D1 and D2 in Nottingham

D1 and D2 are terms that my brother-in-law developed. They stand for Dinner #1 and Dinner #2, and sometimes can continue more than that if the occasion is appropriate. Breakfasts, lunches and brunches work too (B1/B2, L1/L2). He and I share foodie blood and having multiple dinners in one evening is not uncommon for us. We're not fatties, we eat to appreciate!

Friday night was a D1 and D2 kind of night. We took an evening trip to Nottingham after work... back to Robin Hood's neck of the woods. Since TripAdvisor is our best friend, we tried to find nice eateries that were rated high and still had availabilities for a last minute booking.

The first place we went to for dinner was called Keyworth Village Cafe and Bistro. It was a small and quaint restaurant owned and employed by a husband and wife duo. This restaurant was pretty hard to find since it was located in a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. The whole time driving, I thought we were lost because we saw nothing but sheep fields! I didn't get to take a photo, but my husband captured something with his GoPro (will post it soon).

We started the meal off with a Scottish Egg. I had no idea what it was, but my husband insisted that we get it. A Scottish egg is a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage, coated in breadcrumbs and baked. Basically, it's a giant meatball with an egg inside. 

I usually would not go for something like this, but it was actually pretty tasty. The crunchy exterior worked great with the egg.

He ordered the fish over potatoes and I ordered the duck over peas. Both of them were specials of the day. They were decent and fresh with the taste of homemade. It didn't blow our socks off, but was just food that was pretty good. The tough thing about eating really great fine dining is it pushes your view of food to an impossible standard.

We then drove on another 40 minutes through the dark village roads to Nottingham. The next place we went to was called Jam Cafe. It was a very laid-back cafe bar that plays live music and serves pretty good food following by homemade pies and cakes. I would call this a manly man's fine dining. It's not a burger and fries joint, but it has good hearty food with plenty of beer and music. The menu changes daily and is written on a board in chalk, the tables are lined with plaid. Nothing fancy about this place, just kick back and relax.

Cherry Beer and Ale

Goat Cheese Croutons

Wild mushrooms served over toast

Steak, wild mushrooms and asparagus

Grand finale - citrus pie

We then took a short stroll through Nottingham. There was a pretty big nightlife scene with a good number of young people out celebrating Halloween early in costumes at the bars and clubs.

Bellies stuffed and ready to go home. The weekend has just become and more adventures to come! Cheers.