The Olive Press, Preston
First, I want to extend a wonderfully heartfelt and affectionate Thank you to Nick Long. My boyfriend and best friend for 4 fantastic years. I can't wait for the many, many more we'll have together!
Starting at a bar in Preston by the name of Fives, we headed to The Olive Press shortly after a G&T (or two!).
Not only was there welcome heat (little black dress and freezing January nights and not a great combo!) but also a nice welcome atmosphere. I'm a bit of an atmo-snob unfortunately, always hung up on whether an establishment is lacking of not. I wouldn't say the decor had any specific 'theme' as it were. not so much classy as cheery and open. I felt slightly over dressed but I wasn't uncomfortable.
We made our way downstairs to the main dining area, the staircase being the only way down there (to my knowledge) and being in full view of nearly everyone dining there, this is great if you're wearing something flattering, you're feeling particularly gorgeous and want everyone to see. Not so good if you're slightly self-conscious of the shoes you're wearing, the gin you've just had and the bright pink hair you know is impossible to notice - no matter how delicious your ravioli is!
Greeted by a cheery (but not cringe-worthy) waiter, we waited to be seated.
Starting at a bar in Preston by the name of Fives, we headed to The Olive Press shortly after a G&T (or two!).
Not only was there welcome heat (little black dress and freezing January nights and not a great combo!) but also a nice welcome atmosphere. I'm a bit of an atmo-snob unfortunately, always hung up on whether an establishment is lacking of not. I wouldn't say the decor had any specific 'theme' as it were. not so much classy as cheery and open. I felt slightly over dressed but I wasn't uncomfortable.
We made our way downstairs to the main dining area, the staircase being the only way down there (to my knowledge) and being in full view of nearly everyone dining there, this is great if you're wearing something flattering, you're feeling particularly gorgeous and want everyone to see. Not so good if you're slightly self-conscious of the shoes you're wearing, the gin you've just had and the bright pink hair you know is impossible to notice - no matter how delicious your ravioli is!
Greeted by a cheery (but not cringe-worthy) waiter, we waited to be seated.
Now, I know it was the first thing I noticed when descending the stairs, I'm not sure if it was the first thing Nick noticed(I'm pretty sure it was!) but there was a rather large, hairy and intrusive bum-crack on show ahead of us. Next to a table for two. That we, of course, were lead to sit at.
Fortunately, Butt-Crack didn't stick around for long and we able to enjoy our appetisers in bottomhair-less serentiry.
The wine-list is superb! Ranging from the bleak whites to sublime reds and bubbles. As a I'm no way a fan of white or (ugh) rose we opted for a simple Merlot, it was quite delicious and very impressive for only the house wine.
I don't really want to embarrass him too much so I won't go into it too much, but after ordering we toasted our Anniversary and swapped our gifts. This year we had written something for each other. It's easy to admit that after reading the letter Nick had written for me, I fell just a little bit more in love with him...
Our appetisers came, a thin garlic bread with tomato and rosemary and hand-made hummus with flat bread. It was absolutely delicious! The garlic bread is especially worth a mention, it was tasty but surprisingly light. A perfect starter if you have a smaller appetite, as I do.
From the extensive and delectable menu I chose the Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola ravioli with pine nuts and sage. It sounded awesome but unfortunately it wasn't available (the waiter neglected to tell us at the beginning of the evening, but to be honest it was a slight over-sight and not really much of an inconvenience), I was offered a cannelloni of some sort, which was very nice. Nick went for the smoked salmon, baby plum tomato, caper, rocket and sour cream pizza. I wanted to eat it when it arrived. All of it.
We quite comfortably spent nearly 2 hours at our table, chatting over a knickerbocker glory and a double espresso.
The service was impeccable (except for the rather miserable waiter who paid our bill for us, maybe he didn't like the look of us...or the generous 
tip we left.), the food was undeniable in it's quality, the prices we very reasonable (it barely cost us £55 for a bottle of (good) wine, two substantial appetisers, two generous main meals, side orders, coffee & desserts afterwards and a tip!).
tip we left.), the food was undeniable in it's quality, the prices we very reasonable (it barely cost us £55 for a bottle of (good) wine, two substantial appetisers, two generous main meals, side orders, coffee & desserts afterwards and a tip!).The whole evening was utterly enjoyable, I would definitely love to go again.
I should love to write another bumbling review of Fives, the up-market bar we visited before and after our meal, but I admit we didn't spend much time taking in our surroundings...it's so easy to get lost in your lover's attention.
