Joel's Restaurant at the GlassHouse review: We tried out dreamy Sunday dinners at a Cleveleys restaurant just a stone's throw from the seafront

The seaside town may be a smaller destination compared to its louder and brighter (well let’s face it, you can’t get much brighter than the Illuminations) neighbour, Blackpool – but it’s still got all the charm you’d expect of a coastal resort.

A stunning promenade that attracted intergalactic action in the Star Wars Andor series, fish and chip shops, family fun arcades, friendly cafes and ice cream stalls galore. And you can add a bustling nightlife to that list of assets.

Yes, of course, there have always been plenty of excellent restaurants and pubs to choose from in Cleveleys. But with new bar The Vault Bar and Lounge the latest to join drinking establishments such as GlassHouse cocktail bar, The Shipwreck Brewhouse, and The Venue on the patch, it seems the night scene is getting greater with every new place opening.

So to give us a taste of the nightlife, we tried out Joel’s Restaurant – the eaterie above GlassHouse. (Although let me be clear, we had the kids in tow so we’ll have to save the Cleveleys bar crawl for another evening.)

Set just minutes from the seafront on Bispham Road makes it a brilliant location while the huge glass windows adorned in twinkling lights give it a bright and welcoming appeal.

We were greeted by the friendly front of house staff who showed us to a fabulous corner table with a comfortable couch for the children to do some people watching at the street below.

There was a real warmth about the place with friendly exchanges from the staff and pleasant chatter among other diners enjoying their meals.

We had the choice of the Sunday menu when we visited which offered indulgent starters like pulled beef bon bons filled with cheesy mash and main courses such as beef skirt two ways.

To start off we decided to share a plate of calamari, which were succulent and lightly battered.

For the main dishes, the hubby chose the slow roasted topside beef (£16.95) while I opted for the rosemary lamb shank (£16.95).

Both were impressively presented with a giant Yorkshire pudding, served with creamy mash, roast potatoes, honey roasted carrots, green beans, and savoy cabbage with smoked bacon lardons. There was lashings of tasty red wine gravy and a huge side of cauliflower cheese.

The meat was full of flavour and tender, the roast potatoes had that fluffy centre that just epitomises comfort food and the vegetables were cooked so perfectly it felt like they were filling you with goodness with every mouthful.

A Sunday roast dinner that dreams are made of.

The children stuck to their traditional favourites with our son tucking into some chicken goujons and chips while our youngest daughter enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs (£6.95 each). Both were homemade which was wonderful to see, especially in the age of trying to avoid too many processed foods. A veggie side dish or salad would be a great addition though as we try to keep up with our children’s recommended five-a-day (or is it seven now?). Two children’s ice creams (£2.50 each) finished off the meal and left everyone truly satisfied.

We’ll certainly be back to taste the Cleveleys nightlife scene again soon.