Par Excellence Foodies amongst you will know that smug feeling you get; the one when the restaurant you’ve publicly backed as the ‘next big thing’ starts to receive awards for the quality of its food. It’s a similar feeling to successfully backing a 20-1 outsider to win the 3.30, but on a far more personal level. So when the Dicconson Arms in Appley Bridge won the Wigan’s Restaurant of the Year 2011 award (in addition to the Marston’s North West Food Pub of the Year 2010 award), a big cheer went up in our household because we’ve been recommending the place for a couple of years to anyone who would listen! After our customary warm welcome, we settled down to read the menus. The choice was as plentiful as usual, and there’s a separate fish menu which changes daily, depending on what’s been landed at Fleetwood that morning. On the face of it nothing had changed since our last visit, but we were eager to see if all this awards success had gone to their heads. Those fears were dispelled with the first bite of the goats’ cheese en croute, our first starter. The baked 16
Local Life
Ravens Oak cheese, encased in puff pastry, was creamy and luscious with a hint of almonds and white wine. To say that the sweet tangy flavour of the grape chutney contrasted perfectly would be the understatement of the year; the dish was simple, but the combination of flavours and texture encapsulated the creative process behind the success of the Dicconson Arms. For my starter, I plumped for the seared scallops on a bed of fennel and served with orange segments, and crispy bacon. Cooking scallops can be a trial for a busy kitchen, overcooking them even for a few seconds can result in a rubbery texture, so I was relieved when the scallops were sweet, light and tender; oh and delicious too! The tasty bacon added texture and the juicy orange pieces highlighted the essence of a perfect summer starter. As our plates were cleared, we sneaked a look around the place. Though the place was quite full, it was eerily quiet, with the main resonance coming from the appreciative murmurings of our fellow diners! Listening to the comments coming from nearby tables, it wasn’t difficult to conclude that the word has indeed spread about the quality of its food at the Dicconson. www.locallife247.co.uk