Well, I finally did it. I broke free of the shackles of late arrival and the cut loose from the ties of apathy. I went out for dinner. Admitedly, I did have a considerable motivation; I had picked up a colleague from the airport before travelling down and quite frankly couldn't suffer apologising for two nights in the hotel bar because I am usually too lazy to drive 20 minutes.
So, this time I did my research, I booked ahead and my foreign companion and I found ourselves wandering into The Castle Hotel on a very barmy late Summer evening. The restaurant in The Castle is called BRAZZ (please note the capitals which sounds like they are trying a little too hard if you ask me) and we were suprised when after walking through the lovely Norman Castle frontage, we entered a very modern, stark, dinning hall complete with fish wall at one end and wierd paintings-that-are-really-just-splodges, which every modernist affectionardo must 'absolutely love dhaaarling'.
As the small talk continued, I kept a wary eye on the menu, it seemed suspiciously tasty and nothing like the previous night. As you know, I try to keep well clear of chips when out on business as too much deep frying is bad for the marriage. However, on this occasion I decided that if I played safe with my first course I could indulge on the second. Therefore a tomato and basil soup was served up to me with haste. I have to say, this was delicious, deep tomato flavour was drizzled with the perfect basil oil accompaniment. A great success.
It was with a light heart then that I received the board which carried a whole grouse for my main course. I love game, and I don't just mean in the American street sense. Word.
Look at it. I'm remembering eating it right now. The grouse was lovely; strong with game flavour and with plenty of meat on the bird. I suspect it was deep fried, or roasted in lots of terribly unhealthy fat at the very least and the chips were crispy, salted and quite delicious. The toasty bit to the right was like a sloppy pate, I'm sure there is a proper name for it but I just know it as quite nice. The salad was, well, a salad. A salad that was thankfully totally unlike this salad.
So, a solid recommendation for BRAZZ, despite the over-enthusastic capitalisation. If you are in the area, there will be plenty for you to enjoy; the good food, the Norman Castle, the modernist decoration within the Norman Castle (if that's your thing) and the unexpectedly naked ladies in the first floor mens toilet. As I said, plenty to enjoy.
http://www.the-castle-hotel.com/brazz.php
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