Well at last, a brand new independent restaurant opening in Derby. This is exactly what local enthusiasts of "something that's half decent to eat, but isn't a chain" have been waiting for! The dark Bat Cave interior had intrigued me since the day it opened and now they've had enough time to correct any initial blips (I believe they had more than their fair share), it's time to don our miners helmet lamps and take the plunge.
It really is dark in here, not only are the walls, furniture, lights, etc all black, but the menu was pretty difficult to read being printed in black on dark grey paper.
The maitre 'de promptly turned up in his dark Gothan City suit, inappropriately smeared and stained in places. Maybe he's secretly attempting to paint one of the rooms white, in between his front of house duties.
An order for the Potted Atlantic Prawns (£5.75) and Smoked Mackerel Tian (£5.50) was placed along with a Crispy Belly Pork (£10.95) and a Poached Fried Chicken Roulade (£11.95) logged for mains. When enquiring if we'd need to order any accompaniments, extra chips were promptly offered by the man in black. Not a good sign.
G&T and Vodka & tonic were duly delivered. Hang on a minute, that's lemonade not tonic. Here we go .....
Once the transformation from humans to foxes was complete, I scanned round the room with my new ability to see in the dark and was taken aback by the sheer size of the place. My hearing must have also become more acute (bat like) as I was suddenly aware of the sheer volume in here. Several long tables towards the back of the room with large parties on them obviously made up the bulk of the volume. Hen do's or birthday's no doubt.
The starters came with suspicious lightening speed. My Potted Prawns wrapped in smoked salmon, were very chilled, they'd either been de-frosted or just taken out of a very cold fridge? Characterless in taste and texture, as was the thick wedge of foccacia, very "Morrisons bakery". The Mackerel tian was...... you guessed it, Mackrel pate. Bog standard stuff. Both dishes were displayed on large irregular shaped plates, massively over presented. All dressed up, with nowhere to go!
Within minutes our plates had been whisked away and we were presented with the main attraction on two more large inappropriate "OH, don't they look trendy" plates.
Tell me if I'm crazy but Crispy Belly Pork, needs to be crispy. Yes, you guessed it, it wasn't. A thick slice of wobbly pork isn't top of my list. The twice cooked chicken roulade wasn't saying much either, chunky chips, spinach and an alleged thyme jus were sharing the plate.
The speedy service, bland over presented food served to at least 100 covers at a time, made me think........ Could this be the new Antibo's?
Fine dining it certainly isn't.
Unfortunately this place is all show, at medium dough, for people "not in the know"!
No doubt you'll be invited to Karen's 21st birthday here, you'll see what I mean.......
Food 5/10
Venue 6/10
Service 4/10
Tel: 01332 208262
www.timetograze.com
"In darkness there is no sin, Light only brings the fear, Nothing to corrupt the eyes, There is no vision here" (Wait for the Blackout, The Damned 1980)
Martin (sometime in July, it wasn't that memorable)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Red Lion, Hollington, Derby
It was only a matter of time before my culinary journey around Derby ended up at the Red Lion in Hollington, situated off the main A52 Derby to Ashbourne road. It's become widely recognised as one of the best pub's for food in the area, it's just a shame that it's a little bit too far for that impromptu mid-week jaunt (especially if you fancy a beer or a glass of wine).
Here to celebrate my son's 20th birthday (even though he never made it. He shot off to Blackpool last minute. Obviously preferring humdrum food to freshly drummed-up food!). Ah well, three's company, four's more expensive!
Two dining areas to choose from. The recent extension is the slightly more formal dining area, whilst the cosy bar offers the same menu.
The three remaining members of the birthday party plonked themselves in the bar, slap bang in from of the large chalk board menu.
I was the only one to take on a starter. Goats cheese on toast with a beetroot glaze (£5.65) was an attractive plate with a decorative squiggle of beetroot glaze. Very yummy, but there wasn't enough of the sweet and tangy beetroot glaze to cut through the goats cheese. I needed more!
Mother never does starters, so went straight for the lamb & mint pie with chips and peas (£8.25), a hearty dish, piping hot with plenty of chunky chips. No complaints, but I did think it was more of a winter dish than high summer. Bec had her favourite, the rack of lamb with garlic & rosemary jus (£15.95). A bit pricey in my opinion, it turned up pink, juicy, well presented and piping hot. I'd got an appetite so went for the fresh fish and chips with peas (£8.95). The large piece of crispy fish was struggling to fit on the plate. It was hot, fresh and extremely filling. I was beat!
It easy to see why this place has won various eating awards (even though it's not received an accolade for a couple of years now). This is top pub grub. Slightly pricey in parts, but quality does come with a price.
I couldn't help wondering if Daniel's fish & chips in Blackpool would be as good as mine........wake up Martin!!
The Red Lion. Sometimes hard to find, but invariably worth it.
Food 7/10
Service 6/10
Venue 7/10
Tel: 01335 360241
"My father when I was younger, Took me up to the hill, That I looked down on to the city smog, Above the factory spill, He said this is where I come, When I want to be free, Well he never was in his lifetime, But these words stuck with me" (One Way of Life, The Levellers, 1992)
www.redlionhollington.co.uk
Martin, Tuesday 3rd July 2007 (my son's birthday)
Here to celebrate my son's 20th birthday (even though he never made it. He shot off to Blackpool last minute. Obviously preferring humdrum food to freshly drummed-up food!). Ah well, three's company, four's more expensive!
Two dining areas to choose from. The recent extension is the slightly more formal dining area, whilst the cosy bar offers the same menu.
The three remaining members of the birthday party plonked themselves in the bar, slap bang in from of the large chalk board menu.
I was the only one to take on a starter. Goats cheese on toast with a beetroot glaze (£5.65) was an attractive plate with a decorative squiggle of beetroot glaze. Very yummy, but there wasn't enough of the sweet and tangy beetroot glaze to cut through the goats cheese. I needed more!
Mother never does starters, so went straight for the lamb & mint pie with chips and peas (£8.25), a hearty dish, piping hot with plenty of chunky chips. No complaints, but I did think it was more of a winter dish than high summer. Bec had her favourite, the rack of lamb with garlic & rosemary jus (£15.95). A bit pricey in my opinion, it turned up pink, juicy, well presented and piping hot. I'd got an appetite so went for the fresh fish and chips with peas (£8.95). The large piece of crispy fish was struggling to fit on the plate. It was hot, fresh and extremely filling. I was beat!
It easy to see why this place has won various eating awards (even though it's not received an accolade for a couple of years now). This is top pub grub. Slightly pricey in parts, but quality does come with a price.
I couldn't help wondering if Daniel's fish & chips in Blackpool would be as good as mine........wake up Martin!!
The Red Lion. Sometimes hard to find, but invariably worth it.
Food 7/10
Service 6/10
Venue 7/10
Tel: 01335 360241
"My father when I was younger, Took me up to the hill, That I looked down on to the city smog, Above the factory spill, He said this is where I come, When I want to be free, Well he never was in his lifetime, But these words stuck with me" (One Way of Life, The Levellers, 1992)
www.redlionhollington.co.uk
Martin, Tuesday 3rd July 2007 (my son's birthday)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
