Address: Calypso Caribbean Restaurant, Woodlands Hotel, 361-363 Preston New Road, Blackburn, BB2 7AA.

Phone number: 01254 261020.

Lancashire Telegraph review by Kimberley Hall from April 25, 2009.

Hidden away under the Woodlands pub, this gem of a restaurant seems yet to be discovered by most.

Since the basement of the pub was converted, it has been a tapas and a fine dining restaurant, but this time it might have found its niche.

Arriving just before 8pm on a Tuesday, my party of nine had booked our table, not knowing how busy the place might be.

Apart from another couple who arrived later, we were the only customers.

We had pre-ordered our food, meaning it was ready just after we sat down at our table.

Some of us opted for spicy chicken wings, a couple chose the meat patty and one went for the king prawns.

All smelled fantastic and there was nothing left on any of the plates.

For main course, two of us opted for a platter to share for our main course, priced at £30.

This might seem pricey, but when you consider you each get three chicken wings, a huge fried king prawn, a Caribbean dumpling, corn on the cob, a mixed Caribbean kebab, fried plantain and fish of the day and a curry dish to share, as well as black bean salad and coleslaw, it represents great value for money for those who like to try a bit of everything. We struggled to finish the meal.

The chef came out of the kitchen to talk us through our platter and we were greeted, not with a Caribbean person as we may have expected, but a head chef with a strong Manchester accent.

Everyone was impressed with the freshness, quality and amount of food.

Drinks were also very reasonably priced, at just under £13 for the house wine, which had a nice flavour and was easy to drink.

My one very small criticism would be that because our platter was so plentiful, it could have been split up so we had some of it when the others had their starters.

We mentioned this to the chef and he was happy to take our comments on board.

We were all too full for desserts but all had coffee to finish off, vowing to return soon.

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