The Bluebell — Restaurant in Amber Valley

We arrived for our meal one hour earlier however was surprised to see only one couple in the restaurant area eating therefore opted to eat earlier than planned as we felt uncomfortable and embarrassed. From the photos we thought you would look out onto open countryside however overlook the local school … not a great view! Food arrived and the lamb was overcooked despite being told it would arrive ‘red’ and the butter bean dauphiniose was a hard, dry mush! Service wasn’t great and then after ordering drinks was told the pump wasn’t working then to have 2 drinks brought to the table 10 minutes later saying ‘they’d fixed it’ … incompetence springs to mind! The manager was argumentative upon explaining why the lamb dish hadn’t been eaten. She thought it was ok to take off our £8 starter as compensation but when questioned she wasn’t best pleased. If eating in the restaurant look up to see the ‘fur lined’ panels on the roof which are in need of a good dust. Won’t be returning!! Also beware if siting on the back seating, you will constantly hear the grounding of the coffee machine which is situated in the restaurant, next to the toilet...

A little bit of a hit and miss food experience. We wanted to try the restaurant as it has great reviews. The starters we have the croquette and risotto and mains the lamb and the burger. The croquettes for starter were very nice with obviously a lot of work the risotto however was pretty plain and quite bland and not particularly appetising. For mains the burger was nicely seasoned good flavour and good portion and in contrast the rump of lamb was lacking in flavour in all compartments and in quantity. Very little seasoning and very little flavour in the gravy. it seems some dishes work well and some not so well. Our suggestion would be the dishes should be more proportionate to each other. Price wise not exorbitant but not cheap either. In addition from arriving around 7:30 and having a drink and ordering by around 7.45 both dishes had been served by 8: 15 so we felt slightly let down by the whole restaurant experience as it was all over very quickly. Slightly Blah Blah Blu Blu but I suspect if you know the best dishes to order it will be a nice...

I can't recommend this venue highly enough! We booked at very short notice (about 2 hours) as we were staying in the area overnight and hadn't found anywhere to eat. The old building has been renovated beautifully, with bright, modern and tasteful décor. The lady who greeted us was very friendly and welcoming, and the (exceptionally hardworking!) staff were attentive and efficient. The food was just amazing! It was nicely presented, expertly cooked and absolutely delicious. They have a good range of real ales and beers, and the menu catered for vegetarians and vegans (unlike some of the other pubs in the area!). There was a great atmosphere, without being too noisy. The music wasn't too obtrusive, and catered to all tastes (not just modern stuff!). Overall, we had a brilliant experience and will definitely return if/when in the area again. If there's one small negative point, it's that the car park is tiny and you may have to park on the street. However, this didn't detract from a fantastic meal in a genuinely lovely place run by genuinely...