After initially setting out her stall at the Flying Goose in Beeston, Roya Bishop was so encouraged by the response to her fresh and flavoursome vegetarian food that she opened this busy evening restaurant on Wollaton Road.
The décor is mix and match but cosy and stylish, much like the food. Roya, half Iranian, is passionate about her food and knows how to run a classy operation – she has Restaurant Sat Bains on her CV. She takes her influences from all over the Middle East, the Mediterranean and far beyond. So on her monthly-changing menu you might find delicate meze such as the smoky aubergine dip – baba ghanoush, punchier dishes like patatas bravas soup, along with Ethiopian stews, Peruvian specialities such as papa rellena and familiar Indian dishes such as saag paneer, but here served with a “savoury fruit salad” of apple, papaya, cucumber, carrot and orange
Desserts highlight the fusion approach too – on offer recently was a rosewater and pistachio Eton mess with apricots poached in honey and cardamom
It’s a joy for those who avoid meat to find such a varied choice, but Roya estimates only 20 per cent of her regulars are vegetarian. When the food is good enough, it just ceases to be an issue. Certainly Great Food Club’s secret diner, a committed carnivore, declared it a big hit.
Diners also come back for the thoughtful wine and beer list – full of organic and bee-friendly choices. Well-chosen German rieslings are proving especially popular.