14TH DECEMBER 2015
The Stuffed Olive
I don't think it's any surprise that I'm doing another food post - yum! This particular visit was for a special occasion, my brother's 35th birthday. After a lot of erm-ing and argh-ing we decided that we would try out The Stuffed Olive restaurant which is on 188-192 Wellingborough Road in Northampton. Those of you from Northampton will know this road very well and for those of you that aren't familiar with it, it's just basically a long road that takes you straight into the town centre and filled with restaurant, bar, pubs, takeaways, hairdressers and shops!
I hadn't been here before so it was a new experience to try. We were going on a Tuesday night so didn't expect it to be busy but wen we called they said it would be a good idea to book a table, which was a good thing too because the night did fill out throughout our time there.
The Stuffed Olive isn't a particularly large restaurant but somewhat small and intimate as the lighting is dimmed throughout to set the scene for the evening meal.
Starters
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While we waited for our drinks to be served, they gave us a bowl of olives (mixed green and black with a dressing) and 4 slices of warm bread with an olive and balsamic vinegar drizzle. If im honest it wasn't anything amazing, the olives were hard and I didn't like the taste of the dressing (nandos got them beat on this one lol) and the bread got hard quickly if you didn't eat it as soon as it came out but it was nice to nibble on something before we ordered the food.
Chicken Skewer with Mango Salsa
Breast of chicken prepared on a skewer, grilled and served with a mango salsa
For my starter I had the chicken skewers which had the potential to be so nice but the chicken was bland and no flavour or seasoning. Fair enough there was the mango salsa to compliment it but you shouldn't have to rely on sauce for the main dish to taste nice. However, the presentation was good which made it look delicous.
Pan Fried Lambs Liver
Chunky lamb's liver, pan-fried with caramelised red onion, topped with spring onion, served with a chutney dip
For starters my mum had the lambs liver which personally I am not a fan of or any other organ infact but my mum absolutely loved it and said she would recommend it as a starter and even have it again herself. It was well seasoned and cooked well, I tried a piece but my tastebuds didn't like it but I guess its an acquired taste that you will either love or hate.
Crab and Corn Cakes
Brown & white crabmeat blended with sweetcorn,capsicum and potato, coated in light breadcrumbs, shallow fried & served with a sweet chilli dip
The birthday boy had crab and corn cakes which were delicious! The inside was soft and tender and well seasoned while the outside was lovely and crunchy so the two textures worked really well together and the sweet chilli dip pulled it all together and prevented it from being dry.
Feta cheese, Spinach & Parsley Wrap
Feta cheese mixed with parsley, onion & spinach, deep fried in a filo pastry wrap, served with a paprika & yoghurt dip
My dad had the feta cheese, spinach and parsley wrap for his starter. I personally thought that this tasted okay as feta cheese doesn't have a distinctive taste but it had flavour and was a decent amount not to fill you up before the main arrived. However, my dad didn't really warm towards it, he said that it tasted very bland and has tasted better but once again everyone's tastebuds are different so I guess it depends what you are used to.
Main Course
Panfried Crayfish & Prawns
King prawns and crayfish, panfried mixed with mushroom, sundried tomatoes, baby asparagus spears, soy sauce and a dash of cream served with rice
My main course definitely made up for my stater. I'm a big fan of sea food especially prawns so when I saw this dish with crayfish I knew this was the one for me and I was right. I think it was the sauce that done it for me, I don't know what seasoning they used but the soy sauce mixed with the cream went lovely with the whole dish and the rice was perfectly cooked. I would recommened this dish and would have it over and over again.
Chestnut & Mushroom stuffed Seabass
Fresh filleted sea bass filled with a fresh chestnut & oyster mushroom paste served with root vegetable spaghetti and rice or potatoes
Both my mum and dad had the seabass (mum had it with potatoes/dad had rice). Both of my parents love fish - probably where I get my love of seafood from - so when they saw the seabass it was pretty much case closed lol. My dad isn't too keen on mushroom so was a bit dubious about it but in the end he just scraped it out. My mum loves mushrooms so she ate the whole dish but did peel off the skin as she said it was a bit burnt. The dish as a whole though was tasty but both my parents did add salt and pepper for extra taste.
Slow Roasted Lamb Shank
Shank topped in aubergene served with fresh tomoato gravy sauce, potatoes and grilled vegetables topped with organic butter & served with a mint dip
My brother opted for the lamb shank just because he liked the way it sounded! He was most pleased with his decision though. Not only was it nice and hot a filling but the shanked was well cooked to the point it melted off the bone which made it nice and tender. Well seasoned but added extra salt and pepper to ones own taste but the birthday boy was well satisfied.
Overall
We didn't get any desserts in the end purely because the service that night was so slow. It took them ages to come get our drinks and food order and when we did finally receive the food it then took them even further to clear the plates for the next course. Right to the point where we had to ask for the bill twice and when we did receive it we just had to go to the bar to pay it because they just didn't come over to get it. I was slightly disappointed by this but they are lucky the food made up for it. If the service was up to expectation then it would have made the whole night on a whole wonderful.
The presentation of the food was beautifully presented and thought it was quite unique how the starters were brought out on slate slabes instead of plates.
For more information on The Stuffed Olive, see blow:
Website: http://www.thestuffedolive.co.uk
Bookings: 01604 631631
Facebook: The-Stuffed-Olive-Northampton
Enjoy!
SXFRANKSON xo
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