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21 miles from Oldham, but it's well worth it!
By Dave Whaley, of The Oldham Chronicle
January 11, 2006
BEFORE we even got to our destination, there was a sense of anticipation of what was to follow.
For one, I had a sneak preview of the CragRats interior on its impressive website. Secondly, it had taken me four months to actually get in for a Saturday night booking! So, was it going to be worth waiting for?
Admittedly, the long wait had been mostly self inflicted, leaving it until late in the week to decide we were free that Saturday only to find out that others had been more organised and the house full signs were up.
So we ventured out on a cold Saturday evening with a confirmed booking, crossed the snow-covered tops outside Greenfield and then slipped through New Mill and out on the Sheffield Road.
In total, it is 21 miles from Oldham to CragRats' door - hardly fun crawling through the fog but no doubt a beautiful drive out in summer.
From the high-level car park on the side of the hill, it is down a flight of steps to an inviting entrance with a magnificent floral display to greet you.
It is all warming brown and tan leather seating and low-level ceilings with the bar area in the middle, bar restaurant to the right and brasserie to left.
We were shown to our seats, right, and though the low-back seats looked unusual they were, nevertheless, very comfortable.
The menu featured ten starters (platter of olives with beetroot houmous one of the more adventurous) and I went for leek and baby spinach risotto with fresh peas and parmesan tuille (£5.25) while my partner spotted salad of smoked duck with raspberry dressing and apple cider chutney (£5.95).
The duck, served cold, was tender and moist and the chutney was a delightful accompaniment while my hot risotto was tasty and the netlike tuille carried a kick with the parmesan flavouring.
An excellent start in what was a very relaxed atmosphere with non-too imposing background music and a young but supremely efficient staff who seemed to be getting everything done without a momentıs panic and, just as importantly, without being intrusive.
There was a real mix of clientele, too, from a crowd of twenty-somethings celebrating an impending wedding, to couples young and not so young and families.
For main meals we went for the char-grilled rib eye steak that came with chips, a red peppercorn sauce and roasted field mushrooms (£14.75) and pot roasted lamb tagine with Moroccan couscous, Greek yoghurt and home-made flat bread (same price).
About the only fault I could find in whole enjoyable evening was that we had not spotted the steak did not come with vegetables and we were not prompted to order a side dish by the waitress.
However, that said, the steak was succulent and the lamb and couscous a winning combination, especially with the filling flat bread.
The portions were not from the 'pile the plate high' school of too many an establishment but less was certainly more in both cases.
There was sufficient. We were not full to bursting but, after a few minutes break, we were ready to tackle a sweet; traditional bread and butter pudding with cinnamon custard (£4.75) and absolutely divine lemon and orange brulee with rum and raisin shortbread (same price, same verdict).
We rounded off with latte coffees before retiring to the bar area.
The whole experience has a touch of class without being over the top.
A glance at the menu in the brasserie across the way showed this to be slightly more expensive but equally inviting while there is also a two and three-course fixed-meal option at £13.95 and £16.95 available for Sunday Lunch. Our evening priced out at just under £70.
No, not cheap, but not extortionate either and quality all the way. Want somewhere different? Then CragRats could be just the place.
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