Middletons: Small plates, big flavours on new Peterborough restaurant menu

Well it is one that certainly applies to the new “small plates” menu launched last week at Peterborough city centre’s Middletons Steak House and Grill.

It’s a place I have visited a couple of times since it opened in Bridge Street in 2017.

It is big, spacious and comfortable, the smells are enticing and the service always friendly. Very welcoming.

After a fabulous (in terms of quantity, quality and value for money) family meal there a couple of months ago, I was itching for another excuse to go back.

The new menu introduction fitted the bill nicely.

There’s about a dozen options, if you include the rib and wing variations, and you can buy them individually or in a combination of two (£10.95), four (£20.95) or six (£29.95).

Another great thing is that they are wonderful for sharing – and with three children at the table a chance for them to try something different, and grab a mocktail, of course.

In all, we ordered nine small plates and I guess the fact that they were all cleared speaks volumes.

We had a little wait, for them all to come together, which was a cause for a little excitement and a lot of chatter at the table.

This soon stopped once the food arrived.

No surprise that the younger diners headed straight for the ribs and wings – a bowl each of sticky barbecue sauce, garnished with crispy onions, and sichuan bang bang, a little spicier garnished with sesame (both £7.75).

The handwipes came in very handy as what appeared to be competition to build the biggest pile of bones got under way.

I got a little look in and they were indeed meaty, sticky, sweet, spicy and smoky.

There was a difference of opinion as to whether they could have handled the “spiky Korean.” One for next time perhaps.

The nicely crisped, breadcrumbed calamari, with a lovely garlic mayo and a squeeze of lemon, was another winner (£7.95). So too the king prawns, cooked in an an amazing tomato sauce.

I was intrigued by the croquettes, a firm breadcrumb coating but a mushy braised beef and bechamel filling oozing out. Delicious with a moreish smoky mayo (£7.95).

Surprisingly good were the skewered lamb kofte, a favourite from visits to the city’s Turkish restaurants over the years and certainly comparable in terms of taste. They were nice and meaty, resting on a hard-to-resist garlic-rich tzatsiki (£7.50).

My favourite, and something I ordered out of curiosity, was the king scallops (£10.50).

They came resting in a shell having been baked in blue cheese sauce, topped with parmesan and bacon crumb. I am not a blue cheese lover but what a flavour combination this was.

I couldn’t tempt the youngsters although they helped themselves to the finely sliced apple and watercress salad, and the crostini was broken up and put to good use mopping up sauces and dips from plates.