Wokmania, St Werburghs church, Derby, DE1 1BU

Well I must confess, I have been to Wokmania before, but it was in Sheffield when I recently repatriated no.1 son back to university.
So it was no surprise that my visit to Derbys imposing branch of Wokmania, was once again to be with no.1
Walking into the dimly lit interior of the old St Werburghs church felt surreal and dramatic to say the least. It was immediately apparent why the opening of this branch was delayed almost a year, the logistics and cost must have given somebody a few sleepless nights.

We were promptly shown to our seats and the layout of the food was clearly explained, starters, mains and a section for desserts were all well defined.
How anyone can be expected to even dent the alleged selection of 120 different courses was beyond me, especially as the offer included dry congealed rice, cheap parts of chicken (i.e. wings and legs), dry meatless ribs, oily curries and dry breads. Many dishes weren't even labelled, so we never did find out what they were.
The desserts looked like they were straight from school dinners at Markeaton junior. Jelly, soft whipped ice cream, sponge cakes, copious amounts of slightly bruised apples and wait for it……bowls of Dolly Mixtures! My god, do they do kids face painting aswell? I’ll have Lion-O! (the Thundercats, remember?)
I started to wonder who would actually come here. I knew you certainly wouldn’t want to bring your new lady here on a date (unless you didn’t want to see her again of course), my mother certainly wouldn’t and couldn’t eat this much and £12.90 is in my opinion too much for students. It began to dawn on me that there were quite a few people in here who liked to eat a ‘lot’ of food, so that’s who’s gracing the doors of Derby’s latest eat-as-much-as-you-can venue! This isn’t for me and is a million miles away from decent grub. Vast amounts of poor quality food, non existent and non required service, but a dramatic venue. I predicted last year that Goji wouldn’t last and I’m going to stick my neck out and say that in this day and age, when consumers are more concerned about the quality and provenance of the food they put inside their bodies, there just wont be a place for the Wokamnias of this world, especially at £13 a pop!
Pizza Express: freshly made pizza, plus a starter for £13…….. it’s a no brainer!

Food: 2/10
Service: self service
Venue: 7/10

Tel: 01332 331155
www.wokmania.co.uk (it hasn’t been updated for nearly a year!)

Derbyshire Food & Drink Awards

The food and drink businesses successfully short-listed for this years prestigious award, have finally been revealed.
Derbyshire County Council have announced which eateries have successfully made it on to the shortlist of each of the seven categories for this year’s Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards.
The county council-run awards, now in their seventh year, are held to celebrate locally produced top quality food and drink and reward the county’s finest producers and businesses.

To view the shortlist go to:

www.derbyshirefoodfestival.co.uk/awards.htm

Watch this space.....
Martin

Limes restaurant, 102 Friargate, Derby, DE1 1EX

Limes wasn’t what I’d imagined when I agreed to have a midweek catch up with a friend, but I’m never one to miss an opportunity especially as head chef Ian Boden is firmly establishing himself as one of the regions top talents and has recently reached the final of the prestigious Knorr National Chef of the Year competition.
After a well earned cold beer was taken in the downstairs bar, we headed up the stairs to Hepburns restaurant. It was good to see that even on a Wednesday night there were a few tables in.
We nibbled away at some hand made bread rolls, spreading the soft butter on thicker than I ever would at home, ah well.
Momentum was maintained with the arrival of an appetiser, fennel velouté with tapenade and truffle oil was an exquisite opener which certainly woke and amused our taste buds.
For starters I chose the Langoustine & crab trifle with crab cake, poached pineapple and fennel & pernod sorbet. An contemporary plate that compartmentalised each element of the dish injecting an element of fun into this well thought out starter.

My only criticism would be that my ‘trifle’ was a bit too much jelly and not enough fish, the sorbet and crab cake were a joy. My friend Andrew went for the free range chicken and foie gras roulade with quail egg and truffle salad. A chunky slice of terrine veined with vibrant green brassica, accompanied by a perfectly cooked quail egg and a dressed pea shoot salad. We were both suitably impressed and ensured we sampled each others before they disappeared down the hatch.
For mains I paid the £5 supplement and had the roasted fillet and pressed blade of Derbyshire beef with braised carrot and a cabernet sauvignon vinegar and bay leaf sauce. It appears that one of Ians signatures is to serve beef in two ways (I had that at Christmas). Meltingly tender fillet with a carrot cooked in orange juice certainly gave my palette something to think about. Top drawer in every respect. Andrew chose the slow cooked cod with roasted fennel, black olive tapenade and saffron aioli, garnished with pea shoots. Ian seems to be getting carried away with the pea shoots and fennel this week. The slow cooked cod was delicate and its shape was held by the thin sleeve of prosciutto. We were once again captivated.
Quality rather than quantity ensured there was room for dessert and there was only one place to go, the assiette of Hepburn desserts to share. A polished granite platter with a mix of delicately prepared sweet morsels: A cone of rich chocolate torte, banana and mandarin sorbets a dainty slice of fine plum tart and a miniature version of the classic ice cream sandwich (my least favourite) were chased around the plate by our competing spoons until everything had vanished. It was a fine end to an worthy meal.
I was gutted that the lighting was to dark for my covert camera action, but I need say no more than this is certainly up there, competing as Derby’s no 1.
2 courses £24.95 and 3 courses £29.95 was certainly well worth every penny. Probably not your midweek ‘decentgrub’, but definitely the place to take the missus for your anniversary next month. Go on, she's worth it...........she'll be more than pleasantly surprised.

Limes source as much local and free range produce as possible and support local farmers.

Food 8.5/10
Service 8.5/10
Venue 8/10

www.limesbar.com

Tel: 01332 613665

Three Horseshoes, Breedon on the Hill, DE73 8AN

I’ve tried most, but in my opinion one of the best hangover cures at the weekend is a Sunday lunch, a couple of drinks and then hit the sofa, for a James Bond repeat and some zzzzz’s.....
So with my two partners in crime from the previous night Ann & Kim, we glide off towards Breedon on the Hill near Melbourne, to get stuck-in.
This former farriers building has been lovingly converted to a contemporary pub whilst retaining its ‘old world charm’, with an eclectic mix of tables, chairs and trinkets. The marraige between real ale and dinning pub, is spot on.

Pedigree, Pimms and a plate of bread and olives were called upon, in attempt to dismantle the remnants of our hangovers. No suprise that rather too much of the finger-lickin garlic bread was consumed prior to the arrival of mains. I fall for that one every time!
Pork with customary apple sauce and sage & onion stuffing for Ann (£12.50), roast leg of lamb with pease pudding for Kate (£12.50), breast of chicken with rosemary, barley & garlic pour moi (£16.95), all accompanied by a selection of veg, including carrots with broad beans, red cabbage, cauliflower cheese and a pile of roasties.

My chicken was moist and the combination of barley, herbs and garlic in a light gravy worked well, even though I considered it a wintery combination. Kates lamb dinner was shrouded with a blanket of rich dark gravy, it was a good job she was a fan. Her pease pudding was a bit salty, but a pleasant change to the expected rosemary or mint sauce. The presentation however was careless and her plate looked a bit 'school dinner'.

Ann troughed her way through her generous amount of pork and accompaniments, small grunts between mouthfulls gave an impression of contentment. The four oval dishes of crisp vegetables were faultless and it was great to be served broad beans, I forgot how much I've missed them.
Suitable service was maintained throughout and despite my eyelids starting to shut-up-shop, we couldn't resist a dessert. It was the handmade chocolates for Ann (£4.99), six hand made chocolate truffles including lemon & coffee. Like many, I always ignore the coffee flavour chocolates in the box of Christmas Milk Tray, but I was taken aback by the subtle sweet cappuccino flavoured truffle. Kates bread & butter pudding (£5.49) was comforting and approprately wobbly but lacked the sugary crust I prefer, due to its blast in the microwave. Yours truly had the bakewell tart (£5.49), a hadmade slice of fragipane tart, with custard. A Derbyshire classic, but a bit on the dry side.
The alcohol and food made us all drowsy as the blood desserted our brains and glided off towards our stomachs.......
It was an enjoyable lunch, but provenance asside, £90 including a bottle of wine was a bit stiff, especially £17 for my chicken dish, you can get a 3 course Sunday lunch at Masa for just £18. A bit more attention to presentation could certainly add value to their prices. Nonetheless if you're feelingh flush and fancy a drive out, then the Three Horseshoes is definately worth a look.
The sofa beckons, I wonder if it will be "Octopussy" or "Live and Let Die".........

Food 6.5/10

Service 7.5/10

Venue 8/10

Tel: 01332 695129
www.thehorseshoes.com

Victoria hotel, Dovecote Lane, Beeston, NG9 1JG

After over 2 months of fanying about, I decided it was time to get my ass into gear and complete the circuit of Derby districts finest eateries and re-visit some again, en route.
The furthest blip on my radar is currently the Victoria Hotel in Beeston, a bit close to Nottingham I hear some of you saying, but we got there in my motor quicker than you can say "Derby County 3, Nottingham Forest O" (December 2004 - honest).
Tucked amongst a housing estate, next to Beeston train station and with sardine tight parking, the Victoria hotel ticks bundles of boxes. A gem of a real ale pub, that also prides itself on it’s massive selection of blended and single malt whiskies, live music during selected Saturday and Sunday afternoons and reputedly pukka pub food, oh and it’s mobile free..... fan-pub-tastic!
I believe the evenings can be chock-a-block, but this lunchtime we had no problem getting a table in the sun filled main room.
Real ale, cider and a couple of lagers were ordered and within minutes two plates of shared starters arrived. Both vegetarian, to allow all four of us share (my oldest school buddy being one of "them"). The vegetarian pate (£4.95) was basically mashed up blue cheese and extremely strong, but when taken with a bit of melba toast and some of the dressed salad it came down to earth. The second plate, of olives, hoummus and pitta attracted more attention with fingers of freshly grilled pitta to dip and share and some fat, sweet olives to soak up the beers.

For mains my veggie companion had the vegetarian burritos (£7.95). Three flour tortillas filled with a spicy been chilli and topped with melted cheese and sour cream, a crispy fresh salad kept it company. The ladies had scallops with pea risotto (£11.95) and a chicken supreme (£8.95). Three plump scallops wrapped in prosciuto, crowned a zesty lemon and pea risotto, whilst a pan fried breast of chicken came with a timbale of couscous and a diced pepper infused light gravy. The girls played musical plates until they were satisfied they'd tried enough of each others (well that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?).Yours truly had the Keftedes (£8.50), a trio of Greek style lamb meatballs with rice, sour cream and a crisp side salad. I wasn’t sharing mine with anyone!

There was still room in our tanks for a couple of desserts to share. The sticky toffee pudding with custard (£3.95) and apple crumble with custard (£3.95) were both “old school puds”, but I guess that’s what the doctor ordered.
This gaff is definitely worth a trip out. It’s just a shame it’s the other side of the M1 and under the wing of Nottingham.

Visit and enjoy, but take your “Up the Rams “ car sticker out of your car's rear window for the night !!

Oh, and my long standing veggie mate was as pleased as punch. Phew....

Food 8/10
Service 7/10

Venue 9/10

(Beer 9/10) I've added this in for the Vic.

Telephone: 0115 9254049

www.victoriabeeston.co.uk

o-kra, New Zealand Lane, Duffield, Derby, DE56 4BZ

The last time I visited the Lord Scarsdale on New Zealand lane in Duffield it was an old fashioned estate pub, so I was intrigued to see how Duffields latest Indian restaurant offering o-kra, was going to dispel this image.

You enter the building through what feels like a side entrance. The current trend for dramatic restaurant entrances was ignored or overlooked here, however once inside you immediately notice the completely transformed interior. Out with plain walls, bog-standard furniture and a brightly lit interior, in comes plush aubergine sofas, fabric room dividers and mood lighting.
We sank into the large sofa cushions and ordered some drinks as I scanned the restaurant. They had made good use of the space and gone down the “café crème” colour route (various hues of browns and cream), although a bit dated it was modern and cosy. The toilets had been given particular attention with contemporary hand basins, stone tiling and an abundance of mini hand towels. Still the best way to dry your hands in my opinion.

Papadums and pickles were ordered by mother (for some reason papadums aren’t on the menu?) followed by Murg Achari Tikka (£4.95) for me and Fish Malibar (£4.95) for sister. For mains I went for Chicken Tikka Dupiaza (£8.95), mother Roast Lamb Lazeez (£10.95) and sister Chicken Balti (£9.95).

In my experience papadums usually arrive at the table before you have chance to say “chicken tikka masala” so to wait nearly half an hour was frustrating to say the least.
Five or ten minutes later our starters arrived. Considering there was only about a dozen dinners this evening, service was sinfully slow. Mains arrived in due course, but the time from ordering to mains arriving, was now ridiculous.

Without going into every dish in detail I can say that the food was certainly acceptable. Clean, hot plates, well presented starters and a good meat ratio in the main curries. This is a stylish addition to Derby’s curry scene and certainly makes Duffield “curry capital” of north Derby. It’s the slow, dull and un-responsive service where they fall short. The place oozes incompetence at the front of house and at the time of going to press the web site didn’t work either.

Sort it out guys and you’ll have your Duffield and Quarndon jet-set camping out here.

Food 6/10
Service 4/10
Venue 7/10

Tel: 01332 841156

http://www.okra.org.uk/

The Dog Inn, Main Road, Pentrich, DE5 3RE

Despite being 13 miles from Derby, the Dog Inn at Pentrich had been bleeping on my radar for some time. So this Saturday lunch we hit the gas and 20 minutes later we’re just about there. I’d pre-booked and recommend you do to ensure you get a table at this bustling north Derbyshire pub.
A pint of Timothy Taylor for me (luckily I’m not driving today) and a soft drink for my partner, passed the time quite nicely until our table was vacated and prepared.
Being lunch we opted for the two course £10.95 deal, three courses for £12.95 seemed very reasonable but just too much food for midday.
To start my partner had the soup of the day, which was fish. Vibrant red, saffron infused Mediterranean style bouillabaisse that exuded a deep taste of various shell fish. I found it delicious and was more than happy to polish off her leftovers. I had Mull of Kintyre rarebit toasties with apple and grape chutney. In my opinion it was seriously over described miniature cheese-on-toast, but none the less it was an agreeable savoury titbit.
For mains my partner had the Derbyshire pork sausages & mash with apple sauce and red onion gravy (pic 1). An all time pub favourite, executed heartily with a trio of herby pork bangers piled on to a heap of mash and with a moat of onion gravy. Once again it was quantity that beat her. I was not complaining though.
I had the chicken & ham hock puff pie with mushy peas, chunky chips and red wine jus (pic 2). Plentiful chunks of chicken and ham crowned with a top hat of light puff pastry all co-existing with a tarragon infused cream sauce and a swirl of red wine jus. I hit-it as hard as I could, but I couldn’t polish it all off, especially as I had also consumed a stray porky banger from someone else’s plate.

Service was adequate, the young staff ensuring that dinners were not neglected and tables were cleared promptly. In just over an hour we were done and it was time to head back to Derby for a much needed nap, zzzzz….
Hearty, contemporary pub food that’s definitely worth the ride out. Next time hopefully for dinner, so I can have a pop at the desserts. The dog’s b******s !

Food 8/10
Venue 7/10
Service 6.5/10

Tel: 01773 742781

www.thedoginn-pentrich.co.uk