June 22, 2017

The Chock’s Away Cafe – Breakfast and Brunch at Tollerton Airport

I love Chocks Away! I hadn’t been here for a while and I had forgotten just how good a little café it is. The last time I blogged about it was back in 2013 when I popped in for a bacon butty and a tuna melt. You can read about those visits here

Since my last visit, not much has changed in that you can still drive over and have a little snack while watching the trainee pilots run through their paces. There is still the random wildlife to watch in between take offs too, we saw baby crows getting fed, and a couple of hares having a bit of a barney while we sat out by the runway in the sun this week.

The menu seems to have expanded a lot, or maybe the chalk board got prettier and bigger!? 🙂 they have the three breakfasts all named after some sort of plane ranging from the Tomahawk, to the Jumbo, to the Hercules! (that one is defo new!) Lots of toasties, breakfast baps, burgers, and things with chips. We love things with chips!

It was so good that we came back the next day!

Cheese Toastie

They do the simple things really well, it is kind of no frills with a lot of love and attention. Sometimes all you really want is a Toastie and they can do you one here no problem for just a small outlay of cash.

Alison picked a cheese toastie and then glammed it up a bit by adding in the red onion from the simple side salad. We might have been given spoon number 13 when we ordered, but no worry we were far from unlucky.

Tomahawk Breakfast

I ordered the Tomahawk breakfast for £4.50 which was actually pretty tasty. Now OK I admit that maybe it is not as pretty as some, but I reckon that it had a fair chance of winning the Turner Prize.

My breakfast was the smallest of the offerings with one slice of nicely grilled bacon, a decent meaty sausage, beans, tinned tomato, a lovely runny yolk fried egg, a scattering of fried mushroom and a slice of toast. I added a slice of black pudding to mine, mostly because I love a good blood sausage, and also partly because it is fun to order when dining with a vegetarian 🙂

I really enjoyed eating this plateful, it seemed so honest and real. Real food for normal people. I usually do not like tinned tomato on my breakfast plate, but I know plenty of friends who swear it is a must. For some strange reason today I was actually really liking them and I was scooping up beans and tomato with my toast as I cleared my plate faster that the tower clearing the run way for take off.

Sausage, Egg and Chips

We came back the next day and I really just wanted to slum it a bit with a plate of sausage, egg, and chips. The sausages are actually pretty decent fare here at Chocks Away, I quite like them. The chips were plentiful and I know that they are just basic fried ones, but somehow here that seems grand enough for me. I had two eggs with this and my only sadness was that I would have liked a runny yolk.

Just to note Alison had a chip butty, but I didn’t take a pic of that. She also had some homemade lemon cake, but I decided not to record that in photographic evidence out of kindness 🙂

The sign above the door as you enter the building says ‘Everyone Welcome’ and that is so true.

I have already fallen back in love with this place and vow to return way more often that I have in recent times.

Why? oh why? would one drive to buy a sad sandwich from the supermarket when instead you can come here for a friendly smile, a simple bite to eat, and a little oasis away from the work desk?

There is no answer, except that you should come and watch small planes take off, eat ice cream and stuff your face gently  🙂

Chock Away Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Chocks Away is located at Nottingham City Airport just on Tollerton Ln, Tollerton, Nottingham NG12 4GA. It is pretty well signposted from the road and if in doubt just keep driving down that long green road until you get to the Airport Car Park and Tower.

Check them out on Facebook for the food and also for news on events

Posted by on June 22, 2017 in 2. Nottinghamshire, Tollerton and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

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June 18, 2017

The Piano Cafe in Radcliffe on Trent for some Brunch

The Piano in Radcliffe on Trent is a super little café to pick up a spot of lunch or even brunch during the week. Located right on the main street running through the town it has become a bit of a local fixture over the last 7 or so years. They say that they serve up authentic Italian fare, and they also serve up many of your lunch and brunch classics too, something for almost everyone.

It was a bit of a drive away from the office, but Alison ‘My partner in Crime for this MyFoodHunt’ and I decided it was worth taking a little extended break and an escape into the country for our lunch. Some days you just have to!

I had my eye on Breakfast and Alison had her eyes on Brunch… a win-win situation then hopefully

So what did we eat?

All Day Breakfast

I selected Breakfast No. 1 which was described on the Piano menu as “2 pieces of bacon, fried egg, baked beans, tomatoes or mushrooms, 2 slices of toast & butter, tea or coffee” for £5.90

This sounded like a right bargain, breakfast and a pot of tea for under £6! I chose mushrooms over tomatoes and tea over coffee. The hot drink arrived quickly and I was happy to see a pot that I could squeeze at least 2 cups out of.

The actual breakfast was a enjoyable affair, fried and crispy slices of bacon always make me happy, a fried egg with a nice runny yolk added more delight to my plate.

The mushroom were tasty and although they did not look visually too enticing they were good enough for me.

I had a couple of slices of toast that I used one to make beans on toast, the other for egg on toast. It always works for me when I do that.

Sometimes you get a little pot of jam so that you can have a breakfast desert after your savoury egg and bacon, no such luck today though 🙂

I was very happy with this bit of basic breakfast fare, it ‘hit the spot’ and kept me going for the rest of the day!

I was glad that I didn’t make the jump up the price point to get Breakfast No.2 which was the same plus sausage, chips, and an orange juice for just £7.40.

I don’t think I could have eaten all of that!

Eggs Florentine

Alison went for one of the ‘slightly’ vegetarian options picking the Eggs Florentine. This was described on the menu as “Poached egg & spinach served on toasted ciabatta with Hollandaise sauce” and was also looking good value priced up at £5.90

I liked that you got two properly cooked poached eggs and just a dollop of hollandaise sauce on top, that sauce is nice in this dish when there is not too much smothering the stack.

I understand that the ciabatta was well toasted and a pretty good vehicle to hold that spinach and egg combo. I myself like an English Muffin in this dish (TBH I like the versions with salmon or ham 🙂 .

It all was very well received and there was no food left on either plate!

The Breakfast Menu

I quite like eating at The Piano, I have been in before and tried out their Croque Madam, a Club Sandwich, and some of their Homemade Lasagna

They were all good!

AND

If you were wondering, yes they do have a Piano inside!

_____________________

You can find The Piano café at Radcliffe upon Trent

Located

7a Main Road
Radcliffe On Trent
Nottingham
NG12 2FD

Check out their weekly offers here and also

Keep up with what they ae doing on their Facebook page and on their Twitter feed

Some Specials Board Action

 

 

Posted by on June 18, 2017 in 2. Nottinghamshire, Radcliffe on Trent and tagged , , , , , , , .

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June 17, 2017

The White Lion in Beeston – A Brazilian Fish and Chip Friday and some Brazilian Tapas

The White Lion ‘Bar & Kitchen’ on Middle Street in Beeston was an unexpected bedfellow on a recent MyFoodHunt trip on the Tram out to Beeston.

They had some good real ales, a menu packed with burgers and classic sandwiches, just what you want from your local pub. Then though there was this whole tapas thing going on as well. The lady and the chap behind the bar were warming and welcoming, it was all looking pretty good.

Initially I was thinking that as it was Friday it was going to be another Fish and Chip supper, but then I detected that there was some Brazilian flair in the air as the hosts told me about their Tapas offerings.

We decided to split our directions on scoffing with Martin going traditional, while I took on the Tapas.

What did we think?

‘Brazilian’ Fish and Chips

Martin my erstwhile dining and real ale swilling companion took on the job of tackling a plate of their ‘what I have to describe’ as Brazilian style Fish and Chips. I am pretty sure that the verdict was bordering on and around the area of “interesting”. The dark brown batter coating was tasty, the dark colour from the ‘apparant’ addition of beer, but it was a bit on the chewy side. I can concur as I helped myself to a few mouthfuls just for quality control purpose 🙂

The fish itself was white and flaky and juicy, but it was hidden inside that very solid batter that made it seem hard work, it was bit like peeling the fish. I wasn’t sure whether it was cod or haddock or some other white fish. I am pretty sure it wasn’t tabaqui 🙂

The chips were solid and also pretty dark in colour but they seemed ok to me, the addition of a small side salad as opposed to a pile of mushy peas was an out of the box move that, as a purist, saddened me slightly. It was in keeping though with the theme of the food and made it all look and seem a bit fresher.

Tapas at the White Lion

Normally it is my job to scoff the Fish and Chips but on this occasion I had my eye on their Brazilian Tapas, there was a choice of 3 dishes for £8, so I made that choice.

I picked the Spicy Meatballs described as “Baked Meatballs in a Rich Tomato Sauce with a Little Chilli to Give it a Real Flavour Punch”. I had a little pot with about three solid and meaty balls smothered in a thick tomato sauce. There was definitely a little bit of chili to spice it, but the main taste was a kind of fennel or cumin hit, it was little sharp tang. I liked them well enough, but not enough to choose them as a full meal where they serve them with spaghetti it seems

The next choice was the Feijoada which was described as “A Brazilian Stew of Beef, Pork, Smoked Sausage, Chorizo with Black Beans, Onions and Spices”. This had an interesting flavour almost sultry and dark. I wasn’t sure if I liked it as a tapas, I only had a couple of slices of sausage in my pot and a whole load of black beans. You could order this as a meal on it’s own, and of I did that I would really want to get all the meaty bits that were promised

The best of the three choices was the “Brazilian Strogonoff” which was “Pieces of Succulent Chicken Breast and Mushroom Cooked in a Creamy Sauce, Finished with Mustard”. Now this tapa was as promised, nice and creamy, a light hint of mild mustard in the sauce and plenty of chunks of mushroom and chicken

All in all my feelings on the Tapas at the White Lion were a little mixed, I liked all the flavours, but I wanted more. The best description would be solid and hearty.

_____________________________

The White Lion in Beeston is located at 24 Middle Street, Beeston Street, Lawrence, NG9 1FX

It is an interesting place serving fusion of a kind with a Brazilian take on Pub classics alongside an array of Brazilian Tapas.

They have good beer and a welcoming atmosphere

Check them out on Facebook

__________________

 

Bits of Menu

 

 

Burger menu

Posted by on June 17, 2017 in 08. Middle Street, 1. The Nottingham Tram Stop Food Hunt Project, Tram Route: Nottingham Station to Toton Lane and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

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June 9, 2017

Mud Crab Pacifico in West Bridgford – 2 Course Special Lunch with Fish and Chips

Mud Crab Pacifico was the joint of choice for a big team lunch outing this week. I have dined only a couple of times here in the Crab at Bridgford and often feel I should come in more often as it is so close to my apartment.

The place always seems popular when I walk by in the evening so they must have carried on doing things right for a few years, especially with all the other dining option adding competition to the dining scene on Central Avenue in West Bridgford. I was feeling pretty hopeful as I took my place at the huge square table they had set up for us.

Lunch Time Specials

I was interested to see how they managed to deal with a big group as we have at least 15 of use all trying to squeeze in a meal to our extended 1.5 hour lunch. Luckily or perhaps well planned for such occasions the Mud Crab was offering a Lunch time menu with a choice of two courses with a drink for just £12.

It was a limited selection with just 3 starters and 3 mains to choose from but it seemed to be pretty good value and the choices seemed to be fairly interesting.

I think almost everyone went for some combination from that menu

Salmon and Halloumi Fishcakes

A lot of people chose the Salmon & Halloumi Fishcakes served with lemon hollandaise and dressed rocket. This did actually look pretty good and didn’t look to big either. It was simple, but with that tart and tangy lemon hollandaise, and the peppery rocket it seemed to be a pretty well thought out combinations of flavours, almost classic with some chopped up chives added to the dish as well.

Mushrooms on Toast

The starter of Mushrooms on Toast was not quite what I was expecting but it was fairly tasty , it looked a bit of a mess to be honest, it was more like a thick cream filled with garlic and sliced mushroom, almost a soup.

In there somewhere at the bottom of the bowl were a couple of slices of toast, soggy toast. This would have been great if it was served on some thick sliced crunchy toasted sourdough, and perhaps with just a little bit less cream.

I liked it well enough but I wouldn’t order it again.

Fish and Chips

For my main I opted for the Fish and Chips which came served with crushed minted peas and tartare sauce. I have been eating a lot of fish and chips recently so I think I was a bit fussier than many on my table, perhaps if I am honest a little bit snobby.

The Fish was a reasonable size, but mine was a bit soggy and greasy and perhaps a little wet inside. Other people said that theirs were crispy so maybe I was just unlucky, about 8 of us had the fish and chips so they were banging them out quickly enough.

I wasn’t keen on the chips as they were just those thin french fries type and I like real chips with my Fish, they did serve you a lot though, way too many and I didn’t not manage to eat more than half of them.

The crushed minty peas were a real interesting addition, I liked the idea of mint with my peas, as I like to add a drizzle of mint sauce to my mushy peas. I think that these were just a bit too minty though and perhaps somewhat overpowering. The smear on the plate got on everything and so after a few rounds of battle with the fish and the fries everything seemed to end up all minty.  I would have preferred them on the side or in a little bowl like the tartare sauce.

The general consensus on the lunch specials was that it was good value for £12 especially when you consider that most of the mains on the normal menu cost £11-12.

I wasn’t amazed by my Fish and Chips, but then again Mud Crab are not selling that as one of their signature dishes so I can’t really compare it with other places that have it as a regular item.

If I came back I think that I would select something off their regular menu such as the Smoke Duck Caesar salad, or maybe more likely one or more of their Tacos with Baja Fish, Griddle Adobo Pork, or Duck and Chilli Mango are looking pretty good right now. In fact I can feel a taco Tuesday situation popping up on the horizon in the near future.

 

The first time I visited was on my own back in 2013 when it first opened and I came in for a Cheeseburger:

Read about that here “Mud Crab Pacifico in West Bridgford- ‘Custom Burgers and Other Essential Supplies’ – for me a Cheezborger”

Mud Crab Pacifico in West Bridgford is located at 3 Central Avenue right amongst all the other dining options.

Check them out on Facebook and on Twitter

 

Posted by on June 9, 2017 in 2. Nottinghamshire, West Bridgford and tagged , , , , , , .

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June 7, 2017

Boavista in Hyson Green, a Portuguese haven and cafe serving up a whole lot of Portugal on a plate

Boavista on Radford Road in Hyson Green is a Portuguese café and restaurant catering for the locals, and the local Portuguese expat community. As we found ourselves walking up past the café checking out the area near the tram stop we peered in the window. As we did the window cleaner, of all people, told us “they have the best coffee in town”.

I don’t even like coffee but I do love trying somewhere new so I took that as a sign or portent from the food gods and decided to pop in to see what was occurring.

Inside it was like stepping into Portugal, perhaps a random café in Lisbon or Porto. There was  a group of Portuguese men drinking coffee, and they all looked up and welcomed us in. It was just as if I was walking into my local pub.

We felt at ease and relaxed and it was just like being on our holibobs in Portugal (forgiving the cold and rain outside!)

Mum had a proper coffee, while I opted for the child friendly Latté, a coffee for hipsters and tea drinkers. I then made the executive decision to get a little bit of snap, Portuguese style, to munch on.

I spent quite a few happy summers and long weekends visiting Portugal both for Golf, for the Euros back in 2004, and for various friends weddings.

Mostly we hit up Porto and Lisbon, plus a bit of Algarve and when we did we fell in love with their meaty sandwiches, So guess what I was in the mood for?

Bifano

Bifano de Porto is a traditional Portuguese sandwich filled with marinated pork steak served in Portuguese bread, it is a bit of a classic, so we certainly had to order one of those. The typical marinade is garlic, salt, paprika, red pepper paste and white wine, fried up with onions and olive oil.

I did not go out back to check up on what was happening in the kitchen but I can confirm that I was getting a lot of those flavours from each bite into this simple yet beautiful sandwich.

It was also a total bargain at £3.50, you will struggle to get anything comparable for that price point in town, and that is why you need to explore a bit more if you want some great food from our diverse communities in Nottingham!

Prego

Prego is a traditional Portuguese sandwich of marinated beef steak in Portuguese bread, we had to have one of these too. This one is usually quicker to make as there is less marinade time, it is basically flavoured with a lot of  butter, a lot of  garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Typically the steak is pounded to tendorise it and often you spear the meat with the garlic clove as well.

I like this sandwich a tiny bit more than the Bifano (but luckily we were sharing!), you can really taste the butter and garlic, and they also leave the meat just a little bit pink, an added bonus was that all the juices run into the bread which soaks up all the lovely goodness!

This sandwich at Boavista is also a great value bite at £4.50! OMG I am loving this place 🙂

Pasteis de nata – Portugese Custard Tart

I know I shouldn’t, but I could not resist sampling a morsel from the small selection of traditional Portuguese pastries on the counter at Boavista. I recognised quite a few from my travels in Portugal but the one that leapt out at me and onto my plate was the Pasteis de nata, that is Portugese Custard Tart to you and I.

It has an amazing light and layered flaky pastry crust, filled with a soft custard and sprinkled with a little bit of sugar and cinnamon. I love these, almost as much as I love the back story of their history. They say that the Chinese got into these babies after the Portuguese run Macau back in the day introduced them to the locals. This makes sense as I have eaten similar in Hong Kong and in nearby Shenzhen.

Whatever, you can just ride the tram to Hyson Green, pop over the road to Boavista and pick one up to brighten up your day Portuguese style 🙂

My Latté

So back to the start and the man suggesting we pop in for the “best coffee in town!” Now I am a tea drinker and have no reputable opinion on the subject, but I will say that it was a jolly nice latté.

I liked it even more when I found out that it was only costing me £1.90, Mums ‘americano’ was only £1.20.

All in all it was a great value tasty lunch, two big meat sandwiches, a cake, and a couple of coffees for about £12

Some Menu options

There is a lot of classic Portuguese fare on the menu, plenty that I fancy coming back over again at some point to try out again. I was pretty curious to try out the “Pescada Cozida com Todos” described as ‘Hake, poached with vegetables, potatoes and boiled eggs’ it is sounding like a deconstructed fish pie situation. I also ‘heard’ that they do grilled sardines, and grilled king prawns with garlic.

I feel hungry again already!

Boavista is located at 215 Radford Road, Hyson Green, NG7 5 Nottingham

You can get here on the Tram to Hucknall, getting off at the Forest and walking up Radford Road, or at the Hyson Green Tram Stop if you are coming into town from Hucknall

Check them out on their Facebook Page as well

Posted by on June 7, 2017 in 08. Hyson Green Market, 2. Nottinghamshire, Tram Route: Nottingham Station to Hucknall and tagged , , , , , , .

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May 26, 2017

A Fish and Chips Friday at The Trent Navigation

The Trent Navigation on Meadow Lane just steps from the Canal and from Notts County is the home of the Navigation Brewery and one of the local landmark pubs in the area. It is a great place to meet up for a pint before a home match and is even a place to meet up before heading off for an away match. They like to show all the sporting events, and always put stuff on for big events like the big Cricket matches when England are in town, but don’t get the wrong idea, it is much more than just a sports pub!

It serves a lot of good pub food and some very reliable and tasty ales from the Brewery that is attached to the back of the yard. At the moment I am drinking the “New Dawn” which is a ‘Light Clean Pale Ale’.

To be honest, if you want a quiet meal it might be a good idea to avoid on a match day in the hour before kick off, but any other time you will be able to find a table and room to swing your knife and fork 🙂

Having said that, even on match days and other big days they often have a BBQ out in the garden so that you can grab a bite while you stand in the crowd with your pint. Something I have done many times.

Today though was a Friday and that can only mean one thing – MyFoodHunt for “Fish and Chips Friday”

Cod and Chips for ‘Fry-Day’

I ordered the Cod and Chips described on the Trent Navigation menu as “Navigation Pale Ale battered cod with rustic chips, mushy peas and tartar sauce”.

I really liked the crispy crunchy batter, the pale ale gave it a lovely golden glow. I liked the juicy and moist Cod, I do prefer haddock, but this piece of fish was so huge that I kind of let my bias slip to one side as I munched my way through the fillet.

I quite liked the mushy peas, they had that crunchy bite in a watery pea sauce that makes them such a classic. The tartar sauce was clearly a homemade effort but it was a bit too much for my taste. If I am honest I like the cheaper stuff 🙂  I was hopeful about the idea of rustic chips, but,  I think I would have just preferred some normal ones, these ones were a bit soggy and greasy. I ate them still, I am not that grumpy, just being thoughtful.

On any other day of the week this plate would set you back £7.95 but as today was a ‘fry-day’ (see what they did there) it was just £5.50 which I declare to be most excellent value! Next time I will just switch out my rustic fries for some pub chips.

The Navi Burger

Martin does not share my desire to hunt down plates of Fish and Chips and is still holding onto the belief that someone in this country knows how to cook a burger. Well that is my take on his choices :-).

He ordered the Trent Navigation Navi Burger which looked ok when it arrived but my gosh, it was pretty enormous! Let’s be honest, considering that it contains two 6oz patties what did we expect? It was so big that it was a ‘knife and fork’ job and I am sad to say that it defeated the man 😦

That was my bonus though as I scoffed half of one of the burger patties, but purely in the interests of research, there was no gluttony in sight!

Officially the menu describes this pub food behemoth as “Two 6oz burgers with two rashers of bacon, cheese slice, onion rings, mushrooms, mixed leaves, burger sauce and Texan-style barbecue sauce”

The Burger menu notes that all of their burgers are 100% beef, ‘cooked to perfection on our grill’, served ‘in soft brioche buns with mixed leaves and burger sauce’ and ‘All burgers are served with a dressed chopped salad’.  It looks as though on this occasion the ‘dressed chopped salad’ was in fact a pile of French fries 🙂

It did look too big, and it looked a bit over done, but I have to say that the bit of burger I had was nicely cooked, lovely char from the grill and it was nicely seasoned as well!

I like the Trent Navigation and I have sampled their ales more times that I care to admit or imagine, but plenty times enough to know that they serve jolly good beer!

Food wise I do like their solid pub food menu and I have never left with an empty or disappointed belly. Normally I am drawn towards a Club Sandwich but they don’t seem to have one on offer at the moment so that means I have to think a little bit more when I visit next time.

The Trent Navigation is located right next to the canal

MEADOW LANE
NOTTINGHAM
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
NG2 3HS

Check them out on their Facebook page and on their Twitter feed

Burger Menu we chose from

More Menu Choices

Posted by on May 26, 2017 in 2. Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, The Meadows, Trent Bridge and tagged , , , , , , , , , , .

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May 25, 2017

The Melting Pot Festival 2017 at the New Art Exchange: Food from, and for, the Community

The Melting Pot festival last weekend at the New Art Exchange over in Hyson Green was a great afternoon out if you like a bit of ethnic food and a whole lot of community.

The festival  featured a lot of food and Art from the local community, there were stalls from the Women’s Culture Exchange, Ecoworks, Himmah, Screaming Carrot, Yemoja Foods, and Yumi.

We found ourselves drawn to the Food provided by the ladies from the Women’s Culture Exchange who are linked with the Notts Refugee Forum  (twitter).

They seemed to have the most interesting food and the best value as well as an offer of a sample of ‘everything’ for £5. It was like a women’s alliance pot luck dinner. There was a whole load of dishes already  awaiting in the serving trays, but even as we waited to get our ‘platter of yumminess’ even more ladies appeared with all sorts of goodies.

I had the feeling that depending on when you arrived and who had arrived you could get loads more great food to sample or rather chow down upon.

OK so I admit that once the kindly lady behind the stall gave me a bit of everything (and I mean everything) it might just look like a bit of a weird mess in a box. However each layer and each item was really tasty and I would so love to be able to meet with each of the ladies and learn how to make some of these dishes!

We had a vegetable stew, some Jollof rice, and some Pottage beans from Nigeria, Injera, and a Lentil Stew from Eritrea, Sadza and an awesome Lamb Curry from Malawi

We also had this very simple but tasty chicken and pepper dish from Ghana. It was quite amusing as the lady picked me out at least 4-5 bits of chicken, which was both very kind and much appreciated. I would have been just as happy with a spoonful packed with bell pepper and less chicken (just to be fair). The chicken was moist, juicy and gently spicy, the pepper were lovely and crunchy. This dish probably has a proper name, but all they gave me was ‘Chicken’ from Ghana 🙂

Our favourite of all the dishes was this one which was basically a pureed or mashed up aubergine sauce with some peanuts too. It was sweet from the peanut, creamy, and really quite fantastic. I could spoon this over a slice of bread all day long. Again I am not sure of the dishes real name, But I would love to dine with the lady that made it and find out more about this simple yet quite incredibly tasty dish.

We also just had to buy a cupcake to take home with us. I suppose with my American connection I really should have got one of the Orea cupcakes! To be honest they looked a bit grey and sad, so I went for the prettier and brighter “Vanilla and Raspberry Part Ring Cupcake instead 🙂

It was well good, you can see the pink biscuit ring, the raspberry jam, and the vanilla icing in the pic, but you cannot see the pool of yummy jam inside when you bite into the cake! That was a nice surprise 🙂

The Melting Pot Festival at the New Art Exchange was an excellent afternoon out in Hyson Green. It would be great if a few more people made the effort to look a little further away from the city centre to see what else our fantastic city has to offer.

There are so many communities and so many people serving great food locally, that you really do not need to be a slave to the chains. Let your mind open and take a stroll in amongst the real Nottingham!

 

 

Posted by on May 25, 2017 in 07. The Forest, 08. Hyson Green Market, 2. Nottinghamshire, Nottingham City Centre, Tram Route: Nottingham Station to Hucknall, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , .

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May 14, 2017

Hot Diggety, looking for a Hot Dog – The Trent Bridge Inn sorted me out with some sausage in a bun

There are moments in my life when I just want a doggone down and dirty hot dog. When that moment comes I just pray to the food Gods that they make it a day that I am back stateside where I know that my desire can be fulfilled.

This time though the Gods had deserted me and I was bereft of hope, I was a wandering soul in need of a sign, something to guide me on my quest.

At that moment I found myself in The Trent Bridge inn (The T.B.I),  the gateway on the river to West Bridgford.  I looked to the sky for divine dogintervention.

Praise the lord, Wetherspoon’s is not my religion of choice, but these days I will pray at any door that welcomes me across the threshold with open arms and a licensed bar selling alcoholic beverages at reasonable prices.

So it was and it came to pass that when I really needed that Dog, the minister from Wetherspoon’s had left me a note on my table asking me to take solice with one of their Hot Dogs.

This grand old lady can still throw up the odd surprise.

Classic Hot Dog with Chips

The Hot Dog flyer had offered me a ‘Classic Dog’ with an alcoholic drink for £5.75, I could have had one with a soft drink for £4.75. There was no option for just the dog. Now considering that I had a pint of the excellent Trent Bridge Inn Bitter which is at least 3 quid, I was getting a pub meal for about £2.50-£3.00.

So anyway the Classic Dog was a ‘Pork Hot Dog, Brioche Bun, served with chips’. I was pretty dubious when I ordered it, but based on the fact that I needed something to eat prior to drinking a lot and the fact that it did seem to be pretty good value, I was prepared to go along on this ride.

The Promise

Ok now look, I did find that this meal did what I hoped in filling me up, so I have no complains on that front. I had a nice pint of beer to wash it all down with, another expectation fulfilled.

Is it a real ‘hot dog’ though? It was probably pretty good for an Englishman that thinks a hot dog is a sausage in a bun (probably one out of a tin), and one that has never eaten a hot dog from a cart in Central Park, or at a Ball Park in Wrigley Field, or any random bar anyway in the states. I liked it, but it ain’t no Hot Dog, and it ain’t no “Classic”

Things to like – The actual dog itself was quite alright, it was more of a Frankfurter in style. It had no discernible snap to the bite, but it did have that wet salty taste and texture that you get from a classic dirty water dog from a street cart. I liked that part well enough.

Bun wise, a brioche bun might have been OK, I think I had more of a poor mans French stick, so there was way too much bread to dog ratio. I love yellow mustard on my dogs, all they had at Wetherspoon’s was Coleman’s which is totally wrong for this type of snack as it is too strongly flavoured. I apologise for adding ketchup which is a Federal Offence in the States past the age of 13.

All in all, for the price I was happy with what I got and I had a decent ‘value’ meal.

In the tagline I say that this sorted me out mainly because I was expecting little more that a Bonfire night / Hamburger cart (UK) effort and I actually was served something quite a lot better than I honestly expected.

The Full Offer

I am going to keep on gainfully hunting for a proper ‘USA style’ Hot Dog in Nottingham for a while, until I give up forlornly.

I probably will not pay the sort of prices that they expect for something that only costs a couple of bucks, but I will be game for an opportunity! Let me know if you have a genuine lead.

Trent Bridge Inn

I like the Trent Bridge Inn in West Bridgford. It lies on the South Bank of the River Trent at the edge of West Bridgford as you cross into South Nottinghamshire. It is world famous for being adjacent to Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, home of the County side and occasional home of England Cricket Team.

It is a classic pub to drink at and it is probably one of those destination pubs for any sporting fan coming to the city

I like to drink here before any Twenty-twenty match for Notts Outlaws, an England game (if I get tickets), before the Pies play, and whenever it is raining and I am waiting for a bus 🙂

 

You can Follow Wetherspoon’s on their Twitter Feed and on their Facebook Page

 

 

 

Posted by on May 14, 2017 in West Bridgford and tagged , , , , , , .

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May 12, 2017

A Fish and Chip Friday at the Frame Breakers

 

It was Another Friday, another trip to the lovely Framebreakers in Ruddington, and another MyFoodHunt for a plate of Fish and Chips down the Pub.

When it comes to the fish options at the Framebreakers, you get the two pub classics, fish and chips, and scampi and chips, and then the somewhat more substantial “Fishermans Basket”

I have already tried out the “Fishermans Basket” on a different visit and I quite enjoyed my “Beer battered cod goujons, calamari & tempura prawns with chunky chips and homemade tartare sauce”.

It was good, but to be honest, when it comes to fish in a basket, just give me classic pub fish and chips everyday! So that was what I ordered 🙂

Large Fish and Chips

 

I ordered the ‘Large’ Fish and Chips for £7.95 with a Pint of Framebreakers Beer. As always it turned out to be very decent pub lunch and another good entry onto the Fish and Chips Friday in Nottingham must eat list.

Even though I am sure you can see this in the photo! 🙂 I was presented with a plate of “Beer battered cod served with minted peas, homemade tartare sauce and chunky chips”

I am happy to say that both the Fish and the Chips are both really good in this pub classic, just as one hopes you really need them both to step up on the plate. I like the cod here, nice juicy white flesh inside a soft beer batter. The fish is big but thin, perhaps it swam around a lot before being caught. I normally like a crispy batter, but this one that was a bit softer was just as good a treat.

The chips I like as they seem to be cut in a rustic manner that doesn’t ruin them, they have a decent solid crisp bite with a soft yet moist fluffy filling inside the casing. You get some big fat ones, some thin once and some crispy almost burnt bits, I like that.

The mushy peas are great, green and vibrant with a really super minty sauce that made the whole dish sing a little tiny bit. I could eat them all day long.

That tartare sauce was pretty good too, simple and effective.  I know not everyone likes it but for me it is almost a must have addition to any plate of Fish and Chips.

Fish and Chips

Fish and Chips Friday is becoming a rather habit forming weekly activity, a jolly good one to boot, and one well worth the effort.

I really like everything that the Framebreakers have to offer on their pub food menu and so perhaps I am becoming too much of a regular to be objective.

Nah I know good pub food, I know value for money, and I know what I like and I hope what you will like 🙂

Their Fish and Chips is well worth a go!

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The Frame Breakers pub is located on the High Street in Ruddington at the cross roads with Kirk Lane and Church Street. NG11 6DT

Check them out too on their Facebook page and also on their Twitter Feed   

 

 

Posted by on May 12, 2017 in 2. Nottinghamshire, Ruddington and tagged , , , , , , .

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May 10, 2017

Rabbit Ragu at The Lincolnshire Poacher – Excellent plate of food washed down with great beer

 

The Lincolnshire Poacher up on Mansfield Road about 1o minutes walk up the hill from the Victoria Centre is without doubt one of the best pubs in the City Centre. Great beer, excellent food, and a warm welcome are just three things to bring you here.

On the Castle Rock website they ponder that “The Lincolnshire Poacher has been part of Nottingham’s real ale drinking scene for so long that it’s easy to forget that it only opened in the late 1980′s”.

It is true, I think it has been a constant in my real ale boozing life as I have come and gone from the city over the years, the Poacher has been an ever present welcoming me home each time, cheers 🙂

If you are planning a pub crawl, a proper pub crawl where you go to drink proper beer in real pubs, then this will, or should be on your list! There is a great beer garden, and super selection of proper beer and a lot of nice normal people quietly enjoying a pint, pub nirvana 🙂

I met my mate Martin up here for a pint (well several pints) and a bite to eat.

The beer was as always spot on and the food was pretty damn good too

Rabbit Ragu

I always love looking at the Daily Special board at The Lincolnshire Poacher as you can always find something a little different. Today my eyes were drawn to the offering of a bowl of Rabbit Ragu with homemade Tagliatelle. This was described, as I recall, as being served in a sauce of tomato, garlic, carrot, rabbit. (there may have been more stuff in there but, sorry I forgot to snap the food chalkboard)

Who cares anyway, all we care about is how good it tastes! I can tell you it tasted pretty amazing! If some of you had been served this at a fancy restaurant in town I would be hearing you bang on about it for ages, it was that good it cannot be described as merely pub food 🙂

I was just expecting a bolognase type affair with some minced up rabbit bits, but I got so much more. The ragu was packed with big chunks of rabbit, plentiful enough to tell you who was star of this sauce show.

The sauce was sweet from the carrot, garlicky enough to keep the vampire away but not garlicky enough to scare your girlfriend away, and just tangy enough from the tomato sauce to make your mouth water a little bit and ask for a sip of beer.

The pasta was much thicker and wider than I expected, I would have described it as being closer to a pappardelle. It was also al dente’ on the side of chewy, which I was loving! it made for a right  meaty feast! All in all, I really liked it. It held its own on the plate and was the perfect vehicle for that joyous rabbit ragu!

My only downer was that I really needed a spoon to help me eat this with a modicum of decorum! I splattered myself with flecks of juice as I forked it up into my big fat gob with much gusto and little aplomb 🙂 Most excellent! (note “I could have quite easily gone and asked for a spoon”) 🙂 #mybad

The irony of a rabbit searched by a ‘Poacher’ was not lost on me 🙂

The Lincolnshire Poacher on Mansfield Road is a true stalwart in the family of Nottingham pubs. If they gave out awards for best proper pub in Nottingham? Well it would be right up there on my list. It is a pub that I like to take my American friends to, so that they can see a real pub, after I have taken them to all the ‘must see tourist ones’. Luckily they all like beer and pubs.

The last time I wrote about this place I was chowing down on another excellent chalkboard special back in 2015 when I posted “Lincolnshire Poacher – Great Beer, Good Food and Today a little ‘Meatball Mania’”

That was also a mighty fine evening out!

The Lincolnshire Poacher is located at 161-163 Mansfield Road

Check them out on their Facebook page and on their Twitter Feed too

For the record Martin had the Burger of the Day

He ate it before I arrived but he said it was nice 🙂

I like the look of those chips!

Posted by on May 10, 2017 in 2. Nottinghamshire, 3. The Nottingham Real Ale Trail, 4. Route to Real Ale, Nottingham City Centre and tagged , , , , , , , , , .

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