What's on the menu?

What's on the menu?

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Taste Nottingham Dessert in Revolucion de Cuba

We've been wanting to try Revolucion de Cuba for a while after hearing lots of good things about it's fresh interior and adventurous Latin inspired menu making it one of Nottingham's current crop of places to be seen. Whether it's for a group party or cocktails on a night out, it seems that Revolucion de Cuba Nottingham is the place to be.
 
Revolucion de Cuba Nottingham's interior is a world away from the old Long Island
Gone is the dingy feel of the old Long Island, replaced with a bright, airy and feelgood venue well worth a visit. It definitely feels more like somewhere you could sit and chat whilst listening to something Latin inspired.

Revolucion de Cuba's Iconic Interior- You're never too far from Che Guevara
Coming towards the end of our Taste Nottingham Moving Feast experience we were here for dessert. After casting our eyes over the menu's it feels that Revolucion de Cuba could be a great place for Tapas. Having lost La Tasca from the city it could be that Revolucion takes over with our needs for holiday inspired flavours. With an evening menu available Monday to Thursday it's worth being aware that if you come at the weekend there will be more shaking than baking being done.

Out came our Churros. Thin sticks of fried pastry with a toffee sauce (with rum of course!) and a chocolate sauce for dipping. Very much like long thin donuts and served a nice dipping dessert worth trying for anyone who likes to create a little mess

Churros at Revolucion de Cuba Nottingham,


Che Guevara


Cubans Love their American Cars


Sunday 26 June 2016

Taste Nottingham 2016- Starters at the Pitcher and Piano


Starter Selection at the Pitcher and Piano


The Pitcher and Piano Nottingham 

The Pitcher and Piano is a real Nottingham institution for drinkers. It has always been arguably the bar to send anyone we've known visit Nottingham from outside the city. The old Unitarian Church has been transformed into a fantastic bar and restaurant. We'd always visited for drinks but never food previously.

The old church stained glass adds an amazing decor at the Pitcher and Piano, Nottingham

As part of this coming weeks Taste Nottingham event we were invited along to sample a moving feast around the city and were to assemble in the Pitcher and Piano, set beside the Nottingham Contemporary Gallery just off Weekday Cross. It's always intriguing to attend such an event as you're never quite sure what's going to happen, where you'll end up and what's going to be on offer however they're one of the perks of being a food blogger we'd never really considered when we set up the Nottingham Food Lovers Blog a number of years ago. On this occasion we sampled some very nice food and met some great people. 

Rustic chic and the charm of the old church work well 

As part of Taste Nottingham running between Monday 27th and Thursday 30th June there are a number of "Moving Feasts" running throughout the city. The Pitcher and Piano makes a great place to start on these or on any night out, whether it be with friends or a date. It's ditched the dark feel it had for a much more upbeat decor and ambiance.

With a large selection of drinks available it's also a great place for someone of a choosier nature. We opted for a large Peroni and a small Birra Moretti and headed over to our table to meet everyone involved in the event before tucking into a wide array of starters bought to the table to sample.

Mozzarella wrapped in Parma Ham 
We all tucked into a selection from Pitcher and Piano's Grazers Menu (Any two for £8.50 or three for £12.50) including

  • Grilled Haloumi and Pineapple Salsa
  • Chicken and Chorizo Skewers
  • Sweet Potato Falafel
  • Cheesy Cauliflower Bites
  • Cajun Spiced Calamari

Cajun Spiced Calamari

Such a varied selection allowed us all to have a good sample of plenty from the menu. Our particular favourites were the beautifully char grilled Chicken and Chorizo Skewers which oozed flavour, as well as the Calamari which was cooked to near perfection, lightly battered and served with a warming Cajun style sauce.

Sweet Potato Falafel
We has some very nice starters at the Pitcher and Piano and would certainly love to go back and try the rest of the menu, With a relatively new Al Fresco seating area it seems a great alternative to the bars of the Waterfront on a warm summers day too.

Thursday 23 June 2016

Taste Nottingham 2016- Beer and Main Course at Purecraft

Up until recently we'd not noticed Purecraft Nottingham on our radar. Having rarely ventured into the city of late there have been a number of restaurants and bars that have slipped past us. Purecraft is housed in what used to be Dome on St Peters Gate and is a collaboration between Paul Halsey of Purity Brewing Co, Andreas Antona a Michelin Starred Chef and Martin Hilton, former direct of Mitchells and Butler. With such a wealth of talent behind the venture Nottingham drinkers and diners should be in for a treat.

As part of an event to promote Taste Nottingham we were welcomed into Purecraft for a Main Course of Beer Brined Pork Belly, Potato Purée, Black Pudding & Apple

Beer Brined Pork Belly, Potato Purée, Black Pudding & Apple at Purecraft Nottingham
The Pork Belly was beautifully cooked and broke away easily as you slide your knife through. I worked well with the crumbled black pudding and fine potato puree to make a very nice main course. Very simple yet we know many people who would love such a classic dish.. At £12 on the menu we also believe it represents good value compared to many other restaurants. 

Our Pork Belly was paired with a glass of Purity Gold Beer which would be an excellent drink to many a real ale lover. Sadly for me I'm not an IPA or hoppy beer lover and they tend to leave a soapy taste in my mouth which masks any significant food flavours and I struggle to pick out other significant notes, Mark really loved his however and thought it was a great beer he'd happily drink more of. 

Purity Pure Gold Beer 

For the drinker in us we're certainly very interested in Purecraft's extensive selection of Beers and very nice food menu. They're gone a level above with a night for food and beer pairing on June 30th (Which we'd have ordered tickets for if we didn't have some other significant plans). With a 6 course menu paired with beer we're pretty sure for £30 you'll come away very happy having tasted plenty. 

What Beer Next- Purecraft Nottingham










Monday 20 June 2016

Going Mexican at Pepitos Derby

Despite it being a short drive down Brian Clough Way it's quite rare for us to venture over to Derby but when we're offered an interesting opportunity to try something new we usually jump at the opportunity. So when Pepitos in Derby invited to come down and taste test some of their new menu ideas it was always going to be a yes.

Pepitos has been feeding Derby for almost 20 years with a diet of fresh, authentic and healthy Mexican food in relaxed surroundings. Aside from the recent influx of chain restaurants Mexican food isn't heavily represented around Derby and Nottingham so it's good to see an independent restaurant working to bring in diners.

The bright interior of Pepitos Derby







Taste Nottingham Monday 27th- Thursday 30th June 2016

Next week sees the Taste Nottingham event running around the city. It's a celebration of our food, drink, restaurants, cafes and basically anything food related and should be a great showcase for some of what we have instore.

One of real highlights of the promotion is the Taste Nottingham Moving Feasts which celebrate a selection of restaurants with diners able to have their starter in one place, move on elsewhere for mains and finish somewhere completely different for dessert.



As well as the moving feasts there are a fantastic selection of offers on at a big number of venues across the city. Whether your want a free milkshake at Homemade or up to 50% off food in a wide range of restaurants

Check out Itsinnottingham for more details at http://www.itsinnottingham.com/offers/eating-drinking/

Shangri-La Mansfield Chinese Buffet Review

Chinese Buffets seem to be a bit different in Mansfield to what we would usually expect with the likes of May Sum and Flamming Dragon offering you the chance to pick and choose what's in front of you. At Shangri-La in Mansfield Woodhouse things are a little different as you choose what you want from the menu and it's bought out to your table

Shangri-La Mansfield Woodhouse

With the buffet menu starting from a very reasonable £11.50 (£12.80 with Seafood and Extra options, £14.99 if you want to add Crispy Duck). On arrival we had a big bowl of prawn crackers bought to the table whilst we pondered what to choose