The Brasserie Chalon - St. Helens

This restaurant has declined in quality. The place now appears run-down without any strong leadership or atmosphere. It is a shame to see as it was improving significantly last year.

The pint was good, but it was a bit strange that a brasserie didn't serve any food. It appeared to be a popular spot for horse betting enthusiasts, as there was a lot of attention on the events in Chepstow while I was there. I rated it as average because they didn't offer any food options, not even sandwiches.

In the past, we frequented this restaurant a couple of years ago when it was always peaceful with plenty of space. It was perfect if you were looking for a quiet drink and a conversation. We revisited recently and noticed some changes - now it is very crowded with loud music playing. There were not many empty tables to choose from, but it was nice to see the business thriving. It wasn't the calm drink we were looking for, but we still enjoyed a pleasant bottle of Newcastle.

Now the dictionary definition of a brasserie is 'an unpretentious restaurant, tavern, or the like, that serves drinks, especially beer, and simple or hearty food '. Well that really kind of sums up this place. Tucked away down a lane off the main St Helens shopping street and the atmosphere is quite nice in here. It has a somewhat older clientele and a more relaxed feel.

Wild horses would get me back there.The interior is nice and the lounge singer was good, that 's the positives out of the way.It was Christmas eve so I expected the place to be fairly full as apparently it was booked up for a month. But on entering we were shown to a table in the corner away from everything even though the place was a quarter full, a good spot to watch the drunken people walk past on the poorly lit high street.When ordering a drink the waiter looked shocked I asked for a coke (full fat). He brought a diet so I assume he thought I was a bit overweight, £2.50 for the smallest bottle possible.I ordered the special 'blackened steak ' and my wife and son opted for fillet. After 10 minutes we was told the fillet was unavailable, so we ordered 3 'blacken steaks '. We received 3 sirloin steaks instead which was undercooked.