Restaurant Reviews

REVIEW: VIDA BY LORENTES, NOTTINGHAM

REVIEW: VIDA BY LORENTES, NOTTINGHAM

*Gifted – ad* It has been over a year since I sauntered down the streets in Nottingham, one of my favourite spaces in the world. So when I returned for my first review in the great city, it was with a smile on my face.   The venue was ViDa by Lorentes Tapas Nottingham, and the reason why this may…

REVIEW RICK STEIN: STEIN’S  AT HOME MENU BOX

REVIEW RICK STEIN: STEIN’S AT HOME MENU BOX

  With the end in sight for an easing of restrictions, we can all look forward to dining at a restaurant for a spot of al fresco dining. The decision to lift lockdown measures is however dependent upon data. This is why dine-at-home boxes will continue to be a main source of revenue for restaurateurs pivoting to a takeaway-delivery option,…

REVIEW: SAM’S CHOP SHOP MANCHESTER (DELIVERY NATIONWIDE)

REVIEW: SAM’S CHOP SHOP MANCHESTER (DELIVERY NATIONWIDE)

To say “I went to a chop shop” sure sounds naughty doesn’t it? Sorry to alarm you. It’s not that sort of chop shop, more of ‘Sam’s Chop Shop’, the delivery arm of Sam’s Chop House Restaurant in Manchester.   I have previously visited Sam’s brother Albert (as in Albert’s Chophouse) when I was reviewing for Manchester Confidentials and I…

REVIEW: THE TAP, DERBY

REVIEW: THE TAP, DERBY

*Ad-Gifted   What compels you to venture dining out? For me, it is the prospect of a new environment. Don’t get me wrong, I love the four walls of my very pretty flat, but it is the idea of a fresh voice, a new face that is one of the main drivers for me at the moment.   The far-reaching,…

REVIEW: THE GREYHOUND, FRIAR GATE, DERBY

REVIEW: THE GREYHOUND, FRIAR GATE, DERBY

*Ad-Gifted   Did you know there are 91 days to the US election? I have been known to take the day off work as I watch the results roll in, during the late twilight hours. (I learnt the hard way when one year, I cockily thought I could watch the US elections AND make it into work. That was tough…

REVIEW: HONEST PIZZAS, DERBY

REVIEW: HONEST PIZZAS, DERBY

*Gifted-ad* Thank you Honest Pizzas for the complimentary pizza evening. I ordered via their website, picked up the precious cargo, hurried home and tucked in. From the ease of ordering via website, to the option of having take-away tiramisu (a rarity for a take-away pizza place), Honest Pizzas is a welcome addition to Derby’s dining scene.     It is…

REVIEW: SILK MILL, DERBY

REVIEW: SILK MILL, DERBY

*Gifted – ad*   With veganism getting another boatload of positive PR (did you see Joaquin Phoenix celebrate his Oscar win by scarfing a vegan burger?), it is also nice to give some TLC to meaty morsels too. I sampled the best hotdog in the Midlands – more on that later.   It is a cool Saturday evening. Not like John…

REVIEW: POKÉWAVES, NOTTINGHAM

REVIEW: POKÉWAVES, NOTTINGHAM

After January that seemed to last exactly 4,852 years, we are now firmly in sunnier February. Yes Storm Ciara will be on the prowl come Sunday, but a lighter sky means thinking about lighter food. I know I’m a hopeful soul, but there is something about a gloriously golden sun burning bright in the sky, that automatically lifts my soul…

REVIEW: DARLEYS RESTAURANT & TERRACE, DERBY

REVIEW: DARLEYS RESTAURANT & TERRACE, DERBY

A dining establishment changing ownership is always going to be news. The myriad implications of this change have a direct impact upon perspective, vision and food once the signatures have dried on the dotted line. I visited Darleys Restaurant for the first time since the new owners’ announcement. Would the new menu excite and deliver (like the excellent Deadwater Fell)…