BODEGA CANTINA, DERBY, CLOSED IN JUNE 2018
Before I talk about anything else I just want to say that Usain Bolt and I have something in common; yes, we really do. Both of us have crossed a line in first place, albeit very different lines; his lead him to Olympic glory, mine gives me the eternal title of being first over the threshold at Bodegas’ new premises on Sadler Gate in Derby!
What a threshold it is too; as soon as you cross over it you are transported into a South American eaterie, throbbing with energy and joie-de-vivre. Every single inch of the venue has its own character working very cleverly with the extremely quirky character of the old building.
Masked wrestling heroes are prominent as you walk in to the bar area and window seats, some are painted on the walls and there is a fantastic neon-lit version behind the bar itself. On this preview evening my eye was also rather taken by the multitude of margarita glasses lined up and waiting to be lovingly held by grateful recipients!
In the bottom left hand corner of the ground floor is a wonderful corner room with tables and seating for relaxed eating, beautifully decorated with foliage printed wallpaper and verdantly painted lower levels. Again, it reminds you of being in warmer, tropical climes where every day cares are cast off and replaced by chilled, laid-back vibes.
On the main back wall where the staircase to the upper level is, you cannot fail to be bowled over by the incredible freehand mural of a skeletal, festival of the dead lady. Full of vibrant colours and intricate detail your visual senses just drink her haunting beauty in; the style is very much South American and further enhances the intrinsic type of cuisine on offer at Bodega.
Bodega was filled with bubbling conversation and laughter; everywhere you looked there were glasses in hands, containing Margaritas, Caiprinhas, fruity Rum Number 6s’ and Mezcal Gin and Tonics. Drivers had the very sophisticated Elderflower Fizz option to savour, and lager lovers could choose between bottles of Cusquena and Estrella.
It isn’t just the premises and decor that are energetic and dynamic; the staff members themselves are wonderfully animated and vivacious, immersing you deeper in the Latin atmosphere and I was hoping that the food was going to be equally thrilling.
Every single dish we sampled was gorgeous. All the ingredients were bursting with freshness so that their true nature shone through in the mouth, and I think that because everything is made from scratch on the Bodega premises you really do get the authentic taste of a dish.
The Nachos were wickedly crunchy and I greedily scooped up some uber-fresh Guacamole to enjoy with them. Mini tacos laden with Dr. Pepper marinated Pork, Mexican ‘slaw, lettuce and coriander made their way to us too, and these were met with murmurs of appreciation by the invited guests.
Highlights for me have to be the Pea, Mint and Feta empanadas; their light fresh flavours were bang on and I thoroughly enjoyed just dipping their edge into the habanero ketchup to get that wonderful heat from the chilli pepper.
His Nibs worshipped at the Brazilian street food temple of the Coxinhas; these cheeky little spheres are rolled in-house with chicken and cheese sauce, mixed with a little chilli, garlic, spring onion and parsley, and then served with a Lime Mayo to dunk them in. You can imagine soaking up the unbridled energy of a Brazilian carnival whilst tucking into one of these.
In between munching on all these delights we managed to have some great conversations with Matt, who owns Bodega, about his vision for the Sadler Gate site and future plans for world domination Bodega-styleJ. Vicky, who works at Bodega HQ in Birmingham, also managed to have 5 minutes at the end of the evening to chat over a Margarita and Operations Manager Steve came to natter too.
Sarah from Limegreen PR was superb company; I think we managed to cover every single conversational topic known to man between us, and put the world to rights several times over too! Monet and Jay, two fellow bloggers, were looking as beautiful as ever and I finally got round to meeting Adam (worksbyadam) and Stuart (love derby) in the flesh.
The biggest praise has to go to the Bodega staff really, to the front of house and kitchen teams; without their passion, talent and enthusiasm the evening would just be normal, but they carried you along on their wave of wonderfulness and dared you to resist.
For today, Thursday 13th April 2017, and tomorrow Friday 14th April 2017, if you book online you will receive a 50% discount on your food bill and for Saturday and Sunday (15th and 16th April 2017) you will get 25% discount on your food if you book a table online. Trust me; it is well worth paying a visit to this new kid on the (Sadler Gate) block.
I should just mention that every day 4-7pm and 10pm- closing time selected cocktails are available at 2 for £8. On #ThirstyThursday this offer is extended to all day and night, perfect for getting the weekend off to an early start J
All that remains to be said is “Ariba!” hope you have a fantastic opening weekend :)
