AD | Complimentary meal in return for an honest review.

Photo Credit: NottsFoodie

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

0115 950 7755

Find out more on their website here. 

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.

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!

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. 

To view menus and book a table at Bar + Block, visit www.barandblock.co.uk.

I have never to been an O'Neill's Irish Pub and Bar until recently when we were kindly invited to check out the newly refurbished branch in the heart of Nottingham's City Centre. A city that is bustling with many shops, restaurants and bars already I wonder where O'Neill's stands amongst them and what they can offer for people wishing to dine there (or to enjoy a couple of drinks!)

The place has really gone to town with its refurbishment and has been transformed into a modernistic/classy bar with industrial type warm lighting and pictures drawing attention to musical influences. It feels really brand new and very 'hip' in 2019. It's aesthetic is not stereotypical of a sports bar and I really like that vibe alone from this place. 

The food surprised us too! We usually dine at similar restaurants and nothing quite prepared us for the standard of this food for the affordable price tag that goes with it. Their menu is astonishing with Breakfasts from £3.50, Lunch for £5 and Main courses at dinner for around £6-7. O'Neills also have a fantastic Vegan and Vegetarian range of dishes available too! We were overwhelmed by choice but couldn't wait to get stuck into the food we ordered for ourselves with a voucher kindly gifted to us by O'Neills*.

For starters, we went for the Ultimate Sharing Platter and it was exactly that! We dug into the Macho nachos, BBQ glazed chicken wings, fried buttermilk chicken bites, beer-battered mushrooms, onion rings and garlic pizza bread. Served with BBQ and sour cream dips. It's making me full just writing about it, what a cracking starter it was! Although there was a lot to eat it showcased the variety of starters available within O'Neills and we were impressed! The fried buttermilk chicken bites were tasty dunked into the sour cream dip and Jordan polished off the BBQ glazed chicken wings before I even had the chance to have a second one! We demolished as much as we could from the starter but we definitely felt full afterwards. 

We both noted that this sharing platter would be fantastic for a snack; so perfect if you are taking a break from shopping around Nottingham's high street or whilst watching a sporting event. It was priced at £9.75 which we thought was a great price for so much food! 

For the mains we both decided to tuck into one of their burgers, they have 12 variations on their menu so it was a tricky decision to make! I went for The Big O Burger. Made up of two house beef patties, layered with Monterey Jack cheese, crispy bacon, dill pickles, onion rings and signature sauce. The burger was incredibly juicy and full of flavour - it was cooked exactly how I would have liked it! 

Jordan went for  The Triple House burger which looked just as tasty too! His burger was made up of beef patty, grilled chicken fillet and southern fried chicken fillet with melted Monterey Jack Cheese! mmm! 

Honestly collectively some of the best food we've had in a bar-restaurant for a very long while and we'll definitely be hitting up the O'Neills Nottingham branch on our next visit to Nottingham. We weren't disappointed at all with the quality of both the food and service delivered to us throughout our experience. I would highly recommend you give them a visit when you are next in Nottingham too! 

*voucher supplied in return for purchase on dinner at O'Neills, Nottingham.

The Son of Steak's masterpiece is their Flat Iron Steak. Served at either 8oz or 16oz, this meat is expertly cut from the sweet spot in the chuck, between the shoulder and neck. The steak is hand cut and full of juice, finished off with a pinch of Maldon sea salt. It's the most delicious steak I have ever got my hands on and is packed with flavour to the very last bite. It's really quite nice dipped into their peppercorn sauce or their beef gripping gravy too, especially if you are a person who enjoys steak with some sort of sauce. 

After sampling an entire 8oz Flat Iron Steak I was surprised to still have some space left for the main meal. Son of Steak offers a variety of steaks from their Josper Oven as well as some chicken and burger dishes that are just as fantastic in their value and flavour. Jordan opted to sample their 10z New York Strip steak. This steak is cut from the short loin and is an exceptionally tender cut of meat. Jordan had never tried this cut of meat but really enjoyed its flavour and tenderness, he had it cooked medium rare and complimented that it was exactly how he would have wanted it. 

It did look mighty good on his plate and I definitely wish I had ordered this for myself!

Thoresby Hall is a gorgeous stately home on the edge of Nottingham's Sherwood Forest. The house still hosts original features that are enjoyed by guests today. You can enjoy the deep armchairs in the vaulted splendour of the Great Hall (it had an almost Hogwarts feel about it for sure!), it's broad terrace overlooks a croquet lawn and acres of classic parkland. The rooms do vary from historic gorgeous four-posters to simpler standard rooms that still offer comfortability. 

Thoresby Hall is part of Warner Leisure Hotels, a collection of UK adult only hotels for over 21-year-olds. There are 14 beautiful country hotels or coastal villages dotted around the country. They offer the opportunity to see incredible parts of Britain that you've never explored. There's a range of activities for you to get involved with and live music every night. 

Within the hotel is their in-house restaurant, Blue Grill. An award-winning restaurant with a contemporary bar and grill style menu that has recently been relaunched. The setting for this restaurant is magnificent and feels almost royal as you dine in an area that replicates the grandeur of the original house. 

The walls of Blue Grill are dressed in blue silk damask and this room boasts some of the best views overlooking the stunning grounds Thoresby Hall has to offer. We attended when it was pitch black outside so were unable to take these breathtaking views in for ourselves. However, from just walking through the Hotel itself until we made it to the restaurant felt incredibly grand and special.

Our service throughout our dining experience was flawless. Our waiter Ant was indefinitely knowledgeable about the menu and ensured we were comfortable at all times.  The menu had a lot to offer and all came at a considerate price too. I also thought there was a great range of dishes on offer that would be suitable to people's preferences. If you're unable to make a choice from the menu there are also some great sharing options, even with the main course which are great if you are dining at Blue Grill for the first time and unable to decide what to have. 

For the starter courses, I decided on the Pan seared scallops that were served on a shell with pea puree and prosciutto.  The scallops were really delicious and whilst I thought the pea puree may put me off I thought it's flavours paired well with the fish. Jordan had the Duck Confit for a starter, it was packed with flavour and had a lovely smooth texture which contrasted well with the bread.

The main course was quite an easy choice as I wanted to sample a steak from Blue Grill. I decided to try out their Riding Reserve 6oz fillet steak with a peppercorn sauce. The steak was served with parsley butter, hand cut chips, balsamic roasted tomato, roasted mushroom and the sauce came included. In terms of value for the price, I thought that was fantastic for this restaurant. I had my steak cooked at medium rare and the meat was tender, full of flavour and just how I like my steak. I've never tried a fillet steak before but would highly consider having one again in the future. Jordan opted for the Half Lobster Thermador which looked stunning when it arrived. The meat was delicous and was only accentuated by the sauce which added a wonderful depth the flavour.

We felt considerably full after our two courses so decided against having a pudding (which I regret now because they looked delicious!).

I'd highly recommend the Blue Grill Restaurant at Thoresby Hall Hotel for their food, fantastic experience combined with a wealth of experience about the food they are serving up. The location of the restaurant offers a sense of luxury and escape for a great night away to enjoy great food.

*Complimentary 3 course dinner as part of a collaboration with Warner Leisure Hotels.

When you dine in a restaurant you most definitely want to be somewhere where they have a clear passion for food, drink and creating a fantastic atmosphere. All of these ingredients are exactly what goes into Rub and from checking out the Nottingham branch it's easily a place I could visit again and again.

Rub Smokehouse & Bar is a BBQ restaurant with its routes firmly in the South of the USA. They take their meat very seriously and use a butchers called Sykes House Farm 'The Chef's Butcher' near Wetherby, North Yorkshire. All of the meat is cooked in the restaurants' smokers 'Hank and Marvin' overnight, marinated first with their secret 'Rub' blend spices. The Brisket & Pork shoulder is cooked low and slow for an average of 16 hours.

The menu at Rub Smokehouse & Bar is full of so much choice. They have some great options for lunch or something smaller with their Picky Bits, Lunch and so much for Dinner. They also have Filthy Fries which are an extensive menu within themselves of fries topped with some incredible things you'd never imagine combining together! You can see their menu here. What the restaurant does have are Epic Specials, which are dishes unlike anything you have seen elsewhere but worthy of Man vs Food! 

Our experience in Rub was one of the best we've had in a restaurant, hands down.

I went for the Dirty Dog as I couldn't resist it after reading the menu. It was a smoked frankfurter loaded with pulled pork, aged cheese sauce, and crispy onions. I finished it off with a side of their fries. The cheese alone on the hot dog was to die for, I kept dipping my chips in it for the hope that it'll last just a little bit longer.

Jordan, on the other hand, went for their Chin Dribbler. This dirty burger comes with pulled pork, & cheese sauce with house pickled slaw, lettuce and house BBQ sauce mayo on a toasted bun. Jordan quoted that this was "the best burger he ever had in a restaurant in the UK" and was truly impressed by their quality of food, particularly in the burger which he said was so tender and full of flavour. He savored every bite and couldn't get enough of their cheese sauce either. He accompanied that with the Texas Mexas Fries. His fries were topped with their homemade chili con carne, cheese sauce, and sour cream. He was gutted when he couldn't manage the lot!



The reason we were attending was to check out their new Brownie and Ice Cream bar which had been recently introduced in the restaurant. There are the usual favourites like vanilla, strawberry and triple chocolate along with more exciting flavours like candy floss, jammy dodgers, and salted caramel.The decision making won't be easy though as there are over 25 different flavours to choose from! You can choose one of their epic sundaes, to follow on their epic menu. There is also the option for ice creams on their bubble waffles or their brownies.

You can eat your ice cream in house but there are cones with two or three scoops for takeaway.

Brownies come from Rub's sister company Brownie Heaven, coming in up to 11 different flavours. The brownies are freshly baked every day.

I'd highly recommend that you head over to the Rub Smokehouse & Bar in Nottingham on Fletcher's Gate.

*complimentary visit to Rub Smokehouse & Bar in return for an honest review.

If you enjoyed reading this post, you may also enjoy reading about my dining experience at Las Iguanas, Nottingham. 

There's a fantastic new gastro pub serving 'the best of British' in Wilford, a small village near the city centre of Nottingham. This restaurant was only 30 minutes from my home in Loughborough, so the best place to escape for a date night. 

The Tailor Arms has opened in the former premises of the Wilford Green Pub and Kitchen, which closed earlier in 2018 and became quite dated. The premises now has given the spacious bar and restaurant a brand new contemporary style that fits perfectly and an atmosphere to suit everyone. 

The gastro pub has really thought about every customer that walks into their establishment. They have a great balance of space for people who just want to enjoy a drink or for those who are there to dine. There is also a great private dining room if you are planning a celebration meal. 

The menu at the Tailors Arms is about serving 'the best of British' and there is a great selection of dishes to choose from. The menu also includes a great selection of meals suitable for vegetarians and gluten-free options too. 

For the starters we took the recommendations from our host for the evening. I went for the Scallops (Gluten Free) dish which was pan fried scallops, crispy pancetta, and black pudding. There wasn't much to this dish, it was really well presented and the scallops were really tasty. I'm not a fan of black pudding but wanted to sample it with the scallops, I definitely should have picked a different dish to try and got major food envy from what Jordan was eating.

Jordan decided on the Pork Belly. This was Shropshire pork belly, spicy butternut squash, and apple sauce. The meat was melt in the mouth tender and packed full of flavour and was complimented nicely with the side of apple sauce. The crispy crackling was a brilliant counterpoint to the tender meat and perfected the meal.

Deciding on a main course was quite straightforward for me. I opted for the Halloumi Burger which came in a black bun and served with grilled veg and pesto. The burger came served with coleslaw and skin on fries. I have tried a product before which came served on something made from black cornflour and it was tasteless. Their halloumi burger fits the bill for me with lots of flavour and incredibly moist. The burger didn't come overflowing with filling too which meant you could enjoy it without it falling apart in your very hands.

Jordan opted for the Duck Breast on the recommendation of our host. Again, much like his starter the meat was cooked to perfection, like eating a rare steak it was tender, soft and juicy. The potatoes complemented the meat to create a delicious and enjoyable meal.

For dessert me and Jordan couldn't resist trying the Chocolate S'mores. This dessert was delicious and came as milk chocolate mousse, creamy marshmallow, and shortbread crunch. It was the perfect finale to our meal but it would have been better with more shortbread on it. The shortbread was just a sprinkle on the top and it would have been better with more of a biscuit to dip into the mousse and marshmallow. 

Overall, we couldn't fault our experience at the Tailors Arms. The food, atmosphere, and staff made it for an unforgettable evening. I would definitely recommend that you visit this restaurant in Nottingham and will be telling all of my friends and family about it for sure!

If you'd like to find out more about The Tailors Arms and their incredible menu, you can visit their website here. 

*Complimentary meal and drinks in return for an honest review of The Tailors Arms.