Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
fritter and poached rhubarb. Even at dinner, the menu is set up so that those dining
together can eat as their appetite, mood, and budget dictates; kids get a well-priced
menu, too (£6.95 for two courses).
You can stay over in one of six gorgeous
guest rooms and suites
(from £115
double) in
Beech House,
on the opposite side of the street; one room is set up for
families. The same folks run the equally charming
Red Lion Inn
at Stathern near
Belvoir Castle.
Main St., Clipsham.
&
01780/410355.
www.theolivebranchpub.com. Reservations recommended.
Main courses £7.75-£23. MC, V. Mon-Fri noon-2pm and 7-9:30pm; Sat noon-2pm, 2:30-5:30pm, and
7-9:30pm; Sun noon-3pm and 7-9pm.
INEXPENSIVE
Leicester's hub for Indian restaurants is Belgrave Road; try longstanding vegetarian
Bobby's,
154-156 Belgrave Rd. (
&
0116/266-0106;
www.eatatbobbys.com), or
the award-winning
Curry Fever,
139 Belgrave Rd., (
&
0116/266-2941;
www.
thecurryfever.co.uk).
Shivalli
INDIAN The “Village Vegetarian” is actually on a busy main road in
the center of Leicester; the village in question is Karnataka in southern India, famous
for its
idli
(savory cakes),
vada
(savory donuts),
dosa
(crispy pancakes), and
upma
(a
semolina dish), served on plantain leaves and eaten by hand. Like most Indian res-
taurants, Shivalli has its occasional detractor, but most diners are more than satisfied
by the likes of spicy
rasam
soup,
rava masala dosa
(with chilies, coconut, cumin,
potato, onions, and peas), and fluffy, fried
bathura
breads, all served at prices that
seem almost obscenely low (the lunchtime buffet at just £4.95 keeps local office
workers well fed).
21 Welford Rd., Leicester.
&
0116/255-0137.
www.shivallirestaurant.com. Reservations recom-
mended. Main courses with rice £5.75-£9.50. MC, V. Mon-Fri noon-3pm and 6-11pm; Sat noon-11pm;
Sun noon-10pm.
Shopping
If not exactly a shopping mecca, Leicester has a respectable array of big-name depart-
ment stores, mostly within
Highcross
(www.highcrossleicester.com), formerly
known as The Shires.
St. Martins Square
(www.martinssquare.com) is a pleasant
enclave of restored buildings housing interesting smaller shops including
Just…
Fairtrade,
36 Silver St. (
&
07888/717270;
www.justfairtrade.com).
Belgrave
Road,
running north out of the center, is home to the
Golden Mile,
named for its
jewelry shops but also rich in stores offering fine Indian fabrics and saris.
In Melton Mowbray,
Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe,
10 Nottingham St. (
&
01664/
482068;
www.porkpie.co.uk), sells the town's famous pork pies as well as local meats,
cheeses, chutneys and preserves, and Melton Hunt (fruit) cake. Nearby, at 8 Windsor
St.,
The Melton Cheeseboard
(
&
01664/562257;
www.meltoncheeseboard.co.
uk) can't be beat for its local Stilton (produced by only six dairies in Leicestershire,
Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire) and Red Leicester. At nearby Eastwell,
Crossroads
Farm Shop
(
&
01949/860242
), housed in a 17th-century building with a museum
of farm memorabilia, offers home-produced vegetables, meat, eggs, and cakes, and local
jams and cordials.
In Rutland, Oakham is a hotspot for antiques; try
Swans,
17 Mill St. (
&
01572/
724364;
www.antiquefrenchbeds.co.uk), and
Chedwich Antiques,
31a Pillings
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