Bentons Brasserie

The surge in new and frequently exciting restaurants in UK has been a welcome part of overall growth and prosperity. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in Nottingham, said to have more pretty women per head than any other city in UK.

Bentons opened in 1998, with Julian Benton in conjunction with Mr and Mrs Perkins of Tom Brown's Brasserie of Gunthorpe, and there have been no backward glances as Bentons caught the mood of this vibrant city, hitherto best known for its associations with Robin Hood, Boots, the wicked Sheriff, lace and, of course, the Goose Fair.

Cleverly positioned on the edge of fashionable Hockley, within the heart of the city centre, Bentons has 80 covers and has as its epicentre an open kitchen in which the favoured modern cuisine is produced with enthusiasm and verve by a team of chefs using traditional methods and ideas combined with youth and imagination.

There are few parts of the world whose culinary aspirations are not brought into play at some point, resulting in menus that delight a clientele who keep coming back for more.

The a la carte menu for instance could start with crispy duck, served with spring onion fritter, soy, honey and cucumber dressing. Steamed mussels avoid the customary treatment, arriving in a coconut lime broth finished with coriander, whilst the timbale of chargrilled vegetable and feta with sweet tomato coulis sends a ripple of pleasure amongst the vegetarians.

Fresh fish of the day rides high amongst the main courses, together with two vegetarian dishes, and a char grilled fillet steak with crushed sweet potato
and green peppercorn is accompanied by roasted onion butter and dressed with water cress. For the final lap think in terms of baked white chocolate cheesecake with a honey comb and rich dark chocolate ice cream.

A daily changing lunch menu of two or three courses might offer wild mushroom and parsnip cake with tomato jam, braised topside of beef with creamed mash, leek and pepper sauce, or the ever popular Lincolnshire sausage with onion mash and grain mustard sauce. To finish? Well, I'd need a lot of talking away from a plate of marmalade and ginger sponge with custard.

A special value 1, 2 or 3 course set menu has six starters that includes Atlantic prawn, home made beef burger glazed with Stilton and mushroom, and straw chips, before finishing with a choice of 3 desserts or cheese.

What of the wine? This is supplied by Matthew Clark, who under their Managing Director, Steve Thomson, have their sights set on becoming the largest diversified drinks group in UK. Meanwhile their service to the retailers is renowned and there can be few better demonstrations of this than Bentons's wine list. The Cellar Selection offers some reasonably priced reds and whites and Penfold's Grange Club start with a 1982 vintage Barossa Shiraz that certainly sorts the men from the boys.

Bentons is heavily into the function and party market. For details of what they have to offer, and menu changes, a click on their Website should provide the answers.