Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

XS Restaurant at The Stuart Hotel in London Road serves fine modern British cuisine. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its comfortable setting embraces de rigueur elements of the modern dining experience with mood lighting, designer artwork and contemporary china. Friendly efficient service sets the stage for an enjoyable meal. 

Lunch or dinner gets off to an appetising start with duck and orange pâté with Cumberland sauce, creamy garlic mushrooms on herb toast or Thai salmon fishcakes. Moving on, you might be tempted by roast chicken with sautéed potatoes, mushroom and tarragon sauce or braised beef steak with mash, mushroom rosemary and red wine jus. The Stuart king size burger with cheese and bacon or beer battered haddock with chips, pea and mint puree could be an alternative choice too. The familiar range of desserts includes sticky toffee pudding, lemon brûlée tartlet and warm chocolate brownie. A variety of specially selected fine wines completes the happy picture.

Andrew Dann and wife Rebecca warmly welcome customers in to their intimate little restaurant in Blanch Croft, Melbourne, in rural south Derbyshire. With only five tables around, the couple ensure each diner receives a well balanced and expertly executed meal.

Chef Dan is passionate about letting local produce speak for itself; the menu therefore, reflects the very best in seasonal produce and the ingredients are sourced locally whenever possible. If from further afield, they endeavour to buy from British producers.

The carte could open with starters of homemade soup, and chicken liver pâté, onion chutney and toast, and go on to offer beer battered Pollock; rump steak burger, free-range chicken, asparagus and mushroom pie, mash and buttered greens, and a wonderful rare breed pork roast with an apple and sausage stuffing at lunchtime on Sunday. The delightful afternoon tea represents that much required nod to tradition.

Desserts take in sticky toffee pudding and frozen nugget parfait. A carefully selected range of wines is more than successful in supporting the menu well.

Frankie and Benny's combine classic American and Italian in both style and cuisine. They specialise in home style cooking 'just like Mamma used to make it'. This is a great place to take the entire family and represents excellent value for money. The restaurant and bar is suitable for any occasion, whether it's a leisurely lunch, a family meal or a fantastic evening with friends - they make sure you have a wonderful time.

Walking into the restaurant is like stepping back into 1950s New York, from the clatter and chatter of the open kitchen to the bottle lined bar. Walls with black and white family photographs showing life in Brooklyn's 'Little Italy' surround cosy booth seating and tables. Combined with the classic music of the fifties, a mix of American swing and beat, they definitely provide a fun and friendly atmosphere for all to enjoy.

Frankie and Benny's offers starters, main courses and delicious desserts, and favourites include char-grilled burgers, pizzas, pastas, steaks and house specialities such as chicken parmigiana, BBQ ribs, lamb shank and much more. The bar serves a wide range of beers, wines, spirits, cocktails and soft drinks.

Start with sticky wings, crispy coated chicken strips, tiger prawn skewer or Frankie's fried calamari and if you are dining in a group choose the giant sampler platter. The pastas, calzone and pizzas are all made freshly on order. An interesting dish on the menu is a the Boston 7 speciality pizza fully loaded with slices of pork meatballs, spicy pepperoni, ham, crispy bacon, chicken, peppers and red onion, served on a BBQ sauce base. They also serve a variety of sandwiches and burgers throughout the day.

A good value lunch menu is available on weekdays from 11am until 5pm offering a range of popular dishes from the main carte with one course at £5.95, two courses at £7.95 and three courses at £8.95.

For children up to the age of eleven, an all-inclusive menu features a selection of main courses, desserts and drinks starting at £3.95. As an added treat, they'll also receive an activity pack to entertain them whilst you eat.

Enjoy an American Italian meal at Frankie and Benny's with freshly prepared food and warm hospitality that makes you feel right at home.

Most famous for the Bakewell pudding, which originated in the kitchens of this charming stone hotel, The Rutland Arms is a warm, friendly, and traditional refuge that takes you back to the days of the Georgian era.

It is believed that Jane Austen stayed in one of the thirty-five bedrooms whilst visiting Chatsworth and working on Pride and Prejudice. The hotel gives guests an opportunity to enjoy all the same comforts and beauty even today.

At The Square Restaurant, Head Chef Greg Wallace offers a wide variety of modern British dishes all created from locally sourced fresh produce. So after exploring the historic delights of Haddon Hall you could settle down to a fine three-course meal of, say braised pigs' cheek and langoustines with a vanilla-scented cauliflower puree and bisque foam; seared-fillets of red sea bream with citrus couscous, fennel marmalade, and a sweet red pepper sauce, and a dessert of Rutland Bakewell tart with fresh berry compote and vanilla bean ice cream.

Mickleover Court is a modern hotel within Derby, offering two restaurants, of which The Brasserie is the subject of this review. Whoever made the choice of format for the dining room took a wise decision since this is a busy hotel with a major commercial turnover and food, as with everything else needs to be business-like and on the ball.

Which it is. We are talking here about tasty, well-prepared food not requiring too much agonizing over choices nor making too many demands upon busy people. A starter might be melon with passion fruit and strawberry syrup, a timbale of prawns with mozzarella, tomatoes and crème fraiche, or a selection of mezze and hors d'oeuvre from the attractive range at the deli bar. The breast of duck with sweet and sour bell pepper sauce, asparagus spears and spring onion mash combines a number of cuisines in a rather breathtaking way but if you are not up to it consider the penne pasta with wild mushrooms, cream, blue cheese and herbs.

The wine list meets the challenge well. Lunch is very much an affair of business, with the table d'hote at £10.95, making it a good proposition. Dinner a la carte averages around £25.

Mickleover Court is a modern hotel within Derby, offering two restaurants, of which The Brasserie is the subject of this review. Whoever made the choice of format for the dining room took a wise decision since this is a busy hotel with a major commercial turnover and food, as with everything else needs to be business-like and on the ball.

Which it is. We are talking here about tasty, well-prepared food not requiring too much agonizing over choices nor making too many demands upon busy people. A starter might be melon with passion fruit and strawberry syrup, a timbale of prawns with mozzarella, tomatoes and crème fraiche, or a selection of mezze and hors d'oeuvre from the attractive range at the deli bar. The breast of duck with sweet and sour bell pepper sauce, asparagus spears and spring onion mash combines a number of cuisines in a rather breathtaking way but if you are not up to it consider the penne pasta with wild mushrooms, cream, blue cheese and herbs.

The wine list meets the challenge well. Lunch is very much an affair of business, with the table d'hote at £10.95, making it a good proposition. Dinner a la carte averages around £25.

Mickleover Court is a modern hotel within Derby, offering two restaurants, of which The Brasserie is the subject of this review. Whoever made the choice of format for the dining room took a wise decision since this is a busy hotel with a major commercial turnover and food, as with everything else needs to be business-like and on the ball.

Which it is. We are talking here about tasty, well-prepared food not requiring too much agonizing over choices nor making too many demands upon busy people. A starter might be melon with passion fruit and strawberry syrup, a timbale of prawns with mozzarella, tomatoes and crème fraiche, or a selection of mezze and hors d'oeuvre from the attractive range at the deli bar. The breast of duck with sweet and sour bell pepper sauce, asparagus spears and spring onion mash combines a number of cuisines in a rather breathtaking way but if you are not up to it consider the penne pasta with wild mushrooms, cream, blue cheese and herbs.

The wine list meets the challenge well. Lunch is very much an affair of business, with the table d'hote at £10.95, making it a good proposition. Dinner a la carte averages around £25.

Mickleover Court is a modern hotel within Derby, offering two restaurants, of which The Brasserie is the subject of this review. Whoever made the choice of format for the dining room took a wise decision since this is a busy hotel with a major commercial turnover and food, as with everything else needs to be business-like and on the ball.

Which it is. We are talking here about tasty, well-prepared food not requiring too much agonizing over choices nor making too many demands upon busy people. A starter might be melon with passion fruit and strawberry syrup, a timbale of prawns with mozzarella, tomatoes and crème fraiche, or a selection of mezze and hors d'oeuvre from the attractive range at the deli bar. The breast of duck with sweet and sour bell pepper sauce, asparagus spears and spring onion mash combines a number of cuisines in a rather breathtaking way but if you are not up to it consider the penne pasta with wild mushrooms, cream, blue cheese and herbs.

The wine list meets the challenge well. Lunch is very much an affair of business, with the table d'hote at £10.95, making it a good proposition. Dinner a la carte averages around £25.

The Terrace offers a constantly evolving fish based menu. Displayed on blackboards and changed daily, the Terrace cuisine is based on freshness, creativity and market availability. They produce a good quality standard of food and service whilst maintaining a warm and relaxing atmosphere.

Situated within the Millstone Inn at Hathersage, The Terrace is at the gateway to the Peak District and offers stunning views of the Hope Valley, yet they're only 15 minutes drive from Sheffield city centre.

The Terrace was the invention of head Chef John Parsons. John built a reputation at some of London's finest restaurants (J. Sheekey's and The Ivy, for example) before returning home to set up The Terrace.

The Peacock has recently been acquired by Lord John Manners, from nearby Haddon Hall, one of the most evocative stately homes in Britain in the view of many. A thorough refurbishment has been carried out and there are 16 comfortable en suite bedrooms.

Head Chef Matthew Rushton has installed a menu that may well take its inspiration from His Lordship's table, but even if it does not it is greatly to be commended. It certainly is mindful of local ingredients and the evening menu could offer wild mushroom consommé with wild rice, a Dorset crab with vegetables in the Greek style, or smoked haddock agnelotte with quail's egg, peas and Parmesan cream. Main courses mostly have that pulling quality, but alas no assiette of them, though starters and puddings versions are available. Marlin tournedos, crab risotto, spinach, and Shimeji mushrooms with red wine sauce are popular, with beef fillet and venison haunch not far behind.

A classic orange bavarois sets the pace for the desserts, and should you ask for a savoury you will be met not by a blank stare but a proper Welsh rarebit with pickled walnuts. Full marks, chaps! The wine list is every bit as competent as the cooking.