Out For Dinner At Bang In Belper
Published On Sunday 2 Jul 2023 by Sticky Beak
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We were in the eye of a social storm: BB and I had returned from seeing P!nk in concert but TBW wasn’t hooking up with us all until the following day. So, we had a moment to catch our breath, but none of us could be bothered to cook; what to do? Only one thing for it, really, and that was to ring round for a table somewhere fairly local to eat. Thankfully, The Man Bird managed to bag us a reservation at Bang in Belper – we’d been meaning to go there for ages, and this seemed the perfect opportunity 😊.
Bestie is becoming quite the girl-about-town in Belper, having only been there the week before when we were having a girls’ night out, and she was excited to see more of the town. His Nibs parked nearby and we crossed the road to see what Bang had got to offer. Bang is a brilliantly quirky venue that offers a great selection of street-food inspired dishes and a changing-weekly selection of craft beverages that, in owner Andrew’s words, “make it seem like we have our own beer fests on-site”. Oooops, TBW was going to be seriously miffed when he discovered we’d been here without him #sorrynotsorry
Bang is an open plan space with dark walls, pale flooring and a mix-n-match variety of wood tables and farmhouse style chairs. A medley of prints and original art hang on the walls and there’s some great tunes in the background to add to the already happy, chilled vibe that makes Bang so conducive to eating, drinking and socialising 😊.
The Man Bird had a pint of Moretti (despite all the craft ones on offer!) and BB and me both went for large glasses of White Rioja, and there’s also a take-out option available if you’ve discovered a craft tipple that you can’t possibly live without! How nifty is that?!
With drinks going down nicely, we all turned our attention to the menu. The Man had originally settled on that weeks’ special the ‘Big Maco Taco’ with fries and salad (£14), but changed his mind and ordered the NYC Bangin’ Burger instead (£14). I had spied the Kebab section straightaway and went for the Jerk spiced option, but requested a half-and-half option of Chicken and Halloumi as I couldn’t decide; BB also opted for this, but she added a side order of loaded fries with spicy BBQ sauce (£5.50). Not to be out-done, I had another look at the menu and ordered the Asian Cabbage side salad (£6); His Nibs sat back and formulated his plan to pinch some of our goodies later on!
All the food is cooked fresh-to-order in the kitchen at the rear of the bistro, but we didn’t have long to wait before the lovely lass was placing our plates before us. Andrew had also kindly sent out a quintet of Chicken and Vegetable Gyoza (steamed Chinese dumplings, £6) for us to sample, complete with Bang’s special Soy Sesame Dipping Pot 😊. His Nibs and I love Gyoza, so we wasted no time in chomping at them; BB showed a little more delicacy and nibbled at her first one, before discovering that she really did like them and ramped up the munchy speed!
I’ve had some Kebabs in my time, but I think that the Garlic and Coriander Naan that served as the base here is among the biggest I’ve had; and it was absolutely laden with toppings! Mixed salad leaves, a crunchy Pineapple Salsa, juicy Sweetcorn kernels,lip-tinglingly spicy Jerk sauce and large pieces of moist Chicken Breast and Halloumi got (literally!) juiced up when I squeezed the wedge of charred, fresh Lime over them all, before picking up my cutlery to begin the gastro assault. My palate got the full impact of a symphony of flavours and textures as they washed over it, and I grinned in total joy 😊. As well as tasting fantastic, BB and I both said how beautiful the (already colourful) Kebabs had looked, sprinkled liberally with fresh herbs for even more visual appeal.
Whilst I was continuing my multi-sensory food journey with the Miso Soy Sesame- dressed Chickpea, Cashew, Quinoa, Red Cabbage, Broccoli, Carrot, Onion, Coriander, and Toasted Seed minx of the Asian Cabbage Salad, BB and The Man were digging in to the large bowl of Cheese, Jalapeno and Crispy Onion-topped Fries, licking their fingers clean of the wickedly spicy BBQ sauce that had been liberally poured over it all.
His Nibs was properly smitten with his NYC Burger, especially the 7-day brined, 12 hour slow-cooked Salt Beef that was the star of this show! Forget your usual squished, seasoned-for-the-masses burgers; this marvellously tender beauty leaves them eating her dust with the depth of flavour she packs 😊. Red Onion, Sauerkraut and Cheese Slices get the Yankee party started, but it’s the Pickled Gherkins, Mozzarella, Mayo and American Mustard that seal the deal, and everything is snuggly housed in a lightly toasted Bagel. If you like things done right with your burger then this is Bang on the money (no pun intended, but it’s a good ‘un, no?!).
Andrew and his team checked we were enjoying our food, though, given the murmurs and sighs of happiness that were coming from our table, I think they already had their answer 😊! Our tummies were pretty full thanks to the generous portion size at Bang, and BB and me both said we weren’t going to have dessert…. that was, until we spotted the board showcasing the ‘Cheesecake of the Day’.
The Black Board proudly proclaimed that Salted Caramel Blondie (£4.50) was that days’ choice of sweet treat, and there was no way that we weren’t grabbing a slice of that sweet action! Despite our enthusiasm, we are old enough and wise enough to know that we were going to have to share a slice between us, leaving The Man to have a wedge all to himself. One of my big gripes is when you get a cheesecake base that’s just too firm – you end up clattering the cutlery against the bottom of your plate (making other diners turn and look, which I hate) just to get it to cut. Thankfully, Chef at Bang appreciates the finer details and ensures that his morsel has a perfectly mid-soft base that cuts easily without shattering into a million useless crumbs, and one that wasn’t overly sweetened 😊. The sweetness was left to the indulgent chunks of Salted Caramel Blondie that adorned the silky, pleasingly dense body of the Cheesecake. This was really, really nice end to the meal.
Before we left, BB purchased a couple of Craft Beers for TBW; she’s a good wifey, isn’t she? 😊. Including the 4 pints that were heading The Bolton Wanderer’s way, our total bill came to £101.80 which we all thought was good value for the quality and quantity of food and drink that we’d enjoyed. Service had been spot-on all evening and the venue is lovely, so safe to say that Hot Wings are given to this independent Belper eaterie/bar 😊.
Dogs are welcome at Bang in Belper and there’s a couple of jars of treats for them on the counter, so they won’t feel left out whilst you sup and munch away! Bang is closed Monday and Tuesday and opens 4pm-11pm on Wednesday, then Thursday-Sunday opens Midday-11pm. To book a table ring 01773 434310 or visit the website www.banginbelper.com for more information.
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