Nottingham Food Lovers

Everyday People Nottingham- Ramen and More Review

2023-01-22T16:59:00.002+00:00

We stumbled across Everyday People last summer during a night out. We were heading down Byard Lane from the Hockley end and headed for Pepper Rocks for a Cocktail when we saw their lights on and their menu board had us intrigued.

By the end of the year, we'd returned on three separate occasions for their amazing Ramen and had planned a Christmas Eve visit only to find they were closing. Kudos ton them for giving the team time off over the festive period.

Two of our favorite dishes have been Everyday People's Shoyu and Tan Tan Ramen.

The Shoyu features Packington Free Range Pork Belly in a Chicken and Dashi soup, Shoyu Tare, think Hakata Noodles as well as Nori and a soy marinated egg.

Whereas the Tan Tan keeps with the Packington Free Range Pork along with a helping of spicy minced Pork in a Chicken and Pork Paitan Soup matched with a Sesame and Szechuan Pepper Tare.

Just before Christmas we also got to sample Everyday People's take on a Rarebit too.

Alongside their Miso Ramen

Everyday People

12 Byard Ln, Nottingham NG1 2GJ

An Evening at Donington Manor Hotel

2023-01-10T20:31:00.001+00:00

The COVID Pandemic has been tough across the hospitality industry. We've lost a lot of businesses which been burdened by the circumstances or struggled to adapt amid adjustments to consumer habits. We recently received an invite to visit Donington Manor Hotel after an extended search for a new head chef to help them drive forwards.

The Donington Manor Hotel will have head chef Craig Riley to spearhead their restaurant from 11th January 2023 with bookings available Wednesday- Saturday 6.30pm- 8.30pm as well as Sunday's Midday- 2.30pm. The menu will encompass modern British food.

We visited for a Canape Evening including a selection of classics as photographed-including

Duck Liver Parfait with Onion Jam
Goats Cheese Mouse with Truffled Honey (In beautiful variations of pastry including Spinach and Beetroot)
Pear and Blue Cheese
Cured Salmon with Horseradish and Cucumber
Bruschetta
Beef Tartare
Welsh Rarebit
Truffle Arancini with Mushroom Ketchup
Ham Hock with Burnt Apple
Croque Monsieur
Crab with Avocado
Cheddar Goujere
Glazed Pork Belly

Truffle Arancini with Mushroom Ketchup pictured center.

Pear and Blue Cheese in a beautiful pastry.

Croque Monsieur pictured left.

Our favorites were the Beef Tartare which packed a punch, the Croque Monsieur was a lovely take on a mini cheese toasty and was devoured by our table very quickly. The Truffle Arancini was an interesting take on a Sicilian Classic with a fantastic Mushroom Ketchup and the Glazed Pork Belly was Moorish with a fantastic crunch.

Pictured Center is the Hazelnut Sponge with White Chocolate Curd

Desserts included

Mini Lemon Tarts
Chocolate Brownie
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Baileys Profiteroles
Hazelnut Sponge with White Chocolate Curd

Mini Lemon Tart (Left) and Sticky Toffee Pudding (Right)

We really loved the Hazelnut Sponge with White Chocolate Curd and Bailey's Profiteroles from the dessert section.

And all this was washed down with a generous amount of Prosecco.

We'll definitely be heading back to Donington Manor Hotel and are very tempted by their Mother's Day Menu with 3 courses for £35.

For More information please visit

https://doningtonmanorhotel.co.uk/

Donington Manor Hotel

High Street

Castle Donington

DE74 2PP

Phone: 01332 810253

Visiting the Orangery at St Elphin's Park

2018-10-29T20:48:00.003+00:00

Derbyshire Food at it's Finest on the Edge of the Peak District

Having cycled up and down the A6 between Matlock and Darley Dale many times over the years I've witnessed the development of Audley St Elphin's Park. A former Grammar School that's been transformed into a very impressive looking retirement village. The development looks fantastic, the kind of place I'd consider living myself even as a 35 year old.

When you think of a retirement village you wouldn't think that there would be a fantastic restaurant and leisure facilities open to the general public unless you really were in the know and that's where in some ways our visit falls in. We were invited to sample the menu and take in the impressive surroundings to make up our own mind and were very impressed.

The team pride themselves on offering a very seasonal menu with high standards of presentation and service. We were also rather impressed by the pricing with main courses priced around what you'd expect locally for pub food making this a very viable option if you're not looking to overindulge your wallet

The Orangery Bar and Restaurant at St Elphin's Park near Matlock

We opted to try the Orangery's Tasting Menu which is £40 each. Certainly not the realm of a light lunch however if you're looking for an alternative for Date Night or a celebration it would work very well indeed. On the night we attended there were couples dining and a large group celebrating a 90th birthday party had not long left- the settings actually worked well for both situations.

The Orangery's Homemade Soda Bread with Truffle Butter

First item to arrive at our table was homemade Soda Bread. Beautifully light in texture
and delicately seasoned it was served alongside butter and a luxurious Truffle butter. Both butters had been whipped into almost a mousse: easy to spread and with a lovely soft fluffy texture.

An Amuse Bouche of Spiced Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

To start our tasting menu we began with an Amuse Bouche of Spiced Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup. A lovely warming start with peppery notes this would have made an excellent seasonal soup. A definite winter warmer served elegantly in an espresso cup and saucer. We were already very impressed and anticipating some great dishes

Scallops Squid Pea Puree and Mint

We love scallops as a starter and the Orangery really did a great job with our first Starter of Scallops, Squid, Pea Puree and Mint. The scallops were impeccably cooked, delicate, soft and full of flavour alongside a very generous sized piece of squid topped with what appeared to be a Black Pudding lattice which added to the presentation of the dish. A really fresh tasting dish which worked well with the sweetness of the pea puree.

Wood Pigeon with Beetroot and Blue Cheese at the Orangery

After a morning cycle around the Derwent Valley we'd seen a few Pheasants out and about so were hoping for Game on the menu and it came in the form of flavoursome Wood Pigeon served with Beetroot Textures, Pear and Blue Cheese.

With beautiful rare cooked pigeon alongside an artists palate of beetroot puree, slices and crisps celebrating a very in season vegetable with a fantastic sweetness. The dish was complemented by what we thought to be a fairly young blue cheese which didn't overpower the sweetness adding an intriguing compliment we'd never considered before.

Mushroom Gnocchi with Miso Butter, Cep Powder, Poached Egg and King Oyster Mushroom

First of our main meals was Mushroom Gnocchi with Miso Butter, Poached Egg and King Oyster Mushrooms. It definitely wasn't a classic gnocchi dish you'd expect to see in your local Italian restaurant. A very modern take on a classic which looked very much in keeping with the rest of the menu from somewhere serving up a dish looking like it's ready for the master chef judges. Artwork on a plate.

The poached egg yolk was cooked to perfection and added a welcome moisture to the dish alongside the fluffy Miso butter which had earthy tones that worked well alongside the mushrooms. Cep powder is a meaty dried Porcini mushroom powder which added real intensity to the dish.

Sea Bream with Chard, Clams and Scallop Veloute

Our second main course on the Tasting Menu was Sea Trout, Chard, Clams and Scallop Veloute and it was another fantastic dish. With flavoursome charred Sea Trout in a generous sized piece atop a bed of fresh clams it really nailed the fish course. The addition of beetroot puree added a nice sweetness to the slightly salty notes of the Trout and Clams with the earthy crunch of the Chard.

Duck Cava Nero, Sweet Potato and Confit Leg

Last main meal of the tasting menu was a fantastic Duck with Cava Nero, Sweet Potato, Confit Leg and Jus. With a beautiful rare piece of duck breast served with sweet potato pureed and roasted alongside a ball of duck confit in breadcrumbs. It looked as good on the plate as it tasted.

Blood Orange Sorbet with Orange Glass

Pre-dessert was a zesty but cleansing Blood Orange Sorbet which we really loved. It had a very refreshing taste- not as strong as we initially anticipated- an orange sorbet can be very full on however this was a very tempered version that worked very well, especially alongside the orange glass.

Brown Batter Parfait

Dessert was a very impressive looking Brown Batter Parfait with fluffy sourdough, finely chopped apple and a beautifully soft Ice Cream centre on a bed of like a biscuit crisp. It was almost a deconstructed apple crumble but took things to a whole new level.

We had a fantastic experience at The Orangery at St Elphin's Park- Beautiful food served in great surroundings by very attentive staff. We'll be heading back there soon we're sure for a treat. I'm told they serve a very nice carvery sunday lunch however the tasting menu definitely comes recommended by ourselves and with fantastic views out the windows that we sadly couldn't quite see due to darkness setting in we're sure this was Derbyshire food at it's finest.

You can see more at The Orangery at St Elphin's or give the a call to book on 01629 258 055

Coffee and amazing Miso Fudge to finish

The Small Print- We were invited to sample the menu and whilst our evening cost us nothing we always value our integrity. Our thoughts and feelings are completely our own. We don't pander to PR companies like some bloggers we've met. We review food based on a very simple philosophy- Is it worth what we're paying. If there are issues we'll point them out however we're honest and think somewhere is fantastic we'll also sing their praises.

Carly Visits Chef Karl Tylers Pop Up Supper Club

2018-05-08T21:59:00.000+01:00

Around the World with Chef Karl Tyler

Whilst it would be great for us to attend every invite we receive it's not always possible. Sometimes on those occasions the invites we get are too good to miss so when we received an offer to visit the first of Chef Karl Tyler's Pop Up Supper Club's in Nottingham-we offered the opportunity to close friend Carly to visit in our absence.

Carly's no amateur when it comes to food and has helped on pieces for the blog before. Her partner is a Chef at one of Nottingham's best known restaurants and she's very much a foodie at heart and willing to travel the length of the country for good food.

Part of the dining room within Cobden Chambers

Chef Karl's pop up supper club was held at Cobden Chambers, off Pelham Street in the Lace Market. Its a large modern loft style building which was beautifully and elegantly dressed for the evening,

Staff on arrival were warm and welcoming. Explaining the concept of the evening and how it would be served. We were also given a large envelope which contained some promotional materials as well as a wine list, a small menu envelope which you were told not to open, to keep the surprise of the meal and the chef notes which you could look at, which told you what the menu was, subsequently spoiling the surprise they wanted to be kept.

Chef Karl Tyler's Menu for the Evening

The menu was a six sample menu with inspiration from around the world. The Amuse Bouche took it's inspiration from Europe and in particular Spain.

The Amuse Bouche- An Iberico Ham Croquette

First plate was a beautiful looking Iberico ham croquette, filled with it an amazing filling which melted in your mouth, until I found a hair in it. The staff apologise and got me another and it was lovely. But you would think they would be more careful with paying guests, especially for the price as this is very much unacceptable. We were offered a drink as an apology by the team, we already had a glass of wine so this covered our drinks for the evening as we're not big drinkers- especially as were driving into town.

Marinated Ox Heart

Second, a very brave choice because not everyone would like to it was Marinated ox heart, giant corn, yellow pepper & aji amarillo, coriander Cross. Personally it wasn't for us, it was a little bland, chewy and my portion was cold, the giant corn didn't really add anything to the dish but the sauce was lovely and full of flavour. However everyone else seemed to love the ox heart, explained it was always that consistency and not much was left on people's plate.

Monk Fish with Squid Ink Crackers, Sesame and Jjamppong Broth

Third plate course was cochunjang Monk fish,squid ink crackers, sesame & jjamppong broth. It was simply stunning, a Michelin quality dish. A perfectly cooked piece of Monk fish, in a sweet, savoury, spicy and perfectly balanced sauce which on its own was full of flavour but never overpower the fish. And the squid ink cracker added texture to the dish. This was by far my favourite dish, because it was complex in flavour and simplicity all at the same time.

The fourth course involved a tagine

Fourth course came out after a 20m break to allow everyone to socialise with eat other. It didn't really work as everyone just carried on chatting with who the came with.
It was West African goat tagine, jollif rice aubergine parcels & plantain fritters with fresh royis & yogurt dressing to share, served in large sharing tagines with the other components served on a platter.

Aubergine Parcels

Unfortunately by this point you could tell the evening hadn't been rehearsed. The tagines were brought out first, followed by a sharing plate of the other parts of the dish which we was told there was plenty of everything so just ask if you want more. Then 10 minutes later the pates you ate it off arrived. There wasn't enough of other parts to go round. On a table of 7 you expect 7 of everything not 5 of one, 3 of the other and 6 of something else. When we told them and asked for more as told we could they said there wasn't any more. Then after we all finished eating, a good 10min after, suddenly there was more. But the goat tasted lovely, the aubergine parcels were very nice, the plantain was tasteless and the rice was lukewarm. My biggest compliment is the fact all the plates and bowls were freezing cold, they had been in other courses but because they were only really a mouth full it didn't matter. But the main show stopper meal was barely warm and mostly cold by the time we ate it. And really what chef who has worked in Michelin star restaurants serves food on cold plates-even Wetherspoons don't do that!

Smores for the pre-dessert

Fifth coarse called the pre-dessert was however impressive a lit gel burner was placed on your table followed by 2 gram crackers, a small piece of chocolate and a homemade marshmallow on a stick, with verbal instructions on how to make smores. This was lovely and interactive, a real talking point and quite clearly chef Karl's partner favourite part of the evening as she wax explaining how to do it and saying to burn the Marshmallows a little for flavour. It was simple but really satisfying on many levels.

Salted caramel and Vegemite Ice Cream with Anzac Biscuit Crumble

Sixth and final course salted caramel & Vegemite ice-cream, Anzac biscuit crumble, puffed rice, burnt honey garnash & macadamia. The ice-cream only tasted of salted caramel, there was far to much of hard chocolate ganash, and all the crumbs, and rice didn't add to the dish it just looked messy. And after the super sweet smores, the dessert need to be lighter. Like something fruity, a posset or a cheese board. Not something as over powering as that. Also this wasn't served to us till nearly 11.15 and by that point I wanted something less.

Overall it was a nice night, it was chaotic in places, the staff didn't always know what was happening, most of the food was either cold or lukewarm because of cold plates. And most dishes were served with a beer to go with them but most agreed that it wasn't always a good match. And I know he was limited by the space and tables he had but if he wants a supper theme, then round tables would promote conversation and a more social dining experience.

Not putting the chef notes in the envelope to spoil the menu would of been a better idea and sitting there from 7.30 and not getting your final dish till 11.15 isn't for me. Some dishes were nice, the fish was excellent. But would I have paid the £60 each. No, personally not, I have paid roughly the same amount at places from the likes of Tom Kerridge, James Martin, and Gordon Ramsey and had much better food and much better service.

If you'd like to try one of Karl Tylers event's there's a list of the latest available on EventBrite

Karl Tyler on EventBrite

Taste Testing Las Iguanas New Menu

2018-02-10T21:37:00.001+00:00

With so many choices of different restaurants across Nottingham we're pretty sure your taste buds could travel around the world in a lot less than 80 days in the city although Latin American options are relatively sparse in comparison to the cuisines from the rest of the world.

Last week we visited Las Iguanas Nottingham to sample some of their new menu. Aside from a visit last year to celebrate National Vegan Day it's somewhere that's never really been on our radar however it's very rare that we turn down an opportunity for a blog review so a big thank you to Las Iguanas and Gemini PR for the invite.

Las Iguanas pride themselves in offering the flavours of South America so expect plenty of variety on the menus. They also offer all of their cocktails as 2 for the price of 1 however there's disappointingly no option to mix and match in that offer so you have to choose something you really really like the sound of instead of taking a chance on something you're not sure of. We'd have liked to have seen the option for different cocktails to allow you to try multiple off the menu to see what's right for you for future.

We opted for a Huana Party (£9.75 on 2for1) and Espresso Martini (£10.75 on 2for1)

Fancy a Huana Party?

The Huana Party came in a standard hi-ball glass and looked a little disappointing compared to those others were receiving in some pretty fancy glasses around us. The menu said it contained Beefeater Gin, Huana Guanabana Rum Liquor, Funkin Passionfuit, Bottlegreen Elderflower and Apple though all we really got was the passionfruit flavour. Adding in the elderflower was drowned out by the overpowering passionfruit mix.

For us it seemed that the bar tender or recipe had seriously scrimped on some of the more premium ingredients. (Gin, the Huana Rum Liquor and the Bottlegreen Elderflower). We might as well have been served a bottle of J2O.

Espresso Martini is my favourite cocktail so I was hoping for big things from Las Iguanas. Sadly what came out was rather flat and lacklustre. I would have been better ordering a Cappuccino and asking them to add a shot of Vodka as the taste was flat and lacking the bite of a good quality espresso and certainly seemingly lacking in Alcohol content.

If you consider Jem had almost four cocktails (I had a few sips from one Espresso Martini before deciding it was arguably one of the worst that I'd tasted across the whole city) and was happy to report that the alcohol level had no effect I think Las Iguanas need to reconsider their measures for at least the cocktails that we had.

Pepper Rocks is currently our go-to place for reasonably priced good quality cocktails so we would recommend a staff outing to show what can be done for significantly less money at a dramatically higher quality.

Starters at Las Iguanas

Albondigas from Las Iguanas Nottingham

Albondigas- Patagonian (Argentine) style lamb meatballs with apple mint and parmesan cheese with a tomato sauce with a hint of chilli.

We lovely the meatballs. The dish came with 3 generous sized meatballs. Full of the unique taste that lamb gives which worked well with the spices and Parmesan. The sauce itself with very nice however we think the chef forgot to add any hint of chilli. It had a lovely meatiness from the lamb juices and tasted fresh.

The menu advised it would be served with Ciabatta however ours came with a couple of small slices of french stick style bread which was a disappointment especially as this wasn't nearly enough to soak up the sauce.

Priced at £6.25 we thought this to be a little on the expensive side for what seemed to be a relatively simple dish. It tasted nice and we'd happily eat it again however it was lacked the advertised chilli and ciabatta.

Brazilian Dadinhos

Dadinhos- A Brazilian favourite of crispy cheesy cubes with a sweet chilli jam. These were absolutely amazing cubes of cheesy tapioca fried and sprinkled with a warming rub with a hint of chilli. Great on their own or dipped into the subtle chilli jam accompanying.

A great starter tho I'd have liked to have seen a few more of the cubes on the dish, or for those provided to be somewhat larger. At £5.50 I thought the dish was slightly lacking as a result.

The presentation also brings into question the attention of the server and waiter as the little terracotta container which our jam was served also featured a sizeable chip. You would throw such an item in the bin at home so we would expect the same from a restaurant.

Main Meals at Las Iguanas

For mains we opted for the Seco de Cordero (£17.95) and Gaucho Steak (£18.95)

Seco de Cordero Lamb Shank with Sweet Porato

The Seco de Cordero is a Peruvian speciality of slow cooked lamb shank advertised as being in a Golden Ale, Red Wine and Amarillo Chilli sauce. The lamb itself was tender and juicy coming clean off the bone for us.

The sauce was amazing with real oomph from the red wine. It was like a Peruvian version of a Bouguieon sauce (minus the usual beef) and worked well with the lamb however again we were asking ourselves what happened to the chilli as there simply was no element of chilli in the sauce except for a few finely sliced pieces atop the dish.

The lamb was served atop a roasted sweet potato mash which was nice and fluffy although for £17.95 the dish was very sparse. We'd have liked to have seen the waiter come to us with a bowl of seasonal vegetables to go with the dish. Lamb, sauce and sweet potato is pretty poor for the money so we'd really like to see Las Iguanas address the constituents of the dish.

Gaucho Steak with Sweetcorn Puree and Sweet Portato Fries

The Argentinians love their steak. Having been to an Argentine Grill on a previous ski trip into the mountains of Andorra and having arguably one of the best steaks I've had with a lovely charred exterior yet beautiful rare meat inside. It's amazing what someone can do cooking outside in the cold and snow to make a real good steak.

My Gaucho Steak from Las Iguanas Nottingham had none of the exterior charring I've previously seen from an Argentine grill though it had a beautiful lattice pattern from the rack. It came out rare just as I would expect to see too and was full of the flavour you'd expect from a good 10oz piece of Sirloin.

The Chimichurri sauce served to complement the steak was however a let down lacking any real addition to the steak. It really lacked a freshness I would expect from a restaurant sauce

And as you can see from the above photograph I was clearly short changed when it came to the very basic Sweet Potato chips. Initially the waiter bought my dish out with Sweet Potato Mash however on returning with my correct order my portion was clearly lacking. Some form of latin american coating might have helped temper the blow however they were really just a simple sweet potato chip.

The sweetcorn puree is a nice touch although do we really need more sugar added alongside the sweetness of the sweet potato. We might have been happier had this been fresh sweetcorn too.

Gaucho Steak- Rare and how I like it.

Sadly we left Las Iguanas feeling a little let down on what we had been served. We've been previously and been impressed with the Vegan Menu however our choices on this occasion really didn't hit the standards we would expect in terms of quality and value for money. We really expected more after our previous experience with their Vegan menu.

Sadly what we experienced felt over priced and lacking any real touches to make us want to go back for some time. We often go for a meal and dream of booking a holiday to see what the food was like and as a result Las Iguanas Nottingham genuinely felt like a poor advert for South America if you consider our last Italian meal led to us booking to head out there very soon.

Las Iguanas Nottingham, Chapel Bar Nottingham NG1 6JS
Tel 0115 959 6390

Disclaimer- We were invited to Las Iguanas Nottingham through Gemini PR. Whilst our two courses and 2for1 cocktails were at no cost to us we always adhere to review as if we're paying for the food. The comments above are our true reflections of our experience.

Jemma visits Kayal Indian restaurant

2018-01-05T21:26:00.001+00:00

Jemma visits Kayal Indian restaurant

Kayal Nottingham

8 Broad Street, Nottingham NG1 3AL ·

http://www.kayalrestaurant.com/

I’ve been eyeing this place up for a little while but never seem to have the chance to go and try. So when over the Christmas period I had a girly meet up with one of my closest friends for gossip and to give each other Christmas gifts it seemed the perfect opportunity. My friend Carly had never eaten here and we both love a good curry.

Poori Bread is a little different to Naan

The atmosphere in the restaurant was rather relaxed considering it was well into the festive period and we found a nice table and were given plenty of time to decide what wanted to order. There were so many interesting sounding dishes that it took us quite some time to make a decision.

We both decided on Ammachi Pidiyum Kozhiyum and the Kayal Fish Curry with Poori fried flat bread. No Naan bread in sight on the menu at Kayal however plenty of other interesting options

Ammachi Pidiyum Kozhiyum

The Ammachi Pidiyum Kozhiyum- We really didn’t know what to expect but this came as two dishes. One with the curry and another with dumplings in a mild flavoursome white sauce which could be put into the curry to tone down the heat . The curry itself was between a mild and medium head- delicate in taste with very tender chicken pieces. The dumplings were fluffy as you would expect but the texture added a uniqueness to the curry. The dumplings meant that you wouldn't really need the standard side of rice with the dish and this worked well

The Kayal Fish Curry

Kayal Fish Curry had a little more to it looking like a masala but had slightly more heat than Ammachi Pidiyum Kozhiyum. This suited the fish rather well, it was firm but not overcooked. Carly would have this curry again hands down. The sauce was a perfect consistency for the Poori bread to mop up.

We enjoyed both curries but my next visit will be sampling different curries and there is a sampler set menu option where you get bits of this and that to taste.

There's a Pizzastorm in Nottingham

2017-12-30T16:52:00.002+00:00

And it's raining cheese and tomato sauce!

Your Pizza Your Way at Pizzastorm

Originally Inferno Pizza, now Pizzastorm on Milton Street aims to offer Pizza, however you want it. We previously popped in when Inferno first came to town and have to admit we were slightly baffled for the need to change to Pizzastorm- the product was good and the system worked.

Open, spacious dining area

Just before Christmas we popped in to the newly refurbished and rebranded Pizzastorm for a look and decided to pop in and sample some very reasonably priced pizzas. At £6.00 for a signature pizza it sounded exceptional value for money.

The Dirty Mighty Meaty Pizza

We opted for a Dirty Mighty Meaty and an All Day Breakfast Pizza with a side of Mac N Cheese with Bacon. £15.50 for two pizzas and a side sounds pretty good and will no doubt appeal to families whilst out shopping or off to the cinema.

The All Day Breakfast Pizza

The Dirty Mighty Meaty featured plenty of meat. Lots of pepperoni, spicy beef and piri piri checken alongside juicy red jalapeno chillis with plenty of flavour. In terms of toppings I'd like to think it was just right. Any more meat and I'd have expected the pizza to be on the oily side.

The All Day Breakfast was ordered with a soft egg and that's what we got- a SOFT egg. Too often have we requested that in the past with very differing results. I'm not sure where in the world meatballs are eaten for breakfast but they worked well with the bacon sausage, mushrooms and baked beans.

Cool booths with room for 2

Our only slight disappointment in some ways was the Mac N Cheese. At £3.50 it's a pretty much standard 'side' price but in comparison to value shown in the pizza's it somehow felt a bit of a let down. We'd have liked to have either seen either a bigger portion or something lower priced in line with the exceptionally good value of the pizzas.

For £15.50 for two well stocked pizza's and a side we were more than happy with Pizzastorm. The pizzas themselves were of a good size and pretty much a full meal in itself.

We will happily return at some point in future.

Introducing the re-generated Walton Hotel

2017-12-04T22:53:00.002+00:00

After a recent re-generation the Walton Hotel set back from Derby Road has been re-opened and restyled with a return towards it's former glories. The building was originally built as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Newcastle and with the newly renovated dining area you'll feel like gentry in the Grade II listed building.

Having initially been invited to a Christmas themed evening this morphed into a more traditional dinner service so we were more than happy to attend. It's probably close on ten years since I last visited the Walton's on a work night so so was intrigued to see how things had changed and I was very impressed by the transformation.

An address within the prestigious Park area of Nottingham needs for a property to have a degree of style and class in line with it's location among the properties of many of the city's elite. This area of town has seen significant investment with the recent development of the impressive Alchemilla restaurant alongside regeneration of the likes of the Sir John Borlase Warren- It seems that the Canning Circus area once again high on the list of areas to head to.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Walton Hotel

Marketing itself as a 'Boutique Hotel', the Walton features 24 attentively decorated rooms that aim to capture the atmosphere and ambiance of downstairs 19th Century Hunting Lodge, with a few more modern amenities. There's also one of the biggest terraces outside with hanging out on a summers day.

The Impressive Savoy Dining Room

The giant main table within the meticulously set out Savoy room is a sight to behold. Painstakingly regenerated it would be an exquisite setting for family occasion or party. Adorned with dark wood and a grandeur that didn't overawe and make you feel somewhat out of place. We felt rather at home in here.

Even the glassware is painstakingly chosen to represent The Walton

It feels like The Walton is really doing it's best to wow you. From the decor to the glasses they've spent time as well as a significant amount of money bringing the hotel to a very high standard and the inner obsessive compulsive in me felt at ease with the matching decor throughout.

The Fantastic Monkey Room

As foodies, whilst we love a good environment our main priority is always going to be the food. Could the Walton offer a standard to keep up with the quality we were expecting of our surroundings.

The Walton House Merlot

We started off our meal with the offer of a bottle or red or white wine for the table. The house red was a nice fruity Merlot. It was relatively light for a Merlot though was very easy to drink.

We were here initially for a Christmas showcase evening however it had pleasingly developed into an evening to sample the new menu.

We started off with a beautiful Duck and Orange Parfait with a lovely creamy almost mousse like texture. To add an extra bonus it came with three freshly toasted slices of bread when usually you run out of bread halfway into spreading.

Duck and Orange Parfait

Jem opted for the impressive looking Scallops which were impeccably cooked

Scallops at the Walton Nottingham

With two impressive starters we were very much looking forward to our main courses.

My steak came out looking fantastic with a griddle lattice effect, peppercorn sauce and ultra-crispy onion rings. Whilst steak isn't an unusual choice for a restaurant the key is getting it right and many places struggle. The steak at the Walton was impeccably well done.

Derbyshire Sirloin Cooked Rare with Peppercorn Suace and Onion Rings

I love a steak cooked rare and as shown the Sirloin was beautifully pink. It wasn't the leanest cut I've had however I appreciate the fat on my meat for it's intense flavour.

Rare Steak at the Walton Hotel

The only disappointment with my meal was the chips. With a good chunky steak I like to see proper thick cut chips not weak little French Fries. Those served up were in a great portion size however many of them were just small inch long fries- not proper chunky chips.

I found French Fries a disappointing choice with a nice chunky Sirloin Steak

Jem opted for the impressive looking Belly Pork although the star of the show was the Crackling on top. Along with black pudding balls and a sweet potato puree the dish didn't look a classic but it packed plenty on the plate.

Whilst the star of the show was the Crackling the belly pork itself was pretty standard- it seems to be on everyone menu at present which takes away the beauty of it and whilst we love a bit of piggy- without the crackling the dish itself would have been a pretty standard affair.

Belly Pork with Cracking

Jem was definitely impressed with the seasonal winter veg with a great variety including squash parsnip, purple carrots and courgette there was plenty of flavours to satisfy.

Strawberry Eton Mess

If you want a dessert with more calories than you could ever need in an evening the Eton Mess would definitely be a box ticker. With lovely fresh meringue and succulent strawberries mixed with thick cream it was a devilish dessert.

Tarte au Citron with Raspberries

We were also very impressed with the Tarte au Citron. With a zesty lemon cream and tart raspberry sorbet it would have many a diabetic in need of their insulin. Well worth trying if you have an ultra sweet tooth.

Our meal at the Walton Hotel was very nice indeed. With fantastic surroundings, attentive staff and well cooked food we were grateful of the opportunity to attend. The only real negative for us was the pricing. You were paying boutique hotel prices and this was reflective of the menu. Whilst the food was very nice we'd argue they need to address pricing to be able to attract more people to a hotel on what is the far edge of town. From where we live we would need to make an extra special trip and whilst we loved the surroundings the food was good but didn't warrant the premium in comparison to other restaurants we've visited.

If you're looking for somewhere to stay in the Nottingham area the Walton Hotel could be a good choice. With a selection of well furnished rooms a close walk into the heart of Nottingham it would be a great choice for business or a city break.

The rooms at the Walton Hotel

A Beer Tasting Masterclass at Brewhouse and Kitchen

2017-10-16T21:48:00.004+01:00

Since it's opening earlier this year we've been hearing good things about Brewhouse and Kitchen from friends based to the South of the city. With a great outside seating area for summer nights and being a stones throw from the legendary City Ground and Meadow Lane stadiums means it's in a great location on the edge of thriving West Bridgford and Trent Bridge.

Outside the Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingham

We were invited along for a Beer Tasting Masterclass with the Brewhouse and Kitchen (B&K) Nottingham's head brewer. It sounded like a great opportunity we couldn't refuse and although a Thursday night is technically a 'school night' moderation was always going to be practiced. It's a great thing to have a food and drink blog however when you have to be at the day job the following morning it certainly helps us to sample rather than over indulge as we might like to do.

As much as the beer we were looking forward to tasting some of B&K's new Autumn menu, lovingly paired with suitable beer options to really address the flavours of each dish. A beer tasting masterclass sounds great, it's on a different level if there's food involved as well.

There are a few pubs with their own brewery on site across Nottingham although I'm pretty sure none take their beer production to the levels of Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingham with eight of their own ales brewed on site as you enter the pub. They're also offering a great Beer Masterclass for £20 that would make a great gift coming into the festive season.

The onsite brewery at Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingham

To start our evening off we were introduced to Brewhouse & Kitchen's four 'core' beers. All brewed on the premises and will names symbolic of the local area.

The Constable Session Bitter. An easy drinking 3.6% English Ale

The Constable- A 3.6% English session ale. A traditional English Bitter named in honour of the venues former life as a Police Station. A light and refreshing bitter made for easy drinking. We'd happily drink it all day (Hence it being a 'session' ale due to a lower alcohol volume). As perfectly suited to a warm evening out on the terrace as it is a couple of pints before kick off across the road.

The 1866- A well received single hop ale at 4.4%. Named after the commemoration of the first test match at Trent Bridge between England and Australia. Hoppy and with fruity elements and a nose of grapefruit.

The Tricky Tree with homage to a slightly lesser known nickname of the adjacent Nottingham Forest Football Club. The Tricky Tree is a 5.5% India Pale Ale. Very hoppy and high in alcohol as IPA's were originally designed to be sent out to India

The Street Block a 4.6% Red Rye Ale named in honour of local West Bridgford's insistence on not using the term Street whilst naming it's road network. The Street Block was a very nice drink with a malty taste and herby elements.

If you're not sure what will work for your own palate it's worth asking whilst up at the bar as they'll be more than happy to let you have a try before you take the step of ordering as there's a whole host more available.

Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingham's 1899 and Constable Ales

As part of the evening it was lined up for us to sample a selection of the new Autumn menu. The menu does away with the traditional approach of a small selection of starters and then a host of mains by steering towards a Tapas style eating through selection of a plethora of different sharing plates. Whilst that might not appeal to the traditionalists amongst us it's a great approach if you're out as a family or group of friends- order a selection and share the food and subsequent conversation among yourselves.

The menu is also set up with a recommendation of what beer pairing would work alongside each dish as they believe that beer and food go together impeccably well with elements from certain beers bringing out the flavours of many foods. From our experience it's worth trying.

Before our chosen selection of sharing plates arrived out a nice sized platter of fresh and flavoursome Foccacia bread with olives and an Olive oil balsamic dip to tuck into.

Rosemary and Cherry Tomato Foccacia with Olives, Oliver Oil and Balsamic

We've always been big fans of sharing at the dinner table so really liked the idea of Tapas style sharing plates with small dividable portions for a group to savour.

A Selection of Sharing Plates at Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingha,

Oriental Steamed Buns with Barbecue Pulled Pork and Asian Style Slaw. We've been seeing Bao buns popping up at restaurants and street food type outlets recently so were intrigued on the B&K take on these. The steamed buns look like they should be exceptionally light however have a degree of volume you wouldn't quite expect and the subtle bun works well with barbecue style flavours. Whilst Pulled Pork has become as much a staple of pub food as the humble burger we've seen plenty of places who've been unable to get it right. Fortunately B&K's chef did a great job with succulent pulled pork and a nice punchy sauce.

The dish worked really well with the recommended American Style Ale bringing out the full flavour of the sauce and the crunchy Asian Slaw.

Oriental Style Steamed Buns with Barbecue Pulled Pork and an Asian Slaw

Lightly Battered Aubergine with Feta and Drizzled Honey sounds a great vegetarian or full on Vegan option. It came out with big, chunky pieces of aubergine win a light, tempura-esque batter. Other diners in our party were so enthused that they were almost on the verge of turning vegetarian although I have to admit it wasn't to my personal taste. I did however, love how it would be great for group sharing. With decent, chunky portions. Best served with a wheat beer.

Lightly Battered Aubergine with Feta and Drizzled Honey

My personal favourite was the Salt and Pepper Calamari with Garlic Mayo. Featuring beautifully just cooked calamari in a light batter. The plate featured a good 20 calamari rings so a great sharer which worked well with a Belgian style beer with their sweetness./

Salt and Pepper Calamari with Garlic Mayo

If you like your Nacho's Brewhouse and Kitchen's are pretty addictive. With plenty of flavour and a huge amount of Guacamole on top. Only downside for me was the chips went a little on the soggy side so they're best eaten quickly.

Loaded Nacho's with an American Style Ale

The best dish of the sharers we ordered was the Korean Barbecue Breaded Tofu which was absolutely amazing. It had a fantastic texture almost like a soft cheese with four huge sized pieces to share and a punchy sauce drizzled on top.

Korean Barbecue Tofu, Lightly Battered Aubergine and Steamed Pork Buns

From sharers we went on to sample some very nice Peanut Butter Milk Stout which was almost the beer equivalent of a dessert wine. As someone that loves a nice dark beer such as a Stout who cannot be trusted when left alone with a jar of Peanut Butter it was as close to beer perfection as I've seen recently.

Although the Mud City Stout served next was a very close second with a velvety darkness. Heavily malted with elements of cocoa solids instead of cheap chocolate like some beers

Mud City Stout at Brewhouse & Kitchen

With a chocolate fondue top finish we would have been at a ski lodge in the Alps for dessert if it wasn't for the fact that this fondue was made with chocolate and cask ale to add another element to our evenings beer tasting masterclass.

Chocolate and Cask Ale Fondue

We really enjoyed our visit to Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingham. With a modern pub interior and emphasis on good beer they're also offering good food to really entice people to come inside and try their offerings. It's great to see the Brewery at the heart of the pub.

Our one restraint is whether it will be successful in the longer term. It's 4 months since the much renowned Riverbank reopened as Brewhouse and Kitchen. We know plenty of smaller pubs that get fairly busy on a Thursday night however B&K was very quiet. Whilst we'll sing their praises if you can't entice locals out for a pint on a nice October evening it will leave them heavily reliant on weekend and football trade.

A potential put-off factor could be the pricing, Whilst the very nice core beers of the 1899 and Constable currently retail for a sensible £3.45 and £3.50 much of the remaining beer line up is a little on the expensive side. Whilst they've targeting Ale drinkers it's not hard to walk the short distance to the Wetherspoons Trent Bridge Inn or in the opposite direction to the Navigation. Especially considering it's £4.65 for a 330ml can of Peanut Butter Stout- I'm not sure we can justify that no matter how good it tastes,

The combination of very nice food and great beer should hopefully spur the Brewhouse and Kitchen on to success on Trent Bridge however at some point their pricing will need some scrutiny. The competition in West Bridgford is getting tougher all the time.

Brewhouse and Kitchen Nottingham
Trent Bridge
Nottingham
NG2 2GS
Tel 0115 9867 960

Visiting Manor Cottage Bakery and Tea Rooms Fledborough

2017-07-03T00:00:00.000+01:00

A Trip to Manor Cottage Tea Room and Bakery with Mansfield Road Club

Glorious Coffee and Toffee Cake at Manor Cottage Fledborough

Jem recently came across a proper little cracker of a tea room while cycling with her local cycling club out at Fledborough. From the village on the Eastern edge of the Nottinghamshire county border are handwritten chalkboard signs to Manor Cottage Tea Room and Bakery which direct you down a bridleway type road to a gravel courtyard with a suitable wall for bike to be leaned against

Plenty of space to rack your bikes up

On a nice summers morning it was good to sit outside on the tables although there was an event shelter up in case of inclement weather as well as seating indoors inside what was literally a farmhouse where you can see the kitchen and dining room.

You could easily relax with a coffee on the comfortable Chesterfield sofas and with a big array of impressive looking cakes to choose from it was a tough choice.

Ordering my coffee firstly off so could decide whether I wanted sweet or savoury food. My drink came promptly in a proper large mug- the type I drink from at home.

A Proper Big Coffee Mug Like at Home

I decided that needed more savoury food with another member already ordering cheese on toast it settled what to have. I ended up opting for a large coffee and a cheesy scrambled eggs with toast. Being asked what bread would I like and reeling off all the fresh bread options made on site was on offer.

The sourdough bread which just come out the oven was my choice. The other guy in the group who’s obsessed with cheese on toast had the oatmeal bread which came out served in doorstop thickness slices with ample cheese was also a clear winner on the savoury front. My own meal was absolutely delicious with the scrambled eggs perfectly done. At some places it can be a little dull and dried up but definitely not at Manor Cottage.

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs on Sourdough Toast

The Toffee Cake looked great although I'd have needed help eating it with such a good size portion. The cake was lovely and moist as well as an easy eater, well worth trying.

I'll definitely be dragging Liam along next time as it was well worth the ride out and back home. The light lunch menu looked great too.

Manor Cottage Tea Room and Bakery is in Fledborough NG22 0UU

Tel 01777 228531

Inside the farmhouse at Manor Cottage, Fledborough

Red Dog Saloon Devastator Challenge and Amazing Brisket

2017-06-30T19:11:00.000+01:00

Red Dog Saloon beside Lace Market Tram Stop

We love American food and Nottingham has seen a rise of late in the number of new restaurants aiming to draw us in to spend our Dollars. Red Dog Saloon have chosen a fantastic building to site their Nottingham restaurant in the busy heart of an area with big flow of people heading up from the Market Square into Hockley and towards the Lace Market beside the tram stop. No need for alarm as the tram's barely noticeable when you're inside.

The menu is mainly split between a big selection of burgers with every imaginable topping and their Pit Cooked Bar-B-Q from the smoker. The menu is very much carnivore orientated so we wouldn't recommend the restaurant for vegetarians although there is the option of a spicy bean burger on the menu.

With such a big number of eateries in the city centre a restaurant has to often offer something different or with added value. Red Dog Saloon sells itself as offering authentic Kansas City Bar-B-Q food although I'm pretty sure most of us out there haven't really got a clue what that actually means. From a look through the first pages of a Google search a signature dish appears to be Burnt Ends which doesn't appear on the Red Dog Saloon Nottingham menu but you could have a thick tomato and molasses based sauce which is typical of the region and what's not to love for the carnivore in us about barbecue food when it's cooked properly.

Choice of Buffalo (Hot Sauce and Kansas City Bar-B-Q Sauce at Red Dog Saloon

To drink we opted for a Wild River Pale Ale and a Montana Red. We were tempted by the reasonably priced cocktail menu however for us you don't drink cocktails at an American Barbecue- It's all about the beer for a barbecue.

The Wild River pale Ale and Montana Red were both £4.45 a pint. Maybe a little pricey when compared to many of Nottingham's restaurants for a beer but we haven't noticed these beers elsewhere. The Wild River was a nice, easy drinking American IPA although the Montana Red for me was a little harder work to drink but with a lot more flavour. It worked very well with the red meats from my meal. Both beers were lovely and cold and work well with the food.

Wild River Pale Ale and Montana Red Beers

For starters at Red Dog Saloon we opted for the Mozzarella Sticks (£5.50) and some Spicy Korean Wings (£6.50) which whilst not something we would have usually considered at a barbecue their promise of some Asian inspired spice caught our attention. Wings are one of the best things American inspired food brings to the table for us so it was a no-brainer to try Red Dog's.

Mozzarella Sticks and Korean Wings

The Mozzarella Sticks definitely appealed as we were about to commence an all-out meat onslaught so something not quite so meaty sounded a good idea. In our bowl came 4 generous sized Mozzarella fingers of around 4 inches (10 centimetres) in length alongside a healthy sized pot of Marinara Sauce.

As a starter the Mozzarella sticks worked fine, as always with such a cheese there was a small amount of chew needed but without this the sticks would have likely fallen apart. The crumb coating worked well although we'd have liked to have seen it mixed with a little spice. Whilst the blended Marinara dip is something we haven't noticed offered elsewhere for us it lacked a strong flavour to add to the meal. For us either a sweet chili style dip or something with that little more spice would have worked better and as Mozzarella is very mild the dish came across a little bland as a result. We'd love to see a little more flavour either to the coating or the sauce to get more out of the dish however the house Kansa City Bar-B-Q sauce worked well for dipping.

The Awesome Red Dog Saloon Korean Wings

We were very impressed with our Spicy Korean Chicken Wings. Served with 6 sensible sized wings coated in a beautiful sticky, hot and sour sauce. That really worked well for our spice loving tastebuds.

The exterior had a nice crunch with the chicken itself almost falling away from the bone. By the time we'd had 3 each we were ready to ask for another bottle of water.

Main Meals at Red Dog Saloon Nottingham

When you go out for Bar-B-Q you really have to go for the meats and it's rare to see Brisket on the menu so we had to go for that option as well as taking on the Devastator Burger Challenge.

We opted for the Brisket and Pulled Pork Combo (£17.50) which came with a choice of 2 sides so we opted for the Smoked Ham Mac'N'Cheese (usually £4.25) and the Collard Greens (Usually £2.75).

To Go alongside our Devastator Burger (£18.50) we opted for some Chicken and Bacon Ranch Fries (£5.75)

Devastator Burger with Chicken and Bacon Ranch Fries

Featuring 18 oz of Chuck Steak, 200g of Pulled Pork, 6 rashers of smoked Applewood bacon and a further size slices of American Cheese the Devastator has taken many a victim I'm sure but as a committed food blogger it was time to take one for the community in an Adam Richman style although when it arrived at the table I was quietly confident. Apparently if you finish the Devastator Challenge you can get your photo up on the Wall of Fame.

Compared to a regular burger you do seem to get a lot with the Devastator. The Chuck Steak was in the form of six 3oz patties. All juicy and tender with a subtle pinkness of how a burger should be cooked. The cheese amalgamated with all the meat so it barely feels like there's 6 slices of cheese in there.

The Pulled Pork was some of the best I've tasted with a great flavoursome rich sauce full of the caramel of molasses. The bacon had a nice crispness too, not overly salty. All in the Devastator was a pretty good burger, topped off with a nice soft, toasted Brioche bun. I couldn't wish for a better burger to challenge me. I finished all the meat but left the brioche bun.

The Chicken and Bacon Ranch Fries

We normally love a Ranch Sauce however for us the sauce really didn't work for us on the Chicken and Bacon Ranch Fries. We loved the bacon and Southern Fried Chicken bits but the Ranch Sauce used was on the sour side and really wasn't the best of choices with the dish.

For us the best part of our visit to Red Dog Saloon was the Brisket. The inch thick slab was charred round the edges for a smokey taste and had been beautifully slow cooked so your knife sled through like butter. It had a nice crisp to the edges and was definitely moist with lots of flavour. We'd happily come back for the Brisket alone.

The Pulled Pork featured a lovely, smokey Bar-B-Q sauce. It was moist, tender and very easy eating with a decent sized portion on the plate to accompany the Brisket.

Brisket and Pulled Pork From Red Dog Saloon Nottingham

As any selection from the grill comes with a choice of two sides we'd opted for the Smoked Ham Mac 'N' Cheese as well as the new to the menu Collard Greens.

We loved the breadcrumb crisp to the Mac 'N' Cheese which had a nice creamy texture underneath. The pasta for us was a little overdone instead of 'al dente' and we felt it was more a cream sauce than cheese. It was nice to have the smoked ham within the dish though in hindsight with the amount of meat already on our plates we didn't really need it on this occasion. As a side it was a nice addition instead of the standard of things coming with chips so hats off to Red Dog for giving diners the option.

The Collard Greens were a little overdone for our liking. They lacked a crunch and texture. They'd been salted and with the addition of smoked ham to the dish made it even saltier. We bought this to the attention of our server at the end of the meal and the feedback we received was very positive from the chef who had tried the dish and agreed with our synopsis. They're amending the dish for future which is a positive outcome from our visit so we hope our feedback has helped.

Oreo and White Chocolate Fudge Pie with Raspberry Custard Shake

We were struggling after such a big meal but were persuaded to try a dessert between us. The restaurant manager recommended the Oreo White Chocolate Fudge Pie and we definitely weren't disappointed.

It came with an amazing raspberry custard shake made with fresh fruit so full of flavour. We drizzled a bit over the pie but actually ended up drinking it instead of using as a sauce it was that good. The piece was a very generous size so a good sharing portion unless you have a huge appetite.

The Oreo's and white chocolate worked well with lashings of cream cheese and a chunky biscuit base. Definitely well worth being persuaded to try and with such a big portion it would be ideal to share.

Our Meal at Red Dog Saloon

We had a very nice meal at Red Dog Nottingham. Our highlights were the Spicy Korean Wings with a warming hot, yet slightly sour sauce as well as the Brisket and Oreo White Chocolate Fudge Pie. A few of the items on the menu weren't quite to our tastes but our main priority was the meat and that was very good indeed.

For an interesting meal out with friends or a relaxed date Red Dog would be a great place to visit- Most of the people around us were groups of friends out for a sociable evening.

Our Booth for the Evening at Red Dog

Red Dog Saloon is at 20-22 Victoria Street

NG1 2EX

Tel 0115 784 4844 or email nottingham@reddogsaloon.co.uk for bookings

We were invited along by Red Dog Saloon to enjoy their food and see what we thought. The feelings above are our true thoughts on our visit. We value our integrity and aim to review a restaurant based as though we're spending our own money even though on this occasson we didn't pay for food, only our drinks. We love to be invited to new and exciting places and the Nottingham Food Lovers Blog gives us and friends a great way to experience the city whilst telling our tales.

What Beer Do They Drink in Montenegro

2017-06-06T20:36:00.004+01:00

We love to travel, we love food and we love our drinks too. We also don't really like to follow the usual crowds and rather like the idea of visiting somewhere different for an adventure. Our recent travels took us over to the lesser known country of Montenegro.

With a relatively short 300km of Mediterranean coastline against a dramatic mountainous we can see the country really taking off as both an adventure travel destination as well as gaining more popularity outside the Balkans as a beach destination. We love a good beer by the sea in the sunshine.

Budva's Old Town 'Stari Grad'

As a food and drink lover one of our biggest interests when setting foot in a country new to us is getting a sample of the local beer. We were intrigued to ask ourselves what beer do they drink in Montenegro

The main beer you will see in Montenegro is Nikšićko Pivo. The city of Nikšic is famed for it's brewing and the Trebjesa Brewery is the only one in Montenegro. Owned by Molson Coors it produces a selection of continental style lagers best known as a "Nik"

A Cold 'Nik'. Nikšićko Pivo at the Old Fisherman's Pub in Budva

Now you know what to drink in Montenegro if you love a good beer. However if you love a good wine it's worth also checking out the excellent Montenegrin Krstac white wine and Vranac red wines.

With a light slightly hoppy taste if you're like us you'll find you drink a lot of Nik on your travels to Montenegro.

The Nottingham Street Food Club Opening Review

2017-04-27T23:20:00.001+01:00

Every so often we get an invite to an opening event that really grabs our attention. We love something that little bit different so the idea of the Nottingham Street Food Club really needed a visit and review. Especially when the invite promised drinks and samples.

The Nottingham Street Food Club is situated upstairs in the Intu Victoria Centre in the Clocktower Dining area off Mansfield Road. It's premise is simple- to bring street food flavours within an enclosed food court environment. We love the idea although from this evenings opening night we're a little unsure a number of things will work for the new venture.

The Nottingham Street Food Club

Location.

With it's location within the Victoria Centre away from the main footfall of people we feel the Nottingham Street Food Club hasn't chosen wisely. Whilst the clocktower dining area sounds a good idea we've already seen Joe's go within a short time of opening and I'd happily put a good bet that a number of other retailers are struggling to maintain the numbers needed to justify their presence. The Original Burger Co downstairs had no one sat eating when we walked past at 7pm last Wednesday night and we've seen similar trends elsewhere.

Looking at things a little deeper maybe street food should be on the streets and not forced into an unnatural shopping centre environment.

Looks

Walking in to The Nottingham Street Food Club just feels like you're walking into a fancy bar that turns into a bit of a grotty market where they kind of ran out of ideas. With three of the food stalls following a rough looking industrial theme and another shaped like an old caravan. A little bit of continuity would have looked much better.

The units themselves looked run down. Had we been explained the look that they were going for we may have understood why but as it stand they just looked odd and fashioned together in a hurry. As a VIP party we'd have liked to have seen some hosts mingling to explain the ideas behind the concept as for us the styling really didn't work.

The Food Stalls

Pizza- Whilst it's not rocket science to make a pizza it looked like the pizza stall was the odd one out at the party set in a caravan. There was nothing to advertise pricing or even what they did other than a big stack of small pizza boxes to the side of the counter. There wasn't even a sign to show the name of the business leading us to think that someone had dropped out and been replaced in a hurry. Unlike any of the other stalls they were sampling and the pizza's were genuinely nice. I didn't see them sell a pizza but plenty were coming out for sampling although as we've always said, once you've been to Italy and eaten a seriously good pizza on a beach for a few euros you're going to get very particular and whilst they were nice I wouldn't go to a street food stall for a pizza when there are so many other places across Nottingham I can get a good pizza (Including the amazing Inferno across the road).

Pizza Straight from the Oven

Chef Jugz- Offering Fusion Taco's in either Gai Yang Chicken or Jerk Veggie varieties their menu was lacking in variety. The taco's certainly weren't to my palate but we'd have liked to have seen much more choice. Worryingly there was also no smell of the food as you walked past and disappointingly they weren't sampling despite no sign of a queue.

Chef Jugz Limited Menu at Nottingham Street Food Club

Numinums- Offering Vegan Cuisine, our first look at the menu lead us to think they'd stuck to a very usual and safe Vegan menu. Nothing particularly different or sadly special and at £6 a time for a snack size plate they weren't really representing good value for money. Also with just two menu options or some toasted flatbread it was definitely not inspiring us at all.

Numinums at Nottingham Street Food Club

The last food stall was Homeboys. Apparently the man behind them was a Master Chef Finalist and a Japanese Soul Food Specialist so we were hoping for big things after the uninspiring other stalls.

Homeboys

They were offering some very interesting Bao Buns for £6.50 featuring a steamed Bao Bun with Belly Pork filling although we opted for the Rice Cake at £3.50. Having eaten rice cake at some of the Asian inspired restaurants across the city we were intrigued but what they would come up with an sadly the result was a real let down. It was simply rice cake covered in a thick terriyaki style sauce which lacked flavour, presentation or any quality. If that's the standard of food served up by a Masterchef Finalist I'll personally offer to drive Greg Wallace up to Nottingham to dish out some advice and we didn't even get something resembling a fork to eat it with.

Rice Cake from Homeboys

The final Stall was the Bar. Offering a selection of simple drinks as well as beers although we were lucky to be given a bottle of Freedom Pils to try so didn't really need the bar on this visit especially on a school night.

The Bar at Nottingham Street Food Club

Street Food is usually one of convenience however they seem to be taking the convenience out of street food by making attending a ticket only affair. Whilst in some ways it's a good way to gauge interest it also means they will lose out on the people that want street food type dishes- the working lunches, the snackers and those of us that might be on an unplanned visit to town. If you do want to make a reservation there's no website up and running but you can follow a link through their facebook page.

We left the Nottingham Street Food Club a little annoyed and very hungry. We were invited to what should have been a showcase event. We've been to VIP openings before where poeple have been on site to meet and greet. We never were or saw anyone approached by a representative to talk us through the concept. No one was out and about sampling despite what our invite advised except for the unnamed pizza stall and for a preview event it was a real let down for us and we subsequently headed off into town to find somewhere to eat.

Maybe we have a different idea on what's needed for a successful restaurant. We've never even tried to run one but we've sampled enough food over the years and having lived in Nottingham our lives that we'd like to think we have an idea of what works in the city. We wish the Nottingham Street Food Club every success possible: we love the idea and should have been bowled away but came away having wished for a better experience questioning whether the venture would be successful

Hitting the Mountainous Die Zugspitze Burger at Tap Haus

2017-04-24T21:37:00.001+01:00

Mansfield's Tap Haus has been on our list of places to visit for some time. We even tried to use the Nottingham Food Lovers name to try and get a reservation on opening weekend without joy. We've popped in for a drink on a few occasions as it's one of the few local places in the Mansfield area we can get great Continental Beers on tap including the likes of Erdinger and Kozel.

Die Zugspitze Burger at Tap Haus, Mansfield Woodhouse

Since it's opened we've heard mixed reports regarding the food with friends leaving before even being served on the opening night and a look on the likes of Tripadvisor gives a very varied impression but after a hard day cycling and running in the Peak District we desperately needed food and with our usual go-to for pub food having had a record breaking day leading to them running out of meat our next closest option was Tap Haus. We can't always set our stall our to head somewhere for a food review but on this occasion circumstances worked in our favour.

Die Zugspitze Burger and Lemon and Thyme Chicken for Sunday Dinner

The menu at Tap Haus as the name suggests is very German orientated. Not something you'll usually see unless you venture to the Christmas German Market in Nottingham. There's something pretty comforting about a big Bockwurst or Bratwurst in Market Square amongst the Christmas lights so would Tap Haus have that sparkle.?

I ordered the Die Zugspitze Burger. Named after Germany's highest peak which rises to 2,962 metres above sea level so you can get the idea that it's going to be a pretty size able burger.

Die Zugspitze at Tap Haus

Featuring a pretty big beef patty (I'd say half a pound at least) topped with thin cut Kessler Steak, Half a Bratwurst, Half a Frankfurter Sausage and smoked bacon. It said on the menu above it was supposed to come out all smothered with hot mustard but sadly the chef missed that off my burger. I really love my mustard too so wasn't particularly happy.

If you order a mixed grill usually the Zugspitze has to be Tap Haus own version of the mixed grill and it was sehr gut (I can remember that from GCSE German). The patty itself was beautifully moist and full of flavour. Well worth trying for yourselves. At £15.99 it's a shade expensive by Mansfield standards but I'd happily order again.

Now that's a meaty burger.

Tap Haus 219 Leeming Ln N, Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield NG19 9EX

Tel 01623 625804

Bizarrely they don't have a website

Moo-ve Over. Son of Steak is Now Open

2017-04-22T20:29:00.000+01:00

Whilst one of our motto's is "Life Tastes Better with Piggy", there are other times where it seems more viable to add another animal into that mix. Whether life''s clucking marvelous or moo-ving too fast as Romina Johnson sang. Holy cow it's steak time!

Son of Steak Nottingham

Son of Steak replaces the Harvester in Trinity Square with a modern take on a steakhouse. A stones throw from the Intu Victoria Centre, Cinema in the Cornerhouse and the Theatre Royal but pitching itself inside one of arguably the most congested areas of the city when it comes to food choice, especially considering it's location in the Trinity Square development relies upon a flow of people away from the main road for the visible exposure a new restaurant should be looking for.

No Beef- So what's in the Son of Steak?

Whether a niche steak restaurant is ahead of the game or behind the times also remains to be seen but it's a great advert for Nottingham for Mitchell and Butlers to choose for a bold new venture and one we were more than happy to receive a visit to check out the environment, menu and most importantly, food. The premise of Son of Steak is affordability and quality so on arrival we were intrigued and last week attended an invite to a media event to sample from their meaty menu.

Mojito's and Strawberry and Basil Lemonade

On arrival we were offered drinks from the staff with Mojito's on tap Jem was more than happy to start drinking away with myself on tonight's designated driving duties. I requested my usual driving orientated tipple of 'Lime an Soda water' to be advised the restaurant does not stock cordials. This initially had me a little worried. I opted for the offering of Strawberry and Basil Lemonade instead.

Jem's Mojito went down nicely. Almost too morish as she polished off at least four of them during the evening. The strawberry and basil lemonade was also very refreshing and light on the palate.

Within a short time of our arrival food started to come out onto the main centre table with a selection of Hash's from the Brunch Menu.

Red Pepper Onion and Spinach Potato Hash Topped with Crush Avocado

We tried both the Red Pepper Onion and Spinach Hash which we felt tasted a little bland. It was a nicely put together dish but really lacked flavours and seasoning. The red pepper was nice and sweet but the other constituents really seemed lacking. It sounded like it could be a good dish on paper but the reality was it didn't work for us.

Smoked Streaky Bacon, Onion and Spinach Potato Hash with a Fried Free Range Egg at Son of Steak

We experienced more of the same with the Smokey Bacon Hash. It sounded a great dish but for us really lacked flavour and seasoning even with our favourite all time ingredient- bacon.

Making a 'hash' of things at Son of Steak

After the early 'hash' of things we hoped the main meals and steaks would really be up to standard. With Son of Steak being carnivore orientated we hoped we were in for a treat as steaks started to come out from the kitchen on impressive looking slate boards.

The Lomito Steak at Son of Steak

The steaks started arriving atv our table. Cooked medium rare and with a steak knife for ourselves to divide between us. They had a lovely exterior slight crumb from the sea salt they were rubbed with prior to cooking. Each steak beautifully cooked and full of flavour with very little fat. Definitely a more premium offering but at less than a tenner for a steak (it's more to add chips but there's plenty of sides on offer). All the steaks are cooked to perfection in the Josper Charcoal Oven for that added smokey flavour though there's very little of that smokiness in the dining area.

The Steaks come in four main options. Flat Iron Lomito, for the tenderest part of the rump, Picanha from the top rump and Sirloin with a daily special offering.

The Raw Food Salad

To our table came a beautiful looking bowl of Raw Food Salad with va zesty Ginger and Pineapple dressing and our first evidence of something warming- cut fresh chillies.

After that the sides started rolling out en mass.

Amazing Crushed Sweet Potato with Maple Syrup and Pecan Nuts

We loved the smokey tones of the chushed sweet potato with spiced maple syrup and pecans which would be a great option to choose with your steak. The Beef Dripping Gravy was that good we were simply drinking it like shots on the bar and is excellent for dipping the rather simple chips that for us lacked seasoning.

Raw Food Salad and Creamed Spinach

We were very disapointed by the spinach which was to be polite, awful but really enjoyed the Halloumi, though as with many of Son of Steak's offerings it really was lacking seasoning or a good sauce. There was very little in terms of table sauces on offer and a decent sweet chilli sauce would have worked wonders with the Halloumi.

A bit more Picanha from Son of Steak Nottingham

Son of Steak offer more than just steak. They also offer the standard restaurant fayre of cooked chicken and burgers. The chicken we sampled was relatively juicy and moist at first but the more we ate the drier it became It was however very delicate and simply felt apart as you showed it your knife. The glaze was very nice with a Sticky Maple and Zatar glaze however I'm not sure it's anything better than many other restaurants locally are offering up.

Steer Clear of the Cremated Burgers

The burgers served were a real let down for us. Certainly from our experience they were pretty much cremated on the outside and with a patty lacking in real flavour. Add to that a very sour tasting burger sauce and these really didn't do the restaurant justice. We were actually rather shocked they were served how they'd been cooked.

Steak Bao Buns

We're new to Bao Buns, an Asian streetfood delicacy which is effectively a Taiwanese take on the steak sandwich using a rice flour bun. Un fortunately for a number of us these also didn't work well with a taste like they'd been dizzled in vinegar as a resul;t of what seemed to be they Soy and Yakinaku sauces used. We'd be interested in finding out what others have felt about these but they definitely didn't work for us.

Chocolate Mousse

For dessert we were treated to some chocolate mouse. Piped into bowls for us all to sample with a chocolate cookie. After a few mouthfuls of the mouse I had started to get a powdery taste in my mouth from the pre-mix. Sadly another let down.

Steak House Meets Saloon Meets Informal Dining

We had a lovely evening at Son of Steak, the people involved were great, it's a lovely dining area and we had some fantastic company for the evening with a real buzz between the bloggers and media types and their plus ones which we rarely experience at events we're invited to.

Sadly for us the only letdown of the evening was the food. Whilst Son of Steak seem to be getting things right with their steaks, it's much of the menu around them that's faltering in our eyes with lack of flavour or being poorly put together. From the hashes that really lacked seasoning to overcooked burgers there's a lot we saw on Wednesday that means it's likely going to be some time before we return. It's a real shame as we love a good steak.

Son of Steak
Trinity Square
Nottingham
NG1 4BJ
Tel 0115 9569685
www.sonofsteak.co.uk

Affordable Steak at Soon of Steak

Dolcino- Italian Gelato, Coffee and Cocktails in Nottingham

2017-04-14T16:20:00.000+01:00

Visiting Dolcino Nottingham

Last weekend we sent Charlotte to celebrate the opening of Nottingham's newest Ice Cream Parlour for some Italian Gelato at Dolcino.

Pistachio Ice Cream and an Espresso

First walking into Dolcino you immediately notice the large array of ice cream in all different colours: there’s Mars Bar Magic, Black Forest Gateaux and Toffee Popcorn to name just a few. It took us over 5 minutes to actually decide what flavours we were going to go for, but thankfully a friendly member of staff came to the rescue. She provided tasters of any we were intrigued by before we finally settled on pistachio and banana – both with generous servings of course.

Plenty of Ice Cream to choose from.

Wandering around the café to find a seat, we took in the bright, cheerful surroundings with all the little personal touches. A bicycles were mounted on the walls that belonged to the owners, as was a portrait of the owner’s grandad – a reminder to them to create only the best gelato, and giving the place a family feel with a touch of Italy.

Coffee and Bianchi Bicycles- What's Not to Love

Being late arrivals to their opening day gave us the opportunity to get a one-on-one tour with the owner Francesco Arcadio. He gave us an in-depth demonstration of how they make their gelato. He highlighted how gelato is different from regular ice cream – a more natural and luxurious alternative to the popular dessert. Proud of their reliance on high quality local ingredients – from their milk to each of the individual components, they provide the gelato with its unique flavour. All of these are natural, and thanks also to the methods they use, result in a healthier ice cream with less fat and a fuller flavour.

Getting the coffee ready

Wandering upstairs presented us with a quieter and more open sitting area with a fantastic view of the centre of Nottingham. A wall-to-wall window opened out to Market Square and the Town Hall. The other big attraction here is the factory viewing area visible to the public. You can sit here and watch the ice cream being produced right there on site – it’s a really nice addition.

There's even a Cocktail Bar at Dolcino Nottingham

Returning downstairs we decided to try something on the menu. Before we got to the till though, the cocktail bar caught our eye and we were greeted by Philip Rundlett who represented the drinks and syrup selections they have on offer from the Italian company Toschi. We’ve never seen such a selection of different syrups and flavours, from kiwi to blood orange. It was clear we needed to sample some of these! First stop was a drop of Nocello in our freshly made latte, which in our opinion gave it a great extra flavour without tasting of alcohol. After swift consumption of this, it was time for cocktails. As we couldn’t decide, our host made us a fantastic custom drink to suit our tastes – somewhere in between a mojito and a strawberry daiquiri.

It's not just ice cream at Dolcino, Nottingham

We decided on an American Blueberry crepe featuring more of the delicious gelato on top as a welcome alternative to whipped cream. A wise choice! Taking a seat downstairs with our cocktails in hand our crepe arrived in no time. Philip came over and supplied us with a glass of Fragoli wine to enhance the blueberry flavour. It wasn’t long before we had finished every last bit, despite it being a very generous portion. More than enough for one, it had ample fresh blueberries, plenty of gelato and featured a refined, light texture, just as a crepe should be without being overly sweet.

American Blueberry Crepe with Gelato and Whipped Cream

To finish off the evening, we asked to try some of the freshly roasted organic coffee beans, in our opinion best tried in an espresso. The coffee was smooth and silky, and provided a nice finish to our desert.

It's safe to say we will definitely be returning to sample more of their homemade gelato and coffee. We feel this café bar is a great place to go anytime of the day - from a morning coffee and fresh pastry to a lunch time break meet for coffee and food, to an afternoon treat with the family. However, we love the fact that we can have desert and cocktails all in one place on a weekend evening, to relax and take away the stresses of the week, a great new addition to the young and vibrant Nottingham.

Pizza and Cake at the Crimson Tree Sherwood

2017-04-13T22:59:00.003+01:00

The Crimson Tree has been in Sherwood for a good number of years now. Having formerly been situated on Mansfield Road close to the Sherwood Manor they've recently moved close by into what used to be the old Police Station into a larger property.

The Crimson Tea in Sherwood

We've been driving past and seeing the pretty lights throughout the winter although hadn't taken the plunge to visit until recently. Meeting Mark for a catch up in Sherwood last week seemed like a great opportunity to try out somewhere new and so we headed up from finishing a quick pint in the Joseph Else up the hill to the Crimson Tree.

Inside the Crimson Tree is a lovely, inviting dining space. It's open and friendly whilst having a relaxed air. As we hadn't booked as it was a Wednesday Night we were advised that most of the tables had been booked and were given a table beside the the selection of cakes which would feel like absolute torture with our love of a good dessert.

We were sat beside all these cakes- Absolute torture with my sweet tooth.

The Crimson Tree evening menu is relatively simple with a selection of pizzas, salads and sides to choose from. We opted for their own take on a meat feat with premium Italian hams and Salami, as well as a good old traditional Margherita. We added some Chicken Wings and Cajun Fries too to make it more of a meal.

Mark opted for a very nice bottle of Vina Mariposa Red Wine for £9.99 which we felt reflected excellent value for money for a very nice, well bodied red wine. Well worth trying.

The Margherita Pizza came out looking just as we'd expect. With a thin and crispy base, a sensible amount of tomato sauce and plenty of cheese. Taste-wise it was a simple take on an Italian classic. Nothing special but nicely done. We've had similar for 5 euros by the beach and whilst I'd have liked some slightly bolder flavours and maybe a hint of basil that's me being rather picky.

Margherita Pizza at Crimson Tree Sherwood

Marks Meat Feast with red onion looked more of a masterpiece with premium Italian meats. He was very happy with his choice although we both felt the bases may have needed just slightly longer in the oven to go really crisp as there was a little doughy-ness to them. (If that's such a word!).

The Cajun Fries we had alongside were fantastic. Light on the inside, crispy on the outside and with a lovely glaze.

The one thing we didn't feel quite so positively over was the service. The young girl who was serving us for the majority of our meal was well turned out except for a hideous, dirty pair of training shoes which definitely didn't give us a good impression and the general attention of the servers needed a little more shoring up. With a little bit of work it could be of a high level and help to add to the diners experience.

Lemon and Raspberry Cake

The real highlights of the Crimson Tree in Sherwood for us were the cakes. Mark had previously tried the lemon and raspberry cake and found it to be so good he opted for it again.

The coconut and cherry cake was very nice indeed. Well worth being tempted by. A good 3 inch by 3 inch slab and reasonably priced too.

Cherry and Coconut Cake

Possibly the Best Easter Cocktail Ever- The Chocolate Batida

2017-04-03T23:01:00.000+01:00

The Ultimate Easter Cocktail Recipe

The Chocolate Batida from Las Iguanas

Easters on it's way and whilst it's a great time of the year to celebrate with children, it's also nice as an adult to really get into the swing of things.

Why should the kids have all the fun and when we found out about the Chocolate Batida Cocktail from Las Iguanas well felt it needed introducing. Featuring their Magnifica Cacaca (Brazilian Sugar Cane Spirit) with chocolate liqueur and condensed milk with a topping of every adults favourite Easter indulgence- Mini Eggs.

Chocolate Batida Cocktail Recipe

15ml Las Iguanas Magnifica Cachaça

25ml Crème Cacao Brown Chocolate Liqueur

25ml Condensed milk

50ml Full fat milk

Dash of chocolate bitters

Add the ingredients together in a glass filled with ice before sprinkling chocolate power and crushed min egg pieces on top for the ultimate adults Easter indulgence.

The Las Iguanas monthly Cocktail 'Hot List' launched on March 21st with a great selection of 2-4-1 cocktails during happy hour.. The list changes every month so we''re sure you'll find something you like.

The Chocolate Batida retails at £9.75 and is part of the Hot List so you can enjoy two during happy hour or make them yourself with the Easter chocolate cocktail recipe above.

Las Iguaas Nottingham is at Chapel Quarter, 4 Chapel Bar, Nottingham NG1 6JS

Taste Testing Cosmo Nottingham World Buffet

2017-03-13T21:57:00.002+00:00

Nottingham has a wealth of “all you can eat” restaurants, From curry houses offering a Sunday buffet selection to the likes of May Sum focusing on Asian cuisine all week. Somewhere in the middle of the spectrum is Cosmo World Buffet Nottingham located above Waitrose on Milton Street, a stone's throw from Victoria Centre and amongst an area that is fast becoming Nottingham's Eating District.

One of the biggest selling points of Cosmo is it's variety. Serving up a whopping 150 plus dishes is no mean task when you consider there's pretty much everything you and your extended family would be happy to eat. With everything from traditional favourites to more exotic flavours there's a wide range for all.

As a blogger that likes to take photographs of food an invite to somewhere with character and structure like Cosmo is a real delight. Hopefully the photo's below do some of the food justice.

Love Italian Food- Cosmo Nottingham Has Options for You.

Upon arriving at Cosmo Nottingham we were blown away with how extensive the serving space was. Flavours were grouped together into their own pleasantly designed stations and well labelled. If you love your curries you could quite easily make your way towards the House of Spice, fancy something more like Sunday lunch and you could head your way to the Rotunda and Carvery sections although it's worth having a walk round and good look at the food options before loading your first plate.

Plenty of Sushi Options at Cosmo

We were really impressed with the Sushi and Tepanyaki selection so headed there first. With beautiful looking Maki Rolls, California Rolls and Nigiri with Prawns and Sake Salmon. In some ways we could have eaten the sushi throughout our visit.

A Selection of the Sushi Options at Cosmo Nottingham

We loved the clean, crisp looking Sake Salmon Nigiri and the Prawn Nigiri. Alongside them were plenty of different sauces to try too.

Prawn Nigiri

The California rolls looked fantastic. We were very impressed by Cosmo Nottingham at this point.

California Rolls

For our next plate we moved towards the House of |Spice. We love our Indian food and anything with a little heat so it seemed a logical choice to want for curry next.

Tikka Mushrooms

We love our Mushrooms so the Tikka Mushrooms were an interesting addition to our plates. Nicely juicy with a subtle spice despite looking significantly hotter. The spice was gentle and these would make a lovely accompaniment to a meal.

Aloo Tikki

The Onion Bhajo's had a lovely gentle spice to them and a great crunch to their exterior. We'd happily go back for more.

Onion Bhaji's

The Onion Bhaji had a lovely gentle spice to them and a great crunch to their exterior. We'd happily go back for more.

Plenty of attention grabbing bowls to choose from.

We opted to try a big selection of the curries from the House of Spice. The joy of somewhere like Cosmo is that if you don't like something your plate will simply be cleared away and you can go back for more when compared to ordering something that's not quite right for you in a restaurant and going hungry as a result.

If you're heading to Cosmo and wanted to try something you might never have tasted before we'd recommend the Kathmandu Fish Curry. We know lots of people who are yet to savour the delights and get out their comfort zone as such. The Kathmandu Fish Curry was light and fragrant, creamy and flavoursome with delicate white fish.

A Selection of Curries from House of Spice

As well as the fish curry we sampled a nice, easy eating Chicken Tikka with soft, succulent meat, as well as a more earthy Gurkha Lamb curry with a little more heat. All the curries were relatively subtle in their strength. We'd almost call it a family friendly selection in terms of their strength. It would have been nice to see something with a little more kick but we'd happily have any of the curries again.

From the spicy stuff I made my way over to the Italian Kitchen area. Over there was a nice selection of piping hot pasta as well as pizzas and Garlic bread. Great for a good hearty meal and Pizza will always please the kids

Pasta options at Cosmo Nottingham

As well as the ready made stuff there are cooking stations at Cosmo where you select your ingredients and the chefs on site will create your masterpiece. You can even choose the pasta your personal dish is made of.

Choose your pasta

I'm not sure I know a child who doesn't like pizza. I even know one that loves Pepperoni Pizza yet hates tomatoes (and hasn't twigged yet!) that I know would devour slice after slice. The pizza's were all thin and crispy with a generous amount of toppings. My Pepperoni slice was very easy work indeed.

Pizza at Cosmo with plenty of toppings.

From Pizza in Italy we made our way to the other side of the world and onto the Taste of Asia. Asian food takes up a dramatic portion of Cosmo's serving area. From India and the World of Spice to the more Oriental inspired options of the World of Asia. If you include the Tepanyaki and Sushi you see that Asian flavours are a driving force behind many all you can eat style restaurants.

Part of the World of Asia Section

The Asian selection at Cosmo is pretty vast and features a lot of the classic dishes you'd expect and maybe a fair few you wouldn't. There's the usual classics like Spring Rolls. Satay Chicken and Prawn Toast to dive into. We also timed things right for when the Dumplings came out for the Dim sum selection on our second time up for food. They'd been raided on the first occasion so we'd recommend you grab some whilst you can.

Prawn and Pork Steamed Dumplings

The Pork and Prawn Dumplings were very easy to eat although surprisingly filling. They were a little light on flavour but I always like to add a little spicy sauce and some Thai Sweet Chilli did the trick. Jem tried the much larger steamed dumplings and sadly we found these a little hard to palate and tough going. On this occasion they may have needed a little longer cooking through

The large Steamed Dumplings we felt needed a little longer cooking.

You can't have a buffet without Prawn Toast and there was plenty to put on your plate. Nicely toasted and a great accompaniment on your plate.

Fantastic Looking Prawn Toast

The Spring Rolls were more of a vegetarian option. Filled with lots of chunks of veggies so if you're a bit put off by textures like myself then best to steer clear.

Fancy a Spring Roll?

The Sesame Chicken was full of flavour with some moist chicken. It worked well with the nutty Satay Sauce.

Sesame Chicken

The section we felt a little let down by was the Rotunda grill area. We found the meat to be rather dry. There was a beautiful looking joint of Jerk Turkey which sounded really to our liking. If you're a sporty, bodybuilder type looking for somewhere to seriously stock up on lean protein there were plenty of options at Cosmo but we felt some of the meat had been left out just a little too long.

There were plenty of options for those looking for a more traditional meal from the grill,

Chicken on the Bone with Peppers from the Rotunda

There was more than just chicken from the grill with some great looking meals on offer. The cottage pie looked worth a try and would definitely be one to please our Mum's who are a little less adventurous with their palates

One of the best bits for anyone with a sweet tooth will be the desserts selection. With a veritable smorgasbord of dessert options with something for everyone. Those feeling a little guilty after their size able dinner can opt for a healthy piece of fruit or two from the selection.

Plenty of Fruit for Healthy Options

Whereas the rest of us will head straight for the sweet stuff. With a huge selection of desserts to choose from I was well and truly in my element. With most of the desserts already portioned up it saves making a mess too.

Fancy a Mini Trifle?

There's a fantastic selection of all your favourites in small portions. In some ways there's so much choice that you could choose just to do dessert on a visit. All you can eat dessert is my idea of heaven, although I know plenty of diners for whom it would be hell.

Or Some Triple Chocolate Brownie?

The Chocolate Brownie seemed to be a firm favourite with the selection being replaced as we walked up to the counter and from the look of those mini pieces of chocolate heaven we could easily see why.

Or Maybe a Cupcake?

After a heavy main meal I decided to opt for a small selection of cakes to begin with. I opted for one of the chocolate glazed doughnuts. I love my doughnuts but unfortunately on this occasion it was a little dry

My Selection of Desserts

The caramel dessert pictured in the middle was a little more like a caramel panna cota. Light and slightly jelly like. Very easy on the palate although lacking real flavour.

The Chocolate Brownie was very dense and really probably needed a little more time standing at room temperature before being bought out for eating. It was generously chocolaty hadn't softened up.

The Tiramisu was very nice, with delicate coffee flavour and just enough consistency to stay together whilst passing a fork through it.

Or Your Own Mr Whippy Style Ice Cream

To finish off I headed over to the ice cream selection and opted for an old school Mr Whippy with some classic strawberry sauce to feel like a kid.

We really enjoyed Cosmo Nottingham. There was a good selection of food that would appeal to the whole family. It's not really somewhere for the adventurous diner as the selection is very similar to what you'd expect to see elsewhere. The environment for seating is a level above the majority of most of the all you can eat places in Nottingham we've been to.

We'd more than happily return however bringing members of the family open to trying new things outside of their usual comfort zone. And I'd certainly come back for the Sushi, as well as the desserts.

The Cosmo Nottingham Price List as at February 27th 2017.

The Cosmo Nottingham Adult Price List at 27/02/2017

Kids are charged at half adult price as long as they're under 150 cm tall. and for infants under 3 you will pay £3 at Dinner and £2 at lunch which we think represents good value for children's food.

Cosmo Nottingham
29A Milton Street, Trinity Square, Nottingham NG1 3EN
Tel 0115 9507755 for bookings or you can book online with the link above

Reviewing Gusto West Bridgford

2017-03-03T20:08:00.000+00:00

Gusto West Bridgford

It's been years since I've ventured out into West Bridgford. I've always known it to have a vibrant and slightly more mature scene to Nottingham city centre whilst keeping more of a town-like feel. Gusto seem to have made a wise choice situating themselves in one of the most affluent areas of Nottingham where there's plenty to spend your money on- including great food.

The latest addition to West Bridgford's restaurant's is Gusto. Featuring a broad menu of Italian classics with a wide selection of pizza's pastas and meat dishes it seemed we were in for a treat or two despite anything that wasn't bolted down throughout West Bridgford being sent flying by the after-effects of storm Doris

The Exterior of Gusto West Bridgford with the preserved Monkey Tree

The old Monkey Tree has been replaced with a very sleek, yet relaxing interior, tastefully adourned with a myriad of fairy-lights to add great mood lighting. It's the kind of environment you could as easily feel at home taking your mum (or Mamma as we are dining Italian), meeting the girls or even out on a date.

Threre's even a new glasshouse to the front that extends the capacity of the building which is still owed by the Sorrentino's who ran the Da Vinci restaurant within the property in the late 90's before retiring and leasing the property. The iconic Monkey Puzzle Tree to the front remains and is as much a part of West Bridgford culture as Robin Hood is to the area.

All in the transformation has cost around £1 million and represents a big investment into the area to add to 15 Gusto restaurants across the country. Nottingham- West Bridgford is their first restaurant in the East Midlands showing our prominence in the marketplace for eating and drinking. It seems it's a great time to be a foodie in the city.

I was invited along to sample the menu along with a number of other bloggers so have to admit my experience at Gusto was a little different to the norm for me. I spent the evening getting to know some wonderful people whilst eating a good meal, what's not to enjoy about that. And as four of us were dining it would be a great opportunity to get some shots of various different dishes across the menu.

Having driven across straight from the day job and this being the wrong side of town for me it was an evening of being sensible. The cocktail menu looked lovely and there was a fantastic wine selection which sadly didn't feature any of our Sardinian classics. Had there been a nicely chilled Vermentino on the menu I might have been forced to leave the car overnight and get a taxi home. There were however a few non standard Italian wines on the menu to choose including a classy sounding white Verdicchio and a full bodied Amarone if you really wanted to push the boat out.

Sundried Tomatoes as Nibbles

Whilst waiting for one of our party we sat down and tucked into some Sun-Dried Tomatoes (£2.95) and Garlic Dough Petals from the nibbles section of the menu. The Sundried Tomatoes were bursting full of flavour and came as about 10 pieces so plenty to share around a small table.

Dough Petals with Garlic Butter

The real highlight of the nibbles was the Dough Petals with Garlic Butter. The dough was almost like a filo pastry type dough almost like you'd find in a croissant. Slightly salty with a wonderful crunch they just neeped a big pot of Alioli on the side to dip into instead of a meagre amount of garlic butter.

For starter I liked the sound of the Hand Rolled Meatballs in Tomato Sauce. They came out with a sensible 5 smallish size meatballs in a bowl with tomato sauce and some melted cheese on top with some gently toasted artisan bread beside. In terms of looks I certainly wasn't blown away and as I bit into the first of my meatballs my initial first impressions were showing to be correct. They just taken like a simple meatball in a rather simple and sparse tomato sauce with a flavourless cheese melted on top. It's only saving grace was the very nice artisan bread alongside. For me the meatballs needed more in terms of seasoning and a small amount of basil would have done wonders with the sauce. £6.50 is a little on the expensive side for a starter and I certainly don't think the Meatballs really even justified their place on a menu. This could have been as a result of the freshness of the Sundried Tomatoes we'd sampled but I felt the tomato sauce was on the very simple side.

I was the only member of the party that opted for pasta for the main meal. I like flavour and a little heat from my dishes so spotted the White Crab, Chilli and Garlic Spaghetti (£15.95) deciding that was my choice.

Crab, Chilli and Garlic Spaghetti

My Spaghetti came out nicely presented with finely chopped chilli on top. I initially thought this was just a garnish however this was the chilli within the dish. I drizzled a little chilli oil for extra warmth and began to slice through my Spaghetti to make it more manageable pieces. I was impressed with the amount of crab meat in the dish although for me by mid dish this was overpowering what little garlic and chili that had been put on the plate. I think if I'd walked outside a vampire wouldn't have been scared off by the amount of garlic I'd eaten and I was left rather unimpressed with the amount of chilli and subsequent (lack of a) kick that the dish had. I'd be intrigued to see what others who've tried this dish at Gusto West Bridgford think

By this point of the evening I was feeling rather disappointed, after the fantastic Dough Petals my Meatball starter had been mediocre and my Spaghetti main course hadn't worked for me. It could be amazing for some people but I love big flavours and simply wasn't getting anything over the generous serving of crab. Dessert could now be make or break for me.

Nutella and Mascarpone Calzone

With my love of gluttony the logical choice for dessert was the Nutella Calzone. A Pizza dough pocket filled with Nutella and Mascapone Cheese. Usually just give me a pot of Nutella and a spoon and I'm happy so the Calzone option seemed like a win and the dish came out looking amazing with a fine dusting of sugar.

The Very Runny Nutella and Marscarpone Filling

Whilst the beautiful pizza dough made the dessert look amazing the contents were simply melted runny Nutella and Mascarpone Cheese which really wanted to escape. It worked well as a dessert but I'd have liked to have seen a thicker, denser filling that would hold to the pizza-dough much better, something like the thick cream you'd often find in a Canoli roll. The present filling was a little too runny and I'm not sure mascarpone and Nutella work so well together. I'm sure there are much better filling options available

The other bloggers in our party were certainly a little more enthusiastic with their choices than myself. Having tried plenty of Italian food over the years including a number of trips I can be rather objective and when a company puts as much into a site as Gusto have into their West Bridgford restaurant I would have expected significantly better. The food was nice, but there's so much nice food about that to draw diners back you need a level or two above nice. The design of the restaurant had that wow factor even if I didn't feel my food did.

The Cold Smoked Salmon Starter

For starters the other members of our party opted for the Cold Smoked Salmon (£6.50) and the Oven Roast Pork Ribs (£7.95). The Salmon came out looking lovely. Plenty of fish and a lovely Celeriac Remoulade and whilst the Pork Rib looked a little lonely on the plate I was assured it was succulent,

tender and full of flavour.

The Pork Ribs Starter

For Mains the Fillet of Pork 'Saltimbocca' we were told translates as 'Jump in Mouth'. Whilst again it was a nice dish there was no real jump from it and it's presentation needed a little more work. I'd expect my Momma to serve up something similar for a hearty Sunday roast dinner, not an expensive Italian restaurant.

Slow Cooked Pork Belly

The Slow Cooked Pork Belly came out looking fantastic and so did the Pan Roast Duck Breast

Gusto has the right environment to be very successful. A fantastic varied Italian Menu. A lot of the options are tried and tested classics you'd expect to see at many an Italian. It's a classics menu with an option for everyone. As I've explained to a few people who've asked my thoughts since- The food was nice. For the prices I'd certainly expect more in terms of flavour.

The staff at Gusto West Bridgford were amazing. Passionate and full of knowledge as well as being attentive and were a credit to the restaurant. Maybe it was just my food options that let down my meal. It was nice, but when there's so much competition in West Bridgford and a short bus journey into town it's a tough marketplace that Gusto is slotting into.

Gusto

70 Bridgford Road, West Bridgford, NG2 6AP

Tel 0115 9824904

http://gustorestaurants.uk.com/restaurant/westbridgford/

Filthys Nottingham New Menu Tasting

2017-02-11T21:33:00.000+00:00

Having been open around 18 months Filthy's Nottingham, originally starting with a gourmet Hot Dog menu their latest reincarnation keeps the dogs on the menu whilst bringing in their own take on some American classics.

Filthy's is situated just off Weekday Cross, opposite the Nottingham Contemporary entrance.

The entrance to Filthy's Nottingham and the Gypsy Lounge

With a retro 80's vibe as a result to walls adjourned with vinyl and various standout posters from the likes of Iron Maiden, Filthy's definitely appeals to the eternal student in many of us. The closure of bars like Reflex and Flares have definitely opened up opportunities for new pretenders on the retro music scene.

Old School Vinyl at Filthy's

The New Menu at Filthy's

The new menu at Filthy's takes a very American approach to eating. With a focus on Hot Dogs, Burgers and mains like Mac and Cheese they've opted for tried and tested options which are very fashionable right now with their own twists on classics.

With Burgers like 'White Men Can't Jerk', featuring a jerk marinated chicken breast or the 'Dhaba' made using onion bhaji patties to create some great sounding alternatives to a regular beef burger there's plenty of variety to choose from.

Sliders at Filthy's Nottingham

Filthy's have kept some of their classic Hot Dogs on the menu as well as adding some great chicken wings that we tasted in a fantastic hot sauce.

Chicken Wings in a tangy hot sauce

And with a great selection of Jamjar Cocktails for £4 it's well worth a trip to Filthy's. The food was very nice and there's plenty to choose from drinks wise

Filthy’s Nottingham

13-15 Weekday Cross

NG1 2GB Nottingham

Telephone: 0115 985 9023

Email: info@filthysnottingham.com

Twitter: @filthy_dogs_

Instagram: Filthy_dogs_

More inside Filthy's

Carvery at Kings Mill Farm Sutton in Ashfield

2017-02-02T20:23:00.002+00:00

Jemma heads to the Kings Mill Farm Sutton In Ashfield for a carvery lunch.

After doing a hard morning workout at Crossfit. Me and the sister decided on early lunch and a much needed catch up. Not far from the box was the Kings Mill farm this has had a very recent refurbishment and re naming as this was called the King and Miller. Not been inside a Farmhouse Inn I didn't know what to expect.

1^st thing that hit us on entering through the main doors they sell cake and lots of it.

The cake selection.

We both decided on that we will be sharing a piece later on but what to have as there was far too much choice. Though a Cakeaway service is available if you have no room after dinner but you still want cake for laters.

Seeing that the Carvery was just been set up and a long line of veg it was decided to see if could beat Toby Carvery Shareese's favourite roast place. The great think like the Alders there is a small plate, standard and large plate option. For lunch time opted for the small plate which for me was more than enough.

The Carvery at Kings Mill Farm

The choice was fantastic totally different options to anywhere I have been recently for a roast. Leeks, cheese veg bake as well as a cauliflower cheese bake. Red cabbage and cranberry, white cabbage and Shareese's favourite Brussels sprouts. The Yorkshire pudding was a nice light and crispy though on a small plate they seem to take a third of the plate up.

Plenty of vegetablesm Yorkshire Pudding and a stuffing ball

I opted for a pork and turkey dinner with new potatoes while Shareese opted for Gammon and Turkey

The highlight of all the veg was the Red Cabbage and cranberry and regretted only picking a small amount. Shareese couldn't decide on what she wanted and just about every veg option. She agreed the Red Cabbage was a winner alongside the mashed potato which was nice and smooth.

More amazing cake

Ordering a cake to share we decided on the blackcurrant doughnut cake

This I found a nice not too sweet sponge but Shareese found was a little too heavy for her in texture. The icing felt could eat much as this was rather sweet but between us we did eat neatly all of it. I would just come for coffee and cake was that nice. This place is somewhere we could take mum to and don't think would get any complaints.

MOD Pizza Opens in Nottingham

2016-12-15T21:24:00.001+00:00

We sent Mark to MOD Pizza Nottingham's Opening in the Market Square

MOD Pizza NOttingham in Market Square

On Wednesday 14th December Mod Pizza officially opened it doors to the public here in Nottingham,. We were privileged to have been invited to the opening and to sample the goods on offer. MOD Pizza - Made On Demand- is an American pizza company that started about 8 years ago in Seattle providing a community based restaurant serving reasonably priced good quality food and the rest as they say is history! Look at their web site for more on who they are at; modpizza.co.uk.

I did have a chance to speak to the manager at MOD Nottingham - Dave - he was very friendly and willing to share on the ethos at MOD. I wont go into to much details but I do want to highlight a few things: Their Staff are paid well above the norm for a job of this type, catering is- and fast food catering staff especially, a low wage career. Often workers have to exist on minimum wage but not at MOD a basic crew member is on over £8 per hour!

MOD Pizza Nottingham

Also MOD expect their management team to be “on the floor” doing the job, it was refreshing to see the “big bosses” mucking in, I briefly spoke to Celise (apologies if I spelt this wrong!) who is dressed just like a crew member ( And I assumed she was a base crew member) but she was in fact a very senior boss, from the parent company in Seattle! living in the UK helping to run MOD UK. Celise was mucking in clearing tables answering questions helping on the line, at the till, she hardly stopped moving! I only found out later who she really was by talking to Dave! I was great to see senior management on the front line where the rubber hits the road so to speak!

Lastly as Mod was created to be a community business they support local charities. This is no different here in the UK, every new store will donate the proceeds from the official opening to a local community based charity. This is nothing short of amazing, I don't know of any other business that has done this. Proceeds from Wednesday's opening went to Epic Partners.

So why tell you this? well I am hoping this will make you think and perhaps you're feeling “ WOW! They’re really good lets go have a look for ourselves!” - which is the purpose of this to get you to visit! But we all know its about the food so moving on.

Marks Pizza Ready for the Oven at MOD

MOD Pizza situated on Long Row in the market square is maybe an updated modernised “American Diner” style restaurant. It has a clean modern exterior with a light and spacious interior, with bright murals on the walls. On entry you come to the queueing area in front of the counter where you create your pizza masterpiece. A large menu explains the options and prices so you can come in and order one of the 9 “Classics” or create one from scratch. As I had been invited to come I was allowed to enter before 12 and meet the team. While having a look around and seeing the line where all the ingredients were all neatly lined up and filled, it was nice to see everything looking so fresh and vibrant.

The interior at MOD Pizza Nottingham

The seating was a mix of tables and benches, tables and chairs, and a high tables with stools. The look and feel is like that of the American diner but more modern and a bright colour scheme through out. On the right side wall in big friendly letter was “welcome” written, on the back wall a mural with hands making a heart shape! Another wall had pictures of people - I guess customers from other stores, it all looks bright fresh and clean.

Choose Your Ingredients

You're greeted by the “Line Staff” who take your name and as you move down the line you see your pizza created in front of you - and even if you choose a classic you still get to add stuff to this as well after all this is “MOD” Made on Demand, MOD-ify the pizza your way!
Having created your pizza you move round to the till where there is an impressive array of drinks on offer, bottled beers, wine by the glass and bottle! Prosecco!, flavoured waters, milk shakes, a huge choice. You also have your standard Coke brands but they also offer their own made daily lemonades, ice teas, and sodas. They even do Ice cream floats as well! There is so much choice your bound to find something you really want! Again on the milk shakes you can customise your choice as well. Then having decided on if you are eating in or taking out you pay and then the wait for your pizza commences!

Pizza's coming off the production

The only comment I have to make at this point is that the queueing area is potentially to small, when they opened at 1200 and the first 50 people came in it filled instantly and folk were left queueing out the door. Now this is not likely to happen exactly like this again however, at peak times it could happen which is fine in summer but when its cold and or raining it could lose custom.

So I am there waiting for what felt like ages contemplating the Brew Dog Punk IPA beer, but only because I was hungry and kept seeing these amazing pizzas going past me! (In reality though I didn't time it was only 4-5 minutes before my name was called and I received my pizza.) So my beer was served in an actual MOD branded glass!! this was cold, light and refreshing, you really get the flavour of the hops of a good craft beer

And so finally to the pizza itself! I chose an 11 inch Mad Dog which was pepperoni on a tomato base sauce and mozzarella with mild sausage and ground beef, I added red onions, green peppers and Parmesan shavings as well. As I mentioned before just because you choose a classic you can still add what ever you like to it!

Mark's Pizza Creation- Mad Dog with extra Peppers, Onions and Parmesan

My pizza was very good! But then I knew it would be! I created it! The base was crisp but not like a biscuit, it was still a dough after all. The cheese was nicely melted and the toppings looked great. On the taste you get a mash of flavours, the crisp peppers with the sausage then the spicy pepperoni and beef. There were herby tones probably from the red sauce and the sausage. The flavours mixed and melded into a great taste. Though the pizza uses a thin crust, I did find it quite filling so In terms of a lunch it was more than adequate.
But what if you’re watching your figure? or don't like pizza! (who in their right mind doesn't like pizza!) then you have salads to choose from as well and again these are made in front of you! Not that hungry? Only need a snack then have a mini pizza at 6inches with all the same choices! If you have a group or are really hungry then there is a mega pizza as well. The choices are there for you to take advantage of.

In addition to all the choices on the line once you have your pizza there is a condiments rack by the drinks dispensers with Parmesan, dried chili flakes, salt and pepper and on various tables there were additional condiments as well. Some of the tables even had side plates as if you would buy a selection of pizza and share out between friends.
Overall, this was a good experience, the team looked confident and friendly, the management were mucking in helping, leading the team by example! The seating never got really full, there was always some where to sit. The background music was just that, a mix of modern and classic tracks. There was a great buzz of conversation going on all over the place and the customers? Well there was a mix of students, professionals, office, manual workers, mum’s and babies and OAP’s as well. Everyone appeared to be enjoying the food and the restaurant staff busied themselves clearing tables emptying bins and generally keeping the place clean and tidy.

All in all, this was a good visit and I can see me popping in of a lunch time when I'm at work for a treat!!

MOD Pizza Nottingham

Nottingham Market Square. 31-32 Long Row Nottingham NG1 2DR

MOD Pizza Nottingham

3 Courses for £10.90 at Rajah in Sherwood

2016-12-13T20:17:00.002+00:00

Whilst we love a little luxury sometimes a hearty good value meal is in order. We''ve made numerous trips to Rajah in Sherwood over the years and their set menu is a winner for us at a great value £10.90 for starter, main and a coffee or ice cream for dessert.

Here's our photos from a recent visit and sampling of the 3 courses for £10.90 menu.

For starters we opted for the Chom Chom- Tender chicken tikka pieces pan fried with Indian Cheese, garlic and onions which came out with succulent flavourful chicken and a small fresh salad. Our other option was the Meat Samosa which was slightly spiced and full of flavour.

Meat Samosa

For mains we opted for a Meat Balti and my personal favourite- a Prawn Ceylon. Having had them at Rajah before I know what to expect. A warming coconut curry which works well with prawns. Todays was as good as usual served with delicate Pilau rice and sweetened Peshwari Naan bread.

The Prawn Ceylon

Prawn Ceylon and Peshwari Naan

The Meat Balti worked very well with a rich gravy coating tender chunks of Lamb. It was more full of taste than warmth and would make an excellent choice for someone wanting flavour over heat

Meat Balti

For dessert we opted for the ice cream. It's only really ice cream or a coffee and with the previous warmth from the Ceylon curry the taste of a coffee would be heavily impacted as a result so something to cool the tongue was a great idea, The ice cream was a simple vanilla however did a great job of cooling our mouths after our curries

The Ice-cream at Rajah

For £10.90 it's hard to fault Rajah in Sherwood. Service is good, food is good and there is plenty of choice on the special menu. We've been a number of times in the past and will continue when we're looking for a nice curry on a budget. The menu also applies at the weekend too.

www.rajahindian.co.uk
575a Mansfield Road Sherwood, Nottingham NG5 2JE
Tel 0115 9622410

Rajah Indian Cuisine, Sherwood

Sunday Lunch at the Queens Head Belton

2016-11-24T20:01:00.000+00:00

We love the opportunity to head out to a good country pub. Whilst we appreciate the hustle and bustle of Nottingham we're no longer the party animals we might have been. We're now at the point where we'd rather treat ourselves to Sunday dinner so when the opportunity to pop over to the Queens Head at Belton for a review came about we jumped at the chance.

We've been hearing good things about the Queens Head for a while and whilst it's a little further than we might normally venture it's actually not that far in honesty. A relatively short 25 minute drive from Nottingham city centre and we were out past East Midlands Airport and into some lovely rolling countryside on quiet roads. The area's not far from Nottingham, Leicester, Derby and Loughborough so if you're looking for inspiration for your Sunday lunch it could be well worth consideration.

The Queens Head, Belton

From setting foot in the Queen's Head we saw a very contemporary pub. With a separate well stocked bar we could easily pop in of a Friday night after finishing work if you're local or know someone who's happy to drive (and stay on the soft drinks). The dining area is modern and uncluttered with an amazing looking fire built into a central column. With comfy padded chairs and lots of light it certainly feels the kind of place the whole family can enjoy dinner together- It's smart and stylish without forcing it upon you.

The Front Dining Room at the Queens Head

We were sat to the side of the pub through a doorway beside a large round table that would be great for a big group meal. It felt different in this section of the restaurant with a darker decor. Still a nice relaxed dining space and with plenty of light from the adjacent windows adorned in a hounds tooth pattern while flowed throughout sections of the restaurant.

There's also a kids play room to the rear with everything from colouring books to a movie projector to keep the kids happy away from the main dining area.

The Second Dining Area

The Sunday Lunch menu offers 3 courses for a very reasonable £17.95. The menu is compact yet well put together with some classics for everyone to enjoy. We were also very intrigued by the advertised Feasting Menu which featured a huge selection for tables of minimum 8 people. Priced at £27.50 per head it's certainly a level above the main Sunday lunch menu, although we'd love to come back with a big group to sample Hungarian Pork Goulash, Boeuf Bourguignon, Lamb Hotpot and Luxury Fish Pie. The feasting menu sounded like a veritable banquet of an opportunity to get together and enjoy some great food. It's on the list for a future review.

Starters at the Queens Head

For starters we opted for the Serrano Ham with Melon and the Field Mushroom Soup. The other option on the menu was an intriguing starter of pizza.

The Serrano Ham with Melon came out looking striking on a clear glass plate. With sweet, firm melon, lightly seasoned with salt and pepper drizzled with watercress and slices of Serrano Ham seasoned with a dash of olive oil. It looked a fantastic starter, very well presented with a drizzle of a subtle balsamic glaze to the exterior. Fresh and fruity.

Serrano Ham and Melon

Our second starter with the Field Mushroom Soup with featured a rich, meaty taste. Not quite blended to a puree with the occasional small chunk of wonderfully fresh mushroom. Thick enough to coat a slice of bread and I really enjoyed it.

Field Mushroom Soup

Alongside the Field Mushroom Soup was a couple of chunky slices of fresh bread and a small dish of butter topped with salt flakes which added a nice, personal touch to the dish.

Butter with Salt Flakes

Main Meals at the Queens Head

For our main meals we had opted for the Chicken Breast and Beef Sirloin from Tori and Ben's Farm at nearby Melbourne.

The Beef Sirloin Came out looking very nice indeed with charred carrot, purple carrot and parsnip atop three generous half centimetre thick slices of beef aside roast potatoes and Yorkshire Pudding. For some it would be close to the perfect Sunday roast although we did feel it was maybe lacking one thing- a stuffing ball.

Beef Sirloin Sunday Roast

For some the beef may have been a little too close to mooing for their liking being on the rare side. For myself however this was close to perfect and we're sure the chef will do requests if you prefer your meat cooked in a more particular way. When served up with French Mustard it was fantastic.

The beef was from nearby Tori and Ben's farm at Melbourne. It's always a positive to see places using locally sourced food

Our other main course option was the chicken breast which came out beautifully moist in a butterfly cut. Soft and succulent whilst full of flavour. I've never had chicken so succulent so a real hats off to the chef.

Butterfly Chicken Breast

Alongside our fantastic meat was a nice selection of vegetables. The roast potatoes were lovely and crispy on the outside. The charred purple carrots and parsnips were fresh and seasonal as well as the sweet al dente greens which came as we'd requested we didn't wish for cauliflower.

Desserts

For desserts we opted for the Treacle Tart and Cheese Board.

The Cheeseboard came out on a granite plate featuring three generous sized pieces of cheese, A Stilton, a Brie and Lincolnshire Poacher. Usually we'd expect to see a Cheddar on a cheeseboard and it's omission made a nice change with a great range of tastes from the cheeses offered. We love our Stilton and Lincolnshire Poacher was a wonderful addition.

The Cheese Board

Alongside the cheeses were a selection of three different crackers. Pumpkin and Sesame Seed, a Water biscuit style cracker and wholemeal. You can't say there wasn't any variety alongside the fresh red grapes.

Strangely the cheeseboard came with a pot of butter which isn't something we usually would expect and were a little puzzled with the logic of it's addition. We'd have certainly liked to have seen a pickle or chutney served to add an extra bite to the dish.

The Treacle Tart came out looking like heaven warmed up with a ball of creamy, smooth vanilla ice-cream sat on top. By the time we'd finished photographing it had started to melt into the tart but the presentation was great.

The treacle tart was deliciously moist in the the centre with a gentle crusting to the top adding additional texture to the dessert. The taste was on the milder side with a subtle strength. Sometimes it's easy to go overboard and this was an almost understated taste that worked exceptionally well for it's subtlety. Definitely worth trying.

The amazing Treacle Tart

We had a wonderful meal at the Queens Head in Belton. For the money (£17.95 for three courses) it represented excellent value with quality starters and desserts alongside a lovely main course. We'd happily recommend it for Sunday lunch if you're looking for inspiration in the Nottingham, Leicester or Derby area.

We have some pretty fussy parents when it comes to dining and we're pretty sure we could bring them out for dinner. There's something for the majority of tastes with a simple yet well thought out menu that should have something for everyone.

We were invited to visit the Queens Head for a food review and whilst our food bill was taken care of we've reviewed above as though we were paying customers and would more than happily go back if we were paying.

The Queens Head is at 2 Long Street in Belton, Loughborough, LE12 9TP
Bookings are recommended and can be made by calling 01530 222359 or via their website
http://queensheadbelton.co.uk/