What's on the menu?

What's on the menu?

Saturday 23 August 2014

The Robin Hood and Little John, Arnold Reopens- A Review from Opening Night

Thursday 21st August 2014 Saw the Reopening of The Robin Hood and Little John Public House in Arnold by the Lincoln Green Pub Co.

The Robin Hood and Little John, Arnold, Nottingham
Arnold has felt in a bit of a time warp for a long time as the recession kicked in and we have been treated to more and more charity shop, whilst less new ventures have hit the area so the arrival of a new pub was always going to be a welcome addition to the town centre.

The Robin Hood and Little John Pub dates all the way back to 1765 which makes it one of Nottingham's oldest pubs. Having been taken over and tastefully renovated by Lincoln Green of Hucknall it looks to have great long term potential for lovers of good ales and ciders.

Robin Hood and Little john Arnold, Nottingham
Pulling a Pint of Welbeck Brewery Henrietta

Bill's Nottingham Review- Worth a Visit?

Taste Testing Bill's Restaurant, Nottingham- A Review

Nottingham Food Lovers
Bill's Restaurant Nottingham on Queen Street
 There's a buzz about Bill's restaurant arrival in Nottingham although I have to admit I only knew of it's existence a few days ago when asked if I fancied meeting up in town for a drink and some food. Since then it seems everyone I know has wanted to ask me if I'd visited there yet.

Nottingham's had a few new additions Restaurant-wise lately. With a very nice looking Korean restaurant opening on Chapel Bar and Wildwood on King Street where Johnathon James' shoe shop used to be. Another new addition on Queen Street is Bill's.

I'm always up for something new and therefore the chance to visit Bill's new establishment in Nottingham and review it for the blog seemed like a great opportunity to catch up with a friend.

Out of a panic I rang the restaurant the morning we were due to visit and was told that unfortunately there were no tables available until after 9PM that evening. On the off-chance that there would be the possibility of a table we rolled up at 7 PM and were advised that there would be a short 15 minute wait if we were happy with that which we were. This was a little frustrating compared to the information given on the phone and almost cost the restaurant our trade that evening.

Making Eggs Florentine the Bill's way (Note the awful lighting tracks)

Inside- The Decor

Inside Bill's is pretty unique compared to many of Nottingham's eateries. It seems a mix of shabby chic with an industrial edge. With such an impressive building exterior I expected more than the hideous attempt at lighting in what should be a pretty prestigious property.

Hideous attempts at industrial lighting at Bill's Nottingham

The Menu at Bill's

Decisions, decisions. The Menu at Bill's Nottingham

 Review- Dinner at Bill's

The menu looked fantastically varied with a host of seasonal ingredients. We plumped for the Chicken Skewers (£9.95) which came we a small selection of salad, couscous, with pitta bread and the Chipotle, Lime and Coriander Marinated Chicken (£12.95) which came with sweetcorn and a serving of sweet potato chips. 

Bill's Chicken Skewers
The Chicken Skewers came out with lovely presentation with the ingredients tasting exceptionally fresh as one would expect. The downside was that the chicken wasn't as moist and succulent as one would expect and in honesty tasted slightly on the dry side. Whilst being a lovely meal the portion size appeared to be more towards a light lunch than a meal for a shrinking former chef and a sportsperson with a hefty appetite.

Chipotle, Lime and Coriander Marinated Chicken 
The Chipotle, Lime and Coriander Chicken came out looking fantastically appetising. For supposedly half a chicken I definitely felt a little let down by it's size but in terms of taste it was a fantastic meal. The subtle flavour of the marinated chicken worked well, however when I saw chipotle on the menu I was expecting a little more oomph as this sounded like a chicken dish for a real man.

Dessert- Bill's Lemon Drizzle Cake

I love lemon and a good slice of cake is always high on the list of needs for me so a slice of lemon drizzle cake sounded like a great way to end the meal as after my main meal I certainly had plenty of room left for dessert. 

We both ordered a slice of the lemon drizzle cake which came out topped with a dollop of mascarpone and some grated lemon. Personally I felt the lemon drizzle cake was a real let down, it was more like a Madeira cake with a bit of lemon grated on top as an afterthought. When it comes to citrus I love big zesty flavours and this was nowhere close to offering what I want in a dessert.

Lemon Drizzle Cake at Bill's Nottingham

Lemon Drizzle Cake with Mascarpone and Grated Lemon

Review of Bill's Nottingham Restaurant

From the outside Bill's looks a lovely restaurant but for me the food was somewhat lacking the big flavours I love and certainly the portion sizes felt a little more for the 'golden years' menu.

I'm not sure I would go back but we'll see in future. 

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Moroccan and Lebanese Food In Nottingham- Marrakesh Restaurant Review

Experiencing Moroccan Delights Without the Long Flight- 

Marrakesh Restaurant Nottingham Review.

Marrakesh Restaurant Nottingham

Having previously fallen in love with Moroccan on a couple of previous visits to Marrakesh and into the High Atlas Mountains, one of the things I really loved on my trip was the food. Moroccan food often involves plenty of spice without the heat of Indian food which creates aromatic and delicately flavoured food.

With a great location in the foodie area of Chapel Bar, Marrakesh is always going to see plenty of people walking past but is a Moroccan  Restaurant worth a visit?

There aren't a lot of options if you're looking for Lebanese or Moroccan food in Nottingham and therefore Marrakesh Restaurant finds itself in a very good position in having no direct competition locally. Nottingham has very few other restaurants which cater for North African and Middle Eastern cuisine. Debsh which specialises in Persian food must be their real competition but with so many other options available in Nottingham and more opening all the time it takes something special or unique to create a successful restaurant in the long term in Nottingham.

The first time the OH and I went to Marrakesh we believe she was the only person in the Restaurant without a headscarf on. It seemed that the people eating were all of Arabic descent to us. We've been plenty of places where we've been the minority but that generally gives us the impression that we're eating where people from the region would eat and therefore they wouldn't visit if the food wasn't up to scratch. 

If I go somewhere different I always want to drink something respective of the restaurant so went for a bottle of Almaza Lebanese beer to start off. It was a lovely easy drinking pilsener beer that is very reminiscent of what you'd drink in a hot country. Very light and delicately flavoured. I'd definitely have another in future although at £3.95 a bottle it would be an expensive way to get drunk!

Marrakesh Restaurant Nottingham
A bottle of Almaza Lebanese Beer