The new Alvaston Bypass can now propel you from Derby to Shardlow in minutes, so mother, sister et moi hit the gas and 10 minutes later we're pulling up outside the old Lady in Grey hotel. Dark and derelict from the outside, the entrance reveals a 'Narnia' esk junk shop interior with old tables, carvings and various brik-a-brak squeezed into every nook and cranny.
Considering it's August, the room felt surprisingly cold (mind you, hasn't this summer been the worst you can remember!?). Then as if by magic the heating suddenly came to life. Things are gonna start warming up!
The constantly bowing waitress took our order, nothing for the mother but Tempura Squid (£4.95) for me. Lightly battered, soft fleshed hoops of yummy squid with a choice of three dipping sauces, thai-riffic! Sis had a bash at the Thai Mixed starter (£5.45), a platter of various deep fried morsels and the ubiquitous ornate radish carving (are you supposed to eat this?).
The bowing waitress removed our plates and returned with the three mains. Mother had ordered Pad Prio Wan Gai (£7.15), a modern take on Sweet & Sour Chicken, a bit too sweet for her palate she proclaimed, but it still kept her quiet for some time. I ordered Gai Pad Med Ma-Muang (£7.65). I was intrigued by the description's foot notes proclaiming that this is Andy Roddick's favourite dish (world no.2 tennis player, in case you didn't know). I'd never have guessed he lived in Alvaston!. A classic thai combination of chicken, cashew nuts & chillies was accompanied by a bowl of sticky rice. A bit too fiery for me considering it only had a 1 out of 5 heat rating. Sister ordered Pad Gra Praw Gai hor Kai (I assure you these are the genuine names!) at £8.25 it was the most expensive, and also the most disappointing. The stir fried chicken with holy basil in an omlette, came....without the omlette wrap, resulting in an expensive plate of stir fried chicken & mushrooms. "So solly, fort yoo ask foor diflent dish". Well they never charged for it, which in my opinion is the only thing a restaurant should do in these circumstances. I'm still amazed how a kitchen that isn't busy, get such basic things wrong.
The eclectic interior is fun, but I do draw the line at the amount of cobwebs. I know it adds to the C.S. Lewis experience, but I don't think stir fried chicken with sweet & sour spider would go down well with most people.
Worth a look, but don't go in your Armarni suit or Jimmy Choo's!
Food 5/10
Service 6/10
Venue 6/10 (or 2/10 if you don't like spiders or cobwebs)
Tel: 01332 793311
"Don't tread on an ant he's done nothing to you, there might come a day, when he's treading on you" (Ant Music, Adam & The Ants, 1980)
Martin, August 2007
Unfortunately, despite the fact I thought this was a fun place and the food was acceptable, some friends visited last month and told me the food was very poor, and the restaurant was cold. Probably best avoided.
Martin, February 2009
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Stelianas & Saphos, London Road, Derby
Mother, skinny & myself had decided to head off towards the London Road restaurant metropolis in search of an eaterie, on this damp Tuesday night (how much rain have we had lately!), when out of the corner of my eye I spotted Stelianas Greek Taverna. Car dumped down a side street we trotted off back towards the venue.
The radiant white room had it's walls adorned with various souvenirs of trips to Greece & Cyprus. However it wasn't enough to disguise the rooms blandness, it certainly lacked a homely feel.
A traditional bottle of Mythos lager beer (£3.50) for me, a Malibu for skinny and a "skanky" 125ml glass of wine (£3.90!) for mother, got things moving.
I secured a starter of Halloumi cheese, Skinny had Prawns a la Sapho's, de-frosted prawns with lemon and parsley (£5.40), she enjoyed them imensley, but at £5.20 for three slices, my starter was definately overpriced.
For the main feature mother and myself had the Lamb Kleftiko (£13.50), lamb slow baked in the oven. Skinny had the Stiphado & Pork Kebabs (£12.70), Stiphado is a classic Greek dish of beef slowly cooked in red wine, on this ocassion it was accompanied by a skewer of pork kebab. It was meat eaters heaven and both myself & mother were beaten by the amount of meat. Her two Jack Russell puppies weren't complaining the following day though, they seemed to enjoy the cold lamb more than we did.
I remember what freindly people the Greek's are (they've always made me feel welcome on my various trips to the islands) however this guy never spoke a word, not a "how's your meal", etc until I made the first move and asked how thing's were doing. The silence had been broken! Hey mate, lighten up, engage your customers, make the place a bit more cosy, knock ya prices down 20%, and serve a decent size glass of wine!
I have freinds over from Greece next week, I certainly won't be bringing them here. This is far removed from the taverna you probably visited in Corfu last year, ahhh those were the days.......
Food 4/10
Service 5/10
Venue 4.5/10
Tel: 01332 385200
"Ca plane pour moi, ca plane pour moi" (Ca plane pour moi, Plastic Bertrand, 1977)
Martin, Tuesday 27th February, 2007
The radiant white room had it's walls adorned with various souvenirs of trips to Greece & Cyprus. However it wasn't enough to disguise the rooms blandness, it certainly lacked a homely feel.
A traditional bottle of Mythos lager beer (£3.50) for me, a Malibu for skinny and a "skanky" 125ml glass of wine (£3.90!) for mother, got things moving.
I secured a starter of Halloumi cheese, Skinny had Prawns a la Sapho's, de-frosted prawns with lemon and parsley (£5.40), she enjoyed them imensley, but at £5.20 for three slices, my starter was definately overpriced.
For the main feature mother and myself had the Lamb Kleftiko (£13.50), lamb slow baked in the oven. Skinny had the Stiphado & Pork Kebabs (£12.70), Stiphado is a classic Greek dish of beef slowly cooked in red wine, on this ocassion it was accompanied by a skewer of pork kebab. It was meat eaters heaven and both myself & mother were beaten by the amount of meat. Her two Jack Russell puppies weren't complaining the following day though, they seemed to enjoy the cold lamb more than we did.
I remember what freindly people the Greek's are (they've always made me feel welcome on my various trips to the islands) however this guy never spoke a word, not a "how's your meal", etc until I made the first move and asked how thing's were doing. The silence had been broken! Hey mate, lighten up, engage your customers, make the place a bit more cosy, knock ya prices down 20%, and serve a decent size glass of wine!
I have freinds over from Greece next week, I certainly won't be bringing them here. This is far removed from the taverna you probably visited in Corfu last year, ahhh those were the days.......
Food 4/10
Service 5/10
Venue 4.5/10
Tel: 01332 385200
"Ca plane pour moi, ca plane pour moi" (Ca plane pour moi, Plastic Bertrand, 1977)
Martin, Tuesday 27th February, 2007
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