Last night I was privileged to be invited to a private event at the newly opened restaurant Thyme in Poulton.
I don’t often go to Poulton I do confess, but I did know where the Booths store was, and I knew that this restaurant had opened next door. We parked up and walked to find it in the Teanlowe Centre and what a sight it was as we turned the corner. A beautiful stylish frontage with classy signage … wonderful glass windows formed the whole of the front of the restaurant, teasing us as we saw guests already mingling inside.
Part owned by Wesley Downham, who also owns the renowned Elnecot in Manchester, we were honoured that he invited us to join him as he proudly showed us his new business venture.
We were greeted at the door with a glass of prosecco as we mingled with some of our other lovely friends. Mary and John, Wesley’s parents were just as proud, if not more so, to share the evening with us all.
The staff were still undergoing training, and athough we’d preordered our meal to help the chefs, we gave the waiting staff a little more practice by ordering (the same) again at the table. It wasn’t an easy choice to be honest … I wanted to sample all the dishes. I can confidently say that I could have been surprised and presented with any dish on that menu and would have enjoyed it just as much. The standard was exceptional.
We were seated with Dee and Chris, again friends who we’d met through Wesley, and his mum Mary. It was lovely to be seated with them, and the conversation was easy, and I can’t help thinking that we might have been seated with them as our surname was Dee. Anyway, no matter, they were friends of ours and I’m thrilled we were seated together. Lots of talk of all manner of things, from family, children and careers, to writing and blogging, not forgetting our lovely animals, their puppy, our kittens, and all the antics associated therewith.
The restaurant is well designed, modern and stylish, with many different styles and sizes of table to cater for everyone. The cutlery, glasses, and crockery all beautifully thought out, and complemented the restaurant, and the food perfectly. What a fabulous job you have made of this restaurant Wesley.
For starters, and indeed our main course, myself and Justin chose the same. We both fancied starting with the duck croquettes, with piccalilli and aged parmesan. What a treat. There wasn’t a scrap left on the plate, and I could have eaten it over again no problem.
For our mains we chose Venison chilli con carne, with rice and cornbread. I cannot begin to describe how sublime this was, my tastebuds went into overdrive. The venison worked perfectly I the chilli, the rice was cooked to perfection, and the homemade cornbread, which I confess I’ve never had before, was delicious. I was revelling in this dish all evening and even talked about it to Kirsty, Wesley’s wife, after the meal. Apparently the secret is in the chocolate in the dish … well I’d never have guessed that in a million years.
Justin finished his meal with the sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream, whereas I fancied Lemon tart, raspberry coulis and citrus marscapone, which quite honestly was the “icing on the cake”, literally. Every aspect of the meal I had that evening was a sensory overload and I’m still thinking about it today, hence the blog.
Every aspect of the evening was thought about, including a little surprise entertainment for us all, where we were treated to the incredibly talented Dan Rhodes. Dan is only 17 years old, but has already wowed many celebrities since his appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. Dan went from table to table performing trick after trick. We were all totally and utterly mesmerised and wowed. We knew he was cheating somehow .. but how? He didn’t even have long sleeves to be concealing cards. I’m really at a loss as to how he was doing this magic, and believe me we were all really looking closely. All of us … every table … all just as mesmerised as the next … trick after trick … all there watching, close up, cards moving from place to place. We even found ourselves watching his magic which he was showing to other tables … nope, still couldn’t figure out how he was doing what he was doing. I was completely blown away by Dan, and know he will go far … how can you not when you have such exceptional talent. I think he is the best magician I have ever, EVER seen, and I spent most of my time watching him with open mouth.
The evening was lovely, friendly, very easy and flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to go home. Wesley you have worked hard to create a truly remarkable restaurant here on our doorstep, and I can’t wait to return.
For those who haven’t yet sampled this delight, you must. Whether you fancy breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even just a coffee and cake … go … go and see for yourselves. I’ve tried to articulate my wonderful experience here and hope that my writing has done it justice and that you’re happy with what I’ve written Wesley. I wish you every success in this new venture of yours, but the customers’ fabulous experience will ensure your success, with many returning time and again. You are obviously enormously proud of your restaurant, as well you should be, and I’m proud to be one of your friends you chose to share this wonderful evening with. Thank you again Wesley, I can’t say it enough … see you again soon.
