Blimey, how hot has it been??! I don’t know about you, but after a week of it my energy really had gone caput! My face must’ve been speaking a thousand words, because The Man Bird suggested, out-of-the-blue, that we go out for dinner; honey, you’ll get no argument from me. As always, he came up with a great suggestion: The Dragon at Willington. Part of the Bespoke Inns group (who also have The Boot at Repton and Harpur’s in Melbourne in their stable), this 150-year-old pub (with 13 rooms of accommodation) occupies a prime position on the bank of the Trent and Mersey Canal.
The heat of the summer evening had drawn plenty of folks out onto the multi-level beer garden, and several narrowboats were also moored on the stretch of canal in front of The Dragon. Dogs and children were very much in evidence both inside and outside, so I can confidently say that four-leggers and two-leggers are equally welcome.
Within the interior, there are two distinct dining areas: the more formal spot under an angled roof in the style of an orangery, and a cosier ‘gastropub’ space, where we sat. Beautiful, worn-in wood flooring was matched by chunky tables and their brown upholstered chairs. One side of the cosy area had a continuous banquette, deeply padded and in a rich shade of brown, and breaking up the space were ‘trees’ formed with twisted trunks, whose foliage sprawled over the ceiling. A neutral putty tone coloured the walls, with exposed brickwork complementing the hue.
A warm greeting was extended to us at the host desk, and we were shown to our table and given a minute to settle in. When our drinks order was taken (a pint of Pepsi Max for each of us), we were offered table water, too. The Dragon has a nice menu of snacks and small plates (that give you flexibility, dining style-wise) incorporating all the crowd-pleasers as well as more exotic dishes.
To begin, I had the Tomato and Mozzarella Bruschetta (£9.99) and The Man chose Char-Sui Pork Bites (£10.99). I had envisioned that I would have two or three small slices of bread with toppings, but The Dragon serves their version as one slice. There was a colourful assortment of chopped, marinated Heritage Tomatoes and their sweet, slightly differing, flavours were superb, partnering brilliantly with the bouncy Basil Pesto. Two small slices of creamy Mozzarella tasted lovely, but there wasn’t enough of it to make any real impact with the other two elements. Whilst I’m being picky, I just didn’t have the will or energy to fight with the tough crust of the bread, either!
His Nibs, though, was faring way better with his Char-Sui Pork Bites. Piping hot, there was a marvellous balance of tender, flavoursome meat and crisp fat. The Pork bites had been cooked with a Chinese spice blend, Sesame Seeds, sliced Spring Onion, and fine pieces of Red Chilli producing, as you can imagine, a rather zippy, tasty meal. For a starter, this was a good-sized portion.
Whenever the weather is warm (yes, I know, it was scorchio, not WARM!) my appetite just bombs when it comes to hot food. Thankfully, The Dragon offers a mouth-watering sounding ‘Thai Satay Salad; £13.99, with the option to add Chicken and/or Halloumi (£2.50 extra each). This sounded so good to my poor frazzled body, and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in. The Man Bird, as usual, had to go to the polar opposite of me, ordering the slow-braised Beef and Ale Pie (£17.99) with Gravy, Braised Red Cabbage and Mash – he swapped out the mash for [triple-cooked] Chunky Chips.
If large portions are your thing, you’re not going to find the size of the Thai Satay Salad wanting – it was massive, filling the bowl to the brim! There was, it seemed, every vegetable known to man in this salad: Red Cabbage, Radish, Onion, Peppers, Carrot, and Tomato, and all were bound in a gorgeously spicy Satay dressing. What I loved was the amount of dressing: not too much as to make the salad soggy, and not too little that it was dry in my mouth. Toasted whole Peanuts were used as a garnish as well as providing a fab blast of crunch. Clearly, this was not my night in terms of winning the best dish contest that His Nibs and I like to have; the Chicken breast meat was really thin and had unfortunately dried out, making it claggy in the mouth. I did my best to rescue it, dabbing it in the satay dressing, but there was an edge that would’ve bounced had it been thrown at a wall!
Crowing triumphantly at his second win of the evening, The Man cut into the pastry of his individual pie, revealing an obscene amount of Beef chunks within. The pastry was excellent, melting in the mouth instantly and there wasn’t a trace of sogginess anywhere – nothing worse than a soggy bottom! A tasty ale-pimped gravy nailed it on the flavour front, bathing each piece of meat thoroughly, and His Nibs was murmuring his approval with each bite. Plenty of gently spiced Red Cabbage had been shredded and softened to put it firmly in that comfort food zone, whilst retaining a hint of firmness. Served in a separate pot, the triple-cooked Chunky Chips were the stuff of legend: audibly crunchy outers when bitten into, but those oh-so-soft, pillowy centres.
Our lovely server, who had diligently done her check-backs with us at both courses, couldn’t quite tempt us to have dessert. If we’d had any room at all in our tummies (and the heat hadn’t nobbled my appetite quite so much!), we would certainly have gone for a sweet treat. As it was, we were both feeling pretty stuffed, so left it on a positive note. I think I had just fallen foul of the luck gods with my choice of dishes; The Man had fully rated his meals, so Hot Wings are given here. With the benefit of hind-sight, when I have the Thai Satay Salad again, I will opt for the Halloumi!
To book a table, call 01283 704149, or visit www.thedragonatwillington.co.uk and hit the ‘book table’ tab on the left-hand side. The Dragon is open 8am-Midnight, but dinner service is as follows: Mon-Thurs 5.30pm-9pm, Fri-Sat Noon-9pm, and Sun Noon-8pm. One other rather nifty thing to say is, check the bottom of your receipt – if you show it after you’ve dined (after 5pm), you’ll get 25% off drinks you order. Not a bad offer, eh?
You might also enjoy:
