Derby, you have done it again; got yourselves a right little blinder of an eaterie in your clutches!! The new kid on the (culinary) block is The Dining Room@121, located on Friar Gate and it opens tonight, Friday June 21st 2019. If you like good, honest food, amazing drinks and great ambience then get yourselves down there!
Many local city residents will have sampled the cuisine of Head Chef/Owner Simon Bates - he used to be resident Chef at Blacksmiths Loft and The Wonky Table, but decided to fly solo when Terroir Bistro shut down and the premises became vacant. The Dining Room is light and airy with a much fresher modern, contemporary feel and this is reflected in the seasonally changing menu with its full-on flavours.
Price-wise it’s bang-on too, with prices ranging from £10.95 for a veggie main course to £25.95 for a juicy Fillet Steak – and there’s everything you could possibly desire in between! Will fill you in on all the full deets in my review to follow later, but for now let me make you salivate with some of the morsels we sampled at the press night, last night.
Scallop with Black Pudding crumb and Minted Peas, and Chicken, Ham and Pistachio Terrine with pickled Onion and Piccalilli Mayo; they were just the Canapes!! We then had Heritage Tomato and (British!) Buffalo Mozzarella salad, Spiced Chicken Terrine, Chicken Supreme, Pistachio and Herb crusted Pork Loin – all of which were superb! Possibly my fave bit came next – the British Cheese Board! Simon is a total champion of all things British: as well as serving a selection of British Wines (no reds yet, cos we can’t make ‘em like others can) and Beers, Simon has a dedicated Cheese Menu. Yup, a dedicated Cheese menu (someone wake me, I’m surely dreaming !) that will change regularly to keep cheese-a-holics on their toes.
We were treated to Gooseberry Mess, Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Chocolate Tart for pudding and all I can say is “wow”! This is well presented fare; not snooty or fancy, but carefully thought out, brilliantly executed dishes that will have you clamouring for more! So what on earth are you waiting for? Stop reading this and get on the blower (01332 613991) to reserve a table, because there are only about 30 seats in the gaff and you don’t want to be one of the unfortunates peering longingly through the window. Bon Appétit and “all hail the culinary maestro that is Simon”!
