EXQUISITE presentation, taste-bud tantalising flavours and incredible value for money are seldom three things that go hand-in-hand... yet Scholars bistro at Blackburn College has managed to achieve exactly that.
The restaurant is attached to the college campus at Feilden Street in the town centre, combining industry professionals leading a team of student chefs and waiting-on staff while the latter gain their all-important qualifications for launching a career in the culinary world.
What's most impressive about the unusual makeup of this eatery is just how good the overall experience is, considering the youthful and inexperienced nature of the staff.
Their tutoring is evidently of the highest quality as even though busy on a Friday lunchtime, not one put a foot wrong in terms of service, or indeed anything else.
Myself and a colleague were seated by the large windows towards the front of the spacious room and while this was a "work event", and indeed just hours from the weekend, we opted for soft drinks.
A waitress brought a jug of water to the table along with two glasses and told us that our first course would be out shortly...
Plum tomato and basil soup with Lancashire cheese rarebit
A tried and tested combination of flavours exceptionally done here to kick off our four-course lunch - and while simple, fabulously presented.
Friday was a bitterly cold day and the walk from the office to the restaurant had called for a hot, hearty soup and the first course had certainly ticked that box.
The rich tomato flavour was perfectly balanced with the ever-so-slightly sweet basil, and as I'm not a huge fan of 'chunky' soups, the smooth and creamy texture hit a home run with me.
For those unsure, Lancashire rarebit is a take on your bog-standard cheese on toast, but oh so much better - a slice of toasted chunky white bread smothered in melted creamy Lancashire. Superb, and the perfect accompaniment to soup.
Pan seared seabass with peas and pancetta
While normally this dish would be served as cod, a delivery mishap (blame Covid) meant some improvisation in the kitchen was in order and the young chefs, led by former Northcote chef, David Lyons, duly delivered.
The pan seared seabass had a wonderful texture and was cooked to perfection, while the peas and pancetta blended magnificently and perfectly accompanied the fish.
I can imagine it is easy to crumble when under pressure in a professional kitchen, particularly when ingredients on a set menu don't arrive, and so this dish was particularly impressive when you take into account that the students knew they were not only cooking for a review, but had been forced to veer slightly from the menu.
Pan roasted chicken supreme, crispy leg, carrot puree, crispy kale and bone marrow sauce
I must admit, I would not have ordered this had it not been a set menu. There was a lot going on in terms of flavour, but in truth, a lot of goodness. This was our main course and after the first two smaller courses, this was the one to fill us up.
Again, a fine combination of flavours and textures, all cooked perfectly and I and my colleague thoroughly enjoyed it. This was my first time eating kale and bone marrow sauce, so wasn't sure what to expect, but it was fabulous.
Ginger infused sticky toffee pudding, butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean ice-cream
By this point, I was stuffed. But, as you can see from the image, I got overly excited and tucked in before remembering I was actually here for work.
What a treat - I love sticky toffee pudding and it really was beautiful and rounded off an absolutely brilliant lunch.
Could I finish it? No. But that was nothing to do with the taste, just that we'd over-indulged ourselves for just over an hour and simply couldn't stomach any more. 10/10.
Price
This is the most astonishing part of the whole experience. We were flabbergasted that all four courses cost just £12. Yes, TWELVE.
No exaggeration, anywhere else, this standard of cooking, presentation and volume of food on a lunchtime menu would cost you anywhere between £30 and £50 - and you wouldn't begrudge it.
Conclusion
I was cautiously optimistic before I sat down. I've been to restaurants with great TripAdvisor reviews in the past and have felt disappointed after leaving. Not in this case.
It is easy to see why this is one of the top-rated restaurants in the county, and the number one in Blackburn.
The waiting-on staff, the chefs and the management are all brilliant. So long as they continue as passionate and enthusiastic students, under David Lyons (lecturer in hospitality) and restaurant manager Karen Lilley, these youngsters have a very, very bright future ahead of them.
If you're looking for a fine lunch at an extremely reasonable price, Scholars is the place to go.
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