The Lounge - A Tasteem Review
'Dont judge a book by it's cover'
Sometimes a place appears so unassuming that you may overlook it. It can take a ‘local’ to point to you an eatery that is worth its salt, and after a hard morning’s half-marathon we were all pining for some good old-fashioned English breakfast food.
@bingbabe had completed a challenging hill trail half-marathon in 2 hours, 5 minutes while we all watched, and the hunger was biting us.
@mender1 recommended we visit ‘The Lounge’ in Ramsbottom, Lancashire.
Unassuming is a good word for ‘The Lounge', as I would never have gone in if not for the personal recommendation. If I must criticise, the outside is not so appealing to look at.
Inside looked better than out; it wasn’t overly busy but others were eating when we entered.
The menu we were presented with was nothing special, but this is not a city restaurant with sparkling colours. Take everything on its merit I say.
I was only really looking for a smaller breakfast but as @mender1 went for the full monty at £9.95 I decided to follow suit.
The girls ordered Eggs Royal at £8.50 and an Omelette with THREE filings at £8.95. I suppose all that running requires an energy refill.
Add some coffees and breakfast tea (for me) and we were all sorted.
@mender1 somehow managed THREE Americano’s according to the bill (below). Some people just don’t know when to stop drinking the stuff!
Service was great at The Lounge with everything arriving in less than TEN minutes. My tea went cold quite fast and so I asked for it to be micro waved.
What I received was a fresh teapot and tea instead at no extra charge.
The full English breakfasts ‘components' (is that a correct term) was a little piled up in a sort of ‘cordon bleu' arrangement. I prefer them spread out, but what's delivered is more important.
I like poached eggs as you don't get that egg white that's crispy and burnt around the edges. I know some like it like that but not me. The bacon was fantastic, fresh without all the white fat you sometimes get on the rashes, and the beans I suspect were quality and maybe ‘Heinz'.
So many places use ‘big value’ beans, aka crap quality ones, and I for one can taste the difference.
I gave my black pudding to @bingbabe as I really don’t care for dried pig’s blood and proceeded to down the rest of it at a reasonably rapid pace.
I got good reports about the other meals from the girls and @mender1 had obviously been many times as he knew some of the staff.
The first time at a new restaurant is generally the best but I can say I haven’t had such a decent breakfast in a long time.
The freshness of the product, the service, the extra tea and the surroundings all made the difference.
It’s rare that I give a place such praise but The Lounge is a hidden gem that could easily be missed if not known about.
At almost £52 for the FOUR of us, it is not the cheapest breakfast venue in town, but for me, it's the quality that counts. All of us left feeling satisfied and that a repeat visit is on the cards.
I will take that any day of the week over a £6 breakfast that may be large, filling, but unsatisfying.
Restaurant Information
The Lounge
2-4 Prince St, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9FN, UK
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My eyes can only focus on "Eggs Royal". I love this breakfast.
#tasteem-curation
A friend of mine was eating these, I didnt manage a taste though they looked good!
What an unexpected place when viewed from the outside! The best chicken fried steak in Arizona is served in a restaurant in Cottonwood that is similar to the outside of this place! My buddy and I first tried it because we were on the road and starving. I've been back numerous times.
I don't mind paying the freight for a high quality meal. Looks to me like a really good catch.
My first look at your post made me think you were on a UX mission :)
comment of the day :-)
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A little unkind @bigtom13 :), but yes, the outside view and the menus were the weak points.
Srsly, the place does look abandoned.
As my cousin in the Bahamas would say, "I'm there!"
That Full English looks amazing, though I would have gone for the Full Veggy. But that was before I saw the Eggs Royale... yum! Looks like my kinda place, especially after a hill run! (though I would have just walked it).
They definitely need to do something about that exterior though.
I'm not sure where Ramsbottom is, but if it's on the way to Snowdonia, I might pay a visit when we go there in June!
I'm sure the owner (who is reading all this) is quite happy about all the responses, except for the exterior looks. Ramsbottom is nowhere near North Wales though you would go within 15 miles of it on the way south.
Shame - those eggs look good! It's not that far from Kinder Scout...
I love having a cooked breakfast! Although, normally I eat very little for breakfast... but that's more due to lack of time in the mornings rather anything else! Nice find! I don't think I would have given that place a second thought from the outside!
It's always good to have a local direct you to the best places.
The trick is finding a local with good taste....
That really is an unimposing exterior. Reminds me of K-Pauls in New Orleans. It, too, is a little hole-in-the-wall, with no outward charm or decorations, even the sign is just plain white with black letters -- like something at a convenience store. (Or a sign pointing to the rest room.)
You could easily miss it if you weren't looking specifically for it. But people line up around the block to get in when it opens. Srsly. Now, granted, K-Paul had a kind of celebrity status when he was alive ... well deserved, too ... but the restaurant itself stayed modest and tiny. Without the television fame and local notoriety, you'd pass right by it.
There are likely many more of these around, you just have to know where they are. I found out via @mender1 that there is a great chippy in the same town, that uses Yorkshire style cooking. I thought it previosuly illegal to use this methodolology outside of the white rose county.
Nice review. There are a lot of places in the states that are in strip malls. They don't look like much on the outside and you think they are probably just standard fare, but they end up being some hidden gems. You are right the beans look like they were out of a can to me. Probably Bush's or Heinz like you said.
The food looks really great. However, I am not digging the outfits that the staff are wearing.
You know, I can't say I noticed the outfits until you mentioned them :)
Oh yes indeed that watching will always bring on a powerful hunger!
My friend is from Southport in the UK and convinced me to try black pudding. I being in Michigan never had it before. I spent a good amount of money to have it shipped in dry ice for a YouTube video lol. It was not for me, but my son like it. I much prefer good old Bob Evans sausage.
This is from 2013, so the quality is meh but end the end my dog enjoyed the black pudding lol
I'll have to watch this later lol as Im at work.. I can attest that what is in your left hand is indeed.. black pudding!
Haggis, black pudding, spotted dick, toad-in-the-hole, marmite, bubble-and-squeak ---> pretty much the state (and height) of English food, IMO. God, you people must have survived some horrible winters back in the day. That's the only thing I can imagine that would induce someone to invent this crap.
perfect menu in this restaurant
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