Blue Bell Cottingham

Blue Bell overlooks the green near the Cottingham village centre, and has a welcoming traditional building that is split into a bar area and relaxing restaurant. The restaurant boasts a log fire with low level music leading to a beer garden to the rear. Recently refurbished, Blue Bell now has an extended seating area with a rather nice view of their garden and has a new extensive menu including a specials board.

Recently my partner and I visited Blue Bell in Cottingham as we had received a birthday postcard in the post to invite us for a free meal. We arrived at the Blue Bell and was seen to straight away and shown to our table that we had booked in advanced. We had been seated in the new conservatory located next to the kitchen which looked amazingly new and fresh. Our table had been dressed with candle light and polished cutlery placed on luxury serviettes.

Our waitress who was very polite and friendly offered to get our drinks for us and gave us the new menu to read, when arriving back with our drinks she asked if we would like to hear the specials. I had opted for the pan seared scallops on a bed of cauliflower puree topped with baby spinach. My partner had chosen from the specials board which was half roasted duck served with a sweet potato puree, spring cabbage & crispy prosciutto with a mixed berry sauce.

The meals arrived within a fast reasonable amount of time and were presented on slate plates.  The scallops were soft, tasty and cooked in butter. The cauliflower puree had a hint of garlic which balanced the dish very well and the side order of vegetables was crunchy and full of flavour.

The duck was placed lightly roasted on top of the sweet potato puree and packed full of juicy flavours which complimented the mixed berry sauce. The crispy prosciutto worked well with the cauliflower puree from my meal.

We both finished our meals without haste and greedily ordered a dessert from the separate menu our waitress had brought us. She had explained which individual dessert was and we opted for the chocolate volcano cake with ice cream. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo of the dessert but I can assure you it was divine.

If it’s À la carte food you’re after then I would recommend visiting the Blue Bell. It’s a great place to visit especially around Christmas time when they offer mulled wine. The seating outside is complete with heaters and fairy lights around the frame of the garden.

When you do visit Blue Bell, at the end of your meal you will be given a card to fill out to leave your feedback and also to put your details in to receive a free birthday meal or anniversary meal.

The prices per meal average between £8.95 to £25 and are of high quality.

The Blue Bell

West Green

Cottingham

East Yorkshire

HU16 4BH

Phone: 01482 847 113

Garbo's Bar & Grill, Hull

On the site of the former Mint, the building has been totally refurbished and transformed to become a new and luxurious socialising venue. A complete re-design of the layout includes a mezzanine gallery floor for a special dining experience, parties of all occasions, even cocktail masterclasses. This floor also features a private dining room for more intimate occasions such as birthday's, anniversaries etc. 

The main ground floor has been extensively re-designed to a high specification including luxury toilet facilities in the basement area. Light lunches from the Bar and Grill available throughout the day, Main meals in the evening from 5 pm.

I thought Garbo's was just yet another bar in old town but to my surprise they had a vast choice of food from their various menu's. We arrived on Sunday around 1 pm and was immediately greeted by the staff. We choose a stunning secluded booth and we were offered 2 menu's, one Sunday special menu which had 1 or 2 course choices and the other menu was their normal lunch menu. 

We were asked if we wanted drinks and they were able to make us Mocktails (cocktail without the alcohol). Our server/waitress was called Kirsty and she was very polite and well mannered. 

When ordering food I opted for the soup of the day which was spicy beef & tomato which came with a bread roll & butter. The soup was crimson red with highlights of shredded beef and the bread served warm with the butter slightly melted. The starter did exactly what is said on the tin (pun not intended) it was indeed flavorsome, spicy and the texture wasn't too chunky. 

For my main course I chose the Crab & Cucumber in Ciabatta bread and my partner chose the Sunday lunch with gammon as a the choice of meat. The crab was mixed with mayonnaise with sliced cucumber layered on top. The Ciabatta bread was served warm and the crab was amazing, to be honest i expect it to be chopped up seafood sticks but it was actual crab in my sandwich. The texture was spot on and had a great crab to mayonnaise ratio. 

The food was served on a wooden board and came with salad with dressing and rustic ready salted crisps. This is the first time I have been to Garbo's and it's also the first time I have managed to get crab in hull (from a menu). 



My partner ordered the gammon on the Sunday lunch menu and was also served on a wooden board, although it was ideal for my meal I don't think a Sunday lunch should have been presented on a wooden board as it was unsafe to pour the gravy onto the food. But other then that, the gammon was juicy and the fresh veg was nice and crunchy. It was served with both roast potatoes and mash potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. 

Unfortunately we were too full for desserts so next time we visit we'll try not to eat as much and provide you with some feedback for their dessert selection.

For me I like a good eating place that has nice toilets that are clean, tidy and sparkling which Garbo's provides. The decor in Garbo's is very fancy and has a high standard of cleanliness. Based on my first experience here I would urge you to try it out and Garbo's is suitable for children during the day. 

Lowgate
Corner of Silver Street
Old Town
Kingston upon Hull
HU1 1JG

Tel: 01482 225075
Email: info@garbosbar.co.uk

Opening Times

Closed Monday
11 am – late Tuesday – Sunday 

Alishaan Tandori & Balti Restaurant, Cottingham

Situated in the heart of Cottingham Alishaan opened back in 1998 and is now a popular hot spot for local Indian cuisine. In 2013 Mr Salik, of the Tandoor Mahal and Zaffran restaurants, has come on board to maintain the high quality of food and service as the new business partner. Whether it is a mild chicken korma or a hot vindaloo, there is something to cater for every taste. The fully-licensed and air conditioned restaurant has a loyal customer base and is well-known in Cottingham and beyond.

Last night I visited the restaurant to take advantage of their fantastic 4 course meal of just £10.95, this consists of poppadoms to share, a starter, main and to finish fresh coffee with cream. The restaurant is spacious, cosy and the lighting is perfect for setting to the mood for a romantic meal. Every table is presented very well with specially folded napkins and polished cutlery. The staff/owners are well dressed (shirt and tie), polite and they find the time to make sure that everything is OK for you. 


On arrival we were shown to a table for two which was nicely presented, we were given both menus one for the 4 course deal and one for the main menu. We were asked without delay what drinks we would like and if we would like any poppadoms to start with whilst decide on our choices. The poppadoms came with a selection of three of different sauces and one pot of diced onion mix.

I had decided to start with the Chicken Tikka starter and to follow the Chicken Balti, my partner ordered the starter of Homemade Onion Bhaji and to follow the Chicken Rogan Josh. As an extra treat we decided to order one their homemade Garlic Naan Breads. Whilst waiting for our food there was Indian music playing in the background which added to the atmosphere and made us look forward to our food even more.

The Chicken Tikka starter was vibrant in colour, a bright red marinade sauce which was cooked on a skewer and served with lettuce, cucumber and a lemon wedge. The chicken was fresh and the taste was delicious, it was juicy, mouthwatering and was difficult to share. The homemade Onion Bhaji's were also fresh and tasty, they were crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, they also went very well with the sauces from the poppadoms that we asked to stay on the table. 

Not long after we finished the starters the waiter cleared our table and asked if we were ready for our mains, without hesitation we said yes. Considering there were only two of us, a trolley full of food came to our table. Our meals were placed onto hot plates in the centre of the table and we were handed fresh cutlery and warm plates. 

The food was absolutely spectacular and the portion sizes did not fail to impress, the Chicken Balti was bursting with freshness and full of aromatic spices. The Garlic Naan was soft and airy and the rice was light and fluffy. The chips we ordered where lightly done and soft in the middle. After we indulged ourselves with Indian food and couldn't fit any more in, we finished the night off with fresh coffee & cream which also came with a chocolate mint. We were also handed individual hot towels for our hands and face and we were offered top ups for our coffee.

The bill came to £29.85 including drinks and extras and overall the visit was great. Needless to say that this Indian restaurant is value for money and I urge you to visit. Let me know of your experiences by commenting at the bottom of this page and feel free to share your pictures. 

Thank you for reading,

Danny Magee

ALISHAAN 

205 Hallgate, Cottingham,

Hull 

HU16 4BB

T : 01482 847032

www.alishaanrestaurant.co.uk

The Cross Keys Inn, Cottingham

The Cross Keys Inn

A Casual Sunday afternoon stroll around Cottingham village ended up with looking for a place to eat. The Cross Keys Inn had been renovated a few months back with great décor so it could meet it's full potential. Having been a regular for a number of years I thought that we would try their food. I have now eaten at this restaurant a number of times and thought it was time to share my thoughts and views on the food quality and taste.

On arriving we double checked to see if they were still serving the Sunday lunch as we arrived around 5pm and most places stop serving Sunday lunch quite early around the Cottingham village. We were handed the menu and was told what they had and haven't got and was told to chose our own table and the server would follow suite. We ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail called Mickey Mouse, a pint of Coke with ice and lemon and a mocha that came with sugar cubes and a biscuit on the side. Free of charge the table received a decanter of water with ice and a lime wedge which was great for after the meal.

The Sunday menu has a number of items on it were you can select from a 1 course meal to a 2 course meal either having a starter or a dessert and on this occasion I opted for the 2 course meal. To start I ordered tempura battered chicken goujons with a sweet chilli dip accompanied by a side salad to share. The home made tempura was light and crispy and the chicken was moist and succulent, the sweet chilli dip had a spicy kick to it, but then the sweetness followed through so it wasn't too overpowering.

For our main meal we decided to have the Sunday lunch with choices of either beef, gammon or 1/2 roast chicken, when given the menus we were made aware that the roast chicken had been popular that day and unfortunately they had only but one left, this was not an issue as they had other choices of meats to choose from. I ordered the beef and my partner ordered the gammon, we had a choice between having mash potato or roast potatoes, but us being us we asked for both half and half which the waiter implied it wouldn't be any bother to have.

Not long after the starter of the tempura chicken goujons our main meal arrived without having to wait a long time, the portion sizes were great and there was definitely enough food to go around. The beef was juicy and not over done, it even had a slight pink colour in the middle which was perfect and the gammon was full of flavour. As advertised on the menu the gravy was in fact a meaty gravy which had the richness from the meat juices, the selection of vegetables, broccoli, white cabbage and carrot was great too. The only downside from the main meal was that the roast potatoes were under-cooked, anemic and couldn't get the fork into them.

Finally to finish the visit we had shared a slice of chocolate fudge cake (which was more then big enough for 2 people) which was accompanied with vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce. This went down a treat and was worth the extra £2 to make it a 2 course meal.
The cross keys Inn has plenty of seating and room for family outings, they have extended the smoking area around the back which now has more seating and still has a big car park.

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Based on other occasions of visiting the Cross Keys Inn for food this had to be one of the best experiences so far. The Sunday menu is definitely worth the money and is available for children too at a lower price, I can also say that we will be coming back for the Sunday lunch and hope this review is useful for you, thanks for reading! & enjoy your visit.

TheFoodCritic



www.facebook.com/cross.keysinn.7

• 94 Northgate
• HU16 4EH Cottingham, United Kingdom
• The Cross Keys Inn is located near the centre of Cottingham Green opposite the petrol station.