Eat My Words: We review the Balloon Bar at Belvoir Castle’s Engine Yard in Grantham

When I heard the Balloon Bar at Belvoir Castle’s Engine Yard was reopening, I was thrilled.

My friends and I have often used the Engine Yard as a location to meet for brunch or lunch midway between our homes in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, and we had often remarked that we should give the bar - always closed on our previous visits - a go. We had never had the chance before it closed.

But on Friday (February 7), it reopened, offering a new menu featuring an array of cocktails - my drink of choice - and tapas. I was invited to give it a go and was only too happy to accept the invitation.

The bar has certainly retained its quirky look. As you enter, there’s a woodland-themed entry passageway with tables before you find yourself in the bar, with beautiful balloons hanging from the ceiling - and an array of love hearts and pink and red heart decorations in time for Valentine’s Day.

Each of the booths is even themed as balloons with ropes hanging them from the ceiling, and, behind the bar, the Engine Yard’s name is brought to life with cogs and pipes. It’s a picture perfect venue for Instagram.

Staff, including manager Luke Ball, are extremely friendly and attentive and quickly showed my friend Emma and I to a booth, where we perused the menu. The tapas selection is small but perfectly formed - and everything looked delicious. On the server’s advice, we opted for four dishes to share - Teriyaki salmon skewers, red pepper arancini with aioli, chicken wings with truffle mayo and beetroot and goat’s curd - and Emma also asked for some pork scratchings.

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There’s an extensive drinks menu but the cocktails really are the star of the show. As we were both driving, we opted for a Babylini mocktail to start and it was beautifully presented, in a champagne flute with all the trimmings. For the designated drivers and non-drinkers among you, the mocktails really are impressive - although I wish the menu had a few more, given the rural location of the Engine Yard.

We heard on the night that there might be plans afoot to launch a minibus between some of the neighbouring villages and the bar - and I’m sure, having spoken to a few of our fellow guests on the night, this would be hugely appreciated.

Our food quickly arrived but, in the short time we were waiting, we spotted a fellow diner had a charcuterie board and it looked absolutely delicious. We asked for one of those too and they were only too happy to oblige.

In the meantime, we ordered a cocktail as we were eating. I chose a Castle Bramble, while Emma went for the Garden Spritz. Again, they were delicious. I wouldn’t usually choose a gin but it was fruity and dangerously delicious - dangerous in so much that you could believe it was a mocktail.

The food was beautiful. The salmon skewers were melt in the mouth, the sauce was the perfect accompaniment to the arancini and the chicken wings were crunchy. The star of the show for me though was the beetroot and goat’s curd.

Our charcuterie board arrived quickly with warm toasted bread and an array of cheese and meats. The olives were “too olivey” for Emma’s liking and I didn’t like one of the blue cheeses but otherwise, the entire meal was perfect.

When we’d polished off our food, we opted for another mocktail - this time both choosing a Sunset Cooler. The atmosphere in the bar was too lovely to want to leave - it’s nice for having a quiet chat with your friend but we also got talking to some of our fellow diners and I can imagine, if it had been busier still, the atmosphere would have been even better.

I sincerely hope people choose to support this venue - it really was an amazing night and I can’t wait for my next visit, when I’ll definitely be arriving by taxi.

Out of five:

Food: Small but perfectly formed *****

Drinks: What you’d expect to pay for cocktails of this standard ****

Decor: Unusual decor in keeping with the theme and definitely Instagram friendly *****

Staff: Friendly and attentive ****

Price: We were invited so our visit was complimentary but it was good value for stunning food and drinks and I’d happily pay myself *****

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