Where Does A Food Blogger Go For Her 50th Birthday Meal?
Published On Thursday 27 Jan 2022 by Sticky Beak
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It was my birthday recently and His Nibs really did pull out all the stops, bless him! I absolutely hate surprises, so the very worst thing would’ve been a surprise party, but I do love spending time with friends; The Man organised a get-together of my closet buddies and arranged for us to have a meal at Belper Indian eaterie, Praan.
Regular readers of the blog will recall my recent review of this superb venue, in particular the quality of the food and range of dishes on offer. The meal had to be great quality, otherwise a special occasion could potentially have had the shine taken off it, and His Nibs knew that the team at Praan would certainly deliver on this front.
Praan is also nice and spacious with classy decor and the service had been faultless, so there was nothing to indicate that a cracking celebration couldn’t be had here.
Other than The Man and me, no one else in our party had dined at Praan before so I was eager to see what they would make of it. From start to finish, the evening went off without a hitch; poppadoms and pickle trays were swiftly brought out and food orders were taken unobtrusively.
Several members of the group commented on the extensive range of dishes and went for seafood options (declared to be delicious!) for their mains. Both the starters and mains were brought out quickly to ensure that no-one was left waiting to eat, which can sometimes be the case with larger groups; several members of the team worked together to ensure smooth, swift service, both when serving and clearing away. Drinks were also prompt at coming out when ordered, so nobody went thirsty and there was a good selection to choose from.
Great service, outstanding food, and a little surprise dessert (complete with rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’!) ensured that myself and my friends had a memorable evening – thank you, Praan Read Our Review Of Praan
Back at Beak H.Q. there was another surprise waiting; His Nibs had arranged for a celebration cake to be made for me, from Shirland-based business ‘Just Add Candles’ - no, I hadn’t heard of them before either! Not much renders me speechless, but wowsers, this cake did!!
The outer decoration was a beautiful marbled effect, with piped flowers and swirls on the cake board that cocooned an assortment of Macarons. When I cut into through the cakes outer, it revealed a gorgeous, ruby toned Red Velvet layer cake, interspersed with vanilla buttercream.
I have sampled many of these ‘celebration’ cakes that have looked breath-taking, only to be left underwhelmed by the texture/taste of the cake itself. The one that Julie made for me was, bloody gorgeous, and I’m not just saying that because it had been made for my celebration; several of my friends (both from the meal and others not) commented as well on the deliciousness of the cake. So, with no hesitation at all, I am going to award Hot Wings to Julie at Just Add Candles; contact her at www.justaddcandles.com.
I felt a bit like Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, having two birthday celebrations this year; the aforementioned meal with friends and then a quiet, family-only, meal at Dolce & Salato in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter. His Nibs and I have had dinner at Reno’s restaurant before (and later took Mummy there for lunch) so we knew the food was going to be stunning! Fledge hasn’t dined here before and was a bit apprehensive about the small menu choice (Reno usually offers a trio of starters and the same for mains) but when she saw the selection, she relaxed.
We had the Gnocchi with N’duja sausage and the King Prawn Risotto to start and the Steak with Gorgonzola fondue, Chicken Breast in Marsala Wine and Salmon Fillet in a Pink Peppercorn and Rosé sauce for mains and Amaretto Tiramisu, Lemon and Raspberry Tart, and Cheesecake for dessert.
As a solo Chef, Reno deliberately keeps his menu compact in order for him to maintain the high standard of dishes coming out of his kitchen. It’s this uncompromising stance (paired with the exquisite flavours of his food) that have diners clamouring to bag a table at this bijoux restaurant.
Dolce & Salato is unlicensed, so if you fancy an alcoholic tipple you do need to take your own, but those who aren’t drinking are well catered for. On Saturday evening there is a pianist at Dolce & Salato, so to round things off Reno had him strike up ‘Happy birthday’ and the other diners serenaded me!! Reno’s restaurant is popular, so book ahead to get a table, and fingers crossed that his plans to open for lunch in 2022 come to fruition – watch this space. Read Our Review Of Dolce & Salato
Yet more fun was to be had! The Man Bird announced that we were going away for the night, but wouldn’t tell me where other than the fact we were going to be stopping for brunch - it ended up being lunch as we ran a bit late! - at the Chatsworth Farm Shop en route (which was absolutely delicious, by the way).
Turns out that he had only gone and booked us an overnight stay at The Devonshire Arms at Pilsley in a room (Hill Top) that I’d fallen in love with several years ago! This room has an amazing, canopied, four-poster bed that you climb into via a posh indoor mounting block, as well as raft of other beautiful features such as a double shower and an impossibly deep bath-tub (which I put to good use as an avid fan of bathing!).
A £30 allowance per person for dinner with Chefs for Foodies Voucher Codes & Discounts, and then a 2 course breakfast was included in our stay. The evening meal was superb, and even better was the fact that the super scrummy Rice Pudding with Ginger and Spiced Plum was still on the menu. I had the Salmon with Buttermilk, Dill, Wild Rice and Crispy Onions to start, followed by the Atlantic Cod, Curry, Brandade and Cabbage; His Nibs had the Scotch Egg, Celeriac, Walnut, Chervil ad Pear to kick off with, then the Rump and Cheek of Derbyshire Beef, Horse Radish, Pickled Onion and Chips, and Sticky Toffee Pudding with Miso Caramelised Milk and Clotted Ice Cream.
From start to finish, the team were incredible; so professional, yet friendly and funny, and nothing was too much trouble. Behind the scenes, the house keeping team work to ensure that the accommodation is spotless and the amenities fully stocked; I doubt their efforts are fully praised, so I want to take this opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to them as well Read Our Review Of The Devonshire Arms Pilsley
What an incredible trio of weekends I’ve had; thank you to my friends and family for making memories with me (I love you all to bits!), and thank you to the wonderful restaurants and their staff, and cake-maker extraordinaire, Julie, for providing superb food!
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