The Pavilion Bistro

Elbut Lane, Birtle, Bury

Situated in the Lancastrian countryside village of Birtle is The Pavilion Bistro, a refined restaurant and bar which serves traditional British cuisine with a contemporary twist. Set amongst stunning scenery, The Pavilion is situated in its own picturesque grounds, which feature a waterfall and a seven acre lake, ideal for a tranquil walk before or after your meal. There’s also a bowling green which you can gaze across from the outdoor dining terrace.

Inside, the restaurant’s centre piece is a tree adorned with miniature gin bottles and cocktail glasses, hanging from the leaves in the way that baubles fill a Christmas tree. It’s sophisticated yet casual, formal yet unpretentious.

The Pavilion’s ethos is focused around seasonal, home-cooked fare produced by traditional methods of cooking. Seasonal, local produce make up the majority of the extensive menu. Breakfast is served from 10am until noon and thereafter there are complete daytime and evening menus. There’s also a Blackboard menu, which changes monthly, offering two courses for £16 or three for £18 at certain times on certain days.

The Blackboard menu is well worth doing, especially on a Sunday when you can have a roast dinner for your main course, but I was fancying something lighter this particular lunchtime. The regular daytime menu features hot and cold sandwiches, salads and a few comfort favourites including fish and chips, cheese and onion pie and steak frites.

I had the Cheese Savoury Sandwich. I know, I thought it might be a little bit boring too. Thankfully, it wasn’t. It was grated smoked applewood cheese mixed with mayonnaise, diced red pepper, diced red onion and cucumber served on six fingers of brown bread (or white, the choice is there).

Grated cheese is far superior to slices on a sandwich; it seems to alter both the taste and the texture completely, making it far easier to digest. The onions, peppers and cucumber added a satisfying crunch. I didn’t think I could enjoy something as basic as a cheese sandwich so much, proving that that lunch doesn’t need to be fancy in order for it to be enjoyable. It was served with a bowl of fries, making it complete, although the limp salad could have been livened up a bit more. Served on a long wooden board with a gingham paper napkin, it looked like a mini picnic and was a quirk which suited the venue.

Cheese Savoury Sandwich

My dining companion had the cod fillet sandwich: two big pieces of ‘freshly caught Atlantic cod’, battered, with homemade tartar sauce in a brioche bun. It too was accompanied by a bowl of fries and some extra tartar sauce because, let’s be honest, you can never have too much, can you? There was an impressive amount of fish and the batter was delightfully crispy, although I think the bun could have done with a bit of lettuce on it.

Warm Fillet of Cod Sandwich

Desserts are written on the specials board, so must change regularly. There was a fine selection, including a couple that had been supplied by Whitefield-based patisserie, Slattery’s. I had honey comb cheesecake, an individual no-bake cheesecake (the superior form) topped with chocolate and honey comb malt balls with swirls of caramel running through the middle of it - tasty, light and just enough. Although I’m not sure it was worth £6, given that I’d only paid £8 for my generous sandwich and fries.

Honeycomb Cheesecake

I can’t complain about the service being slow, but it wasn’t the fastest either. We weren’t in a rush, so it didn’t matter, but I was glad we were at dessert stage before the big party at the next table came in, as the acoustics don’t lend themselves way to a huddle of noisy children.

Still, I was thoroughly impressed with the food and, overall, the atmosphere. I spotted a couple of tables behind us being laid for afternoon tea, complete with draping table cloths and champagne glasses. The afternoon tea menu looks promising, so I’m planning to return later in the year to give it a go.

Debbie Higgins, the Bistro Manager at the Pavillion, claims ‘we feel we have got the balance right with casual dining that is not ‘overly-dressed’ to camouflage quality; instead, we rely on our dishes to speak for themselves, neatly presented in comfortable surroundings’. Mission is most definitely accomplished. I look forward to returning to The Pavilion in the future to dine from a different menu in a different style.

All menus are available at: http://www.pavilionrestaurant.co.uk/index.html