Showing posts with label mushroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mushroom. Show all posts
Oaks is a new smokehouse restaurant in the city centre of Nottingham with a unique open grill kitchen. The decor is based around oak wood and although the restaurant isn't large it is beautifully decorated. Specialising in serving locally sourced meats and craft beers as well as delicious wines and cocktails; Oaks have also built their open grill from logs that were by-products of sustainable coppicing by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.
We decided to start the night with Chilli Cooler cocktails - Ocho Blanco Tequila, Chilli, Agave Necter, Lime and Mint. This is a tall cocktail garnished with half a red chilli and surprisingly refreshing because of the lime and mint - a great start to the evening!
Obviously, Oaks is a meat focused restaurant and therefore I expected to have limited choice as someone who doesn't eat animal products. For starters I chose the Baked Olives with lemon and rosemary - a large portion of olives in a delicious lemon and rosemary olive oil. These olives were delicious and lasted throughout the meal due to the generous portion size.
For my main meal I chose the Portobello Mushroom, Avocado and Aubergine Burger. On a delicious soft bun this burger was amazing! Perfect amounts of each ingredient meant that I wasn't left with a pile of avocado at the end. Each mouthful was full of flavour and after a slight hiccup with some mayonnaise I truly enjoyed this dish. Served with my burger I chose to have the chopped salad which consisted of lettuce, tomatoes and radish; a little uninspiring but for those wanting a smaller meal the salad was a nice light accompaniment.
Dessert time! Well, before we start I should mention there are three desserts on the menu. Ice cream, cheese board or doughnuts filled with marsala cream.......nothing vegan or diary free! The team at Oaks were immediately catering to my needs though and after a few minutes wait a delicious selection of sorbets were produced (I imagine these were from Chino Latino next door). Flavours included Mango, Kiwi and Coconut and each were delicious and silky smooth. These are not on the menu but I think after encountering myself they may rethink the options available for dessert.
During this evening they also had a live acoustic singer performing in the bar area. With a carafe of red wine and enjoying the atmosphere this was an amazing way to spend a Thursday evening.
I would definitely recommend Oaks to anyone visiting Nottingham or wanting a more informal date or dinner with friends. Let me know if you have been to Oaks and where you would recommend for me to visit next xx
Oaks 2 Bromley Place NG1 6JG Tel: (0115) 947 7244
Twitter: OaksNottingham
I dined as a guest of Oaks however all opinions are my own.
We decided to start the night with Chilli Cooler cocktails - Ocho Blanco Tequila, Chilli, Agave Necter, Lime and Mint. This is a tall cocktail garnished with half a red chilli and surprisingly refreshing because of the lime and mint - a great start to the evening!
Obviously, Oaks is a meat focused restaurant and therefore I expected to have limited choice as someone who doesn't eat animal products. For starters I chose the Baked Olives with lemon and rosemary - a large portion of olives in a delicious lemon and rosemary olive oil. These olives were delicious and lasted throughout the meal due to the generous portion size.For my main meal I chose the Portobello Mushroom, Avocado and Aubergine Burger. On a delicious soft bun this burger was amazing! Perfect amounts of each ingredient meant that I wasn't left with a pile of avocado at the end. Each mouthful was full of flavour and after a slight hiccup with some mayonnaise I truly enjoyed this dish. Served with my burger I chose to have the chopped salad which consisted of lettuce, tomatoes and radish; a little uninspiring but for those wanting a smaller meal the salad was a nice light accompaniment.
During this evening they also had a live acoustic singer performing in the bar area. With a carafe of red wine and enjoying the atmosphere this was an amazing way to spend a Thursday evening.
I would definitely recommend Oaks to anyone visiting Nottingham or wanting a more informal date or dinner with friends. Let me know if you have been to Oaks and where you would recommend for me to visit next xx
Oaks 2 Bromley Place NG1 6JG Tel: (0115) 947 7244
Twitter: OaksNottingham
I dined as a guest of Oaks however all opinions are my own.
Le Bistrot Pierre, 13-17 Milton Street, NG1 3EN (0115) 941 2850
I have been away from blogging lately because of the workload from Uni (final year!) but it has slowed down a little now so I thought I would share my recent visit to Le Bistrot Pierre with you all.
Twice a month (except for December) they hold a Dine with Wine evening where you can have a three course meal each paired with wine for £27.95 or £22.95 for two courses. I went along with the boyfriend to see if it was any good as we have eaten here a few times but never with this menu. They put the menus online for the whole year so I would advise having a look before you choose which evening to go to as the menu is different each time. I have also noticed there is little choice for Vegetarians so I would ring ahead to see if an alternative option could be provided, they have their normal a la carte menu running along side this one so I can't see why there would be a problem.
The company is a chain (sigh) but it is actually really nice and the restaurant they have in Nottingham has recently had a refurbishment. This means they have a completely new interior and they have expanded up one storey so it is now quite large too. The overall ambience is quiet relaxed but still intimate meaning there are couples, families and ladies who lunch here all the time. For dinner I would recommend booking a table as they are usually always full and at lunch they do not take bookings so there is usually a large queue outside waiting for it to open everyday!
First course: I chose the Mushroom, Roast Butternut Squash and Sage risotto. This came paired with a small glass of Samur Blanc, a very nice light white wine with a slight citrus taste. The risotto was the perfect portion in a creamy sauce and the mushrooms were amazing.
Main Course: Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb with lemon, green herb and garlic butter and a chorizo, plum tomato, bacon and flageolet bean cassoulet. This dish came paired with a Pinot Noir. Unfortunately, I very much enjoy red wine and this one was not good. I returned the original glasses and asked for a fresh bottle but it was pretty much the same and had a slight acidic taste and off smell. Not enjoyable.
But the food was delicious. A huge portion that I could not finish; the meat was slightly dry but pulled a part fabulously and the dressing was delightful
With all of their main courses you can choose which sides you would like to accompany your dish. We choose vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes which were deliciously cooked, not too soft however, I have had better potatoes their before. All in all as I said I could not finish this course as it was just too much but I managed to save a little room for dessert!
I chose the Cheeseboard served with Quinta Do Crasto Port as I hadn't ever tried Port and was feeling adventurous. After the main there was also no way I could have eaten the gooey Chocolate Torte, however my boyfriend ordered this and I couldn't help but snap a picture as it looked amazing served with Pouring Chocolate and Blackcurrant Ice Cream. His also came with a glass of French Dessert Wine which, after a little taste by moi, I agreed it paired perfectly with the chocolate and wasn't too sweet.
I can't speak for experiences in other restaurants of this brand as I have only been to the Nottingham one, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting a rich, French dish and a relaxed environment. After dining here multiple times I would advise to book on a quiet night as there is definitely a lower quality of food on the busy evenings. We both enjoyed the Dine with Wine menu but will probably not choose it again.
Let me know if you have ever been to Le Bistrot Pierre and what you thought! xx
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