LP Eats @ Bianco, Preston: I was a little underwhelmed… It was like something I could've made at home

After visiting Jaffa last week, the Lancashire Post this week headed down to nearby Bianco to sample their wares for the latest LP Eats review…

As fans of our food reviews will know, everyone with a carnivorous dent loves a kebab. Whether that's a fragrant and impeccably spiced chicken shawarma with crisp fresh veg and a delicate honey BBQ sauce, or a hulking great dirty rugby ball of donner meat dripping in grease and garlic mayo with the odd chip scattered in there like shrapnel, kebabs are king.

Armed with the Five Golden Criteria on which all kebabs are to be adjudged - naan bread, meat, extras, vibe & service, and value for money - I headed down to Bianco on Friargate. The sun was out, it was a four-day week, and I was soon to be consuming a kebab: life was good.

Arriving at the takeaway, I found a slightly quiet Bianco - the word I’d say best described the place on this afternoon in particular was ‘sleepy’ - and put in my order. The basic chicken wrap I ordered set me back £6.55, which I thought was slightly on the steep side, but it came with chips, so c’est la vie. Soon presented with a promising package of food, I left to find a quiet spot in the sun to get stuck in. 

First impressions were that this wasn’t quite your classic chicken shawarma kebab. More closely resembling the kind of Mexican chicken wrap with some peppers chucked in there to boot, it looked like something I could’ve rustled up myself at home (albeit a more professional-looking version). 

Chomping away, I was pretty underwhelmed by the naan, which was thin and basic - a far cry from the fluffy, floury concoctions of a kebab-fancier’s ultimate dreams. 1.5/5 on that front, I’m afraid. The meat too, whilst nicely spicy and tender, was lacking that really succulent and mouth-watering edge which keeps you coming back for more, so that scored 2.5/5.

There was no fresh salad in the kebab itself, but it did come with those aforementioned peppers and chips, which were both welcome additions, so Bianco get a 3.5 for the extras. The service overall was good, although if I was going to be really nit-picking, I’d say a simple chicken wrap took about six minutes to rustle up, so it’s a 3/5 for me, Clive. As divulged before, the price was £6.55, which isn’t the best value for money, so 2.5/5 there.

Naan: 1.5/5

Meat: 2.5/5

Extras: 3.5/5

Vibe & service: 3/5

Value: 2.5/5

TOTAL: 13/25