6:53pm Wednesday 14th October 2009
By Wes Wright
I suppose going for a meal at a casino could have been regarded as a gamble but in the end it turned into a sure bet.
A place devoted to the worship of money wouldn’t usually be somewhere you might think of going for a meal, after all gambling has a momentum of its own and food normally gets short shrift from those dedicated to betting money on the turn of a wheel or a flip of the card.
Despite a poor review from my pal who didn’t rate the place, my wife and I decided to risk it and arrived unannounced on a Saturday night.
We were the first diners but it didn’t stop the chap in charge from asking if we had booked — he was expecting people later he said, but it amused me anyway.
The G Casino, in the former Sainsburys supermarket, was relaunched last year and is a very friendly and welcoming place.
Everything is open plan, there’s a big late bar, a small stage for club style acts and a large gambling area, taking in slots, electronic and live roulette, blackjack and a poker room.
The restaurant is to one side and is a pleasant and welcoming area, decked out in warm colours and comfortable seating with decent space between the tables.
I decided to relive the seventies and ordered a prawn and crayfish cocktail and a rib steak on the bone with chunky chips.
It’s funny how a prawn cocktail and steak and chips was regarded as the height of sophistication way back then.
The only thing missing was a black forest gateaux to finish but even if one had been on the menu I couldn’t have managed it.
My first course was good, featuring quite a few juicy prawns and pieces of crayfish accompanied by the traditional marie rose sauce, on a bed of lettuce.
My main course was a decent chunk of rib steak on the bone (alright not quite the seventies) which came well done even though I had ordered it medium — but it was actually tender and had not dried out.
The accompanying chunky chips (no pun intended) were soon polished off and then I was surprised when a large dish of fresh steaming vegetables, including baby sweetcorn, sugar snaps, and carrots arrived, all very nice but very filling.
My wife chose a Stilton, pear and walnut salad which she said was excellent and she followed that with frutti del mare, or a seafood pizza with prawns, crayfish, smoked salmon and anchovies, which at £6.85 was a large, tasty bargain.
There was a good choice of starters and main courses including meat, fish and chicken plus a variety of pizzas and pastas to suit all tastes, with a smattering of vegetarian choices.
My wife loved her pizza but couldn’t finish it. I managed a slice and confirmed it was very good but even I couldn’t manage to finish it.
It’s not haute cuisine but you wouldn’t expect that at a casino, but it was good food at a very competitive price and at £35 odd for the two of us, including a couple of gin and tonics, we felt the meal was a bargain.
The casino also offers a two course special Sunday to Thursday at £8.95.
wwright@theboltonnews.co.uk
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