THE Black Bull pub's reincarnation as classy Mediterranean restaurant Il Toro is just about as far away from real ale and chicken in a basket as Horwich is from Milan.
Following in the footsteps of the San Marino restaurant in Belmont, the owners pride themselves on Il Toro's "elegant ambience" revealed in the fresh, bright décor, with plain white walls showcasing modern artwork from local artists, all of which can be purchased from local design store Casa Home.
Booking is essential at Il Toro and even having called almost a week in advance, a 7pm slot was the only one left on offer for a Saturday night.
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The exceptionally friendly staff are obviously proud of the seven-month-old restaurant and we ordered a couple of gin and tonics while we perused the well thought-out menu and lengthy wine list.
As a vegetarian, I often find myself looking at the one meat-free option available, but the four starters on offer were all inventive, including Grigliata di Stagione alla Griglia (mixed grilled rustic vegetables, barrel-aged balsamic reduction and basil oil) and Humous and tsatsiki mezze with salad, olives and warm pitta bread.
My partner was tempted by Chorizo piccante (flame-cooked sausage in red wine and onions), but we eventually decided to share Scarmorza alla Brace - a delicious grilled goats cheese marinated in olive oil and herbs and served with a lovely sweet onion chutney on a crouton - and Funghi Trifolati - pan-fried mixed forest mushrooms, tossed with garlic and oozing lovely buttery juices - both of which proved excellent choices. We also split a toasted home-made bread with garlic butter and mozzarella, which was melt-in-your-mouth gorgeous.
An excellent choice of mains included a wide selection of pastas and risottos, with meat dishes ranging from veal escalopes in white wine and lemon sauce to duck breast in Madeira sauce with speck (a type of cured Parma ham).
My partner was tempted by fillet steak with avocado, pancetta and dolcelatte, the "divine-sounding" pork loin, with apple risotto and calvados liqueur, but eventually chose the monkfish thermidor from the extensive specials board. The fish was beautifully fresh, pearly white and when paired with the deep yellow sauce and excellent selection of vegetables on a plain white plate, almost resembled one of the pieces of art on the walls. She devoured it with relish.
The wild mushroom risotto with garlic, cream and pecorino sounded just a little rich for me, but the classic Italian linguini with home-made pesto, fine beans and sliced potatoes that I did order, proved a wholesome, rustic-style dish.
We finished with a platter of three miniature sweets, which were just enough to round off a lovely meal, and added to a bottle of McGuigan's Black Chardonnay and a black sambuca, the bill came to just short of £70. All in all, a thoroughly excellent evening.
THE Black Bull pub's reincarnation as classy Mediterranean restaurant Il Toro is just about as far away from real ale and chicken in a basket as Horwich is from Milan.
Following in the footsteps of the San Marino restaurant in Belmont, the owners pride themselves on Il Toro's "elegant ambience" revealed in the fresh, bright décor, with plain white walls showcasing modern artwork from local artists, all of which can be purchased from local design store Casa Home.
Booking is essential at Il Toro and even having called almost a week in advance, a 7pm slot was the only one left on offer for a Saturday night.
The exceptionally friendly staff are obviously proud of the seven-month-old restaurant and we ordered a couple of gin and tonics while we perused the well thought-out menu and lengthy wine list.
As a vegetarian, I often find myself looking at the one meat-free option available, but the four starters on offer were all inventive, including Grigliata di Stagione alla Griglia (mixed grilled rustic vegetables, barrel-aged balsamic reduction and basil oil) and Humous and tsatsiki mezze with salad, olives and warm pitta bread.
My partner was tempted by Chorizo piccante (flame-cooked sausage in red wine and onions), but we eventually decided to share Scarmorza alla Brace - a delicious grilled goats cheese marinated in olive oil and herbs and served with a lovely sweet onion chutney on a crouton - and Funghi Trifolati - pan-fried mixed forest mushrooms, tossed with garlic and oozing lovely buttery juices - both of which proved excellent choices. We also split a toasted home-made bread with garlic butter and mozzarella, which was melt-in-your-mouth gorgeous.
An excellent choice of mains included a wide selection of pastas and risottos, with meat dishes ranging from veal escalopes in white wine and lemon sauce to duck breast in Madeira sauce with speck (a type of cured Parma ham).
My partner was tempted by fillet steak with avocado, pancetta and dolcelatte, the "divine-sounding" pork loin, with apple risotto and calvados liqueur, but eventually chose the monkfish thermidor from the extensive specials board. The fish was beautifully fresh, pearly white and when paired with the deep yellow sauce and excellent selection of vegetables on a plain white plate, almost resembled one of the pieces of art on the walls. She devoured it with relish.
The wild mushroom risotto with garlic, cream and pecorino sounded just a little rich for me, but the classic Italian linguini with home-made pesto, fine beans and sliced potatoes that I did order, proved a wholesome, rustic-style dish.
We finished with a platter of three miniature sweets, which were just enough to round off a lovely meal, and added to a bottle of McGuigan's Black Chardonnay and a black sambuca, the bill came to just short of £70. All in all, a thoroughly excellent evening.
Il Toro, Church Street, Horwich.
Tel: 01204 697272. Email: info@il-toro.co.uk.
Opening hours: Seven nights a week, 6pm-10pm; Sunday: 1pm-10pm; lunchtimes Tuesday to Friday.
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