39 Steps, Styal, Cheshire

[Harters]

We’ve always been a bit put off this place even though it is, literally, just up the road from home (yes, prejudice is a nasty trait, even when it's about perceived ponceyness). The dinner menu is priced as expected for somewhere on the fringe of the county’s “Golden Triangle” – the expression “fur coat and no knickers” leaps immediately to mind. It’s a smallish place, seating about 30, and, on this Thursday lunchtime, most were occupied by “suits”. And it’s a cracking good value lunch – offering three courses from a short menu, four items at each course, for £17.50, including coffee .

The danger with many lunch menus of this sort is that portions are tiny and you end getting home wanting a cheese butty. Not here. Three courses will fill you up nicely and, whilst it wasn’t a perfect meal, faults were only minor.

For instance, a fishcake starter was fine – a bit underwhelming on the seasoning but with a decent taste of fish in the four small cakes. The other starter – kidneys on mash came with a small rasher of very crisp, very tasty bacon. Kidneys a tad chewy but the mustard sauce lifted them.

My wife went for roast beef which came with carrots, beetroot, Yorkshire pud and mash – no complaints there (except she’s probably the only person in the world who isn’t keen on mash). I had chicken breast which came with the same veg (no Yorkshire) and sauce which had a nice kick of black pepper.

Desserts were Eton Mess and sticky toffee pudding. Both fine if nothing to shout from the rooftops about – but, hey, this was only costing £17.50. Coffee was served with some very decent truffles.

Well worth searching out this place if in this part of North Cheshire around lunchtime.

[david goodfellow]

Blimey John does'n't time fly. Thought it was a couple of years since we dined here but it was longer than that because its changed hands and there is a new chef.

Previous chef was a guy called Duncan Poyser? and pretty good he was too. BIG portions of food came out of the kitchen.

Looks like the new chef has got a very good pedigree. Must give it a try again.

No menus up on the website, choice of four is very good really, wonder if its the same menu in the evening?

[Harters]

David

The menu we ate from was just the lunch one. There's only the a la carte in the evening (which is also available at lunchtime). It normally has menus up on the website but I think they're just samples. Carte has around a dozen at each course.

Having seen what they can do at £17.50, I think we'll be back for dinner at some point