Finally the much anticipated visit to Jim’s Bistro has happened and in a word, wow! I urge every restaurateur in the area to try out Jim’s and see where you’re going wrong.

As you enter the cosy (ok, small) restaurant you immediately become aware of the lively ambience this place has.  We were all shown to our table  (we’d booked in advance as there was a large group of us) by Kerry and were all soon ordering drinks and browsing the menu.  My only gripe at this point is that the specials menu is written on a mirror which was immediately behind me, making it difficult to read without standing up and walking a couple of feet away, which I did.  No bother really.

I must confess that it has been a couple of weeks since the visit to Jim’s so all I have are a few notes and photos of the food, but I’ll be returning and will re-visit this review!

Starters

I chose Goats Cheese with a Red Pepper Risotto whilst my (fiancée) opted for the Chicken Liver pate with Brioche.
My risotto was wonderfully creamy, with a great hit of red pepper.  The goats cheese was nice, I’m not sure if you can rate goat’s cheese but I enjoyed it.  I’m not a fan of pate so I don’t really feel qualified to critique it, but I was told it was very very good so who am I to argue!

Mains

…if there was ever a place I was going to try a cut of meat like this, it was going to be a restaurant like Jim’s Bistro

We went for the Smoked Haddock and Parmesan Risotto with Poached Egg and a new one on me, Ox cheek which was spied on the special’s menu.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Ox cheek and thought that if there was ever a place I was going to try a cut of meat like this, it was going to be a restaurant like Jim’s Bistro. I’m so glad I ordered it – the meat was so soft and packed with an intense flavour, served with mash and some greens…

Unfortunately this is where my notes ended.  The company and food was too good to be secretly scribbling away plus several drinks had been consumed.  I do remember the Panna Cotta was great, nice texture and lovely flavour, but that’s your lot I’m afraid.

Summary

It’s hard for me to really find any fault with Jim’s Bistro, everything really was that good from the service to the food to the bill! Even the toilets (well the gents anyway) were nicely kitted out with a stack of fresh (real) towels and some choice liquid soaps.  I’m planning on returning shortly with a smaller party so will hopefully be a bit more critical.

Personally, I would recommend Jim’s Bistro for anything from a romantic dinner for two to a larger group – they certainly managed to cater for us lot without fuss.  The menu at Jim’s Bistro is very accessible in that there’s at least a few options for even fussy eaters; If you’re happy to try new things then you’ll be in your element!  The food is probably best described as modern British, maybe modern European.  It’s certainly not poncey – you get decent portions, but you do feel that those in the kitchen have made an effort with each plate of food.

If you’ve eaten at Jim’s Bistro or the Stamford restaurant, Jim’s Yard, I’d love to read your comments!