AMARONE - Nottingham

112-114 Derby Rd
Nottingham NG1 5FB



The range of pubs and eateries on Derby road and up by the Canning Circus area of Nottingham seems to have been improving over the last couple of years, and i was keen to try one of the only independent Italian restaurant Nottingham has to offer, Amarone.


On first impressions its decor was far from the typical cosy Italian you might usually expect, all high backed leather chairs and cream walls, with handwritten chalkboards and muted lighting decorating the room.
As it was a week night the restaurant wasn't very busy so it lacked a little atmosphere, but our waitress seemed very pleasant and helpful. 


As always my dining partner for the evening  was my boyfriend James, and we decided on starters of 'Deep fried Calamari with Lemon Napoli Sauce'  and 'Tallegio and Leek Tartler with Cream and Chive Sauce'

When the calamari arrived the batter on the squid looked a little lumpy and dark and on first taste was not as hot or crisp, as i would have liked. I also didn't really enjoy the combination of the tomato sauce with the squid and would have prefered a nice sharp mayonaise. It wasn't that the tomato sauce was bad, in fact it had a nice flavour, i just don't think it suited this particular dish.
Unfortunately i do not have a picture of the Tallegio tart as not a lot of it remained on the plate by the time i remembered to photograph it. This starter, however,proved a lot more successful, it comes highly rated by James.


There is a good choice of main meals available, and i liked that it wasn't just the usual pizza, pastas and risottos you might normally be met with when reading an Italian menu. I decided to go for 'Mediterranean Lamb Stew, Herb Dumplings and Crusty Home-made Bread' ( i am a sucker for dumplings) and James had 'Pork Loin, Fig & Prosciutto Sauce with Lyonnais Potatoes'  

When the plates arrived i was impressed with the presentation of the dishes especially the pork. The stew had lovely pieces of slow cooked lamb in that just came apart as you forked through the dish, along with some nicely cooked baby potatoes and carrots and squash. The sauce itself was lovely and rich,you could tell it has all been cooked down properly and not just made in the last 20 minutes. However, being a big dumpling fan, i was a little disappointed at the small amount on the dish and would have definately have appreciated a more generous offering. The bread was a suprise highlight, i'm not sure how 'homemade' it really was but it tasted good and was lovely dipped into the rich tomato sauce. So, now over to the pork, which James and i both agreed,had a great smoked taste to it, but had been overcooked, and was therefore a bit of a nightmare to chew through. What a shame, as the flavours were very good, and the fig sauce and potatoes all worked well together.

On to the final, and nearly always the highlight of the evening, the dessert. I was spoilt for choice by Amarones dessert menu, and would have happily had a bit of all of them. However i decided on Chocolate Truffle Cake with vanilla ice cream and James went for Apple and Almond Tart with Creme Anglaise, (which is basically a posh word for custard). 

When the desserts arrived they looked great, very generously sized and with the usual sprig of mint and fruit garnish you tend to get. We both wanted a bit of each so did a bit of a swap before tucking in. The chocolate cake was very rich, but not overly sweet. The slightly bitter chocolate tasted good alongside the well flavoured vanilla ice cream. The truffle cake just needed a little more of the biscuit base to help balance out the very dense truffle. The apple and almond tart was one of the best desserts i have had, in fact i was disappointed that i hadn't just ordered this and had it all to myself. The pastry was light and buttery, and the filling had a good balance of soft sharp apple and sweet almond. Again, my only criticism would be that it needed a little more custard, sorry, i mean Creme Anglaise! 

Price without taste card promotion £45.50. Final price with reduction £23.25.


UPDATE! AMARONE HAS NOW CLOSED AS OF JAN 2011

EL RANCHO DE LALO - Brixton

94-95 Brixton Village Market

London

SW9 8PS

I initially ended up at the Brixton Village Market, having read a review on the London Evening Standard website about the rejuvenation of this particular area over the last year, and a rather delicious sounding Caribbean place called ‘Etta’s Seafood Restaurant’ which had been receiving rave reviews. During my food pilgrimages to the capital I realised I had never visited Brixton so thought this would be the ideal time to go.

So, I arrive at the Brixton village market, and locate the rather unassuming enclosed arcade area, which fits the description i have read. Wandering through I am immediately like a kid in a toyshop. I see a fantastic looking cafés, a creperie, little delis and sop on . So many new and exciting looking places that all plans of heading straight to ‘Etta’s’ were on hold while I decided to explore a little more. As I got to the end of the arcade I noticed a rather busy looking restaurant called ‘El Rancho De Lalo’ which, through a quick look at the menu was serving Colombian cuisine.  I stick my head around the door for a closer look as the menu has me intrigued, and hear a host of Colombian accents coming from the kitchen and the diners. At this point I was fairly optimistic that I was going to receive a fairly authentic experience.

When the meal arrived it was a fairly enormous plate filled with some of the tastiest looking grilled meats alongside a range of interesting accompaniments including avocado and plaintain. The pork belly was just how it should be, crunchy with a lovely smoky flavour and soft meat, steak cooked to nearly well done, but that’s how I personally like it.  It also featured some of the best kidney beans in a rich sauce, which reminded me a bit of Mexican refried beans, and a surprisingly good combo of egg with plaintain and rice. There are those that would say it just shouldn’t work, but it did, and it was one of the most enjoyable plates of food I have had in London. It is fair to say that this dish is made for those who have big appetites. With so much meat, as well as the rice and beans you probably wouldn’t need to eat for the rest of the day if you had this at lunch! I shared this with my boyfriend and we were both fit to burst by the end.  I was impressed by some of the other diners who were tucking into one each, they'd obviously had a lot of practice!

Total meal cost £9.00