Italian menu will tempt you to Madisons in park

11:34am Thursday 22nd October 2009

By David Magilton

MADISONS is the latest of a string of restaurants that have tried to make a go of it at Dunscar Business Park.

The previous ones have had mixed success over the years, but the owners of Latino Lounge in Bradshaw and Mangiamo in Darwen decided on the venue for their third venture — and good luck to them.

Situated on a small business park it is not the most inviting setting, but is within walking distance from Egerton, Bromley Cross and Sharples if you don’t want to drive, and if you do, parking is not a problem.

The menu has mainly an Italian theme but is dotted with a number of interesting options.

There are midweek special offers to tempt in customers. Pasta and pizza dishes are half price if you buy a starter on Tuesday and Wednesday, while on Thursday there is a steak special night.

There is a wide selection of starters. I plumped for asparagus Madison, which proved a wise choice. It comprised asparagus topped with salmon and a large piece of goats cheese cooked in the oven. It was delicious and one I would definitely recommend. My wife had minestrone soup which was thick and tasty.

For the main course I decided to try the Greek dish kleftiko — lamb shank slowly baked in the oven. It fell off the bone and was bursting with flavour and herbs, but unfortunately was a little tough — not enough to stop me clearing the plate, however, which included potatoes, carrots and cauliflower. There is the option of chips and salad.

My wife was pleased with her choice of risotto jampalaya — a smokey dish of chicken, chorizo, prawns, onions, peppers and chilli in tomato sauce. There are half a dozen desserts to choose from and we shared a large portion of home-made tiramasu, which was delicious.

I had mentioned to the waiter that the lamb was a little on the tough side and it was a pleasure to see that, without prompting, the manageress offered the dessert free of charge.

There is a reasonable selection of wine but I would recommend the house wine which at £12 a litre was good value for money.

There is not much time between courses, but if you want a leisurely meal that is not a problem as long as you make sure you tell the waiter.