Sampling the Dry-Aged Steak at Cocina, Casa Hotel, Chesterfield
Published On Sunday 18 May 2025 by Sticky Beak
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If you’re going to have a swanky new ‘toy’, it’d be rude not to show it off, wouldn’t it? Clearly, Steve Perez thinks so, so Cocina restaurant [located within his Casa Hotel in Chesterfield] now proudly has a dry-ager cabinet smack-bang, centre-stage at its entrance. The addition of this marvellous bit of kit means that Cocina is the only restaurant in the county with both a Josper Grill AND dry ager. Gourmands, prepare to have your dining experience elevated into something extraordinarily special; we hadn’t even made it to our table yet, and were already in gastro heaven just looking at the cuts of Beef in the dry-ager!
Brace yourselves though, this isn’t the only change to come to the two-rosetted restaurant. In addition to the [already] superb beef on offer, Cocina now offers cuts from Belted Galloway and Highland cattle from Walton Lodge Far, which is literally just down the road. Cocina’s Executive Chef, Alan Rigby, gives all his attention to the produce in his kitchen, and, along with his team, offers some seriously tempting morsels.
Honey from the hives at the farm also gets utilized in many of Cocina’s dishes, and as our lovely server escorted us to our corner table, I was already running through what I fancied to eat! First, though, was the matter of beverages: I opted for a glass of Rioja, The Man had a pint of draught Estrella; this lager is the only one on draught, but there are plenty of other bottled ones to choose from. Water for the table was immediately offered and our first chilled glass poured out for us.
We browsed through the Tapas selection, and it wasn’t long before we’d selected our starter from among the mouth-watering selection of dishes. I fancied the Gambas Pil Pil (£11) and His Nibs had Calamari (£10); I should just mention that Monday-Friday you can savour 1 Tapas or Side with a main, or 3 Tapas and a Side for £25 per person…something we plan to go back and do one week. Our mains took a while longer to decide on, but we couldn’t not try one of the tempting dry-aged Steaks on offer, could we?!
Eventually we chose to play nicely and share a 500g Chateaubriand (£70); other sharing cuts include T-Bone and Tomahawk steaks, both priced by the 100g according to current market prices. All the dry-aged sharing cuts include your choice of 2 sides and 2 sauces, and we went for Truffle and aged Manchego Cheese Fries (£6), Sautéed Green Beans (£6), Peppercorn Sauce (£4) and Chimichurri sauce (£3). We also added a side of the Honey- and Fennel- glazed Carrots (£6).
Whilst we waited for our starters, I reacquainted myself with the quietly refined décor of Cocina. Wire cage pendant lights cast a warm glow around the space, bouncing off the pale wood cabinetry and dark caramel tassels that break up the space and provide a nice respite from the sunshine. The paler grey tones in the patterned carpet are picked up by upholstery on some of the mid-back chairs; others sport a natty raspberry shade that adds a subtle pop of colour to an otherwise natural [décor] palate.
From where we were seated, we could see the semi-open kitchen, and Chef and his team were creating some amazing looking dishes on the pass. Down the far side of Cocina is an area that has bright Teal banquette seating, and this is perfect for if you want to enjoy a drink and/or lighter bite away from the main dining area; you could even take your post-prandial coffee or liqueur here, too.
Soon enough, our server was bringing over our seafood starters and, oh, did they look scrummy. I had 7 magnificently plump, fragrant King Prawns (sat in a cast iron skillet) that had been sauteed with Garlic and Chilli, and very prettily garnished with slices of fresh Red Chilli and Spring onion. The fire of the Chilli paired beautifully with the sweet seafood, and the crunch of the Spring Onions contrasted with the Prawns’ softness.
This was a delightfully tasty, easy-to-digest dish and one I’d happily have again. Equally fab was the plentiful, seasoned breadcrumb coated, diamond-pattern scored Calamari that His Nibs was tucking into; each piece was a gentle golden hue and gave a subtle crunch when bitten into. There was absolutely no trace of oil at all on the palate, just the clean taste of Squid. Fresh Rocket leaves added a super Peppery zap, along with a swoosh of tangy Aioli and a charred Lemon wedge for a clean citrus zing. Another great Tapas/starter dish, and one that scored top marks with The Man.
Generally, The Man and I like our steaks cooked differently (rare for me, medium for him), but we have had great success in the past with having a Chateaubriand cooked medium and there being plenty of rare (ish) slices for me to enjoy, so we decided to go for medium again on this occasion. Our strategy paid off, and His Nibs grabbed the pair of end-pieces immediately and I went for one of the centre slices. The end bits had a gorgeous deep brown tone to their outers and mine had a super contrast between their sealed edge and the succulent, rich-pink middles.
No pressure at all was needed by our knives to cut into the silky-textured Chateaubriand, and flavour-wise, this minx was off.the.scale!! The Josper Grill imparts a gentle smokiness to the meat and preserves its juiciness, and the minimum of 30 days that the beef spends in the precision [temperature, humidity and circulating air] confines of the dry ager cabinet turbo-charges the tenderness and gives a marvellous umami flavour to the flesh. Combine the two and, wowsers, your palate does somersaults of joy; if all you had on your plate was the steak, trust me, you’d be more than happy.
As it was, we still had our sauces and vegetable accompaniments to eat – such a struggle, but we’ll soldier on, y’know, purely in the name of the blog! The Man dived straight into the generous bowl of Fries, being the spudaholic that he is, and the grin on his face told me that they were pretty fab, so I dipped in to try some. The skinny fries were fantastically crispy, a crunch coming with every bite, and at the periphery was the unmistakeably earthy note of Truffle, which seems to intensify the spuds’ own nuttiness. Manchego cheese has a nutty hint to its sweet flavour, making it a classic partner to Potato and Truffle. I’d love to tell you that I got plenty of the fries…but we all know the truth, don’t we?!
I had [marginally] more success with the Sautéed Green Beans, and was delighted to hear them squeak against my bite. The clean notes of this vegetable were partnered really nicely with a fresh Tomato, Shallot and Herb salsa that topped them. Visually, this was a sight to behold with the contrasting colours, and was a wonderful example of something tasting as good as it looked. It had been my suggestion to order the Honey and Fennel glazed Carrots, and when the striking colours of Heritage Carrots hit our senses, I took full glory for my accidental genius.
Nicely glossed with Walton Lodge Honey, the Carrots natural sweetness had been doubly pimped by being roasted and by the Honey; needless to say, His Nibs and his sweet tooth were in full favour of this dish. Carrots have been one of my favourite vegetables since childhood, so I needed no convincing of their deliciousness. I also appreciated the garnish of young Watercress and the way its peppery tone lifted things in the mouth, ably assisted by Fennel’s anise hint.
Both sauces were glorious, despite being wildly different: one was warm, the other cold; one was creamy, the other oil-based. As a general rule, The Man will always go for a Peppercorn sauce as he really loves the contrast of mild cream and fiery Pepper. At Cocina, the Pepper is far more subtle than you would ordinarily expect…that is, until you bite into one of the whole Peppercorns! If you want less heat, savour the infused taste of the cream and eat the peppercorns whole; if you want to go full-on heat, bite them and bask in the blast.
For a moment, I had been tempted to go for the Blue Cheese sauce, but the heat of the day swayed me towards something cold and lighter on the tongue. Olive oil and Red Wine Vinegar had been skilfully matched with Garlic, Parsley, Oregano and a whisper of Chilli, and the result was a sublime fusion of flavours that partnered the Chateaubriand marvellously. It was exactly the lighter sauce I’d been wanting, and it complemented the other elements of my meal superbly. Another triumphant moment of genius to bask in, I think.
For dessert, I couldn’t resist the Crème Catalana (£9), and His Maj chose the Lustre Strawberry Cream and White Chocolate Profiteroles (£9). Regular readers of this blog will know that a) I love Crème Brulée and b) I loved the Crème Catalana so much last time I had it at Cocina that I was buzzed to have it again. Whilst this dessert isn’t wildly different from its cousin, Crème Catalana does have one main difference in that, rather than being infused with Vanilla [like the ‘original’], the custard is zhuzhed with Orange (sometimes Lemon and Cinnamon, too); it is also made with milk rather than cream. Whatever, it tastes abso-flipping-lutely cosmic! A simple biscuit with Lemon and spiced Ginger was all the companion that this treasure needed, although I would happily forego the biccy and have double the portion of Crème #just saying, Chef.
Inside delicious Choux pastry spheres was a rather magnificent Cream and White Chocolate concoction that was pimped with Lustre Strawberry Cream (a Tequila-based liqueur). Now this on its own would have made a splendid dessert, but paired with roasted flakes of Almond and a wickedly intense Strawberry Caramel it was one of those forever memorable morsels.
If I hadn’t tasted the Caramel for myself, I wouldn’t have believed the praise that His Nibs was piling on it. Seriously, it had Caramel’s unctuous, sticky character, but it was the ruby colour of ripe Strawberries and was impossibly concentrated in its fruitiness. I don’t know how you did it, Chef, but hats off to you, you kept The Man in silent reverence for the entire time he was savouring it!
Throughout our meal, our server and her colleagues had done a sterling job of ensuring we had a fantastic experience. Check-backs were religiously done at each course and a discreet eye was kept on our glasses and how we were progressing through the meal. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and everyone had a smile on their face. Product knowledge was great, whether relating to food or drinks so clearly the team are passionate about their workplace. Hot Wings very happily awarded to this excellent restaurant.
You don’t have to be staying at Casa to eat in either Cocina or downstairs in the more informal Bar Barca, so if you fancy enjoying some fab food spontaneously, just rock up. Saying that, I would always advise booking ahead to guarantee a table as it is a popular haunt. Ring 01246 245990, or visit the website www.casahotels.co.uk and hit the ‘book online’ button at the bottom left-hand corner of the homepage.
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