Spinning Block Bistro - A Tasteem Review
Built in 1823, boasts the sign!
I have no reason to doubt the claim as the Spinning Block Bistro has been built on what is another old mill.
If it wasn't a restaurant, no doubt I would be in here photographing a boarded-up wreck like many of the others I have visited.
This place was recommended to us and would be a great candidate for a Blind Date, so I'm entering it into that specific @tasteem contest.
The entrance was reminding me of Urbex, bad floors and crumbling walls, so what kind of restaurant was this?
Would bricks, dust, spiders, and muck be part of the menu?
All fears vanished as we walked through the door into a large stylish room, the bar being close to the door with the sit-down area and kitchen at the far end.
A false ceiling had been built and there were a lot of lights.
The standard mill ‘pillars' were present but strangely not noticeable, all painted in a dark colour.
As it was Sunday, we were offered the ‘roast' menu which I quickly discarded.
The British Roast to me is heart attack material, and I would rather not thanks!
There was plenty of meat on sale, what is a Hanger Steak?
I didn't ask and looked at the alternative menu in search of less meaty items.
We decided on a shared starter of Szechuan Spiced Squid at £7, @bingbabe the Grilled Atlantic Cod at £17.50 (she always picks the expensive cuts), and me Spinning Block Steak Burger at £12 after being informed the ‘Fish and Chips' were not available.
I did say I wanted no heart attack food, didn't I?
While the waiters were looking the other way, I got this snap of the kitchen area.
Better to see a little of it than none at all. I didn't notice any of the ‘Food Rating' signs on the door or anywhere else.
Getting myself photographs of the rest of the tables was easy, as it was almost empty.
People don't tend to eat out on Sunday evenings.
Service speed was reasonable at Spinning Block Bistro and our Squid came within 15 minutes or so.
Maybe it's a recurring them with me, or do I just ask too much, but come on please give us a little more?
A little salad and TWO pieces for seven quid. Can I apply for shares in this damn restaurant?
The taste is what counts, and my memory of them was decent, but the experience just made me hungrier.
The food was gone in seconds and we didn't have to wait long for the main course, with @bingbabe having to order separate ‘fries' at £3 because her fish didn't come with much else other that, or it looked that way.
My burger deal came with ‘Aspen Fries'. What's the difference? The Aspen variety has bits of pepper stuck to them; the regular ones are plain.
I felt my burger was just OK, preferring the burgers served at the chain, GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) if I was to be honest.
The ‘Aspen' fries were nice and filled a hole.
@bingbabe tells me the Cod was nice, and all her fries were duly devoured as well as the ‘other' vegetables provided as standard.
I tried a little but always find Cod a little boring when it comes to fish (unless it's battered). The accompaniments helped mask the drab taste.
At £44 I felt the value a little below average for the money spent. The quality was overall quite good but lacking in quantity.
Potatoes at least should have been offered with a Fish dish costing £17. The starter quantity also needs to be more generous.
The atmosphere of Spinning Block Bistro was nice and ambient, there was a piano but no pianist present.
I guess he would have been there on Friday or Saturday evenings.
My search goes on for a repeatable visit restaurant that is not 100 miles from where I live.
Restaurant Information
Spinning Block Bistro
Holmes Mill, Greenacre St, Clitheroe BB7 1EB, UK
This post participated in the Tasteem contest Where to eat for my blind date?
it looks very nice inside ... but the food ... bit short-changed there, I think. Hanger steak is meant to have the best proportion of fat marbling to meat that keeps the steak very tender even when well-cooked.
Ah, thanks for the info re: the steak. Not seen those anywhere else.
what a contrast between the entrance which did have an urbex feel to the actual restaurant
Pretty skimpy on the food. I don't think I would go back at those prices. Sounds like you haven't found a place to go back to consistently...yet.
They are hard to find in my area, I do keep trying different ones. Gives me an excuse to do a @tasteem I suppose ;)
Nothing wrong with that.
This looks like a really cool place even though the quality and quantity of food might have not been up to par. I think is is crazy how a lot of the entrances are so unassuming over there and less grand from the outside compared to what we have here.
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Just in case you wanted to know.
A hanger steak is a cut from the flank of the carcase. The bit that hangs off the ribs/belly of the beast.
It's a cheap cut but very tender.
I've eaten a few and they are ok and cheap but getting more expensive (trendy)
The restaurant looks like a 1,000 other 'industrial' style joints.
Very trendy and very pricey going by your experience. Portion size looks pretty mean. Squid - 2 bits 😂
I'd still be hungry after a meal like this. Thanks for the heads up. 👍
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