Roberto's

8 Queens Square Rayrigg Road, Bowness-on-Windermere LA23 3BY

After reading some good reviews on Trip Advisor, we decided to try this place out shortly after it opened on a Sunday evening. I was “hangry “(irritable as a result of feeling hungry) so made the call to get in early, this being a Sunday before a Bank Holiday. As there were only two of us we managed to get a table without a reservation.

The decor was nothing special - inoffensive and far from shabby, but could do with some modernisation.

After a day of climbing hills we were hungry so skipped starters and decided against wine.

I had the pan fried chicken breast, wrapped in bacon on a bed of butter beans and roast veg in a “Mediterranean style” sauce. My girlfriend had the Red Mullet with seafood paella, which was served with a huge prawn and mussels in a tomato sauce. Both dishes were served with broccoli and were around £15, which was overpriced but this is Lake District for christ’s sake, what do you expect?!

The restaurant soon filled up and we saw group after group of people turned away. We had a look at the dessert menu, but decided it was quite pricey at £6 a pop. So we grabbed an ice cream from a nearby shop and sat on some steps, basking in the evening sun before heading to the pub.

The service and atmosphere was good. Overall impression was - good food but overpriced- booking essential.

Jack Spratt (now closed)

John Dalton Street, St James Square, Manchester M2 6WH

My girlfriend had been here with her book club, who enjoyed their visit. To start we shared the home made bread with a selection of butters and oils. The waitress kindly brought enough warm bread for 2 people. There was rosemary butter, balsamic and olive oil, pesto oil and one other butter (I forget what type).

For the main course, I had the 6oz Cote de Boeuf (rib eye on the bone), potato dauphinoise and café de Paris butter. With the early bird offer of 35% off, the cost was a reasonable £15 (usually £23). The steak was huge, the potatoes were delicious, but the sauce was not for me as it was made with anchovies and capers, and, not being a big seafood fan, I had to scrape this off into a napkin. It’s my own sodding fault - I should have asked what “café de Paris" was.

My girlfriend enjoyed the pan fried chicken breast served with fondant potato and a creamy mushroom and tarragon. 

The name of the house wine escapes me now (hic!) but it was good quality and priced reasonably. We were too full to sample the desserts this time. I can never manage a three course meal. It’s either starter or dessert. Such frustration!

Overall the service was superb, the staff friendly, and there was a great atmosphere helped by a live band playing acoustic covers of popular hits. The decor was classy but nothing special.

For me, without the early bird discount, the food would have been overpriced. I told myself I must come back to try the Sunday roast (my favourite meal of all).