Showing posts with label burgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label burgers. 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.
I cannot believe it is 2015 tomorrow! This year has flown by and has seen me start this blog along the way, I know - what would you do without this blog aye? As a newbie to the blogging community I have really found it rewarding seeing my views go up and being active on social media to chat with all of you! We pretty much all use Google Analytics to stay caught up on what is popular on our blogs and what the readers are enjoying, as well as the controversial blogger stats, and so it is here that I love reviewing what has been popular this year. I thought I would put together a Best of Ellie Kathleen list to see just exactly what you have been reading and maybe what you will want to see more of in 2015.
Number 5... Annie's Burger Shack, Nottingham A mixed review of a popular American style burger shack that has recently opened in Nottingham due to the popularity of the owner, Annie. The menu is huge and there should be something for everyone but I wasn't very convinced.
Number 4... What I'm Loving ... Gin-Gins! These sweet and slightly spicy ginger sweets were a big hit on my blog earlier this year when I reviewed them. Read this post and I am sure you will be heading out or searching the internet to get some yourself.
Number 3... Christmas Wish List / Gift Guide 2014 Everyone loves a good wish list or gift guide at this time of year and you all seemed to enjoy what was on mine! Christmas might be over but the sales are here so why not treat yourself to something of here.
Number 2... Dinner, Drinks and a Movie - Yamas, Nottingham A bit of Greek cuisine in the form of Meze and Tapas. This is one of my favourite restaurants in Nottingham and is an independent family owned house of amazing food that should be at the top of everyone's list if they are in or visiting Nottingham. It almost made number 1 but not quite!
Number 1... * wait for it* My First Time At Bill's, Nottingham Here we are the number one post of 2014! A lot of you know Bill's and this was my post of the first time I visited the newly opened restaurant in Nottingham. It is a chain but I couldn't help myself from going in and tasting the amazing food. I will definitely be returning.
Let me know what your favourite post has been from Ellie Kathleen this year or any recommendations for 2015! I hope you have been loving my blog so far and thank you for all the support I am receiving. I am planning more reviews and also a couple of interviews so it all looks exciting, hope you enjoy!
Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and like me on Facebook!
Annie's Burger Shack, 5 Broadway, NG1 1PR Reservations: bookingatannies@gmail.com
Annie's Burger Shack is a new restaurant for an already popular owner. Annie first opened the Burger Shack in 2009 as the kitchen in a city centre pub of Nottingham after moving from Rhode Island to the city in 1994. The demand then got so high and with hourly waits on food Annie needed a place of her own to serve her customers. Enter the opening of Annie's Burger Shack in the Lace Market area of town and you have a popular and usually full burger joint.
They currently do not have a booking system or telephone line so all bookings are made either in person or via email. I suppose this is because they are so busy however, it can make it a little stressful to try and book a table. After emailing but knowing it can take up to 10 days to get a response I went by to book a table in person as it was for Jensen's (the boyfriend) sisters birthday.
Arriving at 7pm for our table we were greeted by a friendly host who informed us our table was being relaid and offered us a seat at the bar whilst we wait. We reluctantly took a seat and waited for the rest of our party to get there; 35 minutes later we were still waiting for our table to be relaid, however by this point it was quite obvious this was not the reason we were waiting. It turned out the people on the table had paid their bill and they were waiting for them to leave, I was a little considerate after my own experiences being a waitress in the past but it left me slightly annoyed. Again, the staff were all very kind and offered us free sides and desserts for the whole table, once we were seated.
A few moments later we were all seated and 2 plates of onion rings arrived to occupy us whilst we looked over our menus. If you like burgers and relaxed American style bars then this is your place. With a menu of 30 burgers and adequate sides (although the portion size is more than enough to not order sides) you will be in heaven trying to choose which dish to have. The Burger Shack houses choices such as 'The Elvis' - Half pound burger with peanut butter and raspberry jam or 'The Sunday Dinner' - A burger topped with a roast chicken breast, homemade Yorkshire pudding, a stuffing ball, mini roast potatoes and mini vegetables all covered in gravy. Oh and all burgers come with skinny fries, curly fries or wedges - now do you see why sides aren't necessary?
My green looking burger above is 'The Lemmy' - a burger topped with American style cheddar, lots of Jalapeños and their own 'Jack Daniels' style mustard. As I am not a fan of huge meaty burgers (I know you're all wondering why I am at a burger restaurant if I don't like burgers) I chose the vegetarian option of a patty made from kidney beans and beetroot and a portion of curly fries.
An interesting combination of flavours that left me a little disappointed. The burger was slightly dry and the taste overpowered the other flavours of the burger meaning I felt like I was just eating the burger and jalapeños with no taste of cheese or mustard. Slightly disheartening but I enjoyed it non the less.
Taking advantage of the free desserts I chose their Apple and Pumpkin pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. Very seasonal and had a lovely smell of cinnamon, I think the pumpkin was a puree and mixed with the spices turned this pie into a warming apple pie minus the taste of pumpkin. Still a very enjoyable dessert and after the huge main course I was well and truly stuffed.
After my experience I would give some benefit of the doubt to the staff being new and the restaurant still new. Thus making me believe that with more experience, a more enjoyable dining experience the customers will receive. The overall atmosphere is relaxed but somewhat lacking as by the end of the night I got the feeling we were overstaying our welcome and that the staff wanted us to leave so they could go home. I would not recommend this as an establishment for couples, more for groups of friends or colleagues or family.
I may return but possibly in a year or so to see if things have changed and to see if my perception can be altered. Understandably the staff do try their hardest to accommodate for the mishaps and hopefully they can take these into the future and help turn around any other situations that may arise. I would also be interested to see what new items will be on the menu and if I can be brave enough to try them!
Let me know if you have been to Annie's Burger Shack or if you're planning to in the future xx
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