Aven Restaurant — Restaurant in Preston

Thank you for inviting us to provide feedback on the service we received at your restaurant on 12 February. We are more familiar with high quality restaurants in France than in the UK so our comments are influenced by the service we have received there.

As to be expected, the quality of the food in the taster menu was very good as was the wine pairing. We enjoyed food which we could not easily replicate at home so it was a treat to experience a variety of flavours. However, we were unimpressed with the substitution of a beer for one tasting.

The sommelier had a very good customer attitude and gave interesting information about the wines. The waiters were also helpful and gave comprehensive information about the courses, though it was difficult to assimilate the information. This may have been partly because of the tight siting of the table into the corner which was immediately below the loud speaker so it was difficult to hear what we were being told. Also, it was because, having learned the script by heart, they recited it in a mechanical way rather than using a more human to human approach.

In our opinion, table service could be improved. We may be dated in our view, but we believe that it is customary to serve the female first when serving a couple and to avoid reaching across one diner to serve the other.

Waiters need to be more aware when glasses need topping up with water. I had to gain the attention of someone three times. We have noted that in quality restaurants, although each of the waiters may be assigned to specific tables, all staff are checking as they pass other tables to assess diners’ needs. It may be better to leave a pitcher of water on each table so that it is accessible when not being served.

One aspect of your service philosophy that we appreciated was that we were not continuously interrupted with the question of whether everything was "all right". This unfortunate experience occurred at a Michelin star restaurant in a village near to Preston and Blackburn.

We hope our comments are not received as criticisms but simply our responses to your request. We enjoyed the evening and the food was first class. I have to admit, though, that if I had ordered the set menu which has the same meat dish as the taster menu, I would have hoped for an extra slice of venison and possible...

Our pre-Christmas lunch at Aven was alcohol-free so it was all about the food, the service and the room. In reverse order the room is the ground floor of terraced house just off Winkley Square. The upper floors are let as bedrooms or perhaps suites with predictable decor (real and faux panelling painted Farrow & Ball blue, tasteful prints on the wall, mid-century style dining chairs with arms) and a calm, accessible-posh ambience. Two hour free parking outside was a bonus as we went by car. We had booked by app on the day but seem to have snagged the best table in the room, a four seater in the bay window. The room would seat about 24 people with three three front of house staff plus a (female) maître d' . All young and well briefed on the food and wine. The set menu is five courses (one of which is excellent spent grain bread) for £49. I had also had the £14 butter pie optional course. The first course was a little smoked trout delicacy on filo pastry. Not much more than an amuse bouche but excellent. Then the bread which is made with spent grains from the Farm Yard Brew Co at Forton whose beer they serve. I had a couple of glasses of their Easy Sunshine - Alcohol Free Pale 0.5% which were sufficiently drinkable that we called in there on the way home and bought a case of the stuff. Then the butter pie for me. Not at all like the Wigan Butter Pie designed to feed people on the day before pay day when the meat had run out. This one was on filo pastry with confit potato, a hint of cheese in the sauce and some mushroomy shavings on top. I’d have it again in a flash. Next up was the cod which normally comes with an oyster broth but in my oyster-allergic guest had a brown shrimp one instead. Succulent cod enhanced rather than overwhelmed by the sauce. The venison was small but perfect and came with venison sausage that could have passed as black pudding (delicious), salsify, parsnip purée and a dab of fruity ketchup. Michael Winner might well have pronounced it historic. What the dessert course lacked in colour it made up in taste. The snow ball was essentially ice cream surrounded by marshmallow that must have required real skill to produce and not easy to describe either. We’ll definitely...

My wife and I are partial to nice restaurants that serve good food and that has friendly, attentive staff. 263 scored maximum points across the board. As a birthday treat, I wanted to take my wife somewhere special that was in reasonable travelling distance from where we live. After reading the reviews on here 263 was the obvious choice. The day after I confirmed booking online I received a telephone call enquiring if we had any food allergies! A restaurant has never done this before. From that point I knew we were going to be looked after. The restaurant itself is understated, in a quiet little back street off Winckley Square in Preston. The dining room is not huge and has a view into the kitchen. The ambiance was relaxing. We were given a warm welcome from the manager and her waiting-on team. We has the tasting menu with wine pairing with each course. I cannot stress enough how sublime the food was. Prior to the main event, we were give 3 "snack" courses. Each one was a joy. I have to mention that the third snack consisted of 4 slices of bread and a pot of butter! We both thought it rather odd, but when we tasted the beautifully freshly baked bread with the butter, it was like flavour-bombs had gone off in our mouths. it was glorious! The following 6 courses were exquisite. What kind of chef can make sweetcorn exciting? The butter pie is like no pie I've ever eaten before (and I've eaten a few of those over the years...). I'm not a big fish fan but the halibut was delicious. For me, the star of the meal was the venison loin which was served with black pudding, pickled cabbage, onions, pearl barley and a gloriously rich jus. It was complemented perfectly with a Uruguayan red wine. I don't eat malt loaf, but I will eat the one created at 263. I'm no fan of blue cheese, however the one prepared and served to us rounded off a truly fantastic experience. I cannot heap enough praise on this restaurant. Thank you for making my wife's birthday an extra-special one this year. We cannot...