Dinner anyone? (Top Ten Restaurants)

Member Name: Coxy1974

Product:	Top Ten Restaurants
Date:	01/02/07 (1636 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You might just find out about some good eateries in Nottingham/Derby

Disadvantages: You might not like them

Reading another persons review of her favourite restaurants prompted me to think about the ones that I enjoy frequenting.

Whilst I worked for a large bank I was fortunate enough to eat out often with clients and as I had an expense account, within reason I wasn’t concerned about the prices. Of course, the places had to be fairly decent due to the importance of the clients we were entertaining.

I live in the Nottingham/Derby area so I entertained people fairly local. So here it is – in reverse order


At number 10 – Spices Curry House, Wollaton Vale, Nottingham.

As soon as you walk into the place the smell is wonderful. The aromas of cooking meat marinated in spices assaults your senses and instantly you feel your stomach respond. You’re shown to your table without fuss and menus are quickly produced.

I enjoy a good curry and I can particularly recommend the Chicken Tikka. This is a dry curry without a sauce. The meat is tender and breaks easily without a knife and the Pilau Rice is light and fluffy. The menu offers lots of choice without being confusing as some Indian restaurants can be.

At about £7.95 for the curry and about £3 for the rice this is about on par with other Indians in the area however, what set this place apart from the others for me is ambience, service and quality of food.

In at 9 – Pagoda Chinese Restaurant, Nottingham City Centre. Located 5 mins walk away from the Tram Terminus.

Family run and you are shown to a table without fuss. There is no need for a menu as this is a buffet all you can eat for your money type of restaurant. Drinks orders are quickly taken and served without fuss and you are told to help yourself. Plates and cutlery are all conveniently located (yes chopsticks are available) to the left of the buffet table.

The variety of food on offer is very good with there being lots of choice. I am not a big fan of Chinese food however, I always find something to eat there. The Green Thai Chicken curry is very good as are the Chicken Satays. The ribs are excellent and because it’s a buffet and all you can eat you can go back as many times as you like. There are soups for starters, noodles and several different kinds of rice for the main course and dessert is also available with some sort of cake, ice cream and cream with fruit.

Priced at £4.95 weekday lunchtime, £14.95 weekday evening, £6.95 weekend lunchtime and £17.95 for a weekend evening this is excellent value for money.

At 8 – Las Iguanas, Chapel Bar, Nottingham City Centre

You sit in the bar area until you are called when your table is ready. We went near Christmas and had booked but still had to wait for 10 minutes for our table to be ready. Other than that the service was excellent.

Mexican food always appeals to me and in particular any kind of Fajitas. They have a varied selection but each time I have been I have to confess that I have eaten the Chicken Fajitas and they are properly served. The meat, onions and peppers are on a sizzler, Tortilla Wraps are in a warmer and the plate contains your pots of Salsa, Sour Cream and Guacamole. These are yummy.

At £9 for the Fajitas I wondered if this was a little pricey but researching similar types of restaurants shows that this is about average. For the amount of food on the plate then this was value for money.

Don’t worry I’m saving the really good places for the tops spots – well the most expensive really.

Number 7 – Taj Mahal Indian Restaurant, Chapel Bar, Nottingham City Centre.

Conveniently situated in the heart of the city centre this is a very nice Indian. You walk inside and it is like being transported into another world. The tables and chairs are so ornately and intricately carved and there are sequinned and jewel trimmed cushions on the chairs to sit on.

You are shown to your table by the young man hovering near the door. There is no menu here because again this is a buffet style with a set price. Drinks orders are very quickly taken and you are invited to help yourself from the huge array of food on offer. By the time you get back to your table with your starter your drinks have been delivered. I will say now that this restaurant serves only non – alcoholic drinks.

There is a good variety of food on offer. Starters, there is salad, onion bhajas, Pakoras, Samosa’s (chicken and veggie), ribs, sausage and sauces from Chilli to Raita. Main Courses on offer are Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork Tikkas, Masalas, Madras, Kormas, Biryiani and Bhuna. The Tikka and Korma is amazing with decent sized chunks of chicken (and it is all Chicken) and the meat is always so tender. The beef Tikka wasn’t at all fatty and meat kind of melted on your tongue. There is also an array of Indian Desserts but as I can only usually manage 2 out of 3 courses and I am a savoury person then I can’t comment on Desserts. When you open the lids for the main courses the first thing you are struck by is the fact that there isn’t much food in the container. This is done on purpose so that there is a constant fresh supply of food.

For £7.95 lunchtimes and £9.95 in the evening after 6pm. Considering that the place never seems to be very busy (due to the spacing between tables and not lack of customers!), the service and the food I think this place is an excellent place to eat.

Moving further up to number 6 – Frankie & Benny’s. I had to put this place in here. It’s always so consistent with regards to service and the food.

Whenever I have been I have always booked a table first and have been shown straight to mine even in busy periods. The menus are quickly dealt with as are the drinks orders. They do a very nice Pinot Grigio here and I always buy a bottle to go with my meal.

I’ve eaten a variety of meals in here from Chicken Burgers to Mushroom Risotto and all have been very good. The menu has an excellent choice with a good range of starters, main courses and desserts. One this I did notice about the menu is that the vegetarian options are few and far between.

At about £8 - £9 for a main course I feel that this is no more expensive than anywhere else I have eaten restaurant wise. The best thing about this is that you know exactly what you are going to get here.

Straight in at number 5 – Tandoori Nights in Shardlow Derbyshire. This is where I had my second date with my new man so it holds special memories for me as well as being a top place for eating.

I know that it is another curry house however, this is the last one that I will include in this review. I was immediately struck by the cleanliness of the outside of the place and it looks attractive from the outside. Inside it is your average curry house.

The menu is varied and the food reasonably priced £32 for a meal for 2. The lighting isn’t exactly romantic though as it is fairly light in the restaurant so I wouldn’t recommend it as a place for a romantic meal. I had a Lamb Bhuna and it was excellent with the meat being lean and tender along with the rice being light and fluffy. The service is excellent with the waiter being very attentive.

Number 4 – Topo Gigio Angel Row, Nottingham City Centre.

This is an Italian restaurant and is actually over Southern Fried Chicken. The outside looks like a dump basically and I never would have thought have eating in there had it not been recommended to me. The inside is like a little Italian café with checked table cloths and laminated menus.
On week nights it is 2 for 1 for a 2 course meal. The menu is not extensive, having around 6 starters, 12 mains and 5 desserts but there is something that everyone will enjoy who likes Italian food.

I chose Melon to start which was cut into slices without the rind and arranged attractively on the plate with a cherry sauce. It was nicely chilled too which I find a rarity for most restaurants these days. I then had linguini. What a surprise as it was fresh pasta (you can tell the difference between that and dried!) and it was superb coming in a mushroom and pancetta sauce. We also had cheesy garlic bread which was thin crust pizza base. After that little lot I couldn’t manage dessert!

A 2 course meal for 2 came to £15 with drinks so for sheer value and food experience this ranks high on my list. The restaurant is always busy and you get seated to your table by the waitress who is obviously the ‘mama’ of the family.

In at number 3 – The Living Room, Nottingham City Centre

It is best to book a table in advance here because otherwise you face a long wait! The seating is so comfy and the service is excellent, being shown to a table straight away and menu’s and drinks orders being dealt with efficiently and quickly.

So why at number 3? Top notch service and food! The menu is extensive, the surroundings are extremely relaxed and the whole experience of good food, wine and decent surroundings makes me feel so relaxed when I leave (ok so I roll out the door!). I had steak when I went and it was cooked to perfection, nice and brown on the outside with the inner still slightly pink. You didn’t need a steak knife it was that tender. I’ve only eaten there once but definitely want to go back.

At 2 – La Tasca, Nottingham City Centre.

This is a Spanish Tapas bar and is set over 2 floors. It has a real Mediterranean feel to it inside with the tables being plain wood. It is also best to book in advance otherwise again you face a long wait for a table.

When we went we didn’t see a menu because we ordered a package deal when booking the table. This included a selection of Starters, main courses and desserts to share. The variety of food was amazing with squid, prawns, shrimps, paella, omelettes, chicken wings etc being some of the things that were brought to our table.

We ordered bottles of table wine being a Rioja when it came and it was excellent with the variety of food we had. The waitress was attentive yet knew when to leave us alone which was great as you never want an over attentive waiting staff. For 5 people the meal did come to over £100 however, still just over £20 per head so not bad value considering the amount of food we got and the variety.

The biggie – so which one is my favourite? Out of the hundreds of restaurants I have been to this one shines out as the best meal I have eaten out and in the cleanest and nicest of surroundings. Are you ready? Are you even still with me by this time??? For those who have read on – thank you!

1 – Sonny’s – Hockley in Nottingham City Centre.

From the outside I was so disappointed. It looks dirty and run down however when you get inside it is all wooden floors, white walls and table cloths and silverware. Everywhere seems to sparkle. It is lit by spotlights in the ceiling but this is not overpowering as they are not strong.

The restaurant was busy (I have ever only eaten there once) but there was no queuing for the table we went straight in and gave our name. You won’t get a table without booking. No way Jose would you get one without booking at least a month in advance. We were taken straight to our table, coats and jackets collected and put away. We were then given menu’s by our waitress for the evening. There are no prices on the menu which I found scary. The variety is endless but eventually I chose soup to start, Lobster for my main course and Crème Brulee for my dessert.

Then the wine waiter came over. I was dining with my boss and some clients after a very successful deal had come off so this was rather a treat. He ordered Cristal Champagne for a toast and some very nice Sancerre to go with our meals. I had already had a few gins in the pub next door before hand.

The meal was amazing. The lobster tasted like nothing I have ever had before. The soup was just the right eating temperature when it arrived and the crème brulee was to die for. I had to undo the belt on my trousers to be able to fit it all in!

The service was just right with the waiting staff serving and then checking a while later if everything was OK. We even lingered over coffee at the end but we never felt as though we were being rushed out of the place. The bill was only presented when we asked for it.

The bill was well over £1000 for 10 of us. At about £100 per head this has to rank as the most expensive meal I have ever eaten however, I feel it was worth every single penny because the food was amazing, the service excellent and the surroundings were relaxed and you could actually talk to people.

Well these are the places that I like to eat in – I would love to go back to Sonny’s but sadly my budget doesn’t stretch that far. If anyone ever wants to know about a good restaurant or pub in Nottingham then please feel free to ask because I would either have visited it or know someone who has.

Summary: Thank you for reading!