The winners will be selected in a public vote this month
Iberico World Tapas is one of the contenders for the crown of Nottingham’s best restaurant
Eight restaurants are going head-to-head to be crowned the best in Nottingham at the British Restaurant Awards.
The annual event, now in its eighth year, honours the nation’s top restaurants and chefs, showcasing stand-out cuisine, exciting concepts, warm hospitality and memorable experiences.
The accolades are broken down into 30 categories including Britain’s restaurant of the year, best chef, best new restaurant, best culinary experience, and regional awards recognising top local dining spots.
The winners will be selected in a public vote — and there’s still time to back your favourite before the polls close on September 10. The results will be revealed at a ceremony on September 14. at the Crown Hotel in London.
The Nottingham finalists are:
Alchemilla
The only Michelin-starred restaurant shortlisted in the Nottingham heat, Alchemilla is a fine dining restaurant with a unique tasting menu, crafted by chef patron, Alex Bond.
The unforgiving challenges facing the hospitality industry at one point could have spelt the end for the restaurant but he bounced back with a renewed fire in his belly to go all-out towards the goal of a second star.
The restaurant ranked 27th in SquareMeal’s top 100 list earlier this year.
Standout dish: Lobster, Crown Prince squash, XO and nasturtium leaf.
Location: Derby Road, Nottingham
Iberico World Tapas
A hidden gem beneath the city’s old Shire Hall, it’s always been a leader when it comes to tapas as one of the first in Nottingham to introduce a global twist alongside the Spanish classics.
Located under vaulted ceilings with Moorish-style decor, the restaurant holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for serving high quality food at a reasonable price.
Standout dish: Although the inside out chicken wings are legendary, a current favourite is lamb shouder, apricots, olives and almonds.
Location: High Pavement, Nottingham
Kushi-ya
Japanese-inspired izakaya dishes are served in the laid-back surroundings of the restaurant that moved from Cannon Court to larger premises to meet demand.
Restaurant critics Jay Rayner and William Sitwell have both lavished praise on it, with the latter describing it as heaven in his less than complimentary review about the city itself.
Standout dish: For most its the furikake prawn toast but the sandos take some beating.
Location: Enfield Chambers, off Low Pavement, Nottingham
Little Brickhouse
Quirky, eclectic, cosy and you never know what’s likely to appear on the hand-written blackboard menu.
After starting off as a supper club at the home of owner Katharina Linnenbrink, the concept just grew and grew to reach its full potential at its current home, after a stint in a shipping container in Sherwood.
It’s refreshingly different to anywhere else in Nottingham and has captured the hearts of many who have passed under the big red lips over the doorway.
Standout dish: Monkfish and clams in a creamy sauce with tequila and Kold Sauce.
Location: Derby Road, Nottingham
MemSaab
A stalwart of Nottingham’s dining scene, the high-end Indian restaurant has won too many awards to mention over the last 20 years.
It became the first restaurant in the East Midlands to receive two AA rosettes and was praised by the late critic A.A. Gill as one of the top Indian restaurants in the country.
It was welcomed members of the touring Indian cricket team and celebrities including Cliff Richard, David Hasselhoff, Chris Tarrant and Vicky McClure.
Standout dish: Tandoori ostrich.
Location: Maid Marian Way, Nottingham
Noshi
The upmarket restaurant and bar is a relative newcomer to Nottingham’s dining scene. Moody lighting, pink cherry blossom and Japanese-style decor set the scene for a menu of Asian food and drinks.
The restaurant opened in October last year after a £4m makeover of the former Glass House bar.
Standout dish: The signature Banoffee Effect, a banana-shaped chocolate shell filled with mousse and salted caramel, served with biscoff crumb.
Location: Trinity Square, Nottingham
Piccalilli
Chef Dan Coles and his kitchen crew take fresh, seasonal ingredients and turn them into delicious small plates. Success relies on the restaurant’s reputation, since tucked away down an alleyway, there’s no chance of passing trade.
And Piccalilli does have a high standing on the restaurant scene thanks to strong reviews, a Michelin Bib Gourmand and making the Good Food Guide’s 100 best local restaurants.
The dining area and kitchen may be small but the dishes, which change constantly, are big on flavour.
Standout dish: Lamb rump, spring pea salad and anchoide.
Location: Cannon Court, off Long Row, Nottingham
The Butchers at Westgate
The award organisers are obviously fluid when it comes to county boundaries. Should The Butchers win, Nottingham’s best restaurant would be located in Long Eaton, Derbyshire.
Geographical issues aside, The Butchers is unarguably one of the best spots for a meat eater. The chefs 100 percent know what they’re doing whether they’re cooking steak or the unique lamb shank madras pie.
Set within a beautifully restored Victorian mill, it is worth crossing the county border for a meaty feast.
Standout dish: The signature grill for two with flat iron steak, butchers sausages, 8oz lamb rump, garlic and herb chicken breast and garlic roasted king prawns, served with Caesar salad, beef dripping triple cooked chips, vine tomato and choice of sauces.
Location: West Gate, Long Eaton, Derbyshire
