Restaurant Review: Mr Lau's Dim Sum Bar & Restaurant: Warrington

Hey,

Another restaurant review for you today - and once again I've strayed from Manchester city centre!

I was kindly asked to try out Mr Lau's Dim Sum Bar & Restaurant*, a well-established eatery in Warrington town centre.

Warrington is not too far from us at all (in fact, we technically have a Warrington postcode!) but it's not somewhere I've thought to try for a meal out.

I'm a big fan of Chinese food but usually opt for a takeaway rather than a sit-in dining experience so I was unsure what to expect from a restaurant I'd not heard of before.

Mr Lau's is definitely deceiving! It doesn't look like much from the outside but upon walking through the door and ascending the stairs, you'll find a real feel-good atmosphere. The music is pumping and the bar area has a great buzz about it - it becomes clear that this is not simply somewhere to just eat Chinese food!

The seated restaurant is found down another set of steps - a large, modern space with low level lighting and an open kitchen at the back for all guests to see.

We were promptly greeted by our cheerful and friendly server who ushered us towards the cocktail list while we browsed the vast menu (seriously, I wanted to take a picture of how large it physically is but couldn't get it in shot!).

Encouraged to get two cocktails as it was Happy Hour, I didn't need much convincing to oblige and ordered a couple of Lychee Martinis which were absolutely delicious!

Starters

Unlike a lot other Chinese restaurants, Mr Lau's is specially dedicated to Dim Sum - small dishes of traditional bites and steamed dumplings or buns, usually shared around the table. I love this style of eating so I was more than happy to try a few different items for our starter.

The easiest dish for us to choose was the Char Siu Bao - a small plate of beautifully fluffy steamed bao buns, filled with sweet and sticky roasted pork pieces. These were totally divine and tasted really authentic and homemade.

Next up was the Siu Long Bao - another pork-based option but this time in the form of a steamed dumpling. Steamed dumplings usually divide my husband and I - I love them, while he usually finds that they're not to his taste though he's happy to try them. These ones were delicious; served in a traditional steamer basket, they were light and packed full of well-seasoned filling. They were so big, they were difficult to tackle with the chopsticks!

Finally, we opted for an item from the 'Gourmet Dim Sum' selection, Crispy Prawn Wontons. I usually find wontons a bit hit and miss when ordering them from takeaways - very often they are over-fried, resulting in a rock-hard dry outer pastry. These however were the best I've ever tried! The pastry was flaky and just the right amount of crispy, while the whole prawns inside were huge, juicy and incredibly tasty. 

Mains

Happy to continue the sharing of dishes, we chose a couple of our usual favourites for our main courses.

First, Salt and Pepper ribs. I adore the flavours of Chinese salt and pepper seasoning. I've actually recently begun to get to the bottom of a food intolerance and while I struggle with onions and garlic in particular, I'm happy to take the risk and discard the larger pieces to enjoy that classic salt and pepper flavour!

The ribs were huge and plentiful - we would definitely order these again!

Our second choice was Char Siu Peking - roast pork (at this point, I realise we had a lot of pork during this meal!) in a sticky, sweet peking sauce. I'd say that this dish was smaller in size but with plenty of large pieces of melt-in-the-mouth pork, it was more than enough to share.

We also complemented the mains with side orders of salt and pepper chips and egg-fried rice. 

The huge portions at Mr Lau's unfortunately meant we had zero room for dessert - we left feeling very full and incredibly satisfied with the standard of food and service we received.

We're not short of reasons to return either, especially with lots of offers through the week to enjoy including 'Dim Sum Mondays' (all Classic Dim Sum dishes at £2.95 each), 'Half Price Wednesdays' (50% off the entire a la carte menu) and 'Aromatic Fridays' (free crispy duck!).

We loved the party atmosphere at the restaurant, perfect for continuing your evening with friends - quite possibly at the fabulous Emily's cocktail bar next door!

Is Chinese food something you like to choose for a meal out?

Restaurant Review: New Opening - Tre Ciccio, Altrincham

Hey,

Today's post brings another exciting new restaurant opening in Altrincham, Tre Ciccio!

Tre Ciccio's concept is simple - authentic, rustic Italian food created with great ingredients and a small menu focused around classic Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas and slow-roasted chicken.

The restaurant has been trading for a few weeks but has very recently unveiled its new outdoor terrace area - just in time for the pre-summer heatwave we've had!

I popped along to the launch night of the terrace area a few weeks ago so was delighted to be invited back for the full dining experience*.

We unknowingly picked a fantastic day to visit; booking for Wednesday last week when the UK's mini heatwave kicked off. I rang ahead to ensure we were sat in the wonderful outdoor terrace area to make the most of the weather.

We kicked things off with a light house pinot grigio while we perused the menu. I loved that the wine was served traditionally in tumblers like most great Italians do!

Tre Ciccio have a great antipasti selection, made up of traditional Italian appetisers. We decided to share so ordered the Pane e Pinzimonio - a bread basket of warm focaccia, Altamura bread and crisp Carasau, accompanied by olive oil and balsamic to dip; the Cuoppo Fritto - a Neapolitan-style selection of lightly fried sea food including calamari, prawns and small whole fish served with lemon and garlic mayonnaise and lastly, Bocconcini Fritti - lightly crumbed and fried buffalo mozzarella bites with fresh basil and Marzano tomato sauce.

Though Tre Ciccio's Italian-style roast chicken was tempting, we're both big pizza fans and having been greeted with the restaurant's huge pizza oven on arrival on the top floor, there's no way we could pass them up!

The pizza menu is made up of 'Classic' and 'Gourmet' pizzas. There's a wide range of options (while still being authentic - absolutely no BBQ sauce bases or pineapple here!) and I truly struggled to choose!

I finally settled on the Salernitana - topped with sliced pancetta, fior di latte cheese, parmesan and basil. My date went for the Calzone Napoletano - traditional folded pizza with salami, prosciutto, fior di latte cheese and basil.

My pizza was so good! Amazingly tasty and fresh toppings with a wonderfully chewy and slightly charred crust characteristic of a perfect wood-fired pizza!

The calzone was awesome too - piping hot inside with the ideal amount of filling and not too doughy.

As the sun set out on the terrace, we decided to share a tiramisu too (which by this point was too dark to capture!) and it topped off a fantastic meal perfectly!

Tre Ciccio is super close to where I live so I'm excited to have somewhere this good to stroll over the bridge to after work for a few beers and great pizza.

I'd definitely recommend this unassuming Italian for perfectly executed, authentically Neapolitan pizzas with a laidback, friendly neighbourhood atmosphere. They definitely give Altrincham Market favourite, Honest Crust some honest competition (geddit)! With the added bonus of having your own table!

Will you be visiting Tre Ciccio the next time you're in Altrincham?

New Store Opening: Jake Shoes in Altrincham, Manchester

Hey,

It's not often (actually ever, come to think of it) that I'm invited to an event in my hometown of Altrincham so when I heard about a new store opening on George Street in the town's Stamford Quarter I jumped at the chance - and did I mention there would be shoes there?

Any frequent shoppers to Manchester city centre may know of Jake Shoes via the main store on the upper level of the Arndale Centre. I've popped by myself many times to peruse some of my favourite brands; namely Dr Martens for lust-worthy window shopping and Hunter for pre-Glasto wellies.

Jake Shoes is a lovely independent, with just three stores (all based in Greater Manchester) but this small chain packs an impressive punch of internationally renowned brands including Vans, Converse, Superga and Ugg.

I stopped by my new local store on the launch night to check it out!

The store is seriously slick inside. It manages to be industrial and cool, while being quirky and fun. With lots of exposed brick and shelves made from reclaimed wood and steel piping, it could easily feel cold and uninviting but all the colourful nostalgic touches create a welcoming atmosphere.

The new Jake Shoes store holds an incredible range of brands, ranging from iconic names like Dr Martens and Converse, as well as lesser known and more 'out there' styles from the likes of cult favourite Saltwater Sandals and wacky pieces by Irregular Choice.

Of course it's not just about women's shoes at JS, they've an impressive selection of styles for men and kids too. There's definitely no danger of bored tag-a-long shoppers either - the men's corner boasts a full size pool table and the kids section features a retro grabber toy machine.

For the launch night, Jake Shoes filled the grabber machine with lots of great prizes and I was lucky enough to win a voucher, which I used towards some classic Docs shoes which I'd been eyeing up as soon as I'd walked through the door. They've rarely been off my feet since - they go with everything and are so comfy.

Check out Jake Shoes' great selection of women's Dr Martens, here.

Spotted any of your favourite footwear brands here?

Bem Brasil Altrincham Reopening

Hey,

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to head to the relaunch of Bem Brasil’s Altrincham (just south of Manchester) restaurant. There are a few branches of Bem Brasil around the city and being a restaurant I’ve been keen to tick off my ‘to try’ list for a while, I was really excited to see what it was all about.

Wool felt fedora hat - Topshop (this was mispriced as £1, get in!)

Beaded necklace - Zara

Top - Zara

For those who aren’t familiar, Bem Brasil is a ‘churrascaria’ style eatery where large cuts of meat are cooked over a charcoal barbeque and carved at your table. You get a little circular card which has two different colour sides; leave it green side up to tell the waiters you want more meat, red side so they know you’ve got enough on your plate – simple! To accompany your meal, you get to help yourself to an incredible ‘salad bar’ which has loads of different sides to choose from.

The food was delicious and there was plenty of it! We tried lots of different cuts of meat including steak, pork and chicken – and even chargrilled garlic bread which was amazing.

There was a great atmosphere on the night, enhanced by a live band and some amazing traditional Brazilian dancers to celebrate the opening.

I was really impressed by the choice of food and the good time mood in the restaurant.

Though I've never been to a Bem Brasil before, I've actually eaten at churrascaria-style restaurant before - at Fazenda in Manchester's Spinningfields area. The meal I had at Fazenda was one of my all-time favourites, making hard to top! Fazenda is a little more expensive than Bem Brasil however the ambiance is completely different - it's a little more high end and has a more romantic feel. I think Fazenda is perfect for date night but Bem Brasil might be better suited to getting a group of your friends together for a fun night.

Check out a Bem Brasil near you - there's even branches in Liverpool and Leeds!