If you know me then you know I adore food. I’m the person who asks if there’s going to be food when I’m invited to a party and Google’s the menu before I go to any restaurant to decide what I’m eating for when I get there. You could say, I love food more than anything in the world… OK, tad dramatic but cook me a good meal and I’m all yours.
This past weekend, I’ve been down south in Warwickshire visiting friends to basically eat food, drink wine and do absolutely nothing. My favourite kind of weekend. On Saturday night, we decided to go to a restaurant in Warwick called the Dough & Brew and my God, their food is to die for.
Dough & Brew opened back in 2016 and claims to ‘bring something different to Warwick whilst giving a relaxed atmosphere for people to enjoy great food’, which they’ve pretty much nailed. We had booked our table for just before 9 pm so we arrived a little earlier to fit a brightly coloured cocktail in before we ate. I chose a Pornstar Martini (My go-to cocktail) and it was deeeelicious, honestly, you know when something is just so good you never want it to end? It was like that. If you don’t know what a Pornstar Martini is (Where have you been??), it’s a mix of Absolut Vanilla Vodka, passoa, passion fruit juice & a prosecco shot on the side – Some of the best things in life. They have a huge list of cocktails and mocktails available, as well as a ridiculous range of ales (Clues in the name), so you would never be stuck for a drink.
As you now know, I completely vetted the menu before I went so before I got into the taxi there, I was ready to order. For my starter, I went for the Roasted King Prawns (First choice anywhere I go) which are cooked in either garlic butter, chilli oil or a lemon & herb butter. I opted for the chilli oil, which was stupid really because I’m rubbish with spice but through the tears, they were perfect prawns. We also ordered a portion of Bruschetta which was gorgeous. Sourdough bread, garlic, tomatoes & shallots marinated in aged balsamic vinegar, extra virgin oil & a touch of truffle oil. How could we not?
Moving onto the mains, when you read the menu at the Dough & Brew, you’ll notice their pizzas aren’t traditionally named but you’ll recognise them if you’re up on your pop culture. Just to give you an example, we were handed the specials menu which listed some delicious sounding pizzas called, Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, Geoffrey (I think you can see where this is going) and finally, Fresh Prince. Expect to see Brad and Angelina making an appearance. While others went for a pizza (Which I was told were incredible), I decided to order the Mac’n’Cheese Pot with crayfish and a side portion of Sweet Potato Fries.
Reading that the mac’n’cheese was six different kinds of cheese blended together to make the cheese sauce, I thought it would be better for my health to opt for the side dish version of the pot. I need room for my sweet potato fries anyway – I know, I know, carb overload. Tell me about it *enter eye roll emoji here*. OK, so if you’ve been reading my blog posts, you might have noticed that I get a little excited about things and can get a bit overdramatic, however, what I’m about to say about the Mac’n’Cheese Pot is 100% accurate and I have people to vouch for it. I don’t know if it’s the six different cheeses, the touch of truffle oil or freshly cooked macaroni pasta but Dough & Brew’s mac’n’cheese is the BEST I’ve ever had. Hand on heart, I’ve never had anything like it before and I’m still daydreaming about it now writing about it. It was creamy, rich, beautifully cooked and the crayfish added another element to it which solidified the fact I was never having mac’n’cheese without crayfish again.
By 11 pm, I was in a food coma, complete with a belly full of heavenly carbs and three gin and tonics, so pudding was out of the question, no matter how tempting the waffle toppings were (Peanut butter, salted caramel, Nutella… I can’t talk about it, it’ll just make me depressed).
All in all, my first experience at the Dough & Brew was excellent. Along with the food being some of the best I’ve eaten, the music was right up my street, the decor gave off a relaxed, kind of cool and hip (Hate that word but it’s true) vibe and the staff were absolutely lovely. They use locally sourced ingredients where possible and focus heavily on flavour, which is apparent in the dishes they serve, most of which have a gluten-free option and their drink selection is perfect if you want to just stop by for a pint or cocktail.
Right, I’m going to continue nursing my food baby and book in my next gym class. If you’re ever in Warwick, make sure you do pop into the Dough & Brew if you’re looking for somewhere to go with your friends to eat fantastic food and get the nice tipsy kind.
Thank you so much for reading my first restaurant review, I loved writing this and I hope to write more like it in the future, so if you have any places that you love to eat at, let me know!
Sarah x
Recommended:
Learn how to make my go-to blueberry muffins here.