Don’t you love impromptu date nights? Our recent visit to Edin’s Deli Kitchen was just that. After a long, cold and hard day at work, as we walked through Nottingham on the way home, we decided to stop somewhere for dinner. Our first choice was Loch Fyne – seeing as we were both eating a pescatarian diet in January. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be but that’s ok, we ended up at Edin’s Deli Kitchen which is down in Hockley opposite Broadway Cinema. I prefer to support the independents anyway and from the outside, with its big windows and warm lights shining out into the dark night, it looked just what we wanted.
I loved what we found inside – lots of little-mismatched tables and chairs, quirky posters and old pictures on the walls and a bar full of bits and pieces with an open kitchen behind it. This place felt very comfortable and really cosy. They also offer a very reasonably priced two-course set menu for £8.95.
The style of food is modern British/European I guess, with a tapas menu chalked up on the wall too. The vegetarian options were few but what was there all sounded good. To start with, Dave had the blue cheese and walnut salad and I had a dish from the tapas menu – garlic mushrooms. I would have ordered the spicy tomato pasta but as Dave was having that for his main, I was out of options. The salad was great – plenty of walnuts, not too much cheese but the cheese was nice quality. It’s a classic combo which will always work. My mushrooms were nice but nothing special – the best I can say is that they were very generous with the garlic which I approve of wholeheartedly!
For our mains, Dave had a spicy tomato pasta dish which was really disappointing. On a trip to the toilet downstairs, he saw a big bag of wholesale dried pasta and tins of sauce on shelves, confirming our suspicions that it wasn’t homemade. Sadly, this dish was just a bit watery and completely bland. Anyone at home could do a better job. I had homemade quiche with chips and salad. The salad was the same as the one we ate for the starter and the chips were definitely frozen, although cooked well and tasty. The quiche really was good and stood out from everything else we ate.
The saving grace of the evening was the sachertorte we shared. Boozy and very rich with little chunks of crystalised apricot on top, it was delicious! I looked on their website to see if the puddings are homemade but it didn’t say. Despite its richness, we cleaned the plate within minutes.
Overall, we were underwhelmed if I’m honest it was so cheap that I’m not sure what I was expecting. Quality does come at a price and we paid more for the bottle of wine than either of our meals. Perhaps Edin’s are buying pre-made food in to keep prices down or because they got lazy but either way it’s a shame because this place has always had a very good reputation as a great spot for homemade food. For me, on this occasion, something had changed and it’s made me sad.
What a shame! I've had that set price menu a few times and it's always been really good, and homemade, so it's really disappointing to hear that. Glad you had luck with the dessert as I once had one of the worst brownies of my life (I remember them all!) from there. Swings and roundabouts I guess!
Such a shame! The interior looked perfect and I'd expect it to be all homemade quirky food too. At least you didn't pay a ridiculous amount but when you can make better at home it's always disappointing xx
What a shame, I think you're right though, you do get what you pay for mostly and sadly it's often cheaper to buy mass produced stuff than make it themselves. That sachertorte though?! YUM!
What a shame! I've had that set price menu a few times and it's always been really good, and homemade, so it's really disappointing to hear that. Glad you had luck with the dessert as I once had one of the worst brownies of my life (I remember them all!) from there. Swings and roundabouts I guess!
Such a shame! The interior looked perfect and I'd expect it to be all homemade quirky food too. At least you didn't pay a ridiculous amount but when you can make better at home it's always disappointing xx
Yes such a shame but as you say, really cheap. Although saying that, I'd prefer to pay more and know I'm getting something tasty and homemade.
Absolutely swings & roundabouts by the sound of it Kerry! Such a shame as I've loved this place in the past!
Well that's no good! At least it wasn't too expensive as you mentioned – would have made it a lot worse. I really appreciate reading an honest review!
It's a shame it wasn't homemade – but at least it wasn't expensive. It looks nice and cosy in there though!
What a shame, I think you're right though, you do get what you pay for mostly and sadly it's often cheaper to buy mass produced stuff than make it themselves. That sachertorte though?! YUM!
Oh how annoying – it looks like a nice quirky place too. At least the quiche and the sachertorte were nice!
Yes, the sachetorte was GOOD! It definitely saved the meal. 🙂
It's such a gorgeous little place, so quirky and perfect for romantic dinners.
That is a shame when a good place goes bad, usually because it saves them both time and money.