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Parmesan and Pepper, Abbey Village
Good food and good friends have always been my recipe for an enjoyable weekend.
Whether it is sitting in my garden with a bbq sizzling in the background or at a top class restaurant - the best ingredients of any night out seem to be the people.
That was certainly the case when I set out to Abbey Village with my fiance Rob and our friends Jenny and Maz and headed to Parmesan and Pepper - but it's fair to say the food wasn't too bad either!
Our company for the night and fellow food critics have recently become proud parents for the first time to their gorgeous baby boy Alex.
In fact there seems to have been some what of a baby boom within our circle of friends lately so it was nice to catch up over a candle-lit meal.
Although I have driven up and down the main road through Abbey Village many a time, Parmesan and Pepper seems to have slipped off my radar.
But with Rob's exams over and Maz's birthday to celebrate, it suddenly seemed a good place to go.
Pulling up outside, I suddenly wondered how I could have missed the pizzeria with its great big sign outside, set in an old pub in Bolton Road.
The layout of the building allows for little alcoves and a warren of different rooms - all making for a pleasant atmosphere on a Sunday evening.
On our arrival we were taken straight through from the bar area to our table for four in the back room.
The layout of the country pub isstill apparent, but the decor reflects the Mediterranean menu on offer.
All the dishes you might expect from such an eatery were presented on the menu and our only disappointment was that we hadn't arrived earlier, in time for the specials menu - with dishes at 3.95.
Maz comes from a large Italian family so he was always going to be hard to please, but when he went for the penne carbonara I breathed a sigh of relief as I didn't think the chef could go far wrong with that.
Rob followed in suit with the same dish while Jenny went for a good old lasagne and I opted for my all time favourite spaghetti bolognese.
Not to push the boat out (as we are moving out this week and need every penny!) we decided to keep it simple and ordered a garlic bread to share for starters.
The appetiser was the first hint that we were going to enjoy the food on offer and it's fair to say that Jenny and I didn't have a chance when it come to fighting over the last two slices on the plate!
Our main meals weren't far behind the starter, but yet far from rushed, and I was right about the carbonara - with Maz describing it as 'really tasty'.
Jenny struggled to finish off her lasagne, but I think it was more about the portion size than the quality of the dish on offer as she really liked it.
My dish was up against some strong competition as I literally order spaghetti at every Italian restaurant I dine at.
I have to admit that it didn't compete for the title of best that I have ever tasted, but it was extremely enjoyable all the same.
With conversation in full flow I decided that I might just be able to squeeze a dessert in.
The menu was simply too irresistible and when I spotted the sticky toffee pudding I knew I wouldn't be able to say no.
I tucked in to the delicious dessert while Jenny sipped on her coffee and the lads ordered another Peroni.
The staff at Parmesan and Pepper were very polite and courteous.
Not once did they rush us or make us wait too long to be served.
We really enjoyed our evening and would go back in the future - it's certainly a thumbs up from us.
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Weather for Chorley
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
