December 2025 saw the soft launch of Chesterfield’s newest restaurant, Rhubarb 131 on Chatsworth Road, but sadly The Man and I couldn’t attend due to a previous engagement. Fast forward to March 2026 and we were happily taking up General Manager Matt Hurst’s invitation to come along and sample the food on offer.
Locals will be familiar with the location of Rhubarb 131; it was formerly Nonna’s, though forget all that because this venue has certainly undergone some changes! Rhubarb has the same fantastic ‘double frontage’ that Nonna’s had and one side is the Crumble Café which is THE perfect people-watching spot to enjoy coffee n cake in the daytime, and a great place for remote workers, thanks to complementary wi-fi. The other side of the double front is the Stalk and Stem Restaurant, with a capacity of around 56 covers. Upstairs is home to Rhubarb Bar (now that the kitchen has been taken out!) which is ideal for hiring out for special parties and events, or just to go and chill with the superb range of wines, beers and cocktails on offer. Dogs and Children are welcome at Rhubarb, too, just in case you need to know.
Anyhow, back to Stalk and Stem, where His Nibs and I were settled in with our drinks and some homemade Malted Sourdough and whipped Hendo’s-zhuzhed Butter – nom nom! The bread had a delightfully dense springiness to it, and Hendo’s (Henderson’s Relish) distinct tang walloped our palates with its characteristic enthusiasm.
As we were chomping away at our nibble, I took in the décor a little more and the first thing you notice is how contemporary and modern it is. A beautiful herringbone-laid wood floor literally lays the foundation for the standard, but the prize for ‘wow factor’ has to go to the silver-metallic, panel-effect ceiling and its spotlights. Between the floor and ceiling, there are a mix of circular and rectangular tables paired with mid-back chairs that have striking teal seats and vibrant, floral fabric backs. As I said, certainly different to Nonna’s!
We sat back and watched the action at the open kitchen’s pass; Chef Will Hurst (Matt’s brother) and his Sous were hard at work, whipping up a culinary storm for other diners who had arrived before us. As well as the conventional evening menu, small plate, Tapas-style dishes are available between Noon-9pm, though it was the a la carte offerings we had come to try.
To start, I fancied the Mushrooms on Toast, with Stilton and Chive (£9) which can be adapted for those needing a gluten free or Vegan option, and The Man went for [already gluten free] Beef Tartare with Pinenuts, Apple, Shallot and Parmesan (£10). Now, I would usually have Mushrooms on Toast at breakfast, but it works just as well in the evening I must say. Toasted, Malted Sourdough slices had been liberally piled with sliced Mushrooms and the fresh Thyme-pimped fungi’s earthiness married seamlessly with the sweet maltiness of the bread. Stilton Cheese had been crumbled over the warm Mushrooms and was softening nicely, releasing all its pungent, aromatic notes in my mouth. Chopped Chives added a subtle onion hint to the dish, which went really nicely with the Mushroom and Cheese elements. This was a perfect example of when something simple is done well, it results in a magnificent morsel.
The Man Bird was impressed with how soft the pieces of Beef were in his mouth, and they were super-tasty, too. Tiny spheres of crisp Apple were deliciously sharp, pinging against the creaminess of the Pinenuts. Both the pickled Shallot and Parmesan Crisp provided stark contrast to the sweet, mellow Beef. Many folks are put off by the fact that Beef Tartare is raw Beef, but the texture is divinely velvety and acidic, sharp seasonings such as Shallot, Capers, Dijon Mustard and Worcestershire Sauce/Hendo’s (Anchovy-free) are used to make this supremely tasty dish. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t sooner.
For mains, we ordered the Pie of the day (Lamb on this occasion) with Mash and Garden Peas, rather than Chips and Veg, and Gravy (£17), and Butternut and Sage Filo Tart with Jersey Royals and Seasonal Greens (also £17) for His Maj and I respectively. As with our starters, the food was beautifully presented and certainly ample in portion size which, I have to say, my dish didn’t look to be at first glance.
Rhubarb 131 doesn’t muck about when it comes to a pie – this Lamb beauty was a beast! Rich, melt-in-the-mouth pastry encased huge chunks of flavoursome Lamb left, right and centre; this would satisfy the heartiest appetite and you couldn’t fault the depth of taste in any way. Chef had popped on plenty of the brilliantly meaty gravy, though His Nibs was told that he could request more if he wanted it, but it wasn’t needed. Keeping up with my classiness *ahem*, The Man swirled his super-smooth, perfectly seasoned Mash with the gravy – honestly, you can’t take us anywhere! The Garden Peas were clean-tasting and sweet in the mouth, and seeing how happy His Nibs was, I had to admit to having a bit of pie envy.
My Butternut and Sage Filo Tart was served in a poker-hot, cast-iron pot, with the shards of pale Filo providing the ‘crust’. Underneath this crunchy cover was a sunset-toned ‘filling’ of softened Butternut Squash, and I certainly appreciated the contrast in textures and colour. I also liked the fact that Chef had kept the seeds of the Squash in, and my palate picked out their nutty tone from the sweet, comforting flavour of its Butternut parent. Personally, I would’ve liked a more robust amount of Sage coming through in my mouth, but that is purely my subjective opinion; someone else may say that, for them, the herb level was spot-on. Continuing the nutty taste of the seeds were the sweet, Jersey Royal potatoes that are coming into peak season right now. For someone who isn’t a particularly ardent spudophile, I will admit to absolutely relishing Jersey Royal season. Tenderstem Broccoli was still nicely firm to the bite and its nutty, sweet taste complemented its potato cousin wonderfully. Adding a lovely allium bounce were the finely chopped Chives that had been added for garnish. This was a surprisingly filling dish, and I enjoyed it way more than I initially thought I would.
Our dessert choices were Lemon Tart (with Bruléed top) and Salted Caramel Sticky Toffee Pudding (no prizes for guessing who had ordered that!). My Tart was marvellously, face-scrunchingly sharp and resplendent in its citrus glory, the Lemon body being sandwiched between a buttery pastry bottom and a thwackable sugar crust. Truly, this dessert was a thing of beauty, especially when savoured with some of the freeze-dried Raspberry topped Clotted Cream; more intensity, anyone??! A fine Chocolate ’soil’ added a pop of texture in the mouth as well as some welcome sweetness. As far as sweet treats go, I don’t think I could’ve picked a better one for me.
Across the table, His Nibs was looking pretty pleased with his Salted Caramel Sticky Toffee Pudding and, much as it pains me to say it, move aside folks, dessert royalty coming through! This delight was impossibly rich in taste, pleasingly dense to the dessert cutlery (but not on the tummy), and moreishly gooey; if main character energy is what you crave from your dessert, look no further. A beyond-silky Salted Caramel sauce brought all the feels to the table, tipping His Nibs over the edge into gastro heaven. Top marks, team Rhubarb!
To conclude our meal, The Man had a black coffee, whilst Matt shook up a Rhubarb and Rosemary Spritz cocktail for me. A good quality coffee always hits the mark after dinner, and this one was great according to His Nibs; however, I am calling dibs on the drink’s gold medal – my spritz was everything I had hoped it would be. I don’t mind the odd sugar syrup-laden cocktail but I prefer something a little more bitter, and this Rhubarb and Rosemary tipple was just that, putting my palate on high-alert in the same way as a Negroni does.
Throughout our evening, Matt and Rhubarb 131’s owner, Rory Wallin (who we knew from his days at The George in Tideswell) had ensured we had everything we wanted and experienced the highest level of service. I should just mention as well, for those that don’t know, Matt previously worked at The Cavendish Hotel in Baslow, so his customer care skills are second-to-none. Hot Wings very happily given to this marvellous Chesterfield restaurant.
To book a table call 01246 605166 or visit www.rhubarb131.com and hit the ‘reservations’ tab. All the opening hours, whether for food or drinks, are on the website for you to view.
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