Life can get so busy these days it’s really hard to find time to catch up with everyone – and it can also get really expensive too with numerous lunches and dinner dates throughout the week. The Dial in Burton on Trent have hit the nail on the head with their Ladies Night menu, 2 courses for just £16.95 every Wednesday, perfect for a mid-week gossip with the girlies…and don’t worry boys, you are allowed in too! I popped down last week with two of my ladies after work for a catch up and a couple of cocktails – we had such a wonderful evening chatting away over lovely food and a bottle of fizz I just had to share. 
Every month The Dial in Burton create a featured cocktail – previous months have included a creamy number served in a whole Easter Egg and a zesty little mix presented in a fish bowl…complete with (plastic) fishies – they’re certainly a creative bunch behind that bar! As summer is on the way this month The Dial have gone all beachy with their Tropical Twist Cocktail (served in a pineapple of course!) – Ciroc Pineapple Vodka, Coconut Liquer, Vanilla Syrup and Pineapple Juice (£7.50) – a drink Spongebob would be proud of! It was so yummy! Really refreshing and of course incredibly fun – just be careful not to poke your eye out on the ‘lid’! 
Two courses from the Ladies Night Menu come in at a really reasonable £16.95, 3 courses £20.95 which for the quality of the food and the surroundings is such a great deal. To start I chose the Cauliflower, Almond and Cheddar Soup which was an unusual choice for me but on that I thoroughly enjoyed – creamy, smooth and perfect for dunking bread and butter into, a really great choice. Paula chose Baked Portobello Mushrooms with Melted Stilton and Herb Crust – a classic combo that came together perfectly on a tangy tomato sauce. Beth opted for Thai Style Fishcakes with Cucumber and Coriander Salad and Sweet Chili Dressing – substituted for crab instead of fish were a lovely change, freshly made and really light, beautiful with a squeeze of lime drizzle over the top. 
By the time we’d finished the delicious starters our pineapples had run dry(!) so we decided to opt for the traditional girls night out tipple – a beautifully chilled bottle of Italian Prosecco (£24.90) which went down a real treat. We were celebrating some exciting news that evening so what better way to toast than with a glass of the fizzy stuff! Tables around us were starting to fill up with other lady diners catching up and clinking away – it was such a lovely atmosphere. 
On to the main course! Beth beat me to it with the Grilled Hake Fillet, Sauteed Greens, Crispy Potaties and a Bloody Mary Sauce – it looked absolutely delicious! Happy to report the hake was perfectly cooked and the sauce left Beth frantically googling Bloody Mary Sauce recipes to recreate at home – beautifully rich without overpowering the fish. For me it was the 6oz Steak, Stroganoff Sauce and Hand Cut Chunky Chips – so naughty! Medium rare throughout it was lovely and that Stroganoff sauce was absolutely delicious, creamy and oh so moreish. The hand cut chips super crispy and fluffy and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole dish, usually Joe goes for steak so I tend miss out – what a treat indeed, i’ll come out with the girls more often!
Paula went for Sweet and Sour King Prawns with Soy Fried Rice with the biggest prawns I’ve ever seen!!! They were served in an almost tempura batter and were incredibly meaty smothered in a tangy sweet and sour sauce. Not something I would have chosen but I was really impressed with this – I’d definitely order this if I saw it on the menu again.
Considering we were all ‘trying to be good’ we certainly fell at the final hurdle when it came to the dessert menu! After exclaiming ‘we’ll have a loooook, but we can’t promise anything’ there were suddenly three orders being placed for puddings before we knew what we were even saying! Paula’s dessert was one of the cutest things I’d ever seen – A Rich Chocolate Pot with Maple Walnut Ice Cream and Praline Crisp. Served in a teacup ever so daintily I didn’t even get a chance to taste this one as it disappeared so quickly – I’m assured it was yummy!
I chose the Bakewell tart with Homemade Vanilla Bean Custard which although looked a little on the tanned side tasted heavenly. The custard was a dream and it was just the right size to satisfy my sweet tooth without being too much. Beth chose a last-minute addition to the menu – a Creme Caramel with Nectarine Sauce which was oh so moreish and indulgent without being too sickly sweet. I love the fact that The Dial change their ladies night menu every week so you’re always in for something different when you arrive – what a perfect excuse to make it a weekly event!
After dessert Beth and I were so full we needed a bit of a pick me up so we ordered two naughty Irish Coffees (£4.95 each) to finish our meal. I’m really not a fan of Irish Coffees made with whipped or aerated cream so this spoiled mine a little for me, but with a couple of extra sugars (clearly not counting calories today!) it was creamy, strong and perfectly enjoyable. 
We were treated to another beautiful cocktail before we left – May’s floral number with Apple Juice, Elderflower and Edible Posies in a Flowerpot (so cute!) before we headed home heads full of gossip and tummies full of yummy food! Such a lovely evening and a fantastic way to catch up with the girls’ in a relaxed setting without breaking the bank. So get your girls together and head down to The Dial for a night of great food and quirky cocktails…and remember, calories don’t count on school nights!
You can take a look at this week’s Ladies Night Menu and book a table on The Dial’s website here. Check out their Facebook Page for the next Cocktail of The Month too!
Where’s your favourite place for ladies night? Would you try The Dial’s cocktail of the month?!
Tweet me @xameliax and let me know! #thedial
xax
The Dial bar restaurant
174/175 Station Street
Burton on Trent
DE14 1BN
* This post is in collaboration with The Dial. All opinions are honest and that of myself and my dinner guests.