Erics, which only opened last Friday is situated on Lidget Street in the lovely village of Lindley. We had noticed a lot of building work going on a couple of weeks ago so we’re already intrigued to find out what other restaurant would open up in this area. Although there are plenty of other food establishments in the area, we missed having Vanilla around so soon as we saw the ‘open’ sign, we booked a table for Wednesday at 8pm. Lindley is a busy area on weekends but there is a car park down the road near Holly Bank or there is also street parking available.
 
When we stepped into the restaurant we were greeted by our waitress downstairs who took us upstairs to the main dining area and we were quite surprised to find the place full of atmosphere. There was soft background music and the chatter of other diners but it wasn’t too noisy in a cosy room with exposed walls and beams with contemporary decor and lighting. We were quickly given the menus and left to view the wine menu which was vast but they also offered unusual beers and ciders, including organic ones. Our drinks orders were taken and arrived quickly but there was no offer of any complimentary water.
 
The main menu was concise but varied with everything for the carnivore to seafood lovers and vegetarians amongst us. Prices for starters range from £4 to just over £7, whilst main ranged from £10 - £19.50. I opted for the braised pigs cheeks with black pudding and toffee apple, whilst my companion chose the partridge with blue cheese and pears for our starters. They arrived quickly and looked beautifully presented. The pigs cheeks were gorgeous and I could have eaten a plate full of them with ease as they were melt in the mouth tender and the rest of the dish complimented it very well. The partridge was very well cooked but my fellow diner was a bit unsure about blue cheese, though I thought a blue cheese lover would have appreciated the dish more.

Our mains arrived reasonably quickly too. I had ordered venison with creamy cabbage, fondant potato in a prune and Armagnac sauce whilst my companion ordered the fillet of beef with horse radish mash, roasted tomatoes. Again both mains looked and smelt great and the portions were both fairly generous as the vegetables came separately from the mains. All components of my dish was sublime and the fillet of beef was ‘one of the best bit of beef’ my fellow diner had eaten in a long time and the mash was amazing. Even the vegetables tasted great! We couldn’t fault anything.

We had a quick nosey at the dessert menu and found the style of the dessert were the same as the starters and mains, unusual combinations ranging from pumpkin and chestnut tart to Grand Mariner crème brulee. Again these were reasonably priced from £4 -£6. But we thought the cheese board looked good which had a wide variety of local cheeses and filled up most of the dessert menu.
I had a quick visit to the ladies and though small, it was clean and well kept though there would be problems for disabled diners as they were upstairs. But even getting into the restaurant to the ground floor level would cause problems as there were a couple of steps to contend with before you could get in.
Whilst the service was generally good throughout the meal, it was a little slow when we wanted to pay so we had to go downstairs to find a waitress. We also had a quick chat with the chef who asked us if we enjoyed our meals, checked the restaurant wasn’t too warm or cold for us and asked us for our opinion. He was a lovely guy and very friendly.

Total price of the meal for two, including two starters and two mains came to £47.70 and 3 bottles of cider and 2 cokes came to £13.20 and I would have to say, it was worth every penny.
Generally the restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, not too stuffy or formal and perfect for a romantic dinner for two or a celebratory meal with friends and family. Basically it’s perfect for if you want to feel special and fancy a treat that’s not going to blow the bank. It’s a welcome addition to Lindley and I know I’ll be back again and can’t wait to try out more of their food!
 

Visit their website: www.ericsrestaurant.co.uk

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