The Chester Fields is Cheshire… #Review
Gaile Wundke
15th August 2018
Chester Fields is located just 4 miles outside the City Centre and it really is worth the short drive. There is a large car park and a generous outdoor seating area, including private ski-style huts from which the amazing views of the Cheshire countryside can be fully enjoyed. Inside is a roomy yet cozy bar which leads to the attractively furnished and deceptively spacious restaurant.
We visited early on a Friday evening and as we walked through the door, it was immediately evident that everyone was having a good time. There were already plenty of people eating and drinking and the atmosphere was so welcoming that we were in no doubt that we were going to have an enjoyable evening.
We were seated in a corner of the main part of the restaurant, a perfect viewing spot! We were given menus, a wine list and a complimentary pot of mixed olives to nibble on whilst we made the difficult decision of just what to choose as there are so many lovely dishes on the menu. We asked our waiter for a bottle of the South East Australian Coorong Estate, Chardonnay (£17.00), but unfortunately they had run out so instead we had the Chilean Condorito Sauvignon Blanc (£17.50) which was extremely good.
After some deliberation we finally made up our minds and chose the Korean Deep Fried Sticky Sesame Chicken Wings (£5.50), Smoked Salmon Knickerbocker Glory (£8.50) and Dave Joinson’s Cured Smoked Bacon (£7.50), followed by The Allotment Grazing Board (£15.50), The Cow Burger (£12.75) and Mixed Grill (£21.50). Whilst we waited we enjoyed a bit of people watching, the table in the opposite corner were celebrating a 70th Birthday and as the family finished singing Happy Birthday, everyone in our part of the restaurant clapped, which really added to the already feel good atmosphere!
Our starters duly arrived and if you eat with your eyes, then three pairs of eyes were immediately very happy indeed! The Cured Smoked Bacon was served with a crispy crumbed poached egg, cheese croquette, pea shoots, fresh peas and a mustard vinaigrette. An imaginative and beautifully presented dish which disappeared rather quickly! The Knickerbocker Glory was a combination of smoked salmon, crayfish, prawns, confit tomato, pickled cucumber and seasonal leaves all coated in a spiced bloody Mary dressing with a bloody Mary shot on the side! It was excellent, packed with flavour and a big step up from the prawn cocktails that most of us are used to. The only thing we felt it needed was bread and butter, which would have taken it to perfection! The Korean chicken wings were delicious – crispy, sticky and plenty of them! They would have benefitted from a small pot of sour cream and chives to cut through the richness and when this was mentioned to our waiter, he returned with some cream that the chef had soured with lemon juice, which in the absence of the real thing, did the trick and the gesture was much appreciated.
Starters cleared we awaited our mains with much anticipation, especially as we saw some mouth watering dishes being delivered to some of our fellow diners! After an appropriate wait they arrived, the Allotment board standing out as the wow factor dish, tempura tenderstem broccoli, homemade flatbreads, hummus, goats cheese fritters, spiced mayonnaise, olives and sun blush tomato salad. It looked amazing and tasted delicious! The Cow burger described as the Chester Fields Classic, came with tomato relish, confit tomato, spring vegetable slaw, caramelised onions, gem lettuce, crispy onion rings and fries. Jake is a bit of a burger connoisseur and rated it as a definite contender for his all-time top 10! Last but by no means least, the mixed grill, a truly main sized plateful of rump steak, gammon, lamb chop, pork chop, chicken breast, sausage, chips, onion ring, grilled tomato and fried egg, a carnivores heaven! It was very well received, but despite his very best efforts, Stephen had to eventually admit defeat, but not before making a mental note to avoid starters next time and skip straight to the main event!
I’m sure you won’t be surprised to read that we had to abandon the prospect of desserts, delicious as they sounded, particularly the Chester Fields Knickerbocker Glory which reminded me of childhood seaside holidays! Maybe next time….
We do a lot of reviews for Taste Cheshire and it’s not often that we go somewhere that delivers the full package, location, atmosphere, décor, service and of course, the most important thing, great food. However that is exactly what we found at Chester Fields and it is no surprise that they are the recipients of several awards which they proudly list on the front page of their menu, the most notable being a hat trick of Gold Awards for the Best Use of Local Produce on a Menu from 2016 – 2018.
There is a slogan on the menu which says ‘Ordinary doesn’t tickle the tastebuds’, well Chester Fields is far from ordinary, it is the sort of place that everyone would like within walking distance of where they live, but that privilege is reserved for just a handful of lucky people and for the rest of us is the aforementioned large car park!
If you haven’t ever been to Chester Fields, or just not visited for a while, you really should. They’ve worked very hard to make it the place it is today and I for one am already looking forward to going back again. It’s in a great setting, has excellent service and the food it fabulous, what’s not to like? Give it a go, I’m sure you’ll be very glad you did!
The Chester Fields
Sandfield Farm, Bridge Trafford, Chester, CH2 4JR
The Chester Fields is a place for friends to gather Inn, a place for families to share great times Inn, a place for all to have fun and make memories Inn.
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