We got our pub meal for half price simply by quoting two words — and so can you

When eating out can be costly, this is worth knowing about

If something seems too good to be true, it often is. If I said to you there are Nottingham pubs and restaurants offering 50 percent off food on a regular basis you might think ‘get out of here’.

But Nottingham Post readers, it is correct as I experienced myself this week. We had the most delicious rolled leg of lamb and beef shin chilli at the Queen of Hockley pub in Broad Street, Hockley, for half the usual price — and believe me with a leg of lamb priced around £27 in supermarkets right now, that’s something worth noting.

Let me explain. We reserved a table for dinner through a restaurant booking platform — nothing different there — but this one, called First Table, gives diners 50 percent off their food bill when they book the first available table of the day. It also applies to the last table of the evening at some venues.

City centre pubs and restaurants offering the deal include Greek restaurant Yamas, tapas bar Baresca, Italian small plates restaurant Bar Gigi, curry house Kottaram, Italian restaurant Pici, pizzeria Slice ‘n’ Brew, Binks Yard and Fellows, Morton and Clayton.

As well as independents, a number of chain restaurants are also taking bookings. Prezzo, Turtle Bay, Pitcher and Piano and PizzaExpress are amongst them.

Some are based in the suburbs. Australasian restaurant Hemisphere, in West Bridgford, gives 50 percent off between 5pm and 6pm depending on the day. Gastro pub, the Old Vol in Caythorpe, village pub the Wheatsheaf in Bingham, fine dining venue Tom Browns in Gunthorpe and the Crafty Teller in Sherwood all have discounts.

Tables are available as early as 3pm but the majority are 5pm to 6pm with a few as late as 8pm, like ours at the Queen of Hockley.

Monday evening is as off-peak as it gets after busy weekends, so we had no trouble booking. One criterion is that you have to pay a fee of £3 per person to book but you appear to earn credits so after my first booking, the fee has dropped to £1.50.

When we arrived at the pub, we had to quote ‘First Table’. As expected it was quiet except for two other diners and a few drinkers, so if you’re after a lively atmosphere, perhaps it’s not for you.

The others were in the bar while we were alone in the dining area, so it made it feel like we had exclusive use. Music was playing in the background so it wasn’t deathly silent.

Benefits are swift service with our drinks and food orders taken virtually as soon as we’ve settled in. The only other criterion is having to buy a full-price drink each, which we’d do anyway.

I did wonder if the menu would be be scaled back or have supplements to bump up the cost but it’s the full menu available at every other time.

I choose the lamb — when the server returns I’m anticipating a problem. The chef doesn’t have new potatoes as listed so would roast be OK? Not a problem, in fact I take it as an improvement.

The meat is delicious. Outside is seared well and it’s blushing pink in the centre. It’s accompanied by mint pesto and a lamb jus. The accompanying broccoli is the tenderstem variety, which has been chargrilled to give it a crisp finish.

And then the roasties… such a generous amount that doesn’t leave me wanting. The lamb is topped off with tomato and chilli relish, which to be honest I could have done without as the heat detracted from the rest of the plate.

My other half had the ‘famous’ shin of beef chilli. I’ve had it before so I know how good it is, with ‘proper’ meat instead of mince and lime rice.

It’s served with giant-sized crunchy nachos to load up with chilli, sour cream and guacamole. There’s no doubting the quality with either dish.

We could have taken advantage of 50 percent off desserts too but we were too full to go anywhere near even the lightest rhubarb crème brûlée, let alone the sticky toffee pudding.

To fulfil the drinks spend I had a Diet Coke for £2.45 and my husband had a couple of pints of Hockley Hells, priced £5.95 each.

The normal price of the lamb is £21.95 but I got it for £10.98, while the £17.95 chilli was a bargain at £8.97. The total bill came to £34.30 plus the £6 booking charge — a saving of almost £20.

With eating out now a luxury for a lot of people and restaurants struggling to get bums on seats, it’s win-win all round.

I don’t know how widely known First Table is — I suspect not very — but it’s worth exploring.