The Old Bill - Oldham

This is the second time I have been here now for something to eat and again I was not disappointed. I took my mum for some lunch after we had finished Christmas Shopping. Being the last Friday before Christmas it was absolutely rammed and I hadn't booked a table.  We were made to feel welcome from the minute we walked in and weren't made to feel awkward for not booking or anything, instead Paulo (the owner) advised that he would see what he could do. Within a few moments he was back and showed us to a table for two nicely tucked into the corner.

The place itself is really homely and has a Spanish taverna type feel, it doesn't feel pretentious or anything so you instantly feel comfortable and ready for a good meal. Due to how busy they were there was just the evening menu available but that was fine as there were enough items to choose from.  We both decided to have the sirloin steak and share a couple of starters, so we got the garlic mushrooms and the pate to start. When Paulo came to take our order my mum apologised and said "I know chef's hate this but can I have mine well done as I don't like any blood in it". It'is normally a no no in food places as it's seen as ruining a good piece of meat, but instead the request was met with the usual 'nothing is too much trouble' attitude I have come to expect from here. In fact he said "well they shouldn't be running a restaurant then, you can have it how you want it and when it comes if it's not done enough for you let me know we can cook it for longer".  I asked for mine medium as I don't mind it a bit pink. Quite often when somewhere is busy it is very easy for customer service to go out of the window but that is definitely not the case here. Both times when I have been all the staff have been friendly and and can't do enough for you.

The Garlic Mushrooms:-

The garlic mushrooms were gorgeous and not your boring breaded mushrooms, instead they were almost like a stroganoff In a tasty sauce full of flavour. The portion size was more than enough for us to share.the sauce was so nice my mum said she could of mopped it up with a piece of bread lol.

The Pate:-

The pate was a nice smooth consistency and came with a Cumberland type relish which was a perfect sweet accompaniment to the pate. It also had two toasted and buttered baguette slices and a salad garnish.

The steak:-

Both our steaks were cooked perfectly and were so tender and easy to cut into.  It didn't require loads of chewing like some tough steaks can, it was lovely and soft and had clearly been rested properly. Like all sirloin steaks there was the piece of fat down one side but this was only a little and I didn't waste much (which is good for me as I'm picky and have to leave any slightest bit of fat lol). The chasseur sauce was rich and flavoursome with mushrooms and onions. It would of been very easy to just use the same base as the garlic mushrooms but instead was a lovely red wine sauce.  The vegatables were cooked so they were still aldente and not over cooked. The roast potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside. He meal as a whole was a definite 10/10. The only thing I would say by way of things they could change is that it seemed a waste to put salad on a dish that had vegetables and a sauce on it. Both my mum and myself left all the salad so it seemed a bit of a waste really but that's not a criticism more a way they could avoid waste. My only slight improvement would be that the table mats have seen better days but I guess that's testiment to how much use they get.

We didn't have a dessert as we were both stuffed but the we did see some being served and I did have one on my last visit.  They are definitely not mean with the portions and you could easily share one :-)

This is a place you should definitely try and I guarentee once you have been you would want to return again and again.