Spare Ribs
The Royal Toby

The Royal Toby

Manchester Road, OL11 3HF, Rochdale, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • Dining • British


"Dissapointed sorry. I feel that the restaurant is not as good as it used to be. The whole experience is somehow lacking now compared to what it used to be like. Todays meals were a starter of ribs and also prawn cocktails. They were nice and we had great expectations for the mains. Steak had to be sent back as we ordered medium rare but it was more medium well, the replacement was better cooked but found it to be to fatty, my missus did not finish it. Found the house special burger to be too dry, that’s both the burger and the bun it was served on, as well as lacking in seasoning, nope I never finished it. The main ribs for our friend was only half eaten too due to it being too fatty. In the past the Toby had been the place to go. You do seem to have lost your way unfortunately. The staff were attentive though and Carried out their jobs very well. The plates and left over food were cleared away and we were asked did we enjoy our food! We politely told them it was ok and not like it used to be, we were asked if we wanted deserts to which we said no, then within a couple of minutes the bill was placed on our table (we hadn’t asked for the bill though) but a lovely gesture from the front of house who came over and spoke to us and told us he’d given us a reduction on our meal as he had noticed that the ribs were fatty too. As the bill did arrive with out us asking for it then the royal Toby had lost Out on us ordering more drinks. So we decided to just go. Hopefully the next time we visit we will see an improvement and that Todays visit was just a minor glitch"

Es Ambleside

Es Ambleside

2 Bridge Street, LA22 9BS, South Lakeland, United Kingdom

Cafe • Brunch • British • Healthy


"Anywhere that does good cheese is a hit with me. If it also sells good beer, frankly I begin to become emotional. Add delicious cakes and savouries and my happiness is complete. Rattle Ghyll has all of these things, in spades and there is much more that looks wonderful but that I didn't have the chance to try. The cakes really are superb homemade and fresh. I particularly enjoyed the spiced fruit flapjack. There is a good range of bottled local beers (including some dark brews, much to my pleasure). Just because it looked so appetising, I bought a piece of vegetable fritata which was savoury and delicious. I save the cheese until last because it was the best. There is a large selection of local, national and international cheese on offer, all of which looked tempting but I wanted to try local produce. There were half a dozen or so Cumbrian cheeses of which I chose a blue, a soft cheese and a farmhouse cheddar. All of these were wonderful on the sort of level you might expect in an award winning cheese and the soft cheese had me in raptures! I think it was called Crofton. I may be wrong but I think this deli is aimed at the vegetarian and vegan community. Certainly, I saw a lot of produce labelled as suitable for those particular dietary preferences and do not remember seeing any meat. Don't let that put you off if, like me, you are more omnivorous because really good veg or vegan food can compete with more carnivorous options on equal terms and there is nothing wishy washy or compromised about any of the great food on offer here. The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic about their produce. Highly recommended."

Hong Xin

Hong Xin

Pepperbox Hill, SN5 5DP, Swindon, United Kingdom

Fish • Asian • Cakes • Chinese


"I will preface this review by saying this was my first trip to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet for about five years and so I might be a bit enthusiastic because of that but I really think this place is fantastic. First of all I was surprised by the entrance. A nice spacious car park that surrounds the really impressive architecture. I really wasn't expecting anything like that is terms of external décor but was really impressed. Walking in, the building was spacious and we were seated for lunch straightaway. We did come on a Wednesday at about one o'clock so it wasn't as busy as it might be on weekends and in the evenings and that suited us just fine. The drinks service was quick and both a pint of Budweiser and glass of Sauvignon Blanc were under £4 each which you don't see in many places these days. In fact the value of the place being £12.50 each for a lunch buffet is such good value for money. If you were spending the equivalent on a takeaway you wouldn't be getting much food. The range of food was good, not as much as I have seen in Chinese restaurants in the past, but it's a good range for a lunchtime and there was plenty of the favourites. Really tasty food, both had a plate of starters and then some mains and it was all really delicious. Ribs, chicken satay, prawn toast, lemon chicken, noodles, egg fried rice, all great. A few random dishes such as little sausages and hash brown balls that I can only put down to food for the kids. The atmosphere was good, seats comfortable, and dining experience very pleasant. Will be going again soon."