Crust

Unexpectedly, one of the nicest places in Lincoln. The dining area is quite big, quiet, old school, some soft music is played from the old radio at the end of the bar. You can feel that details matter here. Victor Vella is a chef and a former judge (!) of chef competitions in London, so you can be sure the food is tasty and nothing goes wrong. Portions are big and good value for money. Overall a very good experience. Best to make a reservation 24h before.

Dont come here if you're expecting the usual 'dinner' where all 3 courses come within 10minutes of one another and you're done within an hour. This is more of a dining experience. The chef is a wonderful grandfatherly gentleman, and runs the whole place by himself, including greeting, cooking, serving and clearing. We entered at 7.30pm and finished our 3 courses by 10.30pm, normally the wait between courses wouldnt be so long, however, the table before us arrived 30minutes late for their booking throwing everything off, then managed to offend the chef by asking if his fruit salad came from a tin. There are 5 different prix-fix menu's to choose from, as well as individuals and a specials board. The food itself was ok, not spectacular, but when you realise that each plate of a 3 course meal, for 8 people total is hand prepared by 1 octogenarian, you really get just how impressive it is. The main draw of Crust is the chef coming out after your meal and having a friendly chat with you and a laugh and a joke and tells you some of his funnier stories about cooking through the years and when he was in the forces. The entire experience feels like dinner at your grandparents house and its just so lovely. (Though, you do feel the need to offer to carry your plates through to the kitchen for him afterwards).. Wonderful dining experience. A little slow for my personal preference, but thats because i'm one of these 'go in, eat, leave' type folks that doesnt like to sit and digest, but, would absolutely recommend going for the experience.

Very good service! This is my second time here and it never disappoints me. The food (a three course lunch meal), the price and the service from the Patron Chef Victor were among the best one can get. The interior decor is so homely it enhances the dining experience. Victor personally served us our orders and made sure we were happy with everything. This time I had the egg mayonnaise for starter, saute pork cutlet as main and banana fritters with ice-cream for dessert. I especially loved the fact that Victor had the fruits placed in the dining area. He is always walking in and out from the kitchen to serve us, to get the fruits to make the dessert - you get the lovely connection between the chef and the customers. Do not be fooled by Victor's initial 'unfriendly' demeanour. He is very, very friendly once you get into conversations with him. The low price but good service makes the whole experience - priceless!