A French Affaire

Some of my oldest friends from medical school and I had a much needed reunion last week. Our longstanding seminar group leader picked one of his favourites (one of my favourites too) Petit Paris. It was as good as I'd remembered, if not better. 

The decor is quaint, all the waiters we were served by seemed to have just stepped out of France themselves with strong French accents, the East Midlands twang seems to have not affected them thus far! Whilst it has been said to feel a little stuffy and outdated it can't be denied that it has such a feeling of authenticity this could be overlooked. 

One thing to note is the wine list; all fantastic French wines, we sampled both the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Grigio. (the Pinot definitely my favourite and one of the nicest wines I've had In a while) 

They do a fantastic value pre theatre menu with 2 courses for £10.95 and 3 for £13.95! We all tucked in some indulging in the chicken liver parfait to start, D had the bouillabaisse and T the Moules marinière. I didn't manage to take any photos as I was too busy indulging in wine and olives!

For my main course I had a pan fried Hake with Atlantic prawns and a white wine sauce. It was delicious! The fish was so meaty and perfectly cooked

Poached salmon with a red wine sauce and crushed peas

The service was always with a smile with a new glass for each wine we tried and bread for the table!

Lamb shank. Mmmm 

Tagliatelle Jean Louis. 

Then came my favourite bit. The wonderful array of puddings 

My cappuccino parfait 

J's poached pear

Frangipane tarte

And finally some gorgeous coffees to top off a lovely evening. After 5 years of med school we still have so much to talk about and catch up on and fantastically still manage to find some of the nicest food in Nottingham. I can't wait for the next reunion, they just keep getting better!  

I mexiCAN!

Fast food has given itself such a bad name in the past, things are about to change. There's so many fantastic places to buy a quick and easy meal these days, take Tossed, in Westfields White city and the Wahaca Experiment Centre on the South bank, it's not long before they make their way further north. In Nottingham we've got Mexican! Mexican has always been a firm favourite of mine, and whilst flour tortillas are off the menu there's still taco's which are super yummy!

This Saturday took me on my second trip to BarBurrito, this has the fastest and friendliest service of anywhere I've been in Nottingham, and the food is fantastic. 

First you're greeted by the bright colours, outside furniture and comfy booths, with a large serving counter at the far end. Our favourite server was there again to talk me through (again) the options, everything sounded so tasty but in a panic I ordered the same as I had last time. Maybe it can't get any better.. I'll find out next time 

I had hard shell tacos; two with Char Grilled Chicken and one with Slow Cooked Pork, then was the choice of spicy or mild beans I had mild (chicken!), optional guacamole, sour cream, salad, jalepenos, salsa (mild, medium or hot) and of course cheese. It all came in a snazzy basket lined with BarBurrito initialled paper. 

M had a burrito, a warmed, soft tortilla with meat of your choice (he went for chicken, chicken), with spicy rice, mild beans, medium salsa, guacamole, salad, sour cream, a few tentative jalepenos and again, of course, cheese. 

We munched into our Mexican with massive smiles on our faces and left full enough to take on the rest of the days revision/shopping, maybe mostly shopping. I definitely would recommend BarBurrito if you're ever in town and need a quick bite to eat, it'll keep you satisfied til dinner and certainly won't break the bank, mine came to a comforting £6.15 (and you get student discount!) 

For any coeliacs, there's no specific gluten free menu but you're able to have the hard taco's, nacho's, the burrito bowl and any of the fillings (except the cheese sauce) Amazing!

It's 'Food that mex the world spin faster!' 

Date night with the wife and the Mr

 I can't believe I've never written about this place before. After a long ago valentines date, a house meal out, a birthday date with the Mr and a girlie night out with P, I'm finally sitting down to write about the place where I ate the best meal of my life!

It sounds like a gross exaggeration. But when I think about it. I don't think I've had so many different tastes, textures and flavours in one meal that worked oh so well together 

The incredible underground haven is 'Iberico World Tapas' having its pride of place underneath the crime and punishment museum in lace market. This place is far from a punishment but could definitely be likened to a crime. 

The idea is they've taken the normal Spanish tapas restaurant and added some foods of the world. Food from England, food inspired by the Far East, American style chicken wings and green inspired lamb. 

You're in the basement, in a small alcove. A delicious wine menu is offered and a little advise with regards to the menu. Definitely ask for some help as they just want you to enjoy all it has to offer

The recommendation is that you have a ham platter and a cheese platter. Either the 'world ham or the Spanish ham' likewise with the cheese. I've tried both. They're both fantastic. 

Then it's choosing from the huge variety of dishes. The 'inside out chicken wings' are a must. The beef kebabs also a fantastic recommendation. Most recently I indulged in the mussels and I'd say if you're a fan of mussels give them a try. You'll never want plain mussels again! 

We tried the mushroom carpaccio. Served in a cool wooden platter 

Here are the infamous chicken wings 

When I went with P we tried the express dinner menu. It's just 14.95 and you get Catalan bread (like bruschetta - I had olives) two tapas dishes and a pudding

The pudding was definitely worth it even if we were a little full. I had a strawberry parfait 

P had a cotton cake! Exciting !  She said it was incredibly smooth 

The 'Express menu' really is fantastic value for money, with the bread as a starter and the two tapas dishes with pudding, you get world class food for such a bargain. Definitely give it a go, or wait for a special occasion and the whole menu can be your oyster :)