With America week drawing to a close I thought I’d visit an American style restaurant in our fair capital to give myself a taste of things to come once I hit Orange County. Nothing like getting myself overexcited now is there…
Tucked away down some metal stairs is the Holborn branch of All Star Lanes. I was in London with a friend and work colleague who had to give a presentation and asked me along for the ride. Never one to miss an opportunity I suggested we hit All Star Lanes for some grub as I was desperate to try their new menu and a branch outside of Manchester.
The venue is smaller than the one in Manchester with the dining area running along the left hand side of the bowling lanes which are lit in neon colours. There aren’t as many lanes either but I did notice another bowling area down the side of the venue, I presume this is the VIP/private lanes similar to the ones they have in Manchester.
We had booked and were seated quickly where my friend decided she had to try the bacon popcorn whilst we perused the menu.
Perfectly popped and soft it was studded with slithers of bacon that my friend announced were delicious but there wasn’t enough of them. This had my chuckling for ages as she shares a name with the delicious rashers.
Never one to turn down a cocktail especially one containing rum I had the Rum Runner. This bad boy packs a punch with Ron Abuelo anejo, Blackwell’s, Wray & Nephew, bitters, pineapple, lime and raspberry. Usually tall drinks like this are fairly easy drinking but this one, described as the cousin of the Zombie, had a real hit of alcohol from the various rums sweetened with the fruit juices. I obviously loved it but don’t think I could have drank many more without being decidedly wobbly on my feet!
Onto the food and we chose very different starters. I had the salt beef croquettes which had a lovely crunchy coating and worked really well with the slightly vinegary dill pickle mustard dip. The meat combined with potato was soft yet still chunky unlike other croquettes I have eaten in restaurants. My friend was very well behaved opting for the summer salad of marinated vegetables and mixed leaves topped with mozzarella and a poached egg. The flavours were fresh and simple with the yolk from the egg providing a lovely creamy dressing once popped. She was very happy with it.
My friend soon dipped out of the healthy stuff going for the buttermilk fried chicken burger and a side of sweet potato fries for her main. The chicken was soft and juicy with a light batter, a slightly sour fennel slaw matched with a hit of spice from hot sauce and chipotle mayo. I thought it was perfect although my friend is a fan of heat and thought it could be a little spicier. Her fries however, I was not getting near these beauties. She allowed me one before sitting with the pot in front of her happily munching her way through them. The one I managed to wrestle out of her hands was well seasoned with a crunchy exterior. Lovely… and I could see why she wasn’t letting me near the bucket.
Having seen the chargrilled chicken salad on Twitter and how ‘clean’ it looked I wasn’t going to order anything else. A bed of lamb’s lettuce dotted with quinoa, chunks of chicken topped with rashers of bacon and a poached egg was so good considering how healthy it was. Well minus the bacon. That’s not that healthy I guess. The aged balsamic dressing mixed with the egg yolk was something else and it was all so fresh. If someone could make this for me every day I’d be a happy lady.
Too full for dessert my friend and I marvelled at how quiet the bowling lanes were considering we were sat right next to them. We thought it would distract us massively and interfere with our conversation but we were very wrong. The staff were attentive, efficient and friendly without being overly so. A hard combination to come by but this place seems to be a well oiled machine and I didn’t hear a single person complain.
One thing I will say is the toilets aren’t the best with a few doors that wouldn’t lock and few without toilet roll. Having seen the state of some of the toilets in my favourite bars though it wasn’t a major issue.
The place was busy for a Wednesday night with a large group sat next to us enjoying a meal. Now if only we can get all this custom to Manchester mid week!
I booked in and ate at All Star Lanes with every intention of paying for my meal. The staff here had other ideas and didn’t ask me to pay for this meal. This review is an honest unbiased account of my friend and I’s thoughts.
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