AD – My meal from Orton’s Brasserie was gifted in return for this review.
The things we can and cannot do are constantly changing in these times and being able to write a full-blown blog post review feels like a luxury right now! I respect that some people still aren’t ready to indulge into some of the things “normality” brings and others are trying to navigate their way into bringing it back into their lives safely. I do still enjoy supporting small businesses with the occasional takeaway but it was felt great to be sat back in a restaurant, enjoying great food.
In this post, I have the pleasure of introducing you to a new restaurant in Leicester, based in the heart of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter. An area of the city which has so much potential to become so much more in the future!
Like with many local businesses, Orton’s Brasserie, has had to adapt to the current situation. Their launch date was delayed by 4 months, giving them the time to prepare to make their mark on the food and drink scene in Leicester.
About Orton’s Brasserie
Orton’s Brasserie is situated in the heart of Leicester’s Cultural Quarter, opposite the gorgeous Curve Theatre. Those familiar with this area of the city will know that this venue was formally known as the Queen Victoria Arts Club.
Orton’s Brasserie has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure their restaurant aligns with government guidance and still enables an enjoyable dining experience for its customers. There’s the addition of a new outside garden (great for the summer months) and entrance space making the venue more flexible for social distancing. Orton’s Brasserie has anti-bac ‘fogged’ all of their chairs, tables and surfaces to give them long-lasting protection. The team have also introduced wrapped cutlery and disposable menus, ensuring as little contact with multiple people as possible.
This restaurant is fundamentally a brasserie and bar, full of options whether you want to come for brunch, lunch, dinner or even just to enjoy a couple of cocktails on a Friday night. Orton’s Brasserie is incredibly modern and stylish, it has striking artwork on the walls, stunning light fixtures and a warm colour palette making it a fantastic place to dine. The future of Orton’s Brasserie is very exciting and will make a good venue in the upcoming months when the cultural sector re-emerges through the pandemic. It would be a great spot for a pre-theatre dinner, especially being on the Curve’s doorstep.
The food.
Orton’s Brasserie pride themselves on serving up “classic British dishes, presented in a contemporary fashion“. Their fresh twists on traditional favourites is clear from their menu, it is on the limited side to what I would have expected, however, there’s something for everyone. Food is served between Wednesday-Saturday, Mondays and Sundays are for cocktails only whereas Tuesday is for Tapas ‘N Tini’s.
The restaurant’s chef has decided to create two unique experiences for their guests to enjoy; if you are just out for some drinks after work then there’s a Bar (Tapas) Menu available. Their A La Carte menu is for those seeking a coursed meal to enjoy the time with your friends or loved ones. We were offered two courses on our visit; we decided on a Main and a Dessert each from their A La Carte Menu.
*this menu is subject to change soon due to seasonal options. Find out about the latest menu when it arrives here.
For the main I had ‘Chef Andy’s Chicken’ (£14.95). This dish was beautifully presented, the flavoursome pan fried free range chicken breast was served with a tarragon infused mashed potato, wild mushroom fricassee and charred corn. The dish although simplistic was packed full of flavour, I could of easily enjoyed 2 rounds of this meal alone.
Jordan opted for the ‘Belly and Beets‘ dish, I knew he would go for this considering he is a huge fan of pork belly. His only complaint for his dish was that the crackling, cooked wonderfully, had not been scored making it a small challenge to get through without sending food skittering onto the table. But once the crackling was mastered the meal was incredibly enjoyable, the meat from the pork belly was wonderfully tender and melted in the mouth while the pureed beets (not normally featuring in Jordan’s palette) added a wonderful contrasting flavour and texture to the dish.
For desserts we both opted for something different. I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth so was instantly drawn into the ‘Chocolate Fondant’. This one is definitely for fellow chocolate lovers; a chocolate fondant with its gooey centre and notes of burnt caramel and popcorn on the side. It wasn’t as rich as I would have expected but served with vanilla ice cream, it balanced it out right. This chocolatey heaven was exactly what I needed to finish off my dining experience at Orton’s Brasserie.
Jordan went for the ‘Eton Mess‘ served “deconstructed” – in other words strawberries, cream and miniature meringue with edible flowers all piled together. A tasty end to the meal and a fun way to serve a traditional dish, again he only had one complaint which was he wished there had been more meringue!
Overall, we really enjoyed our first visit to the new Orton’s Brasserie. We managed to sample some of their food during lockdown when they delivered us a brunch so it was really enjoyable to experience dining with their team. The food was flavourless and beautifully presented, it felt far more luxurious than for its price and would definitely be somewhere I’d enjoy with both friends and family. I make good use of the Curve so I can see this being a new spot before enjoying some of the great British theatre there is on its doorsteps. It’s a well needed addition to the area in Leicester.
I’d definitely recommend Orton’s Brasserie if you’re looking for a new restaurant to try in Leicester city centre.
Orton’s Brasserie is open 7 days a week with food served between Wednesday-Saturday. You can find out more about the restaurant and book your table by visiting their website here.
The last time I enjoyed an all you can eat meal was actually back in my university days at the Coventry branch of Cosmo. Unfortunately, now that branch has permanently closed but I was recently invited to the Nottingham branch to sample the restaurant and hopefully it was as good as I remembered it to be.
The Nottingham branch is in a perfect city centre location on Milton Street. It's only a 3-minute walk to the nearest theatre, Theatre Royal and Concert Hall, making it an ideal spot for a pre-theatre meal. It's also extremely close to the nearest cinema and indoor crazy golf too! It would make a great element to a night out in the thriving Midlands city.
Cosmo is a family-friendly world buffet restaurant that serves up hundreds of unique dishes for you to enjoy at your leisure. Since the branch began in 2003, Cosmo has expanded throughout the UK and Ireland. Restaurants like Cosmo are a fantastic opportunity to try something new as well as enjoy your all-time favourites too. The Nottingham Cosmo features two VIP rooms and ten live cooking stations, with up to 150 dishes to pick from.
The service at this Cosmo was speedy, friendly and informative. Our server for the evening made us feel welcomed and directed us through how service runs in their restaurant. They would quickly take away your dirty plates so you could go up again as soon as you wish to. They also have a vast drinks menu including cocktails, world beers and refillable soft drinks on offer. I went for a refillable soft drink whilst Jordan tucked into a beer he hadn't sampled before, but thoroughly enjoyed. On our visit, I went up around 4 times filling my plate with some of the nicest food, all freshly cooked on site. You can also see cooking from the chefs right before your eyes behind the stations. The aromas were all very overwhelming and it was tough to decide what to go for first!
I couldn't resist the Chinese station where I dug into some Salt & Pepper Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, BBQ Pork Ribs and more! All of the food was at a good enough temperature to enjoy but Jordan did say that a couple of his dishes weren't as warm as he hoped. All of the dishes we sampled were full of flavour - my favourite was definitely within the Chinese station! Of course, we also checked out the dessert area where there were many different cakes and cold puddings to dive into and a chocolate fountain too! I had to dip in some marshmallows into that for sure!
The prices for an adult to dine vary between £9.99 - £17.99 depending on what time of the day and week you visit. I would check before your visit but we thought this was a considerate price for the restaurant and would visit again on price alone. The food quality was superb and as mentioned previously we experienced friendly and fast service on our visit - we could see other diners around us also enjoying their visit.
Cosmo Nottingham
First Floor 29A Milton Street (Opposite John Lewis, Nottingham NG1 3EN
AD – This meal was gifted in return for this review.
Growing up in the area you'd think that the White Horse Quorn would be a place I've visited before - wrong! I went to school in the village where the pub is based and it has been on my list of places to visit for the longest time. So the occasion couldn't have been more perfect when I was invited to come for the launch of their new cocktail menu to sample one of their drinks, try some of their food and get a flavour for their pub.
This cosy pub is in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside in a village called Quorn, a mere 8 minutes drive from Loughborough. White Horse provide delicious home made food and put on popular live events throughout the year. There has always been a buzz about this pub - mostly for the live events but also for providing fantastic pub food.
The White Horse in Quorn is spacious and not only has great space indoors to dine but also a outdoor space, their new Piazza beer garden. This beer garden comes with a retracting roof and you can watch your pizza being freshly made in their new stone base, rotating, pizza oven. This gives every pizza a unique crust and flavour.
The pub's food options here are exceptional with 7 different menus, including a Breakfast and Lunch menu too! There is a vegan menu available too here.
To begin with for starters I decided on their Loaded Nachos (£6.25) which is the perfect starter to snack on during the summer months. Their nachos were exactly how I liked them pilled on top of one another with melted cheese, gucamole, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos. They were well constructed and weren't left to burn at the edges which I tend to see from pub restaurants when serving this dish so I was happy! Jordan went for their Piri Piri Chicken Wings (£5.95) which came served with a lime mayo dip. These wings most certainly packed a kick to them so the lime mayo dip was definitely needed to cool him down - but still very tasty and the meat was very tender on the bone.
For our mains Jordan decided to sample one of their pizza's that are made homemade in their pizza oven. He went for The Ferrari (£11.95) a Calzone pizza stuffed with a BBQ base, pepperoni, bacon,
& chicken. He said there was incredible amount of flavour in the calzone and particularly enjoyed that it had a BBQ base. He would definitely have this again and wasn't put off that it didn't come with a side as the calzone was enough. I decided to go for something new and went for the Piri Piri Chicken Burger (£12.95). The Piri piri chicken burger came topped with mango
salsa, lime mayo, lettuce & tomato. I definitely understood what Jordan meant by the kick that came from the burger and it wasn't too my own preferences but the mango salsa and so adding mayonnaise definitely helped cool it down for me.
We would definitely visit here again for food in the future - especially because it's so close to us!
The White Horse in Quorn has a fantastic new cocktail menu and we managed to sample it for ourselves. The menu isn't big for this as they knew they wanted to have a menu which would be quick and easy to deliver on their busier nights. The also have an offer on Thursdays where you can enjoy two of their cocktails for £12.00. I was really impressed with the fluidity that our cocktails were made. I enjoyed sampling two on their martini type drinks and can't wait to spend more summer evenings sipping on their cocktails before it's too late and Autumn arrives..
AD – This meal was gifted in return for this review.
There's a new restaurant in town and boy is it good! Tamatanga, known for capturing the roots of traditionally cooked goodness of Indian food has recently arrived in Leicester. The brand is very Midlands based as it's other two branches are located in Nottingham and Birmingham, Leicester being the new addition to its expansion. I'm really excited about it's introduction to Leicester's food scene!
The style of the restaurant definitely hits the nail on the head with funky and fresh interiors, bold colours and vibrant murals dressing the walls, "these are the good times" being my favourite. However, the ceiling is industrial steel making for a welcoming atmosphere to dine in. I enjoyed how light and spacious the place felt from the moment we arrived.
This new Leicester restaurant has loads of different areas where you can enjoy your food. There's comfortablebooths by the bar, long benches with stools, or cosy tables depending on where you feel most comfortable. Although the restaurant is very large, the tables are placed in smaller sections which help bring some intimacy to your meal. Especially if you are looking for a spot to enjoy a more romantic or special occasion. The restaurant is located in the Highcross Shopping Centre and opposite Bill's restaurant. This location is perfect for shopping and parking acceas in the city centre. I think the people of Leicester will really enjoy what Tamatanga has to offer - the food and drinks are definitely something to try for yourselves!
The first thing we did when we got to Tamatanga, other than take in all of the delicious aromas from the food was be seated and get our nose into the cocktail menu. Tamatanga offer two-for-one cocktails on a daily basis between 12-7pm, fantastic for those who enjoy a cocktail or two with their friends on a lunch date.
After exploring the Drinks and Tipples menu, with an exstenive choice of 14 cocktails to choose from I opted to try out the Delycheeous (£7.95) which I had to try after seeing a photo of it on their Instagram page ahead of the opening! The combination of gin, lychee juice, passionfruit and pomegranate was gorgeous - a perfect refreshing tipple to go with the flavours of the Indian food I ordered. For a second drink during dinner I decided to try one of their gin's. I opted for the Greenalls Wild Berry gin, a sublime combination of blackberries and raspberries infused with Greenalls original London dry gin. I went for a Indian tonic water and lime to finish off my gin. It was a really tasty drink and I definitely want to add that gin to my own home collection.
Moving on to the main reason for our visit, the food! The amount of options for vegetarian, vegans and gluten free dishes available on the Tamatanga main menu are fantastic and they really cater for a lot of dietary needs. My boyfriend has a nut allergy and the team ensured he was able to enjoy some Tamatanga's fantastic food! To begin with we munched on some Poppadoms and Chutneys (£2.95) which for me are the perfect snack whilst mulling over what to have from the menu. From the small plates to get us started I decided on trying the Prawn Tempura (£6.95). I'm really enjoying prawn dishes at the moment and these were delicious! The prawns are marinated in tamatanga spices and batter fried with their inhouse chutney. Jordan opted for the Bang Bang Chicken (£5.95) - crispy fried keralan fried chicken marinated with curry leaves, ginger and garlic and served with a lightly spiced tama mayo. The chicken was definitely tender and delivered a light kick - they were tastier than I expected!
For main dishes we decided to both have something from the Curry Bowls section of the menu. This selection of hearty and wholesome bowls of curry come on a plate with your choice of either rice or naan. I went for my all time favourite, a Chicken Tikka Masala (£11.95). It's the nation's favourite and it goes down a treat - the flavour is very hearty and I loved dipping my garlic naan into the contents of the curry. It went down an absolute treat!
Jordan decided to sample the Delhi Lamb Curry (£12.45). A aromatic lamb rogan josh cooked just like they do on the back streets of Delhi. This curry was definitely packed full of the flavour expected and he enjoyed the punch of spices with the tenderness of the lamb.
We were so impressed with the flavours in the curry, the portion sizes and how well they were both presented. Our lovely waitress Kylie was so knowledgeable and able to assist us with the dietary needs my partner had.
It's important to note that in this restaurant food is brought out as and when it's ready. It's a great idea in order to get the full dining experience at Tamatanga as it comes served piping hot and fresh from the kitchen, rather than one dish sitting under a hot lamp whilst the rest of your order is being served. This setup isn't to everyone's preference (I know this from working in restaurants myself) as they'd prefer to eat everything at the same time but it's not too much of a distraction and you can always sample your friends food whilst you wait for yours.
To finish off our meal we decided to sample something from their dessert menu. Tamatanga understand that sweets are a huge part of Indian culture and know it's the perfect way to finish off a meal. Jordan couldn't have a lot of the desserts due to his nut allergy and went for a Really Raspberry Sorbet (£4.45) which he said was really refreshing after the spicier flavours from his curry. I decided to try something more traditional and went for the Gulab Jamun (£4.95). This popular Indian dessert is two mini sponge puddings in a treacle type sauce, served warm with ice cream. It was delicious and I eat it very quickly! I'd visit again alone to eat more of it.
I was exceptionally impressed with the food at Tamatanga and have definitely added it to my list of places to dine next time we're in town for a date night.
If you enjoyed reading this post why not read about another restaurant in Leicester, The Cosy Club.
AD – This meal was gifted in return for this review.
The last time I visited Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter was for a stay at Saint Paul's House, a gorgeous boutique hotel just a stone away from The Jam House which I visited recently for dinner. Located in the heart of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, The Jam House has occupief a traditional and historic Georgian building overlooking St Paul's since 1999. It's become a household place within this area of the city. Not only is it a fantastic place to enjoy drinks and food, but it also organises live music events on a weekly basis.
The Jam House is split into three floors with a complete open plan design, it's a really spacious venue. If you are there to dine then on the top floor is where you can enjoy freshly cooked international cuisine, which seats over 80 people. Where we sat was quite squished next to other diners but it didn't distract us from enjoying our meal. This area of the venue has become very popular for corporate events and social/business lunches.
The venue's live music includes jazz, blues and rock music but there's something for everyone to enjoy.
For our visit we dined in the balcony restaurant that provided us with the perfect vantage point to enjoy live music (should there have been any on our visit, unfortunately there wasn't). Their menu is freshly prepared and changes seasonally, ensuring the best of flavours are enjoyed by people throughout the year. The Jam House in Birmingham even bake their own bread in house!
The menu at The Jam House has a lot to offer in variety and they definitely impressed me with what was available for us to eat. It was definitely tricky to use and with their Summer Menu pricing up at £32 for two courses, its incredibly affordable for the standard of food that The Jam House has to offer.
Before we began our meal the team brought over a duo white & brown loaf, stone baked focaccia & marinated olives which were a great nibble to begin with.
For starters we got stuck into very two delicious dishes! I went for the Charcuterie Board; a selection of cured meats, pickles, scotch egg and red pepper tapenade presented on a wooden board. It was probably one of the best starters I've had this year! I loved the combination of flavours provided by the meats with the warmth of the scotch egg. The flavours really complimented one another and I would definitely just enjoy this dish as a quick snack with a couple of G&T's, that's for sure! Jordan opted for the Crab Cakes which came with basil mayonnaise, mango, chilli and coconut. The presentation was next to none and Jordan enjoyed the fruity flavours combined from the crab and the mayonnaise.
For our main course we both decided to 8oz Chargrilled Sirloin Steak that came with chunky chips, tomato, mushroom and watercress. The steak was dressed with a slice of garlic butter and I had my steak accompanied with some onion rings and their mushroom and blue cheese cream. Cooked at medium rare, I was slightly disappointed that my steak was cooked more towards medium but this didn't impact on the texture or flavour too much. I really enjoyed the creamy sauce drizzled over my steak and the mushroom and blue cheese flavour was really obvious without being too overpowered.
I was really surprised in the quality of food and service provided by what I knew primarily to be just a music venue. I realise how much more The Jam House has to offer and feel it would make a great addition to your next visit to Birmingham.
I can't wait to book another visit to this place in the near future!
AD – This meal was gifted in return for this review.
Chino Latino is an award-winning AA Rosette award Pan-Asian restaurant located on Maid Marian Way and just a short walk from Nottingham's Market Square. It's location is beside the city's City Plaza hotel and it's slightly unnoticeable from the street. You can access the restaurant by going through the front entrance of the City Plaza next door. The restaurant design is fairly basic with a small bar area and quite a spacious dining area. We were quickly served our drinks and provided with a menu for the evening.
Chino Latino's menu highlights the best of Pan-Asia's culinary offering and incorporates some wild exotic flavours for you to sample. Their food is served to share and the dishes are brought steadily to the table creating an informal yet sophisticated style of eating and drinking with friends and family.
The menu is basically a collection of small bites including sushi and dim sum as well as more well-known favourites including tempura, chicken wings and sashimi. The main courses are quite intriguing too with fish, meat and vegetarian dishes available. With the idea of sharing within the restaurant it's the kind of place where you can order lots of small dishes whilst enjoying some of Chino Latino's fantastic cocktails.
We were disappointed that on our visit a few of the dishes were unavailable, therefore our choices were quite limited on the menu. Especially as I already thought their menu was already quite small and limited to what I expected from a restaurant with this cuisine.
We dived straight into our starters of sushi and a selection of fish. My sushi had prawns, crab and avocado intertwined into it with a beetroot flavoured sauce on top. I couldn't quite believe how tasty my sushi was for a first time sampling these flavours together. Jordan opted for a selection of fish for his starter and really enjoyed sampling the different flavours that the restaurant had put together for him in his dish.
We really struggled with choosing our main dishes because the ones we were interested in were unavailable to us. I decided to sample the Thai Chicken Yellow Curry that came with jasmine rice. The curry and rice came served in two small bowls and smelt incredible - the scent of the jasmine rice was definitely noticeable. Now the curry came with chicken chunks and a selection of vegetables too! Now the curry definitely had the kick expected from a curry but was unfortunately quite flavourless generally. The Thai Chicken Yellow Curry as a whole was disappointing and not a dish I would order again from Chino Latino.
Jordan went for the Duck Breast dish that came dressed with mango and pomegranate and looked fantastic on presentation. He said the dish was colder that he expected it to be - we weren't sure whether this was what we should have expected? Although saying that the meat was incredibly tender and full of flavour.
I was overall quite disappointed in my visit to the Chino Latino and would probably visit again to see if it can improve on my first impression.
AD – This meal was gifted in return for this review.
Hart's Kitchen is in the heart of Nottingham's city centre. The restaurant resides in the contemporary hotel, Hart's. The hotel is a privately owned luxury boutique hotel with its own garden overlooking a breathtaking panoramic view of Nottingham. The hotel is situated near to the Nottingham Castle as well as the city's most popular theatres; Nottingham Playhouse and Royal Theatre & Concert Hall.It's a fantastic spot if you are on the lookout for a pre-theatre dining experience.
They do provide a pre-theatre dining offer Sunday to Thursday between 5.30-6pm where you can choose any courses specifically highlighted by (pt) on their A La Carte menu for £22.
The award-winning restaurant has recently downsized and relocated from a separate building to within the hotel. It has become a more intimate dining experience with only up to 10 tables to dine at. Hart's Kitchen has maintained professional service and modern British cooking surrounded by a stylish and comfortable interior too. All of the ingredients used in the dishes are sourced locally by Head Chef Martin Sludd and his team do a fantastic job in looking after you.
The last time I visited the Hart Hotel was back in July 2017 for a hotel review feature. I was delighted to check out the food here and see if it was as good as my hotel stay a couple of years ago!
We were itching to get stuck into our starters and it wasn't long before they were presented to us. I went for the soup of the day dish which was a Mushroom Soup accompanied by Hambleton Barkery bread. Oh boy, it was delicious - a really comforting dish with real flavour and warmth. I could have licked my bowl clean! Jordan's Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche dish was described as a good piece of fish that was prepared well and had a really delightful smokey flavour.
On the restaurant's Sunday menu there are 4 dishes to choose from; including a vegetarian option. I'm quite a fussy eater so decided to sample the Slow-cooked pork belly dish as it was the closest to my personal preferences. It came with potato gratin, hispi cabbage & red wine sauce. The meat was incredibly well cooked and tender. The chefs knew exactly how to capture the flavours of the pork belly with this dish and I was impressed! Jordan opted for the Slow-cooked shank of Launde Farm lamb with nicoise. He did add a side of minted new potatoes to increase his meal a little. The lamb was itself delicious and the sauce accompanied the flavours from the meat perfectly.
Of course, the visit wasn't complete without a dessert and Hart's Kitchen didn't disappoint here either. There were 5 options available on the desserts on our visit and it was a tough choice! I couldn't resist trying out the Hambleton Bakery Tart of the day served with vanilla ice cream. The tart was coconut and raspberry flavoured and it was delicious. The warmth of the tart really complimented the summery flavours of coconut and raspberry perfectly - it was almost refreshing and quite light in comparison to the pork belly main dish. Jordan went for the Elderflower panna cotta with English strawberries & shortbread. It must have been good because it didn't last long!
I would highly recommend a visit to Hart's Kitchen in Nottingham. I was really impressed with the highly assertive staff members and the fantastic food provided to us. The menu prices range from £6.50 in the starters to £20 in the main courses. It's the price range I would expect from this type of restaurant, especially with the more intimate and private feel the restaurant is offering it's customers. If you haven't headed on up there whilst in Nottingham then make sure you go up there!
DISCLAIMER: All drinks and food were complimentary courtesy of Hart's Kitchen in return for a review of our experience. This visit was on a general day to day basis and the views are genuine.
AD – This meal was gifted in return for this review.
If you are a regular reader of Carpe Diem Emmie you'll know that I spend a lot of time in Nottingham for theatre reviews. With this in mind I'm always looking for places to eat before heading out and it's a scope that I really want to begin exploring with my blog. If you have any recommendations of places I should check out then let me know in the comments below.
First up we checked out Bar + Block. This gorgeous restaurant has been open around a year and is situated on the Chapel Quarter in Nottingham's city centre. It's easy to locate and there's parking just down the road on Upper Parliament Street, perfect for heading to either Theatre Royal or Nottingham Playhouse within a 10 minute walk from both the parking and restaurant. We were instantly impressed by the relaxing atmosphere oozing from the walls within the venue. It was quite busy for a weeknight proving it's popularity for a drink after work or a nice dinner out.
The steak provided by Bar + Block comes from South America and they are hand-butchered in house so that you can have whatever size suits you.
Our server for the night was very prompt with organising our table and seeing to ordering our first drink as soon as possible.
The main menu at Bar + Block is extensive with so much on offer, even with vegetarian dishes available. What's really good to note on their website is that the restaurant provides allergy and dietary info on it's menu for those who need important information ahead of their visit.
For our starters we decided to share two dishes that we were really drawn to. I went for the Pulled Pork Tacos. These grilled, soft taco shells are filled with pulled beef, beans, bacon, smashed avocado, tomato salsa, cheddar cheese and coriander had lots of flavour. I loved the soft texture of the tacos aligned with the bold flavour from the pulled beef. I could have definitely consumed more of these during our visit alone!
Jordan decided on the new Korean BBQ Pork Ribs as his starter. These mini pork riblets have meat which slides off the bone after it's been cooked to perfection over charcoal. The ribs are then tossed in a Korean style BBQ sauce and topped with coriander. The ribs had a slight kick to them that really made them particularly tasty!
I didn't find it hard to decide on my main for my visit as I had already been eyeing up the menu before arriving, the Deconstructed Beef Wellington. Unlike a traditional beef wellington this one is 10z of sliced fillet served on layers of puff pastry and filled with garlic spinach and creamy truffle flavour mushrooms. This dish is served with a rich Malbec sauce. I loved watching the sauce drizzle down over the meet and pastry. My mouth was salivating at the smell of this dish which was full of bold flavours, with the meat cooked brilliantly as a medium rare fillet steak making it incredibly tender.
On the recommendation of the waiter Jordan tried the ribeye steak, now any place calling itself a steakhouse is always (or at least, SHOULD always) be able to cook a delicious steak, but Bar + Block managed to provide a cut that was able to surprise Jordan in how tender and delicious it was. He actually ended up eating half of the steak without the accompaniment of the pepper sauce just so he could enjoy it's full flavour. For the price you are certainly getting a great deal, you may be able to find a similar cut at a lower price but not with the same taste, it was thoroughly enjoyable.
On the side of our dishes I decided to sample their Halloumi Fries. Although a simple side dish, it was very tasty to accompany the beef wellington.
I'm surprised we had room for dessert, but there's always a way right?!
I couldn't resist trying out their new Rhubarb & Custard Sundae. This sundae contains rhubarb compote and custard sponge mixed in with vanilla ice cream, custard and cream. It was so damn tasty and if you enjoy a trifle then this sundae was exactly like that! It gave me so many fond memories of tucking into a trifle in the warm summer days, particularly the soft custard sponge and custard. I would definitely like to tuck into another one of these very soon please!
Jordan wanted to try out one of their sundaes too so tucked into the enormous Chocolate Churros Sundae. This sundae contained churros coated in cinnamon sugar, served with vanilla ice cream, brownie chunks and cream.
DISCLAIMER: All food and drinks were complimentary courtesy of Bar + Block in return for a review of our experience. None of our experience and opinions are influenced by the restaurant and are all honest.
For six years Red's True Barbecue have brought authentic, U.S. low 'n' slow barbecue for the foodies of England, resulting in 8 branches already open across the country. Recently they've opened a new branch in the heart of the Leicester City Centre at BrewDog on Friar Lane after the success of a 5--day-a-week kitchen residency.
Now they're opening their dogs full time at BrewDog and are located in the upstairs space of the bar. The space has completely been transformed into a fantastic, 70 cover restaurant for you to enjoy some really tasty food and an electric atmosphere!
It's a restaurant I'm really excited about and I got to have a sneak preview of what it has to offer!
The restaurant hosted a preview of what we could expect from a meal at Red True BBQ and created a taste of true barbecue alongside the company's favourite beers from Brewdog. So if you like barbecue and beer, this is the perfect match for you!
Red's True Barbecue pair their meats with their famous sauces in a celebration of regional barbecue and authentic flavour. The beer experts at BrewDog worked their magic to pair some of the favourite BrewDog draft choices with the restaurant's bbq classics.
We really had quite the feast with 5 courses to get our teeth stuck into. All of the meals were served in bitesize so that you were able to sample as much of the food as possible before getting too full to move! The food provided to us was excellent; from the Hog Dust Coated Hot-or-Not Rip Lollipops, Mac N Cheese Balls w/ Pickleback Dipper, Memphis Pork Belly Bites W/ Bacon Greens to the final course of Chocolate Brownie and Ice Cream. Red True's BBQ really went to town in ensuring we got to see the best of what they had to offer in the Leicester restaurant.
The stand out dish for me was the Donut Burgers. Yes, a donut burger - I was surprised too and apparently they're quite a hit with diners throughout the country! I think it'll be a hit with the people of Leicester too! This burger contains beef patty, Unholy BBQ sauce, burger cheese, smoked bacon, crispy onions, Dirty sauce, all sandwiched between two sweet glazed donuts, served with Frickles. The flavour combination of sweet and savoury creates quite the explosion when you try it - it was very tasty and not what I expected whatsoever! I definitely would like to try this burger on the actual size to see what it's like with all of that flavour on a more "traditional" size for the restaurant.
The beers that accompanied the dishes really surprised me too with the BrewDog Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club being the standouts! I'll be definitely heading there for a beer during the summer.
The atmosphere for this place was electric and it would be the ideal venue for a Friday night dinner date to kickstart the weekend. If you're a big fan of BBQ food and good beer then this is the place for you. I'm really excited for this restaurant and feel as though it will be a fantastic asset to the Leicester food scene for years to come!
*complimentary visit to BrewDog, Leicester for the launch of Red True BBQ in return for blog coverage.
