***** (FIVE STARS)
Hart’s definitely in the right place
There’s usually someone worth spotting in Hart’s.From an unlikely celeb pairing such as Biggins (Christopher) and Sweeney (Claire) eating à deux during the panto season to the entire England cricket team demolishing plates of pasta before demolishing the Aussies in that crucial Ashes back in the summer of 2005… it’s that kind of place.
So we weren’t entirely surprised to be seated at the next table to Nottingham Forest’s new star signing – Andrew Cole. This veteran striker knows where the goal is – and, it seems, where to get a decent meal now he’s back in his hometown. Because, if you didn’t know, Hart’s is the sister restaurant to the prestigious Hambleton Hall and has been in the Premiership of Nottingham restaurants since opening in 1997. The discreet and efficient service, and upmarket cuisine has created a loyal clientele of lunching solicitors and affluent diners. With the addition of an adjacent boutique 32-room hotel around five years ago, this is a formidable operation.
Now that Hart’s has a new chef, a revised menu and has recently triumphed at the 2008 Nottingham Restaurant Awards (stealing the Nottingham Restaurant of the Year crown back from World Service, who have previously dominated the event), Metro decided the time was right to return (it’s a tough gig, but someone’s got to do it…).
Hart’s is housed, rather oddly, in the old A&E department of the former Nottingham General Hospital. Surrounded by gorgeous Georgian and Victorian town houses (most of which are now legal and accountancy firm offices), this listed building stands near the ramparts of Nottingham’s original medieval castle site.
Inside, the medium-sized dining room tries hard to be cutting-edge contemporary but the rather harsh lighting ends up creating a slightly clinical vibe – not unlike entering a BMW showroom.
But, of course, it’s all about the food here. The modern British menu aims to be thoroughly seasonal with dishes like starters of Hart’s seasonal salad (£7.50) and crab salad with melon, pink grapefruit and mango (£9.50), and mains like corn fed chicken with sweetcorn and girolles (£16) and roasted flat iron steak, radish and potato purée and red wine sauce (£18.50).
Gareth Ward, the new head chef at Hart’s, added fresh impetus into a menu which previously seemed set in stone. The separate vegetarian menu is no more, however – so my veggie friend had fewer options than on previous visits. She opted for the watercress soup (£5.50) while I couldn’t resist the Isle of Skye scallops (£10.50).
Accompanied by some exquisite cheese and onion bread, my friend’s soup was sensational – the stunningly fresh watercress taste had her in raptures. And it wasn’t just the Champagne talking (£8.50 per glass). Meanwhile, I was equally enthusiastic about my quartet of lightly fried scallops which were lying on crunchy morsels of cauliflower and accompanied by tiny melt-in-the-mouth tempura-style puffs and sorrel leaves with a delicately flavoured oyster dressing.
Our main course choices had soon arrived, too. My friend’s risotto (£14) and my fritto misto (£16.50) kept up the high standards set so far. The smallish portion of risotto was expertly cooked with a bounty of peas, pea shoots and chanterelle mushrooms – the naturally tender texture of which were alive with wild fungi flavours – topped by a poached egg. And my platter of deeply fried mixed seafood was like Fantasy League fish and chips (with a summer salad instead of the chips): a cornucopia of crispy seabass, squid, cod, prawns and whitebait that was a genuine treat.
By now, we were totally convinced that the food here was the real deal. Fortunately, the desserts didn’t disappoint, either. From a selection that also featured summery favourites like English strawberry terrine with Pimms and basil (£8.50) and gooseberry Eton Mess (£7), we plumped for the black cherry soufflé (£7.50) and petit fours (£4). My superbly fluffy soufflé delivered all the deeply seductive sweet and sour cherry flavours alongside yoghurt sorbet and some fresh cherries with a little crumble. Unfortunately, we couldn’t finish off all the homemade petit fours – so we had these elegantly rich chocolates boxed up to take home (credit crunch and all) for later.
Our final bill was a few coins short of the symbolic £100 mark (with very moderate booze and coffees), including the rather steep 12% service charge. But, even on a Monday night in July, Hart’s seemed impressively busy: it’s little wonder that tables here can sometimes be at a premium (book ahead for weekends).
This is certainly among the finest kitchens and smartest service in NG1, easily justifying its place in the affections of Nottingham’s cognoscenti. Sometimes, though, it feels a little too slick and corporate. For instance, our three-course meal began at 8.45pm and we were the last diners to leave, along with Andrew Cole and family, by 10.10pm. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that Hart’s head chef Gareth Ward is in scintillating form, creating carefully crafted, sophisticated cuisine using top quality ingredients – so let’s hope it inspires ‘King Cole’ to similar brilliance this season, too. David Sandhu
Harts, Standard Court, Park Row, Nottingham. Tel: 0115 911 0666. www.hartsnottingham.co.uk. Open noon-2pm daily, 7-10.30pm Mon-Sat, and 7-9pm Sun.
