Lily Mae's
 

Anyone tried it yet?
Me and Mum went on Friday lunchtime last week, it was very busy, food was good but overpriced I thought, service took a long time and no draught lager on despite the advertised Peroni. £2.odd for a small bottle of Fosters ! Wine list looked expensive too when you consider what the Calder has to offer.
Anyhow, I will give it another go as food was tasty and well presented, portions large and menu adventurous by Accy's standards....grilled steak baguette with avocado salsa! :eek:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Give me a clue Lindsay, where is it?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I dont know where it is either? Is it the old Mc D's?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

It's part of what used to be Broughtons

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Yup; used to be posh bathroom place under the railway arches; opposite side of road to what used to be Kwik Save ! ( if that makes sense !)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Where's that Dave? Is a pub/cafe or mainly pub?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Sorry dont answer that question, thanks Lindsay.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

It's advertised as a bistro/bar/ cafe . Not sure if there is an upstairs bit, if not they are going to struggle to fit people in, saw at least 8 punters walk away on friday because it looked like there was no room.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I've walked past it umpteem times just didn't know what it was called. Will give it a try sometime.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Been passed it a few times..but it didn't really register with me.....sure I should be a blonde...........:D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Seen it open at night, wonder if the menu is different then.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Apparently it is a different menu at night but they didn't have any to hand out; said it was more specials, they did give us a Christmas menu though that looked very nice; sadly no price on it !

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Lets hope its not one of those:

"If you have to ask you can't afford"

lol. :)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

me and the missus are friends of the owner and were invited to the opening night, something a bit different for accrington and i must say he has done a very good job considering he`s new to the cafe/bar/bistro game, the menu is very adventurous and different in an evening, don`t know why they had no evening menu`s to give out though, unless its being tweaked,we had a great night, there is an upstairs overspill area with waiter/waitress service and large comfy leather setees for chilling out on with a beer. although i must agree about the prices, possibly a little overpriced for accrington but i suppose quality costs.:D would highly recommend giving it a try though.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Do you know if they have an experienced/qualified chef preparing the food in the evenings?

It certainly looks nice when ive driven past, and would like to try something different of an evening in Accrington. Almost every new opening these days, seems to be an Indian Restaurant or Takeaway, and whilst i am rather partial to Indian Food, it would be nice to have something perhaps on the Medditerranean/Modern British style for a more varried culinary experience.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Anyone any idea yet, on what type of food is served?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Ultra-modern, infusion food?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

which is what exactly......... lol

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Re: Lily Mae's
 

Is the 'twist' the lemon on the fish or your opinion of the cost? ;)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Food like anything moves through different styles/fashions, one of the recent movements was fusion food.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Walked past this afternoon and it looked far from full...too expensive for Accrington & Districts?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I have read this and am still no wiser what fusion food is :confused:
Food And Beverage Articles - Chowbaby.com

Re: Lily Mae's
 

a lot of pretentiousness .....e.g. chantrel mushrooms sauted in lemongrass flavoured butter or crabcakes covered with pacific island coconut flakes presented on a bed of kung pao noodles ..........:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

agree with your thoughts on the lemon twist .....in my mind the only place for a lemon twist is in a martini ...;) ;)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

That'll go down well in Accy.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I cling to hope that it will last, it sounds lovely and I shall definitely be giving it a go. Some folk in Accy don't want to know if it isn't wrapped in pastry but for goodness sake there's enough pie shops to keep them all happy. Here's to an establishment that caters for other tastes. :D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Asda call it Mushroom Pot Noodle :)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

pmsl, nice one.

Actually noticed it today when i was going around the roundabout.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

it's a little pricey, little bit more upscale - yes expect that with fusion food - but even as i've only been living in the area a little under two years i realize accrington could benefit from a little bit of culture.

the amount of unimpressive indians/italians is appalling (not to mention the dirty and nasty fast food).

at least check out the place - decent service/good food.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Talking about restaurants, whats happen to Papa Luigis in accy, it has turned into a very posh restaurant, is it still the same or has been taken over by someonelse???

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I think it's under new ownership, Papa Luigi's in Accrington went bust earlier this year I believe

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Knew Papa Luigi's had been bought out and that it was been refurbished, but has it actually opened yet?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

i think im going for my birthday

Re: Lily Mae's
 

As the owner of Lily Mae's I can say that yes the chef is very experienced/qualified and we serve modern English food.:)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Sorry if we are not down to your standards but there is more to food than polystyrene cartons.:rolleyes:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Now, now, Ian, touchy touchy...I don't actually know whether your establishment is down, or even up to my standards, because I haven't tried it yet. I was merely making an observation and suggesting a reason for what I saw. Rest assured, I will be sampling your dishes at some point in the near future!

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Will you be going when the cutomer relations training has been completed :D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Ian...One of the reasons people post on Accyweb is because they can pass an opinion without being jumped on for it...........it's called Free Speech :D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

He's not got to the "How to attract new customers bit" yet. When I do go in, I must be careful not to say anything like "quiet in here today, isn't it?"...I might end up getting chucked out into the street! :D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Just be careful, whatever you do....don't complain, your feet won't touch on the way out.:D :D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

On the contrary, rather than complaining, I was thinking of having a little joke when I go in by asking for a sausage roll and jam donut...then replying to the inevitable refusal by saying, "well, this is Gregg's, isn't it?" Possibly an unwise move, on reflection. ;)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Let me know when you decide to go, I want to be there to see the look on his face :rolleyes: :D

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Hi Ian, any chance of putting a sample menu on here. My husband and i came in the other Saturday evening around 8ish to be told it was fully booked, but didn't get chance to look at a menu. Be great if you could. Thanks.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

It's at the side of the roundabout under the arches.People do not get thrown out the front door instead they are whisked upstairs and made a meal OF.
Enjoy your meal.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Quite a novel way of dealing with unruly punters you've got there, Ian. Think I might give your customers indigestion, though!

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Nice one. Hope you enjoy it!
:cook38:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I'll let you know...if I get out alive! ;)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I've only just noticed this place tonight, it's not very obvious is it.

I'll give it a go sometime.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Have managed to look at the menu and it does sound good, and prices not to bad. Shall certainly be giving it a try in the not to distant future.

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Re: Lily Mae's
 

Well, finally got round to going last night and I can tell you that it was excellent. The food was wonderful. My friend and I couldn't decide which starters we wanted so we ordered one each then split them down the middle so I had goats cheese with mushrooms and king prawns. Then we all had steaks for our main as we all agreed that it's something that is hard to do at home to perfection. Two of us had pepper sauce and my friend had chasseur sauce. Again, all excellent they brought us enough vegetables and potatoes to feed a party of nine!

Worked out at £40 each which I suppose is pricey but that's also because we drank three bottles of wine between three of us. It was a special occassion so was happy to pay that amount. The place was full and the service was good.

It definitely recommend it - I just hope that enough people catch on to it quick enough and it lasts because it's definitely what Accrington needs.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

how to win friends n influence people.:rolleyes: forget it.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Does anyone have the phone number for this place? I bought a 3-course meal for two at this restaurant, at a charity auction at Poplar Club on Friday night. I'm glad I made the investment, it sounds like I'm going to experience some fine dining, providing I can get in touch to book a table for Saturday night.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Sorry can't help you. But why don't you PM ian gregg whose a member of accy web and also the owner of lily maes, you never know he could be on before saturday and pm you back.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

The phone number for Lily Mae's is 01254 232883 for anyone who needs it.
Hope the good feedback keeps rolling in.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Hey we were in Lily Mae's on Friday night too.We were sat on the big table for a 65th birthday party.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Been in. Top notch stuff for also top notch prices :) But well worth it , presented good aswell , not just a usual cafe! Its good signs that accringtons going up in the world! :)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Had several meals there now. All excellent. However - could do with a special or something like that as the menu is very limited.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Have been put off by the managers attitude to be honest.

Seems to me that if anyone says anything in the negative, theyre talked down to.

Not everyone up lives on tripe and onoins ya know

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Tell me about it; I got neg karma for posting my views ! Not been back since !:rolleyes:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

heard they doing sunday roasts ,beef and all.every sunday during march.anyone tried it?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Not likely to unfortunately, I started this thread and gave a balanced opinion of the bistro when it opened, I didn't diss it and thought I was fair, ...I got neg karma off the owner and a comment that read ....."bad luck"
So, with that attitude in mind I won't bother going back.:eek:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

i doubt many people off here will go anyway, not after reading the rest of the thread

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Well I won't be. Not with the attitude of the owners, even if the food is good.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

And they say there's no such thing as bad publicity ?:rolleyes:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

hey all. im new to this site. just thought i'd say went to lily mae's on friday night with my other half. they had a special menu it was lots of fish and Game. I had rabbit for my main course the other half had Mackerel. The food was fantastic and the staff where all really friendly. the bill came to £65.00 that was for 4 courses and a bottle of wine. would definitely recommend it. Infact we have booked to go again with 2 other friends its a caribbean theme night. grass skirts at the ready. he he

Re: Lily Mae's
 

glad you enjoyed the experience, however until they have a change of management or ownership, I'm stopping well clear

Re: Lily Mae's
 

We went to lily mae's last night for my birthday, have to agree the food was very good, nicely presented and reasonably priced. We will definately be going back again, one of the best fillet steaks i've eaten in a long while. The staff were also very friendly.

They also do a 2 course Sunday lunch £5.95 for adults and £3.95 for children, i think we will be trying that one weekend. I would highly recommend a visit.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

hi everyone i am new on here just like to ask everyone that has bin to lily maes whether u like the food and to say that the manager's not that bad really sure she dident mean to give u bad karma all feed back is good feed back at the end of the day all we want to do here at lily maes is make it a great place to come and eat thanx

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Hi MickBell, care to expand what you are in Lilly Maes then? Just so we know who we are talking to?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I don't think it was the manager who ruffled the feathers i think it was Ian, the owner.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

think you are correct , he got snippy when someone made a comment (in jest) about the availability sausage rolls and jelly dough-nuts .
Think before coming on with an attitude like that , he needs to have at least a couple of Michelin stars to his name :eek: :eek:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Hi i am one of the chefs at lily maes thats why i would like to hear any coments about the place so i can try to improve anything if i can (to do with food) and i will pass anyyhing to do with front of house on to the manager .And just like to say that Ian is not that bad just passionate about lily maes and really wants it to work i am sure that he didnt mean anything nasty and i am not just saying that because he pays my wages lol

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Mick I am sure you are right about Ian...I think people should try the food and then pass judgement....if the food is good then folk will come back.
(and so far, there seem to be some very complimentary comments on the food)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

yes i agree with u margaret and what better time to try the food than this weekend why dont u all try it. booking would be a good idea if u do try it let me know on here

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I dont think anyone has had a negative comment to make about the food, so you should be commended Mick.

Unfortunately I would rather self inflict major traumas with a red hot poker than give Ian any part of my hard earned cash.

Sorry (if you move on tho, feel free to post on here where to ;)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

thanx onlyme sorry to hear that u wont be coming back to lily maes but like i said Ian is not that bad and if i move on i will let u know but dont think it will be in the near future.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Quite right, Mick, just one question...are your sausage rolls sauteed?

Re: Lily Mae's
 

no sorry harris there not sauteed thay r deep fryed lol.No we dont do sausage rolls but we do have some very nice scones hand made by me

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Wot, no jam doughnuts? You'll be telling me you don't have HP Sauce on the tables next!

Re: Lily Mae's
 

no sorry no doughnuts r hp sauce on tables but do have sauce if u ask 4 it

Re: Lily Mae's
 

As i said earlier in the thread, we really enjoyed our meal the other week. I think we'll have to give the sunday lunch a try one weekend.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Personally, I think this is what this establishment should be judged on, rather than some comments that were posted by the owner on here, after all, there are people who work there and they have no control over what the owner says, or for that matter who he upsets....I don't think they should be penalised...especially if the food is good and of a competitive price.
Accrington actually needs something other than takeaways and Indian establishments.
(personal opinion)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

You know I've read and reread this thread and I still can't find what the problem is with what Ian said - he only responded to a few people in the way that they spoke to him - it all sounded tongue in cheek to me. Can't quite see why some people took him seriously.

Anyway, whatever, the food's good.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I completley agree with you Margaret. At the end of the day it's the staff who make the place and create the atmosphere.We prefer to go out for a nice meal rather than a night out going from pub to pub. The night we went it was quite busy, from where we were sat we could see straight into the kitchen, and watch things being cooked. All the staff worked really hard. And it's nice to have somewhere nice to go that's within a reasonable taxi/walking distance from home.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

It was the nasty comment and the karma taking that did it for me !
And I still think my review was impartial and unoffensive.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I've obviously missed this.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

It was attached to the karma removal and I didn't make it public but let's just say he didn't take too well to a little criticism !:rolleyes:

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Oh, well, fair enough. Not the best way to get customers.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I suppose at the end of the day it was a new business and he was being passionate about it.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

I didn't see what he said, just the furore it created, but I still think folk should judge the place purely on its merits....and Lindsay, if I am correct it was in the first few days of it opening that you went in...so it was just getting going.

We don't eat out very often these days, but I would be prepared to give it a go.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Karma sent, sorry but I am a stubborn bird lol. ( i may be tempted to come in incognito with someone else paying lmao)

Best of luck to you, you seem to be doing a great job x

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Hey you guys I'd just like to say a big thankyou for realising that nothing nasty was ever meant by my previous comments. If you only knew me then maybe you would understand that that's just my sense of humour. I appreciate all the good feedback and thanks for giving us a chance & just to let you know Mick and Rob are top chefs.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

No problem Ian, nice of you to come back on here and have the cojones to do so.
It looks like your place is flourishing and long may it continue !:)

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Was going to try it out 17th June Ian (joint birthday treat for myself and son).. got to door at a lunch time, to look at opening times. Unfortunately, only serve Fri/Sat evenings. Realise we are not city dwellers, but any chance you will extend these evening openings ?

Didn't go in obviously, but a lady came out as I was looking and stated that she had only had soup and a sandwich, but was 'absolutely beautiful'.

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Hi katex i am only one of the chefs at lily maes but i do know that we can open on thursdays but ithink it is only 4 a set number of people u best bet is to phone lily maes and ask the manager r ian if he is there the number is 01254 232883 so just phone that number and hopfully u can arrange somthing thanx

Re: Lily Mae's
 

Called round for Sunday lunch today, there was a choice of five starters and five main courses. Well worth the £5.95 per head even Siobhan managed two courses.

And the sticky toffee pudding was delicious.