Banny's Restaurant, Colne

Phone number: 01282 856220

Lancashire Telegraph review by John Anson from February 20, 2010.

THE last time I visited Banny’s was the week after it opened, so a revisit was long overdue.

Attached to the shopping Mecca that is Boundary Mill, Banny’s has a difficult job to fulfill.

It has to cater for the influx of coach parties that make a beeline for the end of the M65 but also couples and families.

It’s a big place and as a result a little souless (sorry about the fish puns).

The aquarium in the entrance is worthy of a visit in its own right but what about the food?

Banny’s classes itself as a fish and chip restaurant, so it’s a bit surprising to find only haddock on the menu.

You can get plaice but as goujons plus traditional chippy fare such as pies and sausage.

I went for the fish and chips (£6.95) while the better half had scampi (£7.50).

Both were served with little pots of tartare sauce and side dishes of mushy peas.

The fish was quite nicely cooked in a light batter although the scampi were a little overdone.

You could ask why not just go to the chippy where the prices are lower but that misses the point of Banny’s.

You pay a premium for convenience and what’s served up is perfectly acceptable fare.

You can also enjoy a glass of wine with your meal should you choose.

One minor quibble, I know it was the end of the day when we visited but the restaurant was looking a bit scruffy with discarded chips and bits of batter lying under several tables.

Seeing how many staff were on duty, surely someone could have a quick tidy up.

Lancashire Telegraph review by Gill Johnson from September 26, 2008.

IT’S a classic on the British menu — so when you serve fish and chips it has to be right.

The fish should be “meaty”, the batter thin and crispy and the chips chunky and grease free.

And the onus is even greater if you trade as a fish and chip restaurant, like the newly-opened Banny’s at the end of the M65 at Colne.

Happily for diners, the cooks in the kitchen have obviously been to fish and chip training school, for the cuisine was just as it should be.

Maybe they’ve even served time at the local “chippy”, because our haddock arrived faster than you could say “salt and vinegar?”

Grandma would have had a fit paying £6.95 for such a meal, but the 208-seat restaurant is smart, decked out with a nautical flavour, although the atmosphere, to me, was rather sterile.

Each meal comes with side dishes of garden or mushy peas, bread and butter, a pot of tartare sauce and a wedge of lemon.

The choice is somewhat limited — there’s scampi, too, or plaice goujons, a selection of pies, or a jumbo sausage.

Starters include prawn cocktail at £3.95, seafood platter and soup, with desserts at £3.75. Just a word here about the staff. I reckon they all have to take a personality test as part of their job allocation —they’re very friendly, helpful and eager to please.

Another feature of Banny’s, on the new multi-million pound Boundary Mill site, is the huge, colourful aquarium in the foyer, where you can sit and watch the tropical fish swimming around in style – before tucking into one of their close relations!

Lancashire Telegraph review by John Anson from February 5, 2007.

AMONG the whirl of bargain hunters and the crush of coach parties all in search of a bargain at Boundary Mill, Banny's sits like a little oasis of calm.

Inside, the decor's on the simple side with plain wooden tables and chairs and a few prints on the walls.

A soundtrack of Eighties love ballads accompanied our meal - but although the music may be on the dodgy side, the same cannot be said for the food on offer.

The menu isn't huge but there should be enough choice to satisfy most palates with dishes ranging from sandwiches and snacks to home cooked mains.

I went for the interesting-sounding foccacia melt with a side order of chips while the better half chose the pork loin steak.

With a pot of tea for me and a glass of wine for the non driver our bill came to £19.20.

Considering the restaurant was less than half full we did have to wait longer than I would have thought to get served - we had a similar delay when it came to getting the bill.

But in between, everything was very good indeed. The foccacia melt featured roasted vegetables on tasty tomato bread and the accompanying chips were clearly home made and much the better for it.

The pork steak was a fine piece of meat, which was well cooked throughout and came with potatoes and a side dish of fresh vegetables.

Like most men, the thought of a visit to Boundary Mill fills me with fear.

The knowledge that Bannister's is on site certainly eases the pain.

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