Refined Dining Restaurant - Vision West Notts

Last Friday evening I had the most unexpectedly amazing meal at a local college. We booked as an early Mother's Day meal for my mother in law as she'd said good things about the restaurant in the past and we knew she wanted us to try it.

The restaurant is called Refined and is based within the Vision West Notts College in Mansfield, Notts. The college has recently undergone a huge refurbishment and looks very modern from the outside. The restaurant and kitchen is run by students being over looked by a head chef and supervisors. The restaurant itself was a nice size and nicely decorated in a contemporary theme. During the week there is a Theme Night, Grill Night and the Friday Fine Dining. My husband booked through their website and I emailed letting them know about my allergies.

We were met at the main entrance by a student and walked down to the restaurant where we were welcomed and our coats taken. We were sat at the table and straight away asked who had the food allergies. I was given a separate Allergen Menu which covered all my options (all dairy, egg and gluten free).

To start we were served an Amuse Bouche which was a Seam Bream reduction. It had a lovely delicate flavour with a hint of lemon grass and a kick of chilli. This wasn't shown on the menu but the server assured me straight away that it was safe.

For my first course I choose the Vanilla Cured Confit Salmon. It was perfectly cooked and melt in the mouth. It was served with very tasty pickled cucumber which I loved. 

The second course was Borsch. I'd never heard of it before but it was described as a beetroot soup. I've only ever eaten pickled beetroot so didn't know what to expect but I actually really liked it. It was just the right size served in a little coffee cup. The server brought me out some bread separately that had been made. 

For my main course I chose the Roasted Loin of Pork. It was served with a lovely array of vegetables and a delicious meatball (not exactly sure what it was) which was rich and tasty. The sauce was very tasty and the pork cooked perfectly.

For dessert I had A Taste of  Raspberry. At last NO fruit salad!! It was two scoops of yummy Raspberry sorbet placed on some biscuit dust with a lovely sauce, fresh raspberries and a sweet crunchy shard. It was all amazing. More restaurants need to have these kind of desserts.

The meal was amazing and definitely as good, if not better than some of the top restaurants we have eaten at. I never once felt like I was sat in a college, it really did feel like a nice restaurant with a great atmosphere. The students were friendly, polite and very helpful. I was so grateful that they dealt with and catered so well for my allergies. I was impressed that they had been so creative whilst avoiding dairy, egg and gluten. As each course was brought out I was reassured it was free of dairy, egg & gluten. That goes a long way. I hope that these future chefs carry on producing great safe food for their customers when needed. For non allergy diners you are in for a treat with even more delicious choices.

I'd highly recommend a visit to this restaurant if you are in a area. Bookings can be made via their website. Refined Dining Restaurant

 

The Cake Hole Tearoom Edwinstowe

We'd heard great things about a local(ish) tearoom called The Cake Hole. After looking at their Facebook page my sister decided to make a booking and enquire about special dietary needs. The friendly owner Lynne was happy to talk through options.

After a chat on the phone we decided on a Victoria Sponge Cake. Im not used to being able to eat cake out at a cafe so I was more than pleased that she was going to make a special cake.

The cafe is in a cute little courtyard just down from Sherwood Forest visitors centre. There's also some nice little craft shops in the area to browse around too.

The tearoom had a lovely cosy feel to it with miss matched crockery and shabby chic decor. There was a nice warm welcome from Lynne & Bob too. 

We were served a big pot of tea straight away. I shared a peppermint tea with my friend. 

The other girls had the usual afternoon tea which looked amazing. They had a great selection of handmade sandwiches, scones, cupcakes and cake slices. I was served a huge slice of Dairy, Egg and Gluten free Victoria Sponge. It was delicious. Lovely light and moist with a great flavour and lovely jam and buttercream. 

I was nicely full after the cake and numerous cups of peppermint tea. I also had a slice of cake to take away for later as it was that good. 

I'd highly recommend The Cake Hole to everyone. It's only a small place (although there is outside seating for the warmer months) so I'd recommend booking if there's a few of you. I'd also call before hand too if you have special dietary needs so Lynne can advise you of options. She had gluten free bread available for other menu options too. They are very accommodating. 

Big thumbs up to The Cake Hole! Check them out on Facebook. 

Rub Smokehouse Nottingham

I love me some ribs and I love them at Rub Smokehouse in Nottingham. 

They have a great menu filled with lots of delicious choices. All the gluten free items are marked with a GF next to them on the menu. Each time I've eaten there I have checked with the server about the Dairy Free options too and they have been very helpful in checking with the kitchen. 

I chose the half rack of baby back ribs served with fries and corn on the cob (omitting the butter). The ribs were really tender with a lovely smoked taste. The fries are really good too. I left with a happy & full tummy. 

They also have a great cocktail menu. I love a quirky cocktail so I tried the Papa Don't Peach which was Vodka, Vanilla & Peach Syrup and Early Grey Tea. Really nice (and great looking). 

If you are in the area I'd highly recommend Rub. It gets very busy though so better to book in advance. 

Fishy Friday - The Jolly Fryer

There are lots of Fish & Chip shops in my area but finding one that sellings Dairy & Gluten Free Fish & Chips is like finding a needle in a haystack. I have noticed that on the few occasions I've had Fish & Chips in other places they haven't been clearly advertised, it's taken googling and research to find out about them. I'd love a lot more shops to advertise that they can safely cook for special diets. Just a little notice in the window would be a good start.

Anyway, I'd heard great things about a Fish & Chip shop in the next town that has great reviews and a massive local following. After browsing their Facebook page I noticed a few comments about gluten free Fish & Chips. Excitement set in. My husband was passing through the area so decided to pop in for our Friday tea. He's heard me ask all the questions before and I'm very proud that he asked about ingredients etc and even got shown the batter mix packaging (although couldn't remember the brand). He also noticed the great care that was taken to use separate utensils etc. He was impressed. I got home from work and was welcomed by the famous "whale" & chips. It was the biggest fish I have ever seen. It was coated in a lovely light crispy batter and the fish was succulent with big white flakes. The chips were really good too. It's so nice to be able to have a safe takeaway that other people just take for granted. Yum!

If you are ever in the area I'd highly recommend the Jolly Fryer - Kirkby in Ashfied. The owner has a real passion for great fish & chips and Its amazing that he's catering for special diets too. Big thumbs up!

Just to show the Jolly Fryer is consistently very good, we've been a few more times!

Valentine's Day Fish & Chips 

Monday night treat 

Saturday we decided to treat ourselves to a chippy lunch. Knowing it would be busy on a Saturday I called to order my fish & chips. Before I knew it I was being talked into a GF DF sausage. How could I turn down a chip shop sausage. Add it to the order! Theo the owner read out the ingredients to me to double check which was great. As we walked through the door it was being bagged up. The sausage was just how I remembered them. Yum! I think next time I'll ask for it to be battered too. Everything was so good. 

Enjoying a whale & chips in the sun today. 

Best Fish & Chips in the area!

Pizza Express Visit April 2014

I've only ever eaten at Pizza Express once before and it was previous to eating Wheat Free as well as Dairy and Egg free. The menu seemed abit cheese laden (as expected at an Italian) so I never returned.

I'd noticed they had released (a while ago) a Gluten Free base which is also Dairy Free and Egg Free, great, and in their new menu is a Vegan pizza called Pianta. It has no cheese which is fab and is topped with spinach, chestnut mushrooms, artichoke, pine nuts, arribbiata sauce and lots of fresh rocket. 

Yesterday I gave it a try at Pizza Express Meadowhall. It was easy to order, just asking for it on the GF base and it came  quickly. I really liked the base, not hard or dry like some can be. The toppings were really tasty together and I didn't feel like it needed any cheese. My husband finished off what I couldn't eat and he actually liked it more than his "normal" pizza. 

I'd definetly have it again. It was actually really nice to be able to order a safe pizza in a sit down restaurant. They have GF items marked on their menu and a great allergy chart online to check other allergens. Thumbs up to Pizza Express.