Lunch At The Noel at Whitwell nr Rutland Water
Published On Sunday 8 Jan 2017 by Sticky Beak
See Recent Dining Out Reviews | See All Recent Reviews
Our first blog adventure of the New Year took us to the UKs smallest county, Rutland. As we were staying close to Rutland water so we decided to go there for a stroll around on our way down.
The weather, whilst not sunny or particularly warm, was at least dry, so we were one of many folk out for a walk either alone, with family or with a furry companion.
Exercise duly taken, we jumped back into the jalopy with the intention of grabbing a bite to eat in the town of Oakham itself. As they say “best laid plans” and all that jazz, my concentration-span-of-a-gnat kicked in and we were soon turning into the carpark of The Noel at Whitwell.
What a little gem that turned out to be; we were just after last orders for lunchtime food but because we only wanted light bites the Chef very generously let us place our order. The premises themselves are very stylish inside with their pale carpets and luxurious deep red drapes, lightshades and napkins that are shown off by the dark wood tables.
A lovely gentleman showed us to our table and gave us a few minutes to get our breath back, before taking our drinks and food order.
His Nibs opted for the Lincolnshire sausage and caramelised Red onion sandwich on white bread with salad and I decided to have Mushrooms on Granary toast. Also on the menu in the side order section was the intriguingly named East/West spiced chips, and we just had to see what they were all about.
The Man Birds sandwich was a real belly busting affair with two hefty Sausages snuggling in amongst a thick bed of caramelised onions. He was thoroughly enjoying it, saying how great the sausages themselves tasted in between mouthfuls.
My own dish was equally lovely with plenty of quartered mushrooms in a creamy sauce lying on top of a thick slice of toasted granary bread. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had Mushrooms on toast, and it was fantastic to rediscover this simple pleasure, especially since it had been done so well.
The East/West spiced chips were very tasty in their own right, with nice crispy outers revealing soft fluffy inners, but when you added in the 5 spice and paprika coating they transformed into something a smidge spectacular. It never ceases to amaze me how a simple twist can have such a large impact on a dish; I might try this at home next time we have chips :)
When the gentleman came to enquire if we would like dessert it absolutely twisted my heart to say no, but with it being lunchtime and knowing that there was a three course dinner to come that night, it had to be done.
There were several other tables of diners in as well and a family group comprising grandparents, parents and grandchildren which was lovely to see. I can imagine that at night it would be a lovely place to enjoy a meal and perhaps a drink or two. Hot Wings deserved here, most definitely.
| Out For Dinner At Cicchetti by Carlo In Wirksworth A message came in to Beak H.Q recently, one that had me and His Nibs looking over at each other in silence. One 'Don Orlando' had invited us to a 'sit down' at his Italian restaurant Read The Article | |
| Visiting Olive Moroccan Restaurant At Their New Location In Belper As regular readers will know, Olive Moroccan in Belper is one of our regular haunts. The wonderful Jacqui, owner and Chef at Olive, has become a true friend over the years, Read The Article | |
| Burger And Pizza Night At The Canal Inn, Bullbridge, Ambergate The Man and I have fiiiiiiiiiinally got around to visiting The Canal Inn at Bullbridge to sample their Thursday night offering: Pizza and a pint for £11 or Burger and a pint Read The Article | |
| Lunch At Scoozi Ristorante in Clevedon Every now and then life presents an opportunity to combine business and pleasure, and when it does, The Man and I jump on that train PDQ! I had booked a cheeky night away. I had booked a cheeky Read The Article | |
| Sunday Lunch At The Fork & Furrow Restaurant, Moorwood Moor Near Alfreton Things have been a bit chaotic for The Flock recently; what with one thing and another (health-wise) its been a good month or so since we all got to go out for a Sunday Read The Article | |
| Lunch At The Ashford Arms, Ashford-in-the-Water On Their Soft Opening Its always lovely and exciting when a new venue opens; even more so at the moment, with news of venues shutting coming along fairly regularly. The Man and I were Read The Article | |
| Dinner At Haveli Indian Restaurant In Chilwell, Nottingham We've been busy little bods lately - just how we like it! - and this particular evening saw us winging our way to one of Nottinghams suburbs, Chilwell, to visit Haveli Read The Article | |
| A Sunday Lunch Sharer At The Malt Shovel Near Wirksworth The Man Bird and I were invited along to The Malt Shovel Inn recently (Mummy Bird tagged along as well), to sample their Sunday Sharer Board so we jumped in the jalopy and set off. Read The Article | |
| Out For Dinner At The Spirit Vaults In Melbourne The town of Melbourne, in South Derbyshire, is a really picturesque place, and it's also where you'll find The Spirit Vaults. Originally built in the 1700's, the building began selling alcohol, named as Read The Article | |
| Out For Dinner To Celebrate Olive Restaurant's 8th Birthday Fashionably late was taken to a WHOLE new level by this flock! We were supposed to be bringing in the new year with a family meal at Olive Moroccan restaurant in Belper Read The Article | |