Restaurant Review: Ice & Slice at The Kiln in Swadlincote*

We love featuring new and upcoming restaurants on the blog as we know that our readers are always looking for new places to try.

In today’s feature, we take you to Swadlincote, the picturesque former mining town in the district of South Derbyshire to try out their first molecular mixology restaurant, Ice & Slice at the Kiln.

Ice & Slice is located on the site of a listed building which was an old bottle kiln.  It has since been renovated while the owners still using as many reclaimed materials as possible.

We were invited to try out their bottomless lunch and cocktails to feature on the blog, so keep on reading to find out what we thought of their food.

For our starters, we had a choice of Mixed Olives or Cauliflower Bang Bang or Goat’s Cheese & Parma Ham Bruschetta. We opted for the  Cauliflower and Goat’s Cheese & Ham Bruschetta.  The Cauliflower Bang Bang with lots of spring onions and sesame seeds was perfectly cooked with a lovely crunch to it and the Asian inspired sauce with the right amount of chili complimented it.

For our second starter, we ordered the Goat’s Cheese & Parma Ham Bruschetta which was served with beautiful caramelised onion chutney and a balsamic dressing.  Goat’s Cheese can be a hit and miss for me, but I did enjoy this as the cheese as it was not overpowering and the sweet onions cut through the richness of the cheese.

We decided to upgrade our meal to include the Bottomless Cocktail and ordered the Gin Bramble and Blue Lagoon which was delicious!  It was surprising to find out that all our meals were cooked in their authentic Italian wood fired oven.  The flavour combination in each of the dishes were also very well thought-off and they were presented so beautifully.

I managed to chat with their manager who shared that Ice & Slice can accommodate around 60 pax, he also let me pop by to meet their Sous Chef, Brandon who was preparing our dishes.  I was told that Ice & Slice uses fresh, locally sourced produce to create their handmade pizzas.

They started operating in 2022 and during lockdown were doing mainly take-outs and eventually had their opening ceremony on May 2021.  Besides their bottomless lunch they also host Tapas Thursdays and Wood-Fired Sunday Lunches.

For our mains, we had a choice of pizza, linguine, salad and a stir-fry. We decided to order the Pepperoni Pizzetta as well as their Chinese Chicken Stir Fry. The wood-fired thin crust pizza tasted delicious while the stir-fry was equally tasty. We enjoyed flavour and texture of the egg noodles.

We had a choice of Gelatos, Sorbets, Cheesecake and and Eton Mess to choose from for our dessert. We decided to pick the Chocolate Topped Cheesecake as well as the Pistachio Gelato. After the heavy meal the Pistachio Gelato tasted really refreshing but that said the cheesecake served with the toffee sauce went down superbly as well and we finished every bit of it.

What did we think of the food at Ice & Slice?

It is so wonderful to see how the owners of Ice & Slice have restored and renovated the listed building and bottle kiln to create a wonderful space for friends and family to meet and enjoy delicious food.

We loved the look and feel of their restaurant which has modern furniture which works well with its exposed brickwork, Victorian beams and industrial steel work.  Their ground floor is more relaxed whilst their top floor has huge glass windows hence giving it so much light and character to the space.

Our bottomless lunch cost us only about £20 per person (Mondays to Wednesdays) and £29 from Thursdays to Saturdays which was really reasonable as their lunch included a starter, main and dessert as well as a choice of Prizzenti Prosecco, Carling or Lilleys Cider (bottomless for 90 minutes). You could of course upgrade to bottomless cocktails for an extra £10 per person (only condition is that the whole table has to upgrade). We were there on a Monday and the place was buzzing with people from all walks of life, from a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary to group of ladies enjoying lunch as well as a table full of workers, taking a lunch break.

Their staff were attentive when it came to topping up our Prosecco and Cider as well as serving our meals.  The  restaurant is decorated so beautifully and although we were there for lunch, I am sure the place would have looked amazing in the evening with all the lights and striking background.

An important point to note is that their menu clearly indicates vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, dishes which contain nuts as well as gluten-free options.  Feel free to contact them if you have any other dietary requirements or concerns.

Where is Ice & Slice?

26 West St, Swadlincote DE11 9DG
01283 480050
bookings@iceandslice.co.uk

What are their opening hours?

Monday to Thursday – 12pm to 10pm
Friday & Saturday – 12pm to 11pm
Sunday – 12pm to 7pm
(Kitchen closes 8.30pm Monday – Saturday & 5pm Sunday)

What is their dress code?

• Smart casual
• No work wear at any time
• No sportswear after 4pm
• No caps at any time

Note:

• Whilst they always endeavour to provide adequate accessibility to their customers, some limitations may apply due to The Kiln being a listed building. If you do have any special requirements, please contact them before booking. They cannot always guarantee provisions can be made available during busy times.
• No dogs except assistance dogs
• Note that the restaurant and toilets are upstairs. No lift.

About Ice & Slice

You may also want to read this:

Review: Carluccio’s Italian Restaurant and Deli in Cheshire Oaks

Restaurant Review: The Botanist in Knutsford, Cheshire

Restaurant Review : The Bridge in Prestbury, Cheshire

*We were invited to review the food at Ice & Slice, all opinions are our own.