All Star Lanes, Manchester

One of my friends told me about All Star Lanes months before it opened - a very exciting concept indeed. She had been to the one in London a few years before and was certain the Manchester one would be a hit.

Let me tell you a story. I once had quite a glittering career as a bowler. I'll set the scene: year five school trip circa 1992. I was a machine. I was thrashing those mothers. Then my dad turned up and 'corrected' my poor technique. I've struggled ever since. He chopped me down in my prime, and my form has seldom been seen since.

Granted, my technique is ridiculous. I run up, stop dead, swing the ball and chuck it. Sometimes this has me basking in glory, other times sobbing like the loser that I am. The only time I have been consistently good was on the Kinect, but that's not real life. The reason I am in such a flap, is because my friend Lucie is having her birthday party there, and I'm likely to make a proper show of myself.

Anyway, my own personal terror aside, we decided to go and sample the food at All Star Lanes on Friday night, after several good reviews from our friends Wayne and Vicki. I was expecting 'bowling alley does decent fast food', but it was something a whole lot better than that. I have to apologise in advance for the appalling photography; it was very dimly lit.

Firstly, my husband was thrilled with the choice of beers they had, so much so he ordered two within a couple of minutes of each other, just so he had another one ready to go. I'm sure you've noticed that it's warm out at the moment, so being a beer hating heathen, I ordered the strawberry milkshake. Not quite on the scale (or calorific value) of Byron's, but very pleasant indeed!

Mac and Cheese Croquettes and Hot Chicken Wings: Starters are very generous, so be warned. We probably could have shared one of these, but we tested two in the name of research... The croquettes are very similar to Solita's deep fried mac and cheese (which is a good thing) and the wings are reminiscent of those served in Hooters (a very good thing).

Southern Fried Chicken and Coleslaw: At this point they dimmed the lights, so the photos got even worse! The southern fried chicken burger was utterly fantastic. We ordered it plain, but they put the coleslaw on the side so I could snaffle it. This is tasty, crisp fried chicken served in a brioche bun. My husband enjoyed this so much he declared he will never have anything else from All Star Lanes.

Hamburger with Cheese and Bacon: This needed a reassuring 'squash' before eating. There was a decent sized patty and a good mix of salad. My only slight criticism was that the burger was well done, when they had told me that it is served pink. I wouldn't say this was much of an issue though.

Cherry Pie and Rocky Road Sundae: Jeepers. Cherry pie 'til I die! This was just lovely. It came with a big dollop of ice cream too. The rocky road sundae is huge - this is probably better suited to someone who hasn't had a starter and a big main beforehand... tasty though...

I was really pleasantly surprised by All Star Lanes. The food is very much a star in its own right, and certainly isn't playing second fiddle to the bowling alley. The service is great and the dining room has a nice feel about the place. We didn't bowl on Friday, but it's a relaxed kind of place which hopefully will help me to channel my inner Kingpin ready for the party in August...

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