What Dolce Vita lacks somewhat in kerb appeal (it's located in a small shopping precinct in a…read moreresidential area next to a main road), it more than makes up for with its food and atmosphere. They've been here for probably 20 years or more now, and the location of several of my family's celebratory meals in the past - it always seems to be bustling with diners inside. They've recently updated the menu to remain fresh with current tastes. Last night it was for a friend's birthday so we committed ourselves to having three courses :) We ordered two Pane all'aglio (garlic breads) - one with cheese, one with tomato, to munch on whilst we looked at the menu - they were so moreish. Most of us went for either meatballs or marinated ribs for starters. The portions are generous so be mindful if you've already had the aforementioned garlic breads! For mains, pasta and pizza features strongly (as you'd expect), but there are quite a few alternatives such as steaks and fish dishes. My ravioli, when sprinkled with parmesan and black pepper, was hearty and delicious. For dessert I ordered what ended up being one of the largest servings of tiramisu I'd ever seen; though it was so light and creamy it wasn't difficult to polish off! Despite it being very busy the service was efficient and friendly - we were well taken care of. They're an old local favourite that I'd recommend to others.

This place is an undiscovered gem a short trip outside of manchester. With excellent customer…read moreservice, great tasting food and incredibly good prices, it's worth the short car ride from the city centre for a great evening out. Although we went on a Sunday, the menu had plenty of choice, ordering a variety of different meals between us including fillet steak and roast beef, each of which tasted great. I had the roast beef which was fresh and tender, followed by a sticky toffee pudding which was home made and tasted great. The staff were knowledgable about the food, and very professional. Overall everyone enjoyed their night and we were all raving about the quality of the food. If you want a great experience but don't want to break the bank, you should definitely give the Peacock Room a try.

Fantastic event night at the peacock rooms...amazing fine dining food great entertainment...would…read morerecommend without hesitation.

Great little pub in the middle of knowhere up a "bumpy lane" called Thornham lane near Tandle Hill…read morePark. I was in there on Friday 2nd October and they have a brand new menu which is Lancashire Tapas. Food ranging between £1 and £3. Things like rag pudding, hot pot, fish and chips, white bait, black pudding and yes you guessed it bumpy lane pie all in tapas size portions. Tremendous....although we did get carried away and ordered far too much. I would reccommend 2 people share 3 starters and 5 mains or 5 staters 4 mains + side dish of chips and veg. Well worth a visit. This pub is dog friendly but beware resident cat "snug" is first in the pecking order for all those leftovers.

Great little pub almost in the middle of nowhere up a little rough road track called Thornham lane,…read moreI was in there a few weeks ago and they have a brand new menu which is Lancashire Tapas. Food ranging between £1 and £3...how inspired! Things like rag pudding, hot pot, fish and chips, white bait, black pudding and yes you guessed it bumpy lane pie all in tapas size portions, it was a first for me to sample rustic real northern cuisine all in one go! Although we did get carried away and ordered far too much, but at these prices who cares. The food was seriously good for what it is, and I will recommend making the little trip (and probably getting lost like I did) to hunt down this quaint little gem.

A close friend of mine decided to have her birthday celebration at Nutters with afternoon tea…read morebooked for eight of us. This was a 'dining experience' I'd never tried before, so was looking forward to what I imagined would be the closest I'd ever get to living upstairs in Downton Abbey. When we arrived we were directed to sit at a table in their front lounge which had its own bar to wait to be seated in the main restaurant. This area's decor looked more like a city centre wine bar than I was expecting, what with its light-coloured seating, glossy black fireplace and spotlights. And there we sat, seemingly forgotten about. After 15 minutes looking around expecting service I had to walk over to the bar to ask the barman if we could order our drinks. Not a great start. Once drinks were served it wasn't long before we were all invited to our table which was a large circular one next to some impressive stone arched windows. We ordered more drinks (a mixture of cocktails, soft drinks and of course, pots of tea) and these were followed soon afterwards by three tiered serving trays of sandwiches, pastries and scones with clotted cream and jam. Excluding all drinks except the teas, the price is £15 per person. The majority of the sandwiches were very good, with just a few where the bread had dried up a bit, so that was the only minor issue. The cakes and scones were tasty, and I struggled to restrain myself from eating more than my fair share. All in all, it was a good afternoon, but not amazing, as the initial lack of service and the price of the drinks somewhat dampened the experience. £8.50 for a simple champagne cocktail and £8 for a glass of wine was really pushing acceptability I felt. Tip: their Afternoon Tea menu is available from Tuesdays to Saturdays between 3pm and 5pm. Tip: the 'Afternoon Tea Experience' where you also get a glass of House Champagne cocktail and chilled strawberries is £22.50 per person.

From the moment you turn into the driveway leading into Nutters you know that you have arrived…read moresomewhere special. The winding driveway leads up to a beautiful old building and an ample sized car park. A member of staff greets you on arrival, takes your coat and directs you to the lounge area. Drinks orders are promptly taken whilst you look at the menu. We ordered shortly afterwards and before long we were advised that our table was ready. The waiter showing us to our table also carried out drinks through for us. On arrival at our table we were also offered some iced water. A selection of freshly baked bread was brought. For a starter I had parsnip soup, which could have been really bland, and whilst I did need to add some seasoning it was delicious. My main course was the Limousin of Beef which was served with Yorkshire pudding roast potatoes and veg. It was perfectly cooked and probably the most delicious beef I've ever tasted. My dining partner had the seabass which was served with noodles and was also amazingly delicious. For dessert there were only 2 choices. Either a selection of desserts or a selection of cheeses. I had the cheese and my dining partner had the selection of desserts. The waitress who brought them described each one. The cheeses were arranged according to strength getting stronger as you made your way clockwise around the plate. To finish off we had a cafetière between us. The food was amazing. The service was faultless. The venue has a lovely relaxed ambience. Full marks!! If anything could be done differently, and I'm really having to nitpick here, I'd prefer the same waiter throughout my meal as we were served by many different people, but this isn't a big issue at all.

If you are ever lucky/unlucky enough to find yourself in the centre of Rochdale one day/night, and…read morebefore the urge to flee becomes too strong you may want to check out The Baum first. It is situated right next door to the CO-OP museum on Toad Lane,and in my opinion it is the only Pub/wine bar worth popping into in the centre.Although there is not very much competition to be found nearby. They have a very good selection of Real ales,beers,wines and spirits. And the food isn't half bad either. It also has a very nice beer garden round the back (handy for us nicotine addicts). So remember,before you jump on your trusty Steed and run screaming back from whence you came,pop into The Baum for a swift one or ten,it'll make the journey just that little bit easier....

Quite simply the best pub in Rochdale. Located on Toad Lane behind the main shopping precinct this…read morepub is a little out of the way and can be hard to find if you don't know Rochdale very well. But this is also a blessing as it means you are less likely to get the undesirable chavvy types in here. They have 6 hand pumps on all the time with constantly changing beers with usually at least one from Phoenix brewery and a guest cider which is usually one of Westerns range. They also have a range of continental beers on tap as well as an excellent bottled beer selection. The food is also really good with good sized portions. The Steak with chillies and blue cheese they did was fantastic.

So the Hungry Duck is a family run cafe in the centre of Ramsbottom village. It also happens to be…read moreround the corner from my singing teacher so I stopped by after my lesson at midday. I was having trouble choosing as the waitress brought the breakfast AND the lunch menus so was torn between things like English breakfast and eggs benny, or the burgers and salads etc. In the end I asked the waitress and she recommended the fish finger sandwich if I was looking for something filling. It was incredible- the fish was incredibly fresh from the market and battered. The bun was light, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It came with a potato salad and a side salad with Dijon mustard dressing. Great choice and just what I needed. It cost me £11.30 for that and a chamomile tea, not particularly cheap but worth it. The service was excellent and the girl was very chatty as this is such a small community. In the evenings this place turns into more of a fine dining restaurant- I've seen pictures on the Internet and the food looks really nice so I'll have to come back for a meal sometime. The interior is quite simple cafe style with wooden tables, it doesn't hold that many so I can imagine it would get pretty full! It was certainly filling up when I left at lunchtime.

This lovely little cafe restaurant serves a really generous and delicious full English breakfast…read morecomplete with a huge slice of Bury black pudding! With the breakfast you could have a choice of eggs to how you like - I went for classic fried eggs. My breakfast was cooked to perfection and my favourite part was their homemade spicy baked beans. There was also two slices of generously buttered doorstop toast to mop up all the sauces too! We also ordered a French toast which was served with bacon and poached eggs too! We were impressed with the teas and coffees too. The interior was clean, modern and well lit. Definitely a lovely spot for weekend brunch or tea and cake in the afternoons!

A mini review (if you will) of this new hidden gem of a restaurant that quietly opened its doors…read morenot so long ago. Ti Amo might make you think it's an Italian restaurant but it's not really? Firstly there's a Tapas menu and a Turkish influence on the food (Turkish owner I was told) but the head Chef is Portugese? So I imagine some Portugese flavours seep into the mix at some stage. As we enter into the 16th year of the 21st century I presume innovation in foodie collaborations will lead to more places like this. Onto the food.. The tapas menu is nothing short of fantastic. The breads are baked fresh onsite and are delicious. The Filetitos (strips of lamb fillet I think?), Pan seared Scallops with clams and the Gamberoni Pilpil (prawns) are sensational choices from the tapas menu. I for one cannot wait to rattle out a full blown review upon my return when I'll no doubt goorge on the Beef Stroganoff which I hear is divine. So watch this space...

We've all seen those cute little black Smart Cars zipping around the city with the Blue Ginger logo…read moreon the sides. But... Blue Ginger? What is it? My, if I found a piece of blue ginger in my food I'd be a little worried. I've only just managed to get my head round the bright orange ginger atop the food in Wagamama. Don't worry though, it's just a cute name. I have a friend who 'doesn't do Chinese food' because she hates MSG. Well, she hasn't an excuse any more. After extensive research (thank you, Google and Wikipedia) I still can't figure out exactly what tangible symptoms this additive is supposed to invoke, however the main thing is that Blue Ginger prides itself on not using monosodium glutamate. Rejoice! There's no doubt about it - Blue Ginger's delicious. It has its flaws in the expensiveness of the dishes and lack of late opening times (come on, Domino's is open until 5am! And I have firsthand knowledge of the fact that it uses delivery people who could quite easily star in The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Deliverance... I don't want to be told I have a 'purdy mouth' in the wee small hours but hey, we all need pizza), but it's worth it. It's the sort of takeaway that makes you want to get into your sweats, put on a DVD and just indulge in the cosiness of your city apartment. But Blue Ginger should be a treat unless you're a CEO or MD or Client Services Director or maybe even a celebrity. I think it breaks the bank a little with soups and starters ranging from £3.70 to around £7, or more if you opt for crispy duck pancakes. The online ordering service is a gem though, it's so simple... choose your sauce, then opt for beef, chicken, pork, prawn, king prawn, char sui, a combo, mixed veg, mushrooms or tofu. This means that the veggies don't miss out on great sauces, something I find happens often in Chinese takeout. You can simply pick and choose. Remember that these don't include rice and noodles which can make for a costly meal. Because there's so much choice you might find yourself gazumped, so the set meals and the chef's selection offer a solution to any difficulty in deciding. You can even order a bottle of wine to be delivered, the cheapest at £6.95 (and a Chardonnay too - bonus for me) or beers at around £1.70 each. Blue Ginger just about has everything covered. The food may be pricey, but the quality speaks for itself. It's fresh, it's hot and it's tasty. Some say you can't put a price on the perfect takeaway, so surely there's nothing wrong with paying a little extra for something special?

Brilliant little restaurant. Simple greek menu but done brilliantly. Tables set out slightly…read morecramped, we were more or less sat in the kitchen and felt we would have been able to join in any of the conversations on the tables around us, but I suppose that shows how popular it is. I had the kleftico which was ever so slightly over done for me as I like my lamb falling off the bone and in some places it was slightly tough, although not enough to send it back. However much I love lamb I would have swapped it for my partners garlic and feta chicken. Devine! One thing that was very disappointing was we ordered the sharing starter and, well its not really a sharer more of a sampler, you only get one bit of each thing, and its not very big, so if you both want to try it all, you only get half a bite each, which doesn't give you a lot to go off. I was very heavily pregnant at the time so didn't really have the room for lots of food, but I'd have been more disappointed if I went and got that now however.

Since I stayed at the hotel and ate at their restaurant, this review is for both:…read more Restaurant: I've eaten here for both lunch and dinner. Both the food and service is very good. Since I flew a red eye into MAN, I was pretty hungry by the time the restaurant opened. The waitress took pity on me and opened a little early to take my lunch order. Had the cheese and bacon hamburger. I was starving, so it tasted fantastic. Came back here for dinner to see if my thoughts on the food would change. Had the rib eye, side salad and the cauliflower fritters. All were very good. There's also several tables outside with umbrellas over them for shade. Hotel: first hotel I've ever stayed in that doesn't have a/c in the rooms!!! Makes a little more sense, when a friend of mine in the local area said that they've been having an extraordinary streak of heat and days without rain. Regardless, in room a/c is a must! If your travel plans bring you to Rochdale, this is worth a visit.

Stayed here for a friends dads surprise party. Room was nice if a little on the dark side with 2…read moredouble beds, reasonable size bathroom, tv plenty of nice big towels too (none of this towel the size of a stamp rubbish you sometimes get or 1 towel only as there is 1 person staying nonsense!). Didn't eat here on the evening as a separate event room had been hired and we had a buffet in there. Buffet included paella which isn't your normal buffet food but was a welcome change from sandwiches and sausage rolls! Had a quick drink in the bar which has a nice pub feel to it and a big open fire that would be perfect in winter. Breakfast was fresh and you had choice of cooked or continental or both if you were feeling hungry/ greedy but was busy at 9am on Sunday morning. It's served in the main restaurant. Heard good things about Fallen Angels Italian ( which at first i thought was a dodgy night club) restaurant so will need to come back to try that!