Excellent spot for a genuine French meal. It has a bistro feel. We had the mussels (main course),…read morelamb shank, and side salad. All three were excellent. The mussels came stacked in a veritable mountain along with a side of chips -- the only issue is that you'll struggle to eat the mussels before they start to cool. The lamb shank came with garlic mashed potatoes and was tender, flavorful, and delicious. The side salad had a simple mustard-accented dressing that worked well. The owner -- Fred -- is very nice and widely travelled. All in all, a delightful experience.

My birthday meal with my fiance! We had a perfect intimate evening together. A little less English…read morethan I expected but all in all a great place. A bottle of champagne to go with our meals. I had the special Salmon risotto and it was fantastic. My fiance has a peppered steak as he was craving manly meat. We then shared a bakewell tart served with Ice Cream at the end of the meal. I had eaten more than enough food but enjoyed every bite. The ambiance was great and the staff was friendly.

We used to love eating here but it is no longer open.read more

We take my in-laws to Simply French whenever they come to town. The prices are reasonable, the…read morefood is excellent and it's a nice walk along the quay to get there. This would be a nice place for a date, actually! It's cozy and intimate inside and quiet enough to chat. The staff is really friendly and the owner, Rob, always has a big smile for us when we cross paths (in the restaurant or just around town!) If you're going for a lunch date, try Quite Simply Food instead. It's a little cafe by the same owner and it's excellent also.

I remember from my youth that this site used to be home to a little Chinese restaurant that always…read morelooked quite dark and dingy, even when it was open, as if there was something going on inside that they didn't want you to know about (maybe some Yakuza bosses were having a meeting inside, who knows). Thankfully, the Chinese there has now been replaced by a lovely little French restaurant called Bistrot Verite (who'd have thought bistro in French was bistrot, hey?) Named after it's owner (a highly reputable chef in the area, I'm told), this cosy little restaurant is placed not far from Birkdale station, making it perfect to hop off a train and venture in for a good meal and a bottle of wine or two before hopping on the last train back home. Their reliance on fresh local produce means the dishes change from time to time depending on what is in season but this makes for an excellent variety of food ranging from lamb to tuna steak and salmon and asparagus pasta. The staff there are friendly and engaging, contributing to the warm and pleasant atmosphere making for a great dining experience. C'est bon (GCSE French in practice, there).

Quite what the difference between a 'bistrot' and a bistro is I have no idea, but if anyone out…read morethere is far more cultured than me, answers on a postcard please. What we do know it does is successfully bring a taste of France to the wealthy suburbs of Birkdale, and what better to put these affluent types in the mood for their next jaunt to gay Paree? (I did phonetics there, I'm sorry. Oh, I mean... ferneticks.) With a reputable chef at the helm and a flair for innovation stamped all over the menu, you can't go wrong with this place, and its location in such a well-to-do area between Southport and Liverpool means that going wrong in the land of Birkdale isn't really an option, and the restaurants follow suit. The mussels are absolutely staggering; the French do throw them together very well and I was most impressed with the almost slurp-worthy white wine sauce. The seasonal dishes are cooked to perfection and presented very prettily, and the accompanying wine list is most impressive too. The service can't be faulted either, and for staff who must be starstruck on a daily basis by sporting heroes and actors, they're extremely down to earth and most of all, friendly, accommodating and helpfully informative with the menu, and to be honest, the prices aren't all that bad for the generous portions you get given Salut, as they say on the continent.

My first thought towards this dining experience over a week ago was I wouldn't even wade into the…read moreenthusiastic mostly 5-star rating of a French styled restaurant in a fairly small town in Northern rural England. Just let it go. So here's what is bothering me, and I have strong feelings about this: the beef bourguignon. It's not rocket science to make this dish, and its base is a rich, savory beef broth mingled with things like onions, carrots, shallots, herbs like thyme and rosemary and possibly other spices to the chef's liking. Happen to know a bit about the dish because I've been making it for years. It's all about the broth to this diner. And to be fair, I once had a sadder version of the dish in Paris long ago. So how hard is it to make? Well, apparently the chefs in pubs and similar dining spots along the way are able to craft outstanding versions of their steak and ale pie that are simply outstanding in their robust beef taste. If those chefs can make that dish so well, so savory, why can't something similar be applied to beef bourguignon? I maintain the broth in starting the cooking process was simply not up to par. Lacking in richness, the beef was over-dried, suggesting it had been sitting too long or just wasn't prepared correctly. Instead of baby potatoes, a side of mashed potatoes sat off to the side of the beef and broth. Sorely lacking in the amount of butter needed and low on salt, it was an unpleasant and uninspiring addition that added nothing to the dish. The salad that proceeded the meal was listed as shrimp and mango. Out came baby shrimp with the rubbery taste of just thawed, mixed with mango, then a massive amount of Thousand Island like dressing drenching it all with a few chives atop. Not a great effort. Kudos for offering a true French Malbec from the Southwest corner of the country, the black wine, but this one was pedestrian and was served in the kind of wine glass that screams cheapest serving ware possible with its thick rim around the top. I can commend the staff which was professional and on top of it on a busy Friday night. Beyond that, this is a pass for me. Should have stuck to a local pub serving traditional countryside pies as the ones I've had along the Coast to Coast walk, my reason for being here, have all been outstanding.

Thanks to Emily B's brilliant local knowledge we ended up here early-ish on a Saturday night to…read morebenefit from their pre-1830 set menu which at £15 for 2 courses and £18 for 3 is great value for the quality of the food. I had a nice crab cake to start and only had slight food envy of my bf's delicious deep fried brie (yeah would def get that next time). For mains I had a fantastic rich and beautiful cooked duck leg and then a classic creme brulee to finish. Bf had the beef bourguignon which he loved and was still commenting on days later. On the sides front I would recommend the creamed leeks and green beans (in garlic butter), only thing I wasn't so keen on was the ratatouille. Service was very good and I love the design of the restaurant which involves a fake outdoor pavement seating area!

In my opinion one of the finest french restaurant in the north.Taking inspiration from some of…read moregreat dishes of La Gavroche. Had a fantastic evening in November 2011, the team provided the perfect festive lunch, the monkfish thermidor was fantastic. Strongly recommend potted shrimp starter. If you enjoy great French food, then Chez La Vie could not be recommended more highly. The wines available on the wine list are truly fantastic from the house wines to the finest red & white wines, there is something for every budget.

The Left Bank Brasserie is tucked away behind the main streets in Ormskirk. It is a lovely little…read moreplace which appears tiny from the outside but is spacious inside. As soon as I walked in with my parents they were greeted warmly by the owner as they regularly go to the Left Bank for lunch. The owner then introduced himself to me and he was charming and very welcoming. We were there on a Sunday and we had a 2 course meal for £6.95. I had Dip Fried Goats cheese and then Lamb Rump Steak with mint mash and veg for my main course. Every mouthful of the food I had was heavenly and cooked perfectly. The service was impeccable and I can't wait to go there again.

If you're familiar with popular astronomy concepts, you might appreciate the following statement:…read moreKendells Bistro exists almost wholly within the Goldilocks Zone of the restaurant universe, a phenomenon that's expected to be possible, but only encountered an infinitesimally small fraction of the time. The restaurant's interior is cosy and charming, dark and candlelit. It borders on being romantic, but doesn't take itself so seriously that it'll dissuade diners who aren't coming in as a couple. Its location is central, but not -in- the city centre. A mere handful of minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Briggate and Leeds' shopping meccas, one can readily walk to this bistro, but it's offset enough to deter the masses. And during the early evening hours (I believe from opening time until 2000 the night we visited), you can take advantage of their 2-course, 3-course, or 3-course and a half bottle of wine offers for between £17-25; it's a bargain, no matter how you slice it. The only thing that's absolutely excessive is the portion size for each of the dishes. My salad with rich, hearty bacon chunks and a perfectly poached egg on top was enough to sate my hunger. Then, when the cassoulet main arrived, I got -maybe- halfway through it before deciding I was completely stuffed. The cassoulet (featuring duck leg, sausage, -and- pork loin) was hearty and richly flavoured. By itself, it was a monstrous serving. That's ignoring the delightfully piped and plated potato mash, carrot mash, and mounded broccoli. From start to finish, I couldn't think of a single thing to improve about the experience. Kendells was readily the most noteworthy dining experience I've had in Leeds yet, and ranks highly amongst any gastronomic adventure I've embarked upon throughout Europe, generally!

if you go here, make sure you try the Supreme de Volialle L`Estragon. It's a really lovely dish…read morethat is part of the tea time menu. As they state 'Everything stops for tea.' The menu is priced at £21.95 - if you include half a bottle of wine into the menu (which of course, you will!) and you can pick from starters like, Gratin Lyonnaise, Saumon Marine A' la Aneth and Pate Maison. The mains consist of; Porc Boulangere, Confit Du Canard, Saumon en Croute and the likes. One of the best parts is of course dessert...pick from Petit Pot au Chocolate, Tarte aux Citron, Creme Brulee and Fromage. Nobody does Creme Brulee like the French so I'd recommend this! This is a great place to go before going to the theatre to see a show or even just to kick back and relax after a hard week.