Having already eaten Saturday lunch at the two neighbouring restaurants either side of George’s in Nottingham it seemed only fair to give it a shot today. Curb side appeal is good if a little daunting as the place looks posher than it actually is but after reading the menu we were intrigued by what was on offer and placated by the prices, so we sallied forth.
The staff were attentive and friendly and I noticed they were very helpful to someone on the table next to us who I think had some kind of allergy and so wanted to analysize the menu in detail. We actually mistook the menu – presented as a folded newspaper where the placemats would normally – for placemats doh!
Once we’d passed that little test, we put the lunchtime British tapas menu to one side and perused the proper mains. George’s serves mostly fish based dishes and the décor of the place – reminiscent of a Fjordside Norwegian grill I once went to – is quite nautical and seasidey.
I felt it reasonable, given I intended to write this post and that fish and chips seems a core dish for George’s, to order haddock in smoked paprika batter with twice cooked chips (least I think that was how they were described).
The fish was excellent with crispy batter with a very subtle paprika flavour (perhaps too subtle for me tbh) and I complemented the chips with one of the special vinegars – a chipotle version – and some good full bodied ketchup. It was probably one of the best fish and chip meals I’ve had in years.
Siggy had an haloumi and mushroom burger with a nice fresh brioche bun and side order of chips. She thoroughly enjoyed it apart from the huge amount of rocket with the bun. She doesn’t like rocket. I do, so no real problem there. We didn’t have anything beyond Coke to drink but the drinks menu looked very good and the prices of everything seemed good given the smart interior and central location.
It seemed woefully impolite to decline dessert so we shared a small but perfectly formed apple and Caramac crumble pie with salted caramel sauce and clotted cream – a thoroughly excellent pud and undisputed star of the show. Staying with the seaside theme they also had a good selection of ice creams available.
We will definitely be revisiting George’s as it’s good to be able to find a restaurant which knows what to do with fish this far inland and we were generally impressed with the whole dining experience.
couchmagpie 