“Thirst is the mother of invention” reads the slogan above the bar at The Brewhouse and Kitchen at Trent bridge. If that’s the case, the mams at Brewhouse and Kitchen must have been spitting feathers because the range of local beer at this smart microbrewery is seriously impressive...
Proper Nottinghamites will rejoice as the five beers brewed on site are satisfyingly named after local legends: Tricky Tree IPA borrows from the lesser known Forest FC nickname, Constable bitter from the building’s past life as a police station and Street Block from West Bridgford’s historic mardy over its road names. Sat on the iconic river trent, you feel proud, like you’re drinking liquid history. Tasty, tasty, alcoholic history.
With my laughing gear around a particularly good pale called Talledega (£5.15), it was time for the grub. As well as a variety of pub favourites, Brewhouse and Kitchen also have a small plates menu of paired, tapas-sized dishes—perfect for either grazing on while you watch the match, or for people like me who go overboard when you can’t possibly decide on just a couple.
Partaking in the 5 plates for £21.50 deal, we chowed down on: Chicken satay with a peanut and stout dipping sauce (£4.95), salt and pepper calamari with garlic mayo (£5.45), hot buffalo chicken wings with blue cheese sauce (£5.95), sticky BBQ ribs (½ rack for £5.95) and oriental steamed buns with pulled pork and asian slaw (£5.45).
It seems the menu has a little something for everyone, from the delightfully beige mac ’n’ cheese balls or sticky buffalo wings to more exotic pulled pork bao buns and the best satay sauce I’ve tried outside of Indonesia. Attention to detail and tasty flourishes are evident in every dish, they even cook with the local brews and pimp their chips with a hop salt - noice.
If you just wanted a few bits to go alongside yer pint, you can sample three dishes for £13.50 or, if you’re super hangry, you can bag every single dish on the small plates menu for a whopping £71.00. These small plates are definitely a winner, but I’m for sure heading back to sample their sexy looking Sunday roast, too.
Clearly demonstrating a passion for food and drink in perfect harmony, you can also grab yer pals for a boozy B&K Academy experience. Take a brewery tour, learn about the craft in a beer masterclass or stuff your face holes at a food and beer matching evening. Even more exciting are the keg barrel tables. Handily situated under the TV screens, you can hook up a beer of your choice to your own tap that’s built into the actual bleddy table. No more missing goals while you queue at the bar, you literally only need to move when you need a wee. You're living the absolute dream.
So, my advice is grab a keg barrel table with the lads-lads-lads, order some diddy scran, kick back and have a brew-tiful time at Brewhouse and Kitchen.
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