Italian Orchard Preston Food review: A sunset Spring meal with Spritz, spaghetti and a sensational setting

My selection from the Orchard’s menu much reflected the evening we chose to visit Preston’s most talked of Italian.

Ordering a round of Aperol Spritz to begin allowed for me and my three friends to relax into our midweek treat after a busy day at work. The setting provided by the restaurant really can’t be faulted, from the brightly lit bar boasting every gin flavour you could dream of to the clean feel of the large glass windows which were so pristine that if not protecting from the wind that blew on this breezy May evening, could have not been there at all.

Greeted by a friendly server, Charlie, whose knowledge of the spirits and beers he served could not be faulted, we browsed the menus deciding from options that sounded all too inviting.

The expansion we sat in came as part of the San Marco group's seven-figure investment into the Orchard back in 2019 and I hadn’t visited since. The restaurant proposed an ‘out-of-town’ feel, despite being just off the Broughton roundabout, the fields that provided scenery for the Italian washed the memory of the typical North-West traffic jams on the commute there.

We didn’t spend too much time in the newly built foyer as, after ordering, another polite server took us to our table of four to enjoy the meal we’d been so highly anticipating.

First came out the a.m.b I had chosen. Avacado, mozzarella and crispy bacon salad served with olive oil and balsamic dressing. Yes, I hear you, I too would roll my eyes at anyone who ordered a salad in a restaurant that is specifically notorious for its carby cuisine. However, I’ll redeem myself by making you aware I also had a slice of the shared cheese garlic bread we ordered for the table.

At £8.50 the salad was a nice portion size, the mozzarella was fresh and flavoursome and the avocado was the perfect buttery texture, not too hard nor too creamy. However, the crispy bacon, for my personal pallet, was slightly too salted which overpowered the other components of the dish. The balsamic dressing gave the meal a rich, complex sweetness picking up the flavours of rocket on my plate.

The wait between the starters and mains allowed for us to order in another round of drinks, more Aperol, we wanted the true Italy sundown feel to our meal.

Fettuccine al Salmone was my final decision for the main course, pasta ribbons in a light cream sauce with fresh salmon, smoked salmon, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil. Priced at £15.50, slightly more expensive than other Italian eateries I had visited previously, the dish was nicely served with the option of parmesan cheese on top. The sauce-to-pasta ratio was faultless and tasty too. The pasta cooked immaculately as expected and the sun-dried tomatoes burst with a flavour to compliment the seafood. Although the salmon again, was slightly over-salted in my opinion.

On our departure, we took in the stunning surroundings and debriefed on what we thought of the food. We decided the Italian Orchard is a lovely treat, once in a while, and we’d come back without hesitation.

4 STARS