During our 'staycation', we popped into town and thought it would be nice to have lunch. We really…read morewanted to try some place new because we never get the chance. According to Google, Calabria was the nearest to us and was supposed to be open on Monday... however, if you look at Calabria's website, they are not open on Monday. So we came back later in the week for dinner. There is parking on the street (after 6 p.m. it is free) and if all the spots are full, there are two car parks just a short walk away (a pay and display and a pay when you return).
I didn't know this place was here and we've been down this street a few times. It is a really lovely, modern interior. There aren't a whole lot of tables, so quite cozy and intimate. A great date place. During the day they are open and offer breakfast and lunches. In the evening it becomes a bit of a gourmet bistro. They have a set menu, but if they also have an a la carte menu, including a small plates menu, which can also be used for starters.
When we arrived, a lady greeted us and when we asked for a table for two, she went to check with the other lady on staff. I looked at Mr. Snarky worried we may need to find somewhere else as we clearly underestimated the Wednesday night dinner scene. She came back and showed us to one of the tables. There were two couples and a group of six already in, so it looks like it is well frequented, although because it is in Chesterfield town centre, I could see how it would be easily overlooked.
The lady who started waiting on us must have been new as any question that was asked, she needed to check with the other lady. She also seemed quite nervous... friendly, but a bit nervous. It was difficult to choose something because everything looked quite good. Mr. Snarky decided to go with the set menu, ordering the duck pate and the braised beef. I ended up choosing the tomato bruschetta and the slow-cooked pork belly.
The starters were nice, but nothing special. Poor Mr. Snarky had heaps of pate, but only three, small pieces of bread. Seems to be the way at most restaurants... lots of pate, not enough items to spread it on. The bruschetta was nice and I wasn't expecting cherry tomatoes. And if you are on a date... like first date, you may want to give it a miss because it is heavy on the red onions and garlic. If you're married, go for it ;).
At some point our waitress changed to the lady that seemed to be running the show. She was definitely more confident and just as friendly. She brought us a jug of water when she noticed our glasses were empty. Our mains came out and this is when I decided this place was a bit gourmet. The presentation was beautiful (don't worry I will upload pictures). The mains also came with seasonal veg which happened to be carrots, green beans, baby corn, and snow pea pods. I was actually expecting Mr. Snarky's braised beef to be a cut of meat, but it looked like it was shredded and then put into a cup/mold and turned out onto the plate. His food was practically gone before I got a taste.
The pork belly was lovely! I will go as far to say that it is the second best one I have had! The skin was crisp... to the point I had trouble getting through it with a knife and fork. The meat was tender and the fat was beautifully melty... making sure that the meat didn't dry out. The mash with leeks was nice and the dark sauce on the plate was amazing... I needed more of that. The parsnip and vanilla croquette was... interesting on the first bite, but as I dug in more, I didn't eat the rest of it because it was quite a confusing combination of flavours. I didn't really taste vanilla, but I could see the little black bits from the vanilla bean. The parsnips were sweet, but then it would go a bit sour, then savory. I don't really think it adds anything to the plate. The one thing that was missing on the plate was the quince puree. I have never had quince so I don't know what I am missing, but I would have like to try it with the pork belly.
I did see massive bowls of spaghetti bolognese go out and the group of 6 had some delicious looking desserts. We ended up not having dessert because I had made a cake the day before, but we will definitely be back to try more of the menu and next time we will have dessert! It is a bit on the pricey side as our bill came out to just under £50, but it isn't your standard Italian restaurant. When pizza doesn't appear on the menu, you know it is a bit more haute cuisine than an every night sort of dinner. Definitely a great place with lovely food.
