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DINING OUT: All the ingredients for a romantic night out
NDET 95035 Poachers Rest Chesterfield
VALENTINE’S Day is just around the corner and many will be looking for somewhere special to wine and dine their loved one.
The Poacher’s Rest, in Chesterfield, has all the right ingredients for a romantic night with it’s intimate setting, attentive staff and good food.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, on Chatsworth Road, we were greeted by a friendly waitress.
We were offered the choice of perusing the menu over a drink in the downstairs snug bar but opted to go straight to our table and ordered a bottle of house red wine from the selection of fine wines, draft beers and local real ales.
There was a great choice of dishes available with the majority of the food being locally sourced.
A lot of the menu is meat/game based as you would expect from a restaurant called Poachers Rest but as a vegetarian I was also well catered for.
For starters I chose the mozzarella and risotto balls which came with a tomato salsa (£4.85). They were delicious and not too heavy. The rice was bursting with cheese, wrapped in a light crispy shells.
My partner opted for the apple, smoked bacon and black pudding salad (£4.25).
It was well presented and he found the combination of flavours and textures worked well together with the sweet apple contrasting nicely with the salty meat.
For my main course I ordered wild mushroom and brie galette with cranberries (£11.95). The pastry was light and crispy and the variety of wild mushrooms looked delicious and went well with the brie. The cranberries were a nice touch and their bitter, fresh taste really brought the dish alive for me.
I chose dauphinoise potato to accompany my meal which were wafer-thin potato slices in lashings of cream and garlic with a crispy top.
My partner enjoyed his griddled venison haunch (£17.95) which was a rich pink colour and cooked as he’d requested. The Dijon sauce complemented the meat without overpowering the meat.
He opted for chips with his dish which were homemade – rustic, seasoned with sea salt and not at all greasy.
Our dishes were served with a selection of vegetables – including creamed swede which was a lovely addition.
Dessert posed a dilemma as all the dishes sounded tempting.
My partner – torn between two – asked the waitress for her suggestion and she helpfully recommended the white chocolate brownie which came in three bite-size pieces drizzled in milk chocolate sauce, with white chocolate pieces and strawberries (£3.95). He wasn’t disappointed.
I opted for plum crumble with custard (£4.75). For many this would not have been sweet enough but it was just as I like my crumbles – tart fruit beneath a layer of sweet crumble.
Although the desserts were quite small - I could certainly have devoured more crumble - they were well presented and finished off our meals nicely.
The atmosphere was vibrant and bustling with several couples enjoying a night out. Although the restaurant was full, service was not slow and we did not have to wait long for our food.
I would say the Poacher’s Rest is a grown-up restaurant and as it’s quite small it’s not somewhere I would take young children - so the perfect place for a romantic evening for two.
Rating: Four stars
The Poacher’s Rest
370 Chatsworth Road
Chesterfield
S40 2DQ
tel: 01246 277 344
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Friday 25 May 2012
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