Grill in the Park unveils new look and new menu

It’s likely you’ve been to the 158-bedroom Worsley Park Marriott Hotel and Country Club at least once over the last twenty years. Perhaps you’ve been for a round of golf, had a spa treatment, or have been a guest at one of the hundreds of weddings or conferences it hosts every year in one of its nine meeting and function rooms.

The hotel, set amidst 200 acres of tranquil parkland, might not have been your first option for dinner, but if you’re in the Worsley area, or passing – which is likely, with it being just off junction 13 of the busy M60 – it might be worth considering filling up at their newly refurbished restaurant, Grill in the Park.

A steak selection cooked under a state-of-the-art £16,000 Montague broiler grill

Following a general investment across Marriot’s hotel portfolio – including the Manchester Airport Marriott Hotel in Hale Barnes, which now boasts a Brasserie Blanc - Worsley’s new ‘restaurant concept’, Grill in the Park, has just reopened after its second phase of investment. The restaurant now offers a contemporary new dining experience to the leafy setting of this flagship Marriott property, plus ‘The Drop’ adjacent private dining room.

The new grill menu has been designed and developed by executive chef, Tom Gardner, and includes a steak selection cooked under a state-of-the-art £16,000 Montague broiler grill, fresh seafood and fish, salads and sharing plates.

After classical culinary training in Preston, chef Gardner, who hails from Fallwood, Lancashire, started his career 17 years ago at the Marriott in Preston where he quickly grew from apprentice to senior sous chef. Having remained with Marriott throughout the majority of his cooking career, Gardner has built a stellar reputation for developing menus that tells a story of the region’s history, culture and produce.  Some readers might recognise him from recent stints as a guest chef, demoing at the Bolton Food Festival.

Out front, it’s not easy to make a hotel restaurant not look like, well, a hotel restaurant, but the leafy setting and exposed brick walkway help to set the tone for a casual dinner with friends or a more relaxed business meeting. Walls are papered with very realistic  ‘log cabin’ effect wallpaper, and booth seating and comfy velvet chairs in muted tones offer timeless comfort with which to explore the new wine list.

Being a hotel, with a wide-ranging expanse of different guests, there is a people pleasing nature to the grill menu, but that’s no bad thing. Chef Tom is keen to make sure expected dishes such as steak and sea bass are on there, but cooked as perfectly as they can be.

Highlights of the new menu include starters of pan seared scallops with celeriac puree, roasted hazelnuts and apple fennel salad, to the simpler roasted chorizo sausage and garlic mayonnaise. A Grill in the Park sharing board allows for the opportunity to try a few things in one go, including buttermilk fried chicken, wings two ways, grilled prawns and skinny fries.

There is a wide choice of main courses from the grill including chalk stream trout, tandoori buttermilk chicken and a range of steaks including rib-eye, fillet and sirloin – there’s a handy illustration on the menu which shows you exactly which part these cuts originate from.

For the less carnivorous, there are sizzling fajitas or classic fish and chips with peas and proper tartare sauce – a favourite with tourists staying at the hotel. ‘Clean eaters’ might enjoy the deceptively hearty superfood salad with quinoa, charred cauliflower and vinaigrette, or a salad with grilled asparagus, split beans, artichoke and prosciutto.

For those with room left for dessert there is a range of sweet treats, or local Cheshire and Lancashire cheese to finish with. Baked cookie dough, isn’t just an ‘upselling’ name for a simple cookie, it’s a wonderful way to experience a searingly hot, oozing American style cookie straight from the oven with suitably heady baking aromas to match. 

Grill in the Park, Worsley Park Marriott Hotel and Country Club, M28 2QT  Tel: 0161 975 2000