Mel is moved by Rosylee's Brownie

If there's one thing I do love it's a good pudding. So imagine my excitement when Rosylee invited me to a complimentary dinner to sample their fresh new menu (including the mother of all desserts, the chocolate brownie!).

The restaurant itself was positively buzzing with energy when I arrived. Before I even got inside the seated terrace was packed! The sun had decided to grace us with its presence (for once) so everyone was soaking up the rays. I can imagine myself spending plenty of time sipping cocktails there this summer!

Inside I was very impressed with the decor, a black and white theme with marbled tabletops, fairy lights and booth seating. It was all very modern and fresh without coming off as cliché.

The bar area is separate from the seated restaurant which I always feel is a nice touch, it allows you the freedom to move from one area to another. Having a nosy at all the beautiful cocktails being ordered was also a highlight as I'm never sure what to drink! If you are in the mood for only cocktails there is actually a jazz bar upstairs too, perfect for relaxing. In the end I sampled the Rosylee Fizz, which was prosecco with lychee and wow what a flavour. It lived up to its fizz name.

With the meal I also opted for the "Mocktail" homemade lemonade with strawberries, if you could bottle the taste of summer then that would be it. Definitely one I'd recommend if you don't want to go down the cocktail route.

Perusing the menu there was a lot I loved the look of, largely because they use an INKA oven - BBQ indoors!

I'd heard very good things about these so I dived in and ordered the Prawn Skewers with Sweet Chilli Sauce as a starter. The taste really reminded me of a charcoal barbeque, the prawns were soft and meaty but had a gorgeous slightly charred exterior. The seasoning was on point, a bit sweet, a bit citrus, a bit peppery, amazing.

Next was the mains and I had an even tougher time deciding here! The menu is laid out in a very simplistic style so you can mix and match and there's a big emphasis on sharing meals and traditional British dishes. The specials board is bursting with fresh, seasonal produce such as, wild mushroom soup and paprika popcorn, if you fancy something different.

After a lot of deliberation and some help from our excellent waitress, I chose a dish from the INKA grill menu, Barnsley Lamb Chop. With the grill menu you get to choose two sides which I think is a really great idea as I don't always want what's prescribed to me. Being a bit weird I went for the roasted vegetables and chips. But I always say you can tell a lot about a restaurant by its chips!

The lamb chop was probably one of the best lamb chops I've ever had. The INKA oven makes such a huge difference to how the meat tastes. So very tender, juicy and smoky. If only I could get one for myself! The sides were the perfect complement to the lamb but I'd probably avoid chips next time, they were delicious but far more fitting with a steak and gravy! Portion sizes were spot on too, generous enough so even greedy people like me feel satisfied.

Finally, we get to dessert. Now the first half of the meal was fantastic but do not underestimate me when I say these desserts are incredible! The new Executive Head Chef, Chris Byron (designer of the new menu and all other restaurants within the group) has a very definite sweet tooth which comes across in full force with the dessert menu.

The Chocolate Brownie seemed to be the clear winner of the night, everyone around me was raving about it. But there was another option that drew me in and I just had to order the Dessert Sharer (for myself). A little mini taste of every handmade dessert on the menu. For journalism reasons of course.

It was so worth it! It includes 5 desserts, Chocolate Brownie, Eton Mess, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Lemon Posset and Sticky Toffee Pudding. For me, the chocolate brownie and the sticky toffee pudding were the ones that really stood out. The chocolate brownie was made using crushed amoretti biscuits which added a lovely crunch to the gooeyness of the chocolate. The sticky toffee pudding was very light and spongy with a hint of spices. My least favourite was the lemon posset as it was very tart but it worked quite well as a palate cleanser. The great thing about the Dessert Sharer is you get a taste for everything and it still all works together as a whole. There's a wonderful contrast between flavours and textures.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Rosylee. It's really refreshing to see a restaurant with such a laid back atmosphere, offering such high quality food and amazing service. I will be back for more and I will be eating all the chocolate brownie I can!

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Posted: Thursday 11th June 2015
ID: 10730 - 1346