Lunch At The Nottinghamshire Golf And Country Club Near Cotgrave
Published On Sunday 9 Jun 2024 by Sticky Beak
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I hate to admit it, but I think I’m missing a trick here! Granted, my experience is limited, but from what I’ve seen, the golfing set have seriously swanky ‘19th holes’. You’re never going to get me schlepping round the fairways, but I’d definitely be found in the clubhouse.
Our latest foray was to The Nottinghamshire Golf and Country Club at Cotgrave and you get the feels just as you turn into the driveway! As far as venues go, this one has to be up at the larger end of the scale in our patch, but there’s plenty of everything: golf buggies, parking, facilities and staff. We were greeted warmly by one of the team at reception, which is just beyond the well-stocked Pro Golf Shop inside the main building that also offers conference/event rooms.
Having been given directions, we made our way through to the bar area and were immediately acknowledged by a lady who was serving, stating that she would soon be with us. With it being a decent day, weather-wise, members, their families, friends and non-members had come to Lakeview Restaurant and Bar to socialise, so there was a fantastic buzz to the place! We were asked if we wanted to sit in the main bar area (inside or outside), or if we’d prefer to sit through in the sectioned off restaurant. For the purposes of being able to spread out when taking photos, we chose to sit in the Lakeview Restaurant, and what a beautiful area it is.
As far as the eye can see, there are beautifully maintained fairway and greens, with a lake in the distance, so it made sense for the interior décor to harmonise with the natural surroundings. Shades of brown, from pale Raffia to dark nut, form the backbone of the colour scheme, complimented by pale curtains that had a discreet floral pattern on them. I was particularly fascinated by the carpet: its pattern was reminiscent of Xylem and Vascular Bundles in Plants, and it tied in perfectly with the mid-back chairs’ wood-grain. Seating was a mixture of free-standing chairs, long banquettes and semi-circular booths, paired with dark toned wooden tables.
No surprise that there is an extensive drink offering (I had a cheeky NZ Sauvignon Blanc, His Nibs had a pint of Beavertown Neck Oil), but I was pleasantly shocked by the range of choice on the menu. Whatever the time of day, there is a menu for it, with a super choice of dishes; I particularly liked the range of food on offer on the 2-4-£16, which is available Mon-Sat at lunchtime. There’s also a rather tempting 2 courses for £19.95 on the Sunday Roast…no doubt we’ll be paying a Flock visit here in the near future!
To kick our meal off, we chose to have a couple of dishes from the ‘small plates’ menu: I had the Pesto Marinated Mozzarella with Basil, Sun-dried Tomato and Balsamic (£5.50) and The Man had the Korean Pork Belly with Sesame and Coriander (£6). Our lovely server was soon placing a wooden platter down that had both small plates on, housed in separate dishes and garnished with micro-herbs.
Both of us smiled at the portion size; Chef doesn’t muck about, that’s for sure. The miniature balls of pale Mozzarella were lightly coated in flecks of green, from the zingy, flavoursome Pesto that coated them. Punctuating their pearly tones were slices of intensely sweet-yet-sharp sun-dried Tomato, and the creamy mildness of the cheese balanced the fruit/veg brilliantly in the mouth. Cutting through the dairy richness was the crisp acidity of the Sauvignon Blanc, making this a cracking start to my meal.
The Man Bird was chomping away merrily on his Korean Pork Belly, remarking that these were possibly the softest, juiciest pieces of Pork that you could wish to eat. There was a gloriously sticky glaze coating the top of each piece of meat and some prized pieces of ‘meat candy’ (sucs/fond to give them their proper title) to savour – IYKYK. Lifting the richness of the Pork was the nutty tones of Sesame and the clean taste of Coriander, which made this a lovely, harmonious dish on the palate.
For mains we’d chosen Katsu Chicken, Steamed Rice and Sesame Tenderstem Broccoli (£15.50, me) and Venison Sausage with Pomme purée, Sauteed Cabbage and Rich Onion Jus (£15.50, His Nibs). Food is cooked to order at The Lakeview Restaurant, so we had a little wait; we weren’t in a rush though, and it gave us time to really relax in the stunning setting.
When we’d first sat down, I’d asked for some water for the table and the lovely young man happily obliged and he did a check-back during our starters. As he placed our main courses carefully down for us, he asked if we needed more drinks or condiments before bidding us to enjoy our food, smiling broadly as he did so. I have to say, that all the staff we encountered were super-friendly and nothing was too much trouble for them.
My large, Panko-coated Chicken Breast had been sliced and the tangy Katsu sauce poured precisely over it to maximise the contrast between the elements – can’t fault the attention to presentational detail. This was a jolly clever Katsu: there was certainly plenty of heat to tempt and entice the palate, but not enough to make the lips tingle unpleasantly. The timbale of fluffy, steamed rice was a nice visual touch and each grain retained a gentle hint of bite to it; no soggy rice here! Just as perfectly cooked were the pieces of Sesame-pimped Tenderstem – from floret head to stem toe, there was a pleasant resistance to my bite. I was certainly happy with my choice of dish.
His Nibs had no complaints about his trio of meaty, juicy bangers; they were exceptionally flavoursome and the deep, earthy Venison flavour flooded his mouth. The glass-smooth mash was skilfully seasoned, and the Red Cabbage was delicately spiced and cooked with red wine – you can imagine how rich and moreish it was! Posh bangers-and-mash this most definitely was, and His Nibs gave it the attention and appreciation it deserved. Another superb dish from Chef.
Having come to clear our squeaky clean mains plates away, our lovely server asked if we’d like to see the dessert menu and smiled as we replied that we would indeed, but we’d need 5 minutes for our food to go down as we were feeling rather podged! The dessert selection was as good as the rest of the menu, and there were several options that I could easily have savoured; eventually, I opted for the Crème Brulee Cheesecake with Raspberry Compote and Crushed Meringue (£6.50), and The Man chose the Chocolate Fondant with Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream and Crème Anglaise (£7.50).
Presentationally, both desserts were well put together and there was certainly a good amount on each plate, and our inner gluttons clapped their hands together with delight. Some things I life just make you tingle with joy; the moment you open a melt-in-the-middle Chocolate Fondant being one of them. His Nibs brain’s pleasure centre lit up like a Vegas slot as that first blast of cocoa intensity hit! Lightening the mood in the mouth was a fruity swoop: Raspberry in the Ice Cream and fresh Strawberries as garnish. The Crème Anglaise was gorgeously mellow and its rounded Vanilla note complimented the fondant superbly, and the contrast in temperature between the chilled Ice Cream and the warm Fondant stimulated the senses. This certainly was a wonderful dessert, and no mistake.
Having recently reconciled with Meringue, I have been eager to make up for the lost years, so I immediately popped one of the dinky, rose pink piped swirls in to my mouth. These morsels were nicely crisp to the bite; it was the crumbs that decorated the plate that were soft and chewy. I was more than happy to get the best of both worlds, so to speak. The body of the cheesecake was beautifully dense and creamy with a hint of caramel to the crust, as per the Brulée description and the ratio of body:base was perfect. Contrasting with the cheesecake was a bright Raspberry compote, its summery tone bringing all the sunshine feels to my plate. Not only was the fruit colourful, it was face-scrunchingly tart against the sweetness of the Meringue, making this a really well put together, balanced dessert. Needless to say, every last scrap got demolished!
Throughout our visit, the staff at The Nottinghamshire Golf ad Country Club had been terrific; nothing had been too much trouble and they were all so smart, friendly and polite. Hot Wings very happily awarded here, to this Cotgrave treasure. As always, we want to extend our very grateful thanks at being invited along to discover the delights of somewhere new to us.
The Lakeside restaurant is open 7-days-a-week, and non-members are more than welcome at any time from breakfast to evening dinner. To book a table ring 0115 933 3344. Visit the website www.thenottinghamshire.com to discover everything this amazing venue has to offer: you can search the current menus, book a stay in one of the 30 boutique rooms or even research holding your wedding or event here.
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