Simon’s Suppers
It’s not often I get the chance to meet up with all my friends at the same time, but with Simon away, the opportunity came along to visit The Emporium, writes Liz Walmsley. Photography: Kirsten Platt
All coming from different directions for our girls’ get together, left us with a bit of a dilemma in terms of deciding where to meet up. Then there was the issue of food – finding somewhere that catered for us all (including a vegan) also needed to be taken into consideration. I needn’t have worried as none of this was going to be a problem at The Emporium.
Despite it being a Tuesday night, the Emporium had a great buzz about it – clearly we weren’t the only one’s meeting for pre-dinner drinks on what was a beautiful July evening! Quite a few tables were occupied by families and couples taking advantage of the ever-popular ‘Beat The Clock Pizza’, which incidentally looked delicious and fabulous value for money.
Having worked up an appetite chatting, our server for the evening was incredibly patient whilst we made our choices from the brasserie menu – my vegan friend was pleasantly surprised at the range of choices on the dedicated vegan menu.
Listening to my friends place their orders, I knew we’d made the right choice. A self-certified carnivore, a vegan, another friend who somehow successfully manages to combine eating out with losing weight and a pasta lover isn’t the easiest combination of diners to satisfy!
Pan seared chicken livers seemed a popular choice, and after a taste test I can confirm they were delicious, with the right touch of heat and served with toasted ciabatta. The soup of the day was tomato and red pepper, fresh and bursting with flavour. Crostini quattro stagioni and bruschetta were two other starter choices and were equally delicious.
Our mains choices – a ribeye steak and swordfish were both beautifully cooked and presented with a selection of sides, pappardelle with lamb chosen from the ‘Little and Large’ section of the menu and despite being technically ‘little’ it was a hearty looking dish! An equally generous serving of risotto of spring greens packed with fresh asparagus, broad beans and peas and a delicious wild mushroom and herb tartlet served with creamed leeks, were our choices for mains.
The generous portion sizes left us debating whether we needed desserts but not wanting to disappoint our server who was desperate for us to try the chocolate brownies from the specials board and the raspberry sorbet, it didn’t take much for us to be persuaded. The server was right – both simply delightful. So good in fact that Trina talked about the brownie all the way home!
Given we’d not seen each other for ages and had so much to catch up on, this was never going to be an early night but we weren’t rushed in any way – despite being the last to leave. It had been a while since I’d last been to the Emporium and it’s no surprise that it has remained a firm favourite for the last 20 years. Whether it’s coffee and pastries, a light bite, a late lunch or nibbles, or something more substantial from the brasserie menu, there really is something for everyone.
The Emporium
Moor Lane
Clitheroe BB7 1BE
01200 444174
www.theemporiumclitheroe.co.uk
