jones' bistro, leicester.

found in a lovely little corner of leicester, jones' bistro on queens road has a charming and rustic candlelit feel, serves a fresh, seasonal menu and boasts an extensive wine and cocktail selection. it's somewhere i'd recommend to anyone looking for a cosy, romantic meal or an evening out for a birthday or special occasion. when i used to live in the nearby student area, we'd treat ourselves to meals out here now and again. then, on my graduation back in 2010, i went here for a meal with my mum and sister that i didn't have to pay for :)

fast forward to nowadays and jones' is still serving my favourite seafood risotto, delicious homemade bread and herb butter and their amazing selection of mussel dishes. these include mussels mariniere, thai, portuguese, cornish, stilton and signature jones' - with red onion, fennel, garlic, chilli, white wine and coriander. there are only around ten tables in the place and no wonder they're always pretty booked up! 

i begun with mussels of course. the mariniere is a classic combination of shallots, garlic, white wine, black pepper, cream and fresh parsley. perfect. i had to restrain myself from eating the delicious garlicky white wine soup afterwards - with the incoming seafood risotto main at the back of my mind.

the seafood risotto was made with cherry tomatoes, chilli, garlic, basil, white wine and cream. really creamy with a generous amount of seafood, and most importantly, parmesan cheese. there weren't many cherry tomatoes but luckily i favoured the king prawns. i also would personally put rocket or watercress with a seafood dish - but the spinach here was still just as tasty. 

my other half had veal parmigiano, mixed mushrooms, parma ham, white wine, cream and parmesan sauce - the sauce has a surprising sharpness to it which really complemented the veal and perfectly cooked mushrooms. hope the pictures do the food justice - the lighting is so mellow in there it's hard to get a good photograph.

really, this review is long overdue as i recommend this place to everyone! have you ever been? i really do wish they had a website to link to but you'll find plenty of other brilliant reviews on tripadvisor and such :)