Nottingham Restaurant Week is set to take place across the city from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 June. Organised by It’s in Nottingham, it’s a chance for you to access exclusive discounts and try out some new flavours from the city’s vibrant food scene. To mark the occasion, we caught up with representatives of three popular dining spots involved: Antonio Oriente from Pizzamisu, Amita Sawhney from MemSaab and Terry Hayfield from Fellows, Morton & Clayton.
Firstly, tell us a bit about your restaurant. What’s the overall concept? What’s unique and special about the cuisine you offer?
Antonio: As Neapolitans we had a dream to bring not only pizza to Nottingham, but an entire experience: as you step inside you will feel like you are actually in Naples. We specialize in authentic Neapolitan pizza, prepared the traditional way with fresh, high-quality ingredients imported directly from Italy. Each dish we serve is made with love, care and the passion that defines our culture.
Amita: MemSaab offers award-winning, fine dining Indian cuisine at the heart of Maid Marian Way. We aim to exceed the customer’s expectations in every way, from the time they make a reservation to the time they leave the restaurant: the food, flavours, presentation, service and ambience - the whole experience! We are always evolving with this in mind.
Terry: We’re a new addition to the Nottingham food scene. Our goal is a simple one: proper grub in a proper pub. We want our product, service and venue to exceed the expectations of our guests. This comes down to going the extra mile, whether it’s sourcing the best meat or artisan bread, delivering your Guinness to the table so you’re not standing at the bar waiting for it to settle or just simply making you feel at home and comfortable.
What is the inspiration behind the name of your establishment?
Antonio: When we started the business, we were doing only Pizza and Tiramisu. The name came from the combination of the two dishes.
Amita: MemSaab, a word originating in the days of the British Raj, literally translates from Hindi to mean the ‘Lady or lady owner of the house or organisation’. That’s me – quite apt I think!
Terry: Our pub bears the name of the business who originally built it… Fellows Morton & Clayton were a canal shipping business and it originally turned into a pub of the same name in 1981. It’s an iconic pub that is well known throughout Nottingham, so the name is here to stay!
Over the years there have been more people with allergies and/or intolerances as well as preferred life choices including vegans and vegetarians. Indian food is a great fit for these 25% or so of our guests, as many dishes are already vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free.
What’s the best-selling dish on your menu? Also, what’s your personal favourite dish on the menu?
Antonio: The best selling dish is the margherita. My favourite is salsiccia and friarielli: a traditional pizza from Naples, and all the simple pizzas like margherita, marinara or provola e pepe.
Amita: A number of signature dishes sell really well, including the Lahori lamb chops that have marinated for more than 24 hours, the jumbo size king prawns which are not available anywhere else in the Midlands and the slow cooked Nizami lamb handi served in an earthenware pot! My personal favourite is the butter chicken makhni – more flavoursome than chicken tikka masala and a more authentic Indian dish too.
Terry: We sell a huge amount of fish and chips. We source freshly caught haddock from one of Nottingham’s last independent fishmongers. We make our own tartare sauce, hand cut our own chips, make fresh beer batter daily and serve that up with some fresh lemon, a touch of samphire and a punch of our vinegar laced sea salt for a hit of acidity that doesn't make for a soggy chip.
Have you seen any major changes in dining habits over the past few years? What percentage of your diners these days are vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free? How do you make sure you stay up to date with that?
Antonio: We’ve recently had a huge request for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free pizzas. One of the best is a pizza including a combination of mixed veggies, locally sourced and prepared fresh everyday. We use a very good vegan cheese that can be swapped into all the pizzas. We also have a very tasty gluten free pizza base, prepared by an Italian bakery in London.
Amita: Over the years there have been more people with allergies and/or intolerances as well as preferred life choices including vegans and vegetarians. Indian food is a great fit for these 25% or so of our guests, as many dishes are already vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and gluten free. Some people have become more ‘protein conscious’ and, again, Indian food is a good fit here, with the meat and fish grills.
Terry: Friday nights seem to be very different these days. People tend to cook at home or get a takeaway. This is probably something that working from home and the cost of living crisis has reinforced. We’ve got a good selection of veggie and vegan options in our menu, but to be honest we’re seeing sales of those dishes eclipsed by meat based proteins - there’s been a lot of growth in people choosing to eat less meat for a variety of reasons, but beef on a Sunday roast, steak and ale pie and a good old sausage roll are among our biggest hits!
It’s pretty tough to do business in the current climate - costs are very high and you’ve got to fight hard for every pound you make. We think that there’s an appetite for quality pubs and hope to keep delivering for our guests.
The last few years have been challenging financially for the hospitality industry as a whole going from lockdown to an energy and financial crisis. How are things for you now?
Antonio: We are still in a good position at the moment, thanks to all our customers. Their support is amazing; loads of pizza chains opened recently in Nottingham, but we haven’t seen any difficulty from that so far. The only thing we could do is keep the quality very high. From April there has been another huge challenge, with prices going up, plus the raise in staff cost. We will do our best to keep our business financially healthy.
Amita: It just seems to be one thing after another! Higher energy costs, higher ingredients costs, inflation out of control and higher wage costs. As if trying to navigate out of this isn’t hard enough, there’s the Government's policy of tax, tax and more tax! It’s getting more challenging as time goes on. We are fortunate to have a strong client base but in a city like Nottingham there’s only so much you can pass on in terms of meal prices.
Terry: For a new business we find ourselves in a positive position. It’s pretty tough to do business in the current climate - costs are very high and you’ve got to fight hard for every pound you make. We think that there’s an appetite for quality pubs and hope to keep delivering for our guests.
For you personally, aside from your own, what is your personal favourite place to go and eat in Nottingham and why?
Antonio: I like the Hungry Pumpkin café for a great Italian breakfast or lunch, ViDa by Lorentes for fantastic Spanish cuisine and Bill’s Restaurant or Bhons for good burgers.
Amita: I like to dine at independents and Nottingham has a whole variety to choose from; I do think it sets the city apart from other cities. I love to unwind at Kushi-ya - everything is so fresh and tasty and I can just kick back and relax.
Terry: Coco Tang always feels like such a treat, escapism at its finest. The staff are friendly, the food is consistently amazing and the drinks are on another level.
What do you have on offer to people at this year’s Nottingham Restaurant Week?
Antonio: A margherita or marinara plus a soft drink for £10, from 12pm to 4pm all week.
Amita: MemSaab is offering a Michelin style platter of starter and mains, with a beer, wine or soft drink for £20! The offer is available as our Early Evening Menu, Sunday to Friday, before 6:30pm.
Terry: Our main plates are the star of the show during Nottingham Restaurant Week. High quality pub classics at a great price! Two mains for £25 and you’ll get great food that is cooked fresh with integrity and high quality ingredients.
Nottingham Restaurant Week takes place from Mon 2 - Sun 8 June. To get discounts and a full list of the 50+ establishments involved visit itsinnottingham.com.
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