The Radcliffe, which opened in earlier this year in July boasts a great range of food through their various menus. The venue is the second to be opened following the success of their sister venue which opened a few years ago. When I have visited their other venue, The Railway, Lowdham, I have always been thoroughly impressed with the décor, service and quality of the food that they serve so I was looking forward to my first visit which was in mid-August to try their main menu.

They have a set menu which offers a choice of three starters, mains and desserts that you can choose from for £12.95, £16.95 and £19.95 respectively. We opted to order off the main menu as there was more choice and a few menu items that I wanted to try. The Radcliffe is a light and spacious venue with a high-class finish. It offers many areas for seating for different sized groups. The open pass of the kitchen adds to the warm and friendly atmosphere whilst also being a really interesting feature. They are a great family friendly venue with a well thought out children’s menu also on offer. Further to this, they are dog friendly too.

To start with I went for the sliced Iberico chorizo, hot crispy fried Brie, tomato tapenade, capers and watercress for £6.95. This was a good-sized starter with excellent presentation and each of the elements of the dish had been carefully considered to enhance the flavours and ensuring they worked in unison. The Brie was creamy, warm and mild in flavour with the crisp. The light and golden coating added a brilliant crunch with its Panko like coating and the Brie held together well. The tapenade was sweet to match the flavours of the dish whilst the rich and salty chorizo paired well with the salt of the capers.

For the main course I had roast chicken breast, potato terrine, wild mushroom puree, slow roast tomato and runner beans for £14.95. The roast chicken was moist and tender and the mushroom puree was smooth, creamy and added a bold flavour to the meal. The tomatoes were really sweet and well infused with thyme. The potato terrine was well executed and had multiple wafer-thin layers and appeared to be flavoured with chicken stock. The presentation itself was like that of a boulangère. The main was finished off with a handful of steamed runner beans that still had a slight bite to them.

For dessert I had crème caramel, Starkey’s red fruits and toasted flaked almonds for £6.95. This was rich and creamy with a thick caramel topping. The crunch of the almonds added an extra layer of texture and the sweet strawberries and fresh fruit matched the freshness of the caramel sauce
More recently, I visited The Radcliffe again, but this time to see what offerings they had on their Sunday lunch menu. Once again, the warm vibe of the venue was faultless and they have clearly nailed the hospitality side from the servers at front of house to the chefs in the kitchen who consistency put out well cooked food without ever having too much of a wait time after ordering.

Our orders were taken promptly and a short while later my starter of duck liver parfait arrived, £6.95. The parfait was rich, smooth and refined in texture. The flavours were strong and game like which paired well with the sweetness of the prunes in the chutney and the crisp, toasted sourdough was perfect for spreading the smooth duck parfait onto.
Following this was the roast, the star attraction; the thing that so many restaurants, pubs and cafes offer but very few execute to perfection with so many elements to consider. I ordered the roast rump of beef, £14.95, which was served with roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding, gravy and seasonal vegetables. We also ordered a side of creamed potatoes.

The side of creamed potatoes were creamy and incredibly smooth and light for mash with a light seasoning of salt to enhance the flavours. The beef was extraordinary, there were two good sized slices of beef rump that were served pink, although they do offer the beef served cooked through if you prefer. The meat was incredibly tender and shows the quality of the ingredients that are used throughout their menu. The beef was juicy and full of flavour. The addition of a large carrot that was buttery and sweet contrasted well with the vibrancy of a half roasted red onion that was sharp yet sweet and added to the range and depth of flavours on the plate. The Yorkshire pudding stood out on the plate and was placed with pride, a superb example of a Yorkshire pudding with a crisp and golden outside yet was fluffy and chewy in the centre. There was a good crunch to the beans and the broccoli and cauliflower had been steamed well. The crispy roast potatoes were fluffy on the inside and perfect for soaking up the juices of the rich gravy. I have to say that this is up there with the best of roast dinners and probably the best Sunday dinner I have eaten.

For dessert I had the peanut butter cheesecake, £6.95, with banana caramel, brandy snap and chocolate. A well-constructed dessert with an interesting range of textures and a balance of flavours. The biscuit base was light and crumbly and the cheesecake was creamy and thick. This was contrasted by a salty and sweet peanut butter and a crisp bandy snap on the top.
The first meal reviewed on this write up was paid for by myself. However, the second meal (the Sunday roast) was complimentary as a reward for completing a food parcel challenge for charity earlier in the year. You will see that both parts of the review read with a similar tone and are honest and as descriptive as possible to give you a good idea as to the offerings of this pub.

Address: 64 Shelford Road, Radcliffe On Trent, Nottingham, NG12 1AW.

Phone number: 0115 933 1622

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 11AM till 11PM, Friday and Saturday 11AM till 12AM and Sunday 11AM till 10PM.

Website: https://theradcliffe.uk/