Bada Bing, Telford

Reviewer's rating **** The corner of Telford Shopping Centre where Bada Bing lies has never struck me as the ideal location for a pub, or even a restaurant, writes James Shaw.

It's tucked away with little prospect of through traffic, apart from shoppers loaded with bags as they head for the car park.

And the lack of dedicated toilets has always been a problem, despite having the centre's own facilities just yards away.

Indeed, when the former tenant closed up a few years ago, I thought it was a matter of time before some sort of ice-cream/sundae/smoothie shop would move in.

How wrong I was.

Indeed, how wrong I was when it came to making rash judgments when Claire and I stopped off after another round of pre-Christmas window shopping.

My first impressions were not great and I picked up on the mood lighting (or lack of) straight away.

Clearly, the intention is to create a dark, sophisticated atmosphere, but it seemed as if the place was closed.

And the lack of draught beers did little to improve my mood as I discovered they only serve beer in bottles.

I had been well and truly turfed out of my comfort zone.

But the food was what we had come for - and what a treat it was.

The menu was certainly varied and we took what seemed like an age to even narrow our choices down to a few finalists.

Eventually, I decided to have the lamb chops with sweet onions and mash, while Claire went for the chicken New Yorker.

My main course consisted of nine miniature lamb chops (the menu said seven, but I wasn't prepared to argue) served with a superb mint and rosemary sauce.

But it wasn't just the combination of delicious, tender meat and sauce that caught my attention - the accompanying mash, sweet onions and vegetables also played their parts.

It soon became clear that a huge amount of attention had been paid to making sure the individual flavours complemented each other perfectly.

On the other side of the table, Claire's chicken New Yorker received little criticism.

Sometimes, the chicken served as the New Yorker option will be a slab of dull, uninteresting meat that takes some work to finish off. Not this time.

Claire's chicken possessed a lovely smoky flavour and was so very tender that it almost fell off her fork.

Again, she enjoyed lashings of delicious mash, along with a superb cheese topping.

But, as ever, she said 'no' to the barbecue sauce. Believe me, one day . . .

After those superb main courses, we took stock of our surroundings.

Looking further into the bar (we sat near the entrance) my suspicions over that dark, sophisticated atmosphere were confirmed.

Among the shiny seating and funky-looking lighting sat a smattering of young-looking executive-types, all of whom fitted the desired profile.

It's not that we weren't welcome - of course we were - rather, it seems that this is becoming a gathering place for all those workers from surrounding offices.

But back to the food. The dessert menu was equally huge and once again, we took some time to finalise our options.

Eventually, I decided to try the chocolate torte, while Claire had the 'heart-to-heart' ice cream.

Much like the main courses, these were superb and befitting somewhere much better than a simple town-centre eaterie.

My chocolate torte was a bit too frozen for my liking, but that's as far as the criticism goes.

Each layer of chocolate and sponge was delicious and just small enough to finish without feeling guilty.

Claire was equally impressed with her dessert - a huge ice-cream heart covered in a strawberry shell.

They were both a great way to end our meals.

So the next time someone tells you that a little corner of a shopping centre can't serve up fantastic meals, then ignore them.

Especially if it's me.

ADDRESS

Bada Bing, 242 New Row, Telford Town Centre TF3 3BA

Tel: 01952 204274

MENU SAMPLE

Starters

Garlic bread (£2.50); Chips (£1.50)

Main courses

10oz rump steak (£9.95); King prawn platter (£14.95)

Desserts

Chocolate log (£3.95): Strawberry and vanilla sundae (£3.95)

ATMOSPHERE

The venue was refined and stylish, making it the perfect place for entertaining friends

SERVICE

Brisk, attentive and friendly.

DISABLED FACILITIES

Easy access all on one level, and staff help.