Not a place for a vegetarian!

Don't read on if you're a committed veggie!

In the evening I went out for yet another meal with three friends who I used to work with. We try and pick interesting places to eat and a Steakhouse in Northampton called "Frank's" had recently received a very good review for its food.

This is not the sort of place to go if you're a vegetarian! Cow hides are everywhere and the place resembles a Ranch (not that I've ever visited one!). We were led upstairs where about eight tables jostled for space - it was very cosy! The menu was short (always a good sign) and consisted of a few dishes that weren't steak based, and then a long list of meaty treats that had us salivating.

We ordered a bottle of Spanish red, munched on some very good homemade bread and garlic butter and then got down to the serious business of ordering. We all had a starter - I chose black pudding, pancetta and poached egg salad, Fiona and Andrea went for the chicken liver pate and Lynda had Beef Carpaccio. All were delicious.

We had to ask for help with the steaks as two of the girls wanted the 16oz "Cote de Boeuf" and weren't sure what it was. It turned out to be a Rib-Eye steak on the bone and not for the faint hearted! Lynda and I chose a more modest Sirloin each and we all enjoyed homemade chips and two vegetable dishes to share.

We had a lovely meal and my steak would probably rank amongst the best I've ever had. Cooked perfectly (medium) and oozing with delicious juices it was beautiful. Our only gripe was the noise we endured throughout the meal which reached a climax when a particularly noisy group of four sat down. The tables were crammed in a bit too much and if I'd wanted to go to the loo during the meal I would have inconvenienced not only our table but our neighbours as well!

I'll definitely be going back, hopefully with Keith who enjoys his steak just as much as I do!