Red Cat Chorley was ripped-off. I should have taken it back, but I was too awkwardly British. A friend ordered a Coke, which arrived ¾ full in a tacky Coca-Cola branded glass. No big deal, but The Red Cat Chorley asked £30 for some mains.

I went on the proviso of the limited but reasonably priced, ‘Red Cat Market Menu’, boasting three courses for £22.50. Although very restrictive, I eagerly looked forward to trying the risotto with black pudding and chicken with tarragon tagliatelle for the first time. Disappointingly, the risotto served was the standard mushroom issue, and the unusual tarragon tagliatelle was amended to tarragon mash. Appetising none of the less, but not quite the novel experience the Red Cat Chorley promised.

Once seated I was promptly given a complimentary crostini and fresh miniature loaves, which were quirky and lovely in equal measure. The mushroom risotto was cooked perfectly, very well seasoned and presented beautifully (often a challenge for risotto); however, the portion size was minuscule. I appreciate The Red Cat Chorley was not an all-you-can-eat buffet, but a slightly bigger serving would’ve cost 20p. Despite savouring the flavours, it was eaten in less than ten seconds. If I had eaten each grain with chopsticks – contemplating each molecule of flavour – it would have taken two minutes. For the main course, the chicken was succulent and delicious, and the mash was creamy and rich. It was all good stuff, but not a great deal of it: it cried out for baby carrots or grilled vegetables either as standard or recommended. The dessert of Panna Cotta was a stunning dish, perfectly balanced and presented with care and sophistication. Panna Cotta is all about the wobble factor – this was bootylicious.

A serious gripe was during coffees, The Red Cat bar was so cold we had our coats on, huddled together like penguins (the flightless bird, not the chocolate covered biscuit). A final issue was The Red Cat Chorley standard a 10% service charge not advised on the menu.

The Red Cat Review Summary

Atmosphere 6/10    Cost 7/10    Service 8/10    Quality 7/10

*Since this review was first published, The Red Cat is unfortunately no longer with us -hence the lack of link*

Restaurant Review: Kashti, Preston

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Kashti Not Cushtie

I have previously dined in Broadgate’s Kashti Restaurant on previous occasions and been impressed with the food relative to its reasonable price point. Although I fell off my chair in hysterics as one TripAdvisor reporter advised Kashti provided the: “Best Curry In England”. I can categorically advise this is bollocks.

Like most Indian/Pakastani restaurants, Kashti suffered from the delusion that the more complicated the menu, the better it is. Twenty-eight starters, ‘Traditional Favourites’, ‘Classic Favourites’, an ‘Early Bird Menu’ available practically 24/7, combined with ‘Set Meal’ options and ‘Half Price Food’ all await the bamboozled bargain baji hunter.

The big issue was that despite booking, the kitchen seemed stunned this would entail producing anything. It took forty-five minutes not for the meal to arrive, but just for someone to take the food order. If I’d have known, I’d have brought a packed lunch. Two and a half hours later after arrival, the main courses were served, then unceremoniously wolfed down in five minutes by the ravaged crowd. Not only did the kitchen smash the previous world record for the World’s Slowest Curry, but it all frustratingly arrived in drips and drabs.

Firstly the plates, five minutes later the bread, five minutes after that the rice – as though this carefully staggered arrangement was the preferred way to eat curry. This sea of empty of plates, without any explanation for the lack of anything edible, was the culinary adaptation of The Emperor’s New Clothes. The first couple of dishes arrived, diners waiting politely for ten minutes for the rest to follow, gave in to hunger and ate awkwardly in defeat. Some had finished, smoked a cigarette and still had twenty minutes before other’s food materialised. I could have driven from Preston to Manchester, popped in at Tesco, prepared a Chicken Madras from scratch and served it quicker.

Not only that but the restaurant ran out of draught lager; I don’t need alcohol to have fun, but how can a supposed city centre Indian restaurant run out of all drought on a Saturday night? It’s not as though there was a tempting wine list instead. The starving hoard’s spirits were only kept alive by the broken promise of beer. When this turned out to be a mirage, morale sunk to rock bottom.

What made this painful situation explode off the Richter scale of embarrassment was the Kashti manager’s insistence on photographing everybody. There’s a reason you don’t see overstretched doctors taking selfies of bleeding patients waiting in A&E. Why he wanted to document his diners with plates devoid of curry was beyond me.

Regarding the food, the poppadum and sundries were of low quality but almost free, thus difficult to criticise. The starter of the Shami Kebab was light and tasty, with no great depth of flavour but well cooked nevertheless. The Chicken Vindaloo consisted of literally six pieces of chicken, drowned in a bowl of exceptionally thin sauce. The dish had flavour but was not as fiery as its proceeding reputation, and ultimately it was hard to get excited over six pieces of chicken. The Vegetable Rice provided a welcome upgrade from boring basmati, while the Chilli Naan was thankfully grease-free. The Chicken Gurkali was tender and bathed in an exotic mix of whole spices. This Nepalese dish was ideal for those who like heat without melting their minds. The Handi Chicken was handily cooked in its saucepan and provided a flavoursome but more sedate option.

For the sake of your sanity, avoid Kashti Indian Restaurant for group bookings.

Kashti Restaurant
Review Summary

Atmosphere 1/10    Cost 10/10    Quality 4/10    Service 1/10

*Since this review was first published, Kashti in Preston is unfortunately no longer with us – hence the lack of link*