Wednesday 8 June 2016

Family Lunch at Bill's Restaurant, Trafford Centre, Manchester

I'd heard great things about Bill's, so when we were given the opportunity to review I was really pleased. The Trafford Centre want the children's opinions about the food there, so on this occasion it was my 6 year old who was giving his view. He was really on form...thankfully when we arrived they offered to seat us in a booth...



The Children's Menu was easy for my Year 1 boy to read himself. Full of recogniseable food that children will know and understand - children aren't often as keen on surprises when they eat as adults are, so this was great. He was especially impressed that dessert was Chocolate Brownie AND Ice Cream.


The Children's Menu starter is carrot and cucumber sticks and Hummus. Unfortunately neither of my boys like Hummus, and eating anything that had touched it would apparently result in immediate purple spotted skin or worse. Some time was spent sniffing it, but sadly actual biting was beyond him.


Their Dad's starter however turned out to be the best thing ever! He ordered the Mini Cumberland Sausages. Each with a chip fork and perfect for sharing - at least the boys thought so! They weren't quite as interested in my Potato & Rosemary Bread, thankfully...


The main courses did not disappoint any of us, and went down exceptionally well. Our 7 year old had chosen one of his favourites - ribs. We did not expect the fantastic plateful that arrived!


Our 6 year old was at first undecided between Fish Fingers or Cumberland Sausage, but at the last minute went for the surprise Macaroni with Cheese. He absolutely loved it! I've genuinely rarely seen him eat so much, his bowl was almost emptied.



The adults main meals were just as nice. The vegetarian Roasted Aubergine And Chickpea Dahl With Chilli for me, and Steak, Egg And Chips for their Dad...



Throughout the meal staff checked on us and other guests, they were really friendly and attentive to the children, making them laugh and giggle. Away to the side from the bustle of The Trafford Centre on a Saturday afternoon it was nice to feel we didn't have to keep the children quiet, while the background noise was still comfortable enough for us to chat at a normal volume.


Children can have free refills of either apple or orange juice, and my 6 year old declared it "better than our apple juice". He still talks about it now...

Children's Menu Dessert was either Brownie and Ice Cream, or Bill's Wafer and Ice cream. My youngest by this time was getting full, and decided he couldn't manage Chocolate Brownie.  I can assure you, it was delicious. Like all of the food we ate, it was perfectly cooked.


I chose a Strawberries And Cream Pavlova. Often I'm unsure about desserts as to whether they contain animal gelatine, which I don't eat, but Bill's is great because the menu is really clear about what is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or contains nuts.


We had a lovely meal. Everyone left full, the boys didn't need tea and just had a light supper before bed.  Bill's Restaurant was relaxed and friendly, there were other children also eating and we were away from the crowds in a really welcoming environment which let us all relax and enjoy our food.

My 6 year old had these hints and tips for any other 6 year old who might visit Bill's Restaurant:

Bills restaurant was amazing
The kids starter has mush*, so get your parents to order sausage starter and nick it.
The chips are very tasty and in paper like a chip shop
The chairs are kind of hard
Try the macaroni because it's really good
The juice is nice, it tastes better than our apple juice that we've got
For pudding you can have ice cream AND brownie

(*The dreaded Hummus)


Bill's Restaurant in the intu Trafford Centre, Manchester, gets the thumbs up from us. Feeding everyone until they are full, with good quality wholesome food that is incredibly well-cooked, in such a calm and comfortable atmosphere. I couldn't ask for more.

Bill's Restaurant is situated on the first floor, in The Orient, (towards 4 o'clock if you face the big screen and pool).  The intu Trafford Centre also has a bazillion shops, plus the Sealife and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre. Open from 10am until 10pm weekdays (9pm Saturday and 6pm Sunday). There are regular events for families and 10,500 free parking spaces. 5 minutes from the M60.



We were treated to our meal in return for our review.

4 comments:

  1. I haven't been to Bills for ages - the food looks great! I hadn't thought to take children either! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd never been before, it was lovely. I'd certainly go again - real food! :)

      Delete
  2. I only discovered Bill's myself on Tuesday. I'd never heard of it before but went for lunch with my sister and loved it. Apparently she eats in the York branch regularly. I'll definitely be going again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd heard good things, but hadn't been myself - I see why it has such a great reputation now. We'll definitely go again. Why pay the same for anything less? :)

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I read every one and try my best to reply!