Chom Chom Wigan at The Millstone: a dad's honest review

His mum was super busy creating an event for Mothership, so I had Thomas for the day and lunch was fast approaching after play group. We had been meaning to get into The Millstone for months. Ryan, the landlord, is a friend of the family, so there was no excuse, and now that Chom Chom has taken over the kitchen there was a proper reason to go: Thomas likes rice. What I did not expect was how much he liked everything else. He very nearly cleared his plate and then started helping himself to mine. I will say it plainly, I think it is the best kids' meal in Wigan. This is my honest review of Chom Chom Wigan at The Millstone.

Why Chom Chom Wigan works for a dad on his own

Lunch with one child and no second adult is a different job to a family meal. You want:

• Food that arrives and gets eaten, not negotiated with for twenty minutes.

• A kids' option that was not designed as an afterthought for the under-fives.

• A table where you are not the only one with a small person.

• Food you would happily order for yourself.

That last point is the one most pub kitchens fail. Chom Chom does not put you in that position. I ordered for myself without having to think about what Thomas would do if he did not like his own food, and that is a small luxury when you are flying solo on childcare.

Going into a pub on a weekday with a child can feel like you are in the way. It did not feel like that here. We were fed, we were not rushed, and I did not spend the whole meal working out the quickest exit.

The kids' meal Thomas nearly finished

The plate came, and Thomas got on with it. No cajoling, no bargaining, no chips waved in front of him as a bribe. He worked his way through nearly all of it and then reached across to my plate to see what he was missing. He picked from the menu and it was a real choice. Rice flour fish, pork belly and toasted bread. I let him, partly because I was impressed, partly because refusing would have started the exact scene I had been trying to avoid.

I have eaten a lot of kids' meals (literally when Thomas doesn't finish them). Most of them are beige, lukewarm and served with the assumption that the child will not really eat it anyway or with a toy (You know where we are!). This one was different enough that I would order it myself. That is the test, and it passed.

Is it objectively the best kids' meal in Wigan? I have not eaten every single one, so I cannot claim that with a straight face. What I can tell you is that it is the best one I have come across, and I have stopped recommending anywhere else since. They treat children as adults but with children's sizes. A win for me.

A word on rice

Thomas likes rice the way other children like chips. If your child is the same, this is the place. Rice on the menu was the whole reason we picked the day we did. Rice on the plate was the reason there was no argument. There is nothing clever to say about that beyond the fact that a kitchen that gets the simple thing right usually gets the rest right too.

Going back for Dorothy and a bowl of pho

Dorothy had missed the whole thing, and I felt genuinely guilty about it. So we went back in the evening and took her with us. My note at the time was that the pho was literally incredible, and I have not changed my mind since.

Also worth reading: The Fete of Wigan: Who Turns Up, and Who Never Hears

I am not going to dress it up with words I cannot back up. It was a bowl of broth, sirloin strips and noodles I would go out of my way for, in a pub in Wigan, on a normal evening, with my daughter next to me. Those are the facts, and they are enough. It is the sort of thing that makes you realise how lazy the food on most pub menus actually is.

The portion size was so big I needed help and we didn't finish in full. Thanks Dots for the support ;)

If you are going as a couple rather than with children, order the pho. If you are going with children, order the pho and accept that you will be sharing it.

What to know before you go

A few practical bits, kept honest:

• The kids' meal came in at £8 and the total for the two of us was £24. Check the current prices on the Chom Chom Wigan listing, because menus change and I do not want to send you out on a figure that has moved.

• Opening hours are worth checking before you drive over, particularly if you are squeezing lunch into a working day. Parking is on a side street around the corner and a short walk. No issues.

• For disclosure: Whilst Ryan was our family friend, this was a complete neutral review and we genuinely will be going back.

• If you are going with more than one child, pick the right time. A pub with a busy kitchen is not the place to gamble on a walk-in at seven in the evening. I'm sure the team would take a call to check space etc.

Would I go back to Chom Chom Wigan?

Yes, and I have. Twice in one day is not a normal habit, but the second trip was worth it for the pho alone. The reason I keep coming back is not only the decor or the location. It is that I can take a child somewhere and eat well myself, which is the thing working parents actually need and rarely get. Most family-friendly places make you choose: somewhere the kids will behave, or somewhere the food is worth the money. This does both, and it is five minutes from home.

The takeaway

If you are a parent on a weekday with a child in tow and you want a lunch that does not end in a negotiation, go to The Millstone and order the kids' meal for whoever is smallest at the table. Then order the pho for yourself, or go back in the evening without them haha.

Book a table at The Millstone for a weekday lunch and mention Chom Chom when you do. If your child is a rice child, you will know within ten minutes whether I was right.

And while you're there, say hello to Ryan and Shellie, they've created an amazing pub with a great atmosphere.