INSIDER: NOTTINGHAM The best places to eat and drink
From south Indian and Spanish to fish and chips and fine dining, Nottingham is undergoing a foodie revolution. Time to dive right in words TONY NAYLOR
ALCHEMILLA
A table at Restaurant Sat Bains may be the dream booking for any foodie visiting Notts (see below), but, opened last summer, chef Alex Bond’s Alchemilla is a similarly singular experience – and more affordable, too. Even the building is special. A 19th-century garage for horse-drawn carriages, all vaulted ceilings and exposed brick, it’s an unusual and chic cocoon, now augmented with living moss walls and a large open kitchen. A veteran of Michelin-star kitchens, Bond established his name locally at supper clubs which showcased his fondness for creating intense, compelling plant-based dishes. These are announced with typical brevity (cauliflower, roasted yeast, almond) on Alchemilla’s tasting menus and are punctuated by contemporary meat and fish courses – for instance, an outrageously savoury dish of beef cheek, Jerusalem artichokes and miso hollandaise – that are bold and beautiful. Alchemilla is one to watch. Menus from £35. alchemillarestaurant.uk SO
RESTAURANT SAT BAINS
The location is unpromising (beneath a flyover a good few minutes outside the city centre), but RSB is a truly world-class restaurant-with-rooms. Sat Bains still serves his famous 62C duck egg, pea and ham dish from 2007’s Great British Menu, but, since then – underpinned by a complex kitchen garden operation – his two-michelin-star food has evolved in a more natural direction. A kohlrabi tagliatelli dressed tableside with a freshly pounded pesto encapsulates his current trajectory. Menus from £95. restaurantsatbains.com SO
COD’S SCALLOPS
With its sticks of rock and lobster pot light fittings, this Mansfield Road fish and chip restaurant may seem like fun – and it is. But its owner, chef-restaurateur John Molnar, is a stickler for quality and sustainability. Cooked-to-order in beef dripping, meaty, Msc-certified cod arrives in a peerlessly crisp, unusually tasty batter and with stellar chips scattered (winningly!) in scraps. Also has a branch in Wollaton. From £4.20. codsscallops.com CE, KF, CD
THE LARDER ON GOOSEGATE
Part of an architecturally fascinating, grade Ii-listed building (it was the first branch of Boots in the 1880s), the Larder enjoys floor-to-ceiling views over Goose Gate. You may be too busy to look up from your plate, however. Dishes such as roast salmon, salsify, Brussels tops and miso or ham hock croquettes with sauce gribiche and pickled pear, confidently work global influences into this modern British cooking. Mains from £12.95. thelarderongoosegate.co.uk CD, SO
KAYAL
Compared to a typical UK curry, south Indian food is a revelation. Kayal is a great place to explore this sensitively spiced world of lacy dosas and fresh coconut chutneys; fragrant Keralan fish dishes; and vegetable dishes of remarkable depth and nuance. The express lunch thalis are an absolute steal (from £3.95). Mains from £7. kayalrestaurant.com CE, CD
HART’S
This hotel-restaurant has heavyweight provenance. Owners Tim and Stefa Hart are best known for Rutland’s Michelin-starred Hambleton Hall, while their sons, Sam and Eddie, run London’s Quo Vadis and Barrafina. Located in a Georgian avenue near Nottingham Castle, the dining room’s décor is a little dated, but its modern British dishes of, for instance, ox cheek with creamed potato, confit onion and braised carrot, deliver. Dinner from £25. hartsnottingham.co.uk CD, SO
DELILAH FINE FOODS
This food hall (‘deli’ is insufficient to describe its breadth and quality) contains a mezzanine café, which showcases the ingredients available below. Platters, Italian salads and upmarket sandwiches are forefront at lunch, but, for Good Food, Delilah shines as a weekend brunch spot. Linger over eggs Benedict, salt beef hash and a fantastic mature cheddar and real ale rarebit with poached eggs and ham. Breakfast mains from £5.50. delilahfinefoods.co.uk CD
THE PUDDING PANTRY
It does top-notch savoury pancakes and brunches, but this coffee shop and diner (complete with vintage ice cream cart), is known for its deft baking and desserts. Do not miss the salted caramel brownie or plum frangipane tart. Its afternoon tea choices (adults from £11.95 per person), include a kids’ menu with homemade biscuits and milkshakes. Eat-in puddings from £4.25. thepuddingpantry.co.uk KF, CE, CD
IBÉRICO
The Moorish-styled Ibérico has broadened its scope in recent years. Its high-quality cured meats and modern interpretations of Andalusian tapas are now served alongside global small plates, such as chicken wings with yuzu sweet chilli. Sister restaurant Bar Ibérico is similarly creative but stays close to the Iberian peninsula with its plates of chorizo in red wine and braised oxtail, sherry and lentils. Plates from £3.95. ibericotapas.com CD
EDIN’S DELI-CAFE
In Hockley, Nottingham’s hip, independent enclave, restaurateur Edin Gondzic is a legend – a provider of home-cooked food at startling prices (e.g. rump steak, chips and salad, £10; two-course lunch, £7). At Sexy Mamma Loves Spaghetti (mains from £10.50; 3 Heathcoat Street) and Edin’s Kitchen (15 Carlton Street) – both brilliantly quirky – he focuses on Italian. Mains from £8. 15 Broad Street, 0115 924 1112.