Colourworks – Braunstone Gate, Leicester

Colourworks has proved to be a trickle establishment to review.  I some ways they do a lot of things right but in other ways they do things very wrong…let me explain. 

The restaurant itself is very contemporary, with modern, elegant and stylish interior.  While this creates quite an impact, I personally find it a bit cold and industrial.   The menu had some exciting, original sounding dishes but also some pretty straight forward pasta dishes on it as well. 

The food itself also had its highs and its lows.  My starter was great.  Nice big piece of pork belly served with kale, gravy and an apricot chutney, which despite my initial doubts, did  go well with the dish and brought all elements together.  My friend however ordered the Flambéed King Prawn creamy Thermidor with Parmesan Crisp.  A grand total of four prawns in a cheesy sauce served with a rubbery ‘parmesan crisp’.  Didn’t deliver on flavour or texture and at almost £7 represented very poor value for money.

The main course was nice but just nice.  It didn’t really blow my socks off which I think it probably should seeing as it was nearly £17.  The Baked Seabass was a bit dry due to the Orange and Thyme Bread Stuffing.  The Verouth Cream Sauce was also nice but I found the Red chard bitter and the whole thing needed lifting by a big squeeze of lemon or more of the little tomato garnish it was served with to bring a bit of acidity to the dish to cut through the cream.  If it had cost more like £10 I would have been happy with it but at £16.95 I felt disappointed and didn’t think it good value for money.

The real low light came at desert time.  You may have to sit down for this bit.  I am about to make a shocking revelation!  My friend and I decided to treat ourselves and ordered the ‘Freshly baked Lime Cheese Cake served with a deep intense Blackcurrant Sorbet’ to share.  At £5.45 this is surely going to be the best cheesecake ever?  (I, by the way, love cheesecake.  Any kind, any flavour.  As long as its got has a lovely buttery crunchy biscuit base and a creamy topping you are onto a winner!)  A large slice made its way over to our table.  Racing to pick up my spoon first I positioned the edge it at the ‘sharp end’ of the dessert and pushed down.  My spoon slowly glided through the think creamy topping until eventually it reached the plate.  Yes that’s right.  I said the plate!  I went again. Same!  No biscuit base to be found anywhere.  Noooooooooooo.  Instead, the expected biscuit base had been replaced by…wait for it… a thin layer of sponge!  No crunch, no contrast in flavour, nothing.  Distraught, I showed it to the waitress who just grunted at me not knowing what to say.  She did come back minutes later and explained that because it was a baked cheesecake they use a sponge base as a biscuit one would burn!  Er, I think we both know that’s not true!  Cheated of a true cheesecake experience we left shortly afterwards vowing never to return again in case I seduced once more by the overpriced lime cheesecake, only to find it was a flaming a sponge cake !

I can’t possibly recommend an establishment that serves a cheese cake with a sponge bottom. It’s against my religion but in case your interested the scores are as follows:

Restaurant                                           4/5

Food                                                      3/5
Service                                                  4/5
Value for money                                 2/5

Total                                                      13/20