by Elle Knaggs

Boneyard relaunched a brand-new menu and me and my Demon FM presenter Gage Holland went to check it out.

We stepped through a small doorway lit by neon signs into a buzzing atmosphere. A darkened environment lit by homemade chandeliers gave it a pleasant intimate feel. We were greeted by Ed the general manager who was more than happy to tell us about the new gin bar in which there are twenty-four different gins. We waited at the bar as an elegant waiter poured fizzing cups of Prosecco: the sweet taste bubbled in my mouth as we waited eagerly to be seated.

The interior was largely made from upcycled materials with very little of it actually being bought. The decor was either donated or made from scratch and, although some of the decorations came from the local tip, this gave it a tasteful new lease of life. Overall it was impressively decorated in a way that gave the restaurant a modern vibe.

The business started as a pop-up restaurant in Nuneaton and the Leicester branch, which has now been running for eighteen months, is the first restaurant with a permanent location. we awaited our meal, I could see why it was doing well.

The menu was full of delicious sounding food, which made it very hard to choose what to have. I went for the chicken burger which was marinated in house spices, topped with baby leaf spinach, jalapeno aioli, red cabbage, fennel and lime slaw, pickled red onion, melted red Leicester cheese and tomato chutney and it came with a side of fries with the skins on. It was taste zinging and, although spicy, it wasn’t too spicy, but just the right amount to give a little tingle.

Gage went for the Boneyard Paneer and vegetables. The Paneer included tender cubes of soft Paneer cheese simmered with sweet, spiced tomatoes, garden peas and fresh baby spinach. The vegetables included baby sweetcorn, cauliflower, onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, celery, peppers and green chilli, with the Boneyard’s handmade Indo-Chinese sauce. Again, the spices were just right, and it was a tongue tingling sensation that was very tasty. We finished the night off with an Oreo milkshake which was the perfect ending to a delicious meal.

Whilst we were waiting for our food, Maria Martins, one of the owners, sat down and chatted to us. She explained how she and her co-owner and partner, Dave, were always eating out but were forever disappointed. Dave, was always saying “I can do better than this.” Eventually, after tiring of hearing him say this over and over again, she eventually said to him “just do it!”

I asked why they had decided to change the menu and Maria replied, “I think you need to keep reinventing things. You take feedback from customers and keep reinventing it, keeping it fresh.”

The business has been five years in the making and is the result of years of research. The owners tried out different restaurants to see what they did and didn’t like, and this helped them decide what dishes went onto the menu. Maria said it felt like it was the right time to do it. “If you don’t have a go, you’re never going to know!”