Food & Wine

Last night I went out to dine at Nottingham's newest restaurant – '1877' which is on the site of the former iconic 'Ben Bowers' restaurant, for many years the long-standing bastion of Nottingham's chattering classes. The restaurant isn't actually open to the public yet – this was a private 'dry-run' for friends and family of the owners, Tony Baxter and Mark Osborne. Click here for more information.

We began with cocktails served by a trio of smartly-dressed handsome young men, each vying to be Nottingham's Tom Cruise, but all probably too polite and too charming to succeed. My Whisky Sour was meticulously prepared and was deliciously refreshing, but could have done with being a tad more 'sour' for my liking. Moving to our table we were presented with simple, crisply-laundered white linen tablecloths, sparkling non-fussy wine glasses, and reassuringly heavy cutlery. The food is described as 'modern European', and Tony & Mark have taken the sensible decision of keeping the menu relatively simple – there's nothing I hate more than being faced with a bewildering and over-cluttered list of confusing choices.

I started with seared Scottish scallops served with an anchovy & truffle dressing – cooked to perfection and some of the most succulent scallops I have ever eaten. An exciting mixture of tastes indeed. This was followed by a melt-in-the-mouth roast pave of beef served pink (exactly as I like it) and accompanied by another old favourite of mine – curly kale. My pudding was an unusual Stilton parfait stuffed with pickled walnuts and figs – scrummy!

I was extremely impressed and it was a fabulous evening. Our own party included a discernible judge indeed – Sarah's friend Ashley Walters, owner of Nottingham's 'World Service' restaurant (winner of the 'Best Overall Restaurant' award in four of the past five years – for more info click here). Ashley didn't divulge to me what his impressions were, but he seemed to be enjoying himself and later I saw him chatting warmly to Tony Baxter.

So, well done 1877! It's not going to be an easy task, launching a new venture in the current economic climate, but there'll always be a market for deliciously prepared food served in elegant and comfortable surroundings and this new venue offers just that – so watch out for it opening later this month. And take note you other Nottingham eating houses - customer loyalty needs careful nurturing, and with places as good as 1877 in town, you might easily lose it!