Brickmakers Arms, Newton Solney, DE15 0SJ.

I don't know what's suffered most lately, my wallet or waistband? I've eaten out four days in a row and my cooker's starting to wonder if it's done something to upset me?
Today we've stepped over the Derbyshire border a couple of miles south of Willington, to the Brickmakers Arms in Newton Solney. I'd been hearing that this was "the" pub for Decent Grub.

The disproportionaly small bar made a tight holding area for customers waiting to be seated. It was a struggle to get served and I was overlooked a couple of times by the stretched barman. It certainly isn’t somewhere I'd suggest popping into for a pint.
Once seated I perused the menu which was obviously their Sunday lunch menu so it consisted of the usual suspects, roast beef, pork or lamb, scampi or cod and a couple of pies. We settled on the two courses for £10.95 option, three courses at £13.95 being far too much food for a lunch, but seemingly good value.
Bec had the chicken liver pate with Cumberland sauce. Definitely home made, it was smooth & buttery, but as usual the quantity of pate far outweighed the habitual morsel of bread. The superfluous garnish of apple, orange and kiwi, was unneccesary and seemed dated.
I had a punt at the black pudding with bubble & squeak with red wine & onion gravy. Two large discs of pudding, a pan fried potato cake and an ocean of slippery gravy. It was far too much for a starter. As my old man used to say "My eyes are bigger than my belly". He wouldn't say that if he could see my rapidly expanding mid-rif!

The mains were nothing to write home about, roast lamb for Bec and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding for myself. Two plates of slightly over cooked meat, with a large bowl of seasonal veg to share. The highlight was my mountainous Yorkshire, large and crunchy. Just like mother used to make (and still does).
It was a very average Sunday lunch, certainly not worth the drive, but for the locals I'm sure it hits the spot. It was chock-a-block today and almost claustrophobic.
I noted there was nothing in the main course selection for vegetarians.

Food 5/10
Venue 5/10
Service 4/10

Tel: 01283 702330

"Hey little rich boy.Take a good look at me.Why should I let it worry me.I'll never believe your better than me" (Hey Little Rich Boy, Sham 69, 1978)

Goji, Bold Lane, Derby, DE1 3QE

The trend continues for buffet style oriental eateries, with the recent opening of Goji on Bold Lane and the overdue Wokmania in the old St Werburghs church in Derby.
In an attempt to ensure I keep on top of all new openings, I decided it was time to go Goji.
Goji is a rapidly expanding concept with a further 7 branches opening this year alone. Their location in Derby is good news for the Cathedral Quarter in it's bid to rival Westfield and London Road in the food stakes. The fresh and vibrant facia and interior are however the most invigorating thing about Goji. When we visited this evening there were only a handful of tables occupied and it was in need of some "atmosphere".
Me and my partner Bec, duly ordered a drink and had the concept explained to us, £11.95 eat as much as you like including a desert. OK, let's go....
They're in a bit of a catch 22 situation here, not enough customers means a slow turn around in the food. Starters including crispy duck, had dried up under the heat of the over head lights, pancakes had stuck together and salad was looking weary to say the least. The hoisin sauce I used to complete the crispy duck pancakes was watered down.
The mains were better as they benefited from being predominately sauce based, so didn't suffer from the overhead heat. Pork satay was spicy and peanutty, but the crispy chilli beef was again dry and er.. very crispy. The beef in black bean had a curious synthetic taste that I couldn't put my finger on and was packed with pepper, it was too fiery for me. Bec's chicken in cashew nuts was accompanied by over cooked (or over waited) noodles and in the end we gave up.
A quick visit to the sweet trolley to select something to get rid of the lingering pepper taste in my mouth, revealed a selection of cakes and gateaus that looked liked they'd been attacked by a bunch of kids with machete's.
The manager duly asked if we'd enjoyed our meal, but we hadn't and he was forced to endure our displeasure. But to give him his dues he deducted one meal from the bill and he was keen to point out that when the the restaurant was full, the food turn around was considerably quicker, so if I was to return, I'd ensure it was on the busier Friday or Saturday nights.
It's such a crying shame that the no-better-than-average food, doesn't live upto the slick interior and lifestyle it portrays. It will be interesting to see what happens when Wokmania opens in the coming weeks.
Food 3/10
Service 5/10
Venue 6/10

Friday 11th July 2008, GOJI HAS NOW CLOSED DOWN

Tel: 01332 363900


http://www.lifeatgoji.com/

Zest, 16 George Street, Derby, DE1 1EH

Click to enlarge

Zest is like Scotland to me. I know it's there, I really want to go, but I never get round to it. Well sister and myself have booked a flight in mothers 'Rover 200' to Zest this evening. At last we're going!

It must be a couple of years since local restauranteur Bill Poynton relinquished the reigns at Zest, giving the new owners plenty of time to stamp their own mark on the place. I must say I do prefer the new aubergine colour scheme to the previous stark white interior, the 'cosy control' has been turned up a notch or two. It certainly needed it this evening as the relentless winter downpours continue (whatever happened to snow?).
We were lucky they still had tables on the ground floor. I prefer this to the balcony. Various drinks and a dish of herby olives were ordered. We were preparing for take off....
As usual mother by passed starters leaving it to sister et moi to sample the openers. Intrigue lured me towards the cod, spinach & mascarpone wellington (£5.95) and sister commenced with butternut squash & ginger soup (£5.25). The ubiquitous butternut squash soup was as you'd expect, but with a hint of ginger and star anise. I do wish restaurants would "step out of the box" when it comes to winter soups. I'm getting quite bored of butternut squash. The cod wellington was a sausage shaped filo parcel containing steamed spinach and a thumb sized piece of cod, sat on a pool of tangy orange hollandaise. It was light and felt healthful, with most of the flavours packed into the sauce. We were in full flight....

For the main event mother went for pork tenderloin with caramelised pears & brandy sauce (£15.25). It was cooked just right and served on a bed of potato with a cluster of pan fried pear slices forming a perfect peak. My sister ordered the saute of chicken breast with apples and parsnip(£14.95), her accompanying brandy & madeira sauce imparting most of the flavours in this delicate, yet once again perfectly cooked dish. It was no surprise I chose the most expensive main course, venison steak with rosemary and cherries (£18.50), came perfectly seared pink and succulent on the inside. The astute combination of rosemary and cherries creating a perfect winter dish. The accompanying selection of winter brassicas were also cooked spot on.

For a dessert I had their panettone bread & butter pudding (£5.25), it was a lucious slice of gooey, squidgy pudding with plenty of sticky butterscotch sauce. I loved it. Mother surprisingly had room for a banana mousse (£5.25), a light mouse with slices of banana and more of their finger lickin butterscotch sauce, a well executed take on a banana split.

It had been an enjoyable flight....

Zest provides comfortable, contemporary dinning without getting too involved in "foodie fashion". You won't find snail porridge or essence of quail with a lagoustine foam here, just modern, stylish dinning. Book early for valentines!

Food 7.5/10

Service 6.5/10

Venue 7/10

Tel: 01332 381101

http://www.restaurantzest.com/

"Now I gotta reason, Now I gotta reason and I'm still waiting" (Holidays In The Sun, Sex Pistols, 1977)

The Bridge Inn, Chester Green, Derby, DE1 3QY

Now if I mention the Bridge Inn at Chester Green, it will probably conjure up images of deep fried food and two meals for £5 before 7.30pm, etc. But I can assure that John Palmer (previously at Soul on Green Lane) has been creating something considerably better than that here for the last year or so, I just can't believe I've not picked it up on my radar before.

The first floor dinning room is in complete contrast to the rest of the pub which is tonight predominately guys drinking Carling and watching the match on Sky. Their rapturous cheer drifting up the stairs, ensures the large room is given a bit of atmosphere. I was really impressed with the room, the low ceiling made it feel like we were on the set of "Death on the Nile", extremely warm considering the elements outside ravaging against the windows. I imagine it must be very pleasant in the summer, with views over the river Derwent from the abundance of windows.

There was a compact Specials menu and we all ordered from this apart from the Mother. It was Mussels in chorizo tomato sauce with french bread (£3.95) to start me off and my sister had a pop at the Arnold Bennett omlette (£3.95). A bowl full of mussels with a rich tomato, roasted pepper and chorizo sauce came with bread and fries. It was a meal in itself. My sisters omlette Arnold Bennett ( a famous classic, created so the story goes, by head chef at the Savoy hotel, for the novelist Arnold Bennett, who wrote an entire novel, Imperial Palace, while staying there) was perfectly cooked, firm on the outside with chunks of smokey fish inside an light, fluffy interior. Both were more "light bites" than starters, extremely satisfying.

Mains duly arrived. Mother had the battered cod, chunky chips and peas pudding (£5.95). She loved the home made chunky tartar sauce which had the addition of tarragon. For yours truly it was the pheasant breast with a bacon & cabbage potato cake and shalot & port sauce (£6.95). Absolutely top drawer. Locally shot pheasant with two rustic potato cakes in a rich, zingy sauce, perfect for a winters evening. Sister had their popular braised steak with wild mushrooms and herb lyonaise potato's. Two chunks of slow cooked, melt-in-the-mouth steak with a separate bowl of thinly sliced, layered herby potato's. Everyone took time between mouthfulls to murmur "fantastic", "what great value", "We'll be back here again soon"and "I can't believe it's not packed?".

I have to say it was extremely good, the prices were pretty keen and the quality of the food served up could have warranted considerably more. Freshly cooked, contemporary pub food in a very pleasant environment at outstandingly great prices. This really was Decent Grub.
After the meal John popped up for a chat and told us that all the food was locally sourced, ice creams and breads home made. I can't speak highly enough of the place. The only down side is that chefs can move from place to place quicker than managers at Newcastle United.

John...........the Bridge Inn and Derby, needs you!

Food 8/10

Service 7/10

Venue 7.5/10

Tel: 01332 371360

"We'll do the twist, the stomp, the mashed potato too. Any old dance that you wanna do" (Let's Dance, The Ramones, 1976)