Eating out in Blackpool: This casino restaurant is aiming for AA accolades with its new menu
Lewis Reynolds, better known as Louie or @Louiereynolds to his Instagram followers is the man behind the success of the Upper Deck Bar and Grill, a contemporary and classy restaurant in the Grosvenor Casino, on the Promenade.
Although just 27, he already has a wealth of experience in the kitchens of Michelin Star and rosette restaurants in London, and when he returned to Blackpool he wanted to put his own style and stamp on a restaurant – and along came The Upper Deck.
During covid the casino made an £870,000 investment in the club, and redesigned the restaurant facility.
General Manager Nikolas MacFadden explained: “We spent months looking at everything from choosing new cutlery to the height of the tables, from the glassware to what leather we would have on the booths to the lighting levels. We worked on the service levels, the staffing and looked at all our suppliers to ensure they could give us the quality and range we wanted for the new menu.”
And to ensure the food matched the stunning, contemporary surroundings – where every detail had been fine-tuned – they took on Louis and his second chef Ben Cowan.
Ben is gaining experience both with Louis and further afield, with placements at Raymond Blanc OBE’s Michelin-starred Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire and at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck in Berkshire, which boasts three Michelin Stars.
“We are aiming for AA Rosettes – which Blackpool doesn’t have at the moment,” said Nikolas.
And they’ve already made a good start by being shortlisted for a “Best Casino Restaurant” award, reaching the top five of all casino restaurants in Europe in the ECA Awards – alongside Le Train Bleu in Monte Carlo and the Heliot at London’s Hippodrome.
New menu
With the provenance of the chefs as impressive as that of the food and the wine, the new menu promises to be something to savour.
Every dish has been painstakingly devised by Louis and the team, and tried, tested and tweaked until they’re happy it’s perfect.
“His raw talent is just incredible with food,” said Nikolas. “And there is a real buzz about the place in the kitchen and front of house with lots of laughter and a real passion and enjoyment for the food and the whole dining experience.”
It’s also competitively priced to ensure it’s not just top quality but affordable too – and being right beside the seaside there’s plenty of fish, as well as meaty treats on the menu, with locally sourced produce in pride of place.
For starters you’ll be spoiled for choice – if you love seafood their scallops will hit the spot, served with compressed pineapple, curried mayonnaise, confit ginger and chilli, coriander cress or how about tasty lamb meatballs with pickled minted fennel, pea purée and herb broth.
Main courses include a delicious steamed fillet of hake dish – a delicate but meaty fish with chorizo, turmeric potatoes, mussels, garden peas, and coconut madras broth – or you could go for game with venison fit for a king, try the pan fried loin of venison with beetroot purée, roasted beets, sarladaise potato, charred scallions and cherry jus. And if you like steak, then the Dukesmoor Farm steaks have to be tasted to be believed. The meat comes from cattle bred and reared on the farm, for a stress-free three years. Once butchered the meat is hung for 28 days in a Himalayan salt chamber to dry age it and you can choose from rump, rib-eye, fillet or T-bone and have it cooked to perfection and served with Guinness braised onion, roasted garlic purée, confit tomatoes on the vine, shiitake mushrooms and fries.
And among the delicious desserts are some local delights including Lancashire parkin with caramelised bananas, popcorn, vanilla caramel and clotted cream ice cream and a Lancashire cheeseboard with a selection of biscuits, chilli jam, grapes and celery.
Every Sunday lunch a traditional roast dinner, cooked to perfection, is served. Relax and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy musical accompaniment from the regular acoustic duo. Just don’t forget to book to secure your spot as it fills up fast.
Your reviews
And the customers would certainly bet on an AA win for the restaurant, which just a few months ago was near the bottom of the charts for Blackpool and is now ranked fourth out of 447 in the town according to Trip Advisor.
Here’s a taste of some of the comments on Trip Advisor reviews:
Perfect Sunday Roast - Myself and my friend had the roast dinner and it was unlike any other I’ve had. The meat was tender and juicy and the roast potatoes were gorgeous.
Best restaurant in the Fylde - Food was awesome. Staff Frankie was so polite & looked after us. We will defitently return
Superb! - Excellent food and service. Better than many standalone restaurants. Will be back again. No doubt at all.
Great night! - Excellent food presented professionally, service was excellent and friendly definitely coming back. Never been in a casino...Not what I expected at all!!!
Phenomenal- Amazing food which was cooked perfectly. Had the fillet with scallops which were incredible, and service was even better!
Added extras
With events like the popular Postcode Lottery, diners can eat for less when their home postcode is selected for a discount.
And follow the Upper Deck Bar and Grill on Facebook and you’ll be the first to find out about new dishes and events, you’ll get to know the team and even find out a few cooking tips or pick up some mouthwatering recipes.
A big night out
You don’t have to be a fan of roulette or master of the card tables to enjoy a night out here. Guests are welcome to simply come along to enjoy a romantic dinner, or a gathering of friends and family over a meal – as it’s a strictly over 18s venue you can be assured of a child-free atmosphere if you want a night away from the kids for a change!
But you can mingle with those in the casino – and even have a little flutter if you fancy – or just soak up the atmosphere, take a seat in the sports lounge or sip a martini in the cocktail bar.
Gambling
Casino premises are strictly open only to over 18s. Make sure you are gamble aware and reach out for help if you need it. Call the Freephone GambleAware helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit the website for more advice here.