Yep, yet another eatery hath opened for the Nottingham masses to sink their teeth into. Sitting opposite the Contemporary, Loom encapsulates a sleek yet rustic feel – exposed dark wood, dry petals, and a big moose called Alfred in the corner. There’s something to be said for the mismatched tables in the place too – some foldable, some barrel-like, some rough wood – all bought from a local charity that helps underprivileged families back into work, and reminiscent of sitting around the table with good company.
We started with a bleddy lovely dry white wine (£5.20/175ml) – Picpoul de Pinet from Stannz’ more cultured sister, Sainte-Anne, in France. Fresh, crisp and lemony, it went down a treat. I’m beyond tempted to go back and sample the cocktail menu in the spacious, glowing bar sneakily tucked away in the back, inclusive of a stage for live jazz bands and hip hop DJs on Fridays and Saturdays.
Taking up a sharing board recommendation as a starter, we were blown away. There’s three to pick from, and we got A Taste of England (£14) – creamy, crumbly blue cheese from Flying Horse Walk’s Cheese Shop, a dark, sweet red onion chutney to lace it with some “God, yes”, little gherkins and onions, smoked ham hock all chopped and tossed with wholegrain mustard, award-winning pork pies from Owen Taylors, and pickled, runny quail eggs. It was a bit special, and the news of locally sourced ingredients provided a satisfying kicker.
On top of the sharing board, we had two types of bread – one olive-studded and moist, one closer to soda, both beautiful – and a salad decked out with mixed leaves, olive oil, radish slices, pickled cucumber slices, and particularly delectable cherry tomatoes. The whole starter would have been equally lovely to chomp on when up in that shiny bar listening to some live tunes.
As our first main, the hoisin and maple duck (£14) was lovely – fondant potatoes, “burnt” spring onions and chestnut mushrooms to boot. The duck was perfectly cooked, juicy and, with that light coating of strong flavour, deliciously balanced. The real show stopper for me, though, was the cod (£14) – top layer encrusted with bread crumbs, fish falling apart atop a neat pile of the most buttery crushed new potatoes I’ve ever munched. On the side were lemony capers, wilted spinach leaves, and bits of crunchy, crushed almonds to mix in.
Too full for pud, we left gagging to go back and discover the rest of what’s on offer at Loom. A dangerously delicious new contender to grace the Lace Market, all born out of a completely disused building and totally on-point. Bridie Squires
3-5 High Pavement, NG1 1HF. 0115 947 4611
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