Cheek

From the team that bought you 'Dexter' in Preston (that became famous for it's pig's head buns and hot meat doughnuts) comes the newly opened CBD restaurant 'Cheek'.  Serving up an American, Chinese and Korean BBQ inspired menu, Cheek coins itself a "non traditional meatery" - and it's quickly easy to see why, with an abundance of delicious options for vegetarian diners, including the sweet'n'sour cauliflower, battered and served with miso ranch.

Luckily for me, I was not restricted to a veggie based diet on the night - otherwise I would have missed out on trying their mapo tofu empanadas with 'cheek' bulldog sauce. With possibly the flakiest, butteriest pastry I've ever eaten, it was the perfect marriage between Spanish and Chinese cuisine.

Cheek also excels in its crackling making skills, showcasing it's talents with the well seasoned pork dish that was a special of the day. However, as a tip for future patrons, if you're looking to impress your fellow diners, perhaps the 5 day half duck with smoked hoisin is not the way to go - with the meat around the bones stuck on so tough that the only way to get it off is to gnaw at it with your hands straight off the bone.

One dish I didn't quite get was the dirty cream corn - I found it lacked in flavour and was rather watery. Luckily however, with its' crispy coating and tangy sauce, the sweet'n'sour cauliflower with miso ranch was a resounding success.

Cheek's service is also one of its highlights - friendly, attentive and helpful, they are a prime example of what good service should be.

With its great service and tasty food suitable for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike, I'd recommend trying newly opened 'Cheek' at some point.

Service: 4.5/5
Food: 3/5
Venue: 3/5
Total: 10.5/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point