Eat My Words: We review The Slanted Door in Stamford

Restaurants which proclaim to be offering a fine dining experience can often be daunting.

A menu full of unrecognisable dishes listed out ingredient-by-ingredient with fancy food lingo and miniscule portions for a hefty price tag - usually I would rather have a burger down the pub.

But The Slanted Door in Stamford has got the balance just right.

It’s not pretentious yet it has a sophisticated atmosphere and although the menu is brimming with unique dishes, the ingredients are recognisable and don’t sound like they’ve been made up.

It was after hearing rave reviews about the fine dining and cocktail restaurant, that I decided on it as the location for a mum-and-daughter lunch.

On the day of dining we had arrived in town about half-an-hour before our lunchtime reservation so decided to try our luck and see if we could grab a drink at The Slanted Door’s bar.

Unfazed by our premature arrival, a member of staff welcomed us in with a smile and showed us straight to our table which was located in the upstairs restaurant.

A handful of menus were placed in front of us and we turned our attention straight to the cocktails. There were classics including a margarita and cosmopolitan as well as concoctions which sounded more like desserts such as the sherbert lemon martini and a strawberry and lemon vodka cheesecake.

I probably should be more adventurous when it comes to cocktails but when there’s a pornstar martini on offer it’s rare I would choose anything else. The Slanted Door’s pornstar was tasty but not the best I’ve had. It lacked a smoothness and was a bit on the tart side.

Proving that trying something new pays off, it was my mum Tina’s cocktail which stole the show.

‘Hari’s bubbles and berries’ is a blend of citrus vodka, cassis, marinated berries, homemade sours and champagne topped with a block of dry ice.

The showstopping cocktail arrived with a swirling cloud and continued to bubble until it had almost all been slurped up.

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For food we chose a selection of six small plates and, with cocktail glasses now empty, opted for a delightful bottle of extra dry bubbly to wash it down with.

Each dish was immaculately presented with swipes of sauces and sprigs of herb adding to the aesthetic.

Taking first place out of the six dishes was the tuna nigiri with crispy rice, fresh wasabi, nori dressing and yuzu mayo. The components of the dish complimented each other perfectly in both flavour and texture.

It wasn’t my choice to order the Thai chicken skewers as in all honesty, I thought they sounded a bit boring - but how wrong I was.

Smothered with mango chutney, drizzled with a Thai green curry mayo alongside a sprinkling of peanuts, the explosion of flavours surprised me in the best way.

The Gruyere cheese croquette with chorizo jam and apricot ketchup makes my stomach rumble just thinking about it and the parmesan fries with truffle mayo gave us our chip fix.

The dish I thought would be my favourite - the beef sliders with Monterey jack cheese, spicy mayo and braised tomatoes - actually ranked last. We both agreed the slider was delicious but not on the same level as the rest of the dishes.

Six small plates - which are part of a deal of three for £27 - were the perfect amount, and left us feeling sufficiently full.

The Slanted Door, which was opened by brothers Oliver and Joseph Regis in 2020, is definitely a new favourite restaurant of mine.

Out of five:

Drink: Plenty of choice when it comes to drinks with a brilliant selection of cocktails and wine. ****

Decor: The upstairs restaurant, which has a mix of floral wallpaper, a carpeted floor chandelier-style lights, felt slightly like a living room. When the restaurant filled up, some of the tables felt a bit too close together and I had to really tuck in my chair. ***

Staff: The two waitresses who served us were friendly and answered all of our questions about the menu with a smile. ****

Price: In total this meal cost us £102.45. Getting the cocktails, which were both just shy of £10 each, as well as a bottle of bubbly was a treat. The food is on the pricier side but I am happy to pay more once in a while for an outstanding meal as a special treat. ****

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