There is bad news and good news from Chapel Bar, possibly downtown Nottingham’s most concentrated and competitive scoffing zone.
The bad news: the padlocks that continue to secure the units once occupied by Olive Tree and Sinatra.
The former, which closed last year, knocked out high-value salad boxes containing such delights as falafel or hummus – real hummus, not the dry, grainy gloop sold in British supermarkets.
As for Sinatra, with its broad frontage, cavernous dining room and pavement dining potential, the pitch is one of the best in town, yet it seems to be enduringly problematical. A new tenant would be appreciated, although preferably not another wretched American diner.
Concentrated, competitive … cosmopolitan, too. The boulevardiers of Chapel Bar are spoiled for choice, with the pedestrianised street’s menus ranging from Moroccan to Latin-American.
We can now add Japanese following the arrival of Sushimania – the eighth and northernmost restaurant in a nine-strong chain founded in London in 2011. As well as the sushi promised in the name, expect sashimi, kushiyaki skewers, noodle dishes and teriyaki treats.
Something must be going right at Sushimania, for when I dropped by for a light luncheon (if such a thing is permissible) on a drizzly Tuesday with the kids where they should be – off the streets and back in class – the place was rammed.
Luckily I bagged the last remaining small table before a queue began stretching down the staircase. Many a Nottingham restaurant wouldn’t mind this sort of trade on a Saturday night.
A lunchtime half-price offer on most dishes may have had something to do with it. I got away with just £1.80 for a very pleasant spinach starter but willingly coughed full whack with my sashimi selection.
Was it any good? Well, the little balls of spinach were cool and refreshing, although I would have appreciated more of the sesame dressing. The sashimi was delicious – three pieces each of sea bass, octopus, tuna and salmon.
They came with a generous portion of sweet, pink, pickled ginger – lovely with every piece of sashimi - and more than enough weapons-grade wasabi paste to scorch every tongue in the dining room; it was certainly too much for the mild sea bass.
Between bites of raw fish I raised a glass of iced green tea to the health of Japan’s new emperor and inspected Sushimania’s grey, over-dark interior décor. I also noted the complexities of ordering the tuck.
Instead of the waiter taking your order, you write it yourself, using a form with spaces for penning the number for each item chosen from the menu. It’s a wonder they don’t also require you to do the washing up.
In my case there was room for confusion about my sashimi order and what I would be paying for it. After a no-show and an inquiry, it eventually arrived, with apologies. Notwithstanding the waiting team’s eagerness to please, I formed the impression that the place was under-staffed.
Nor did I take to the diktat about 105-minute table limits and a ban on doggy bags. Diners can do without the finger-wagging, no matter how much they enjoy the food.
The essentials:
Sushimania, 6a Chapel Bar, Nottingham NG1 6JS. 0115 947 5033, sushimania.co.uk
I had … Japanese spinach with roasted sesame dressing, £1.80; nami sashimi, £13; iced green tea, £2.50. Total inc VAT and 10 per cent service charge, £19.03.
Star rating (out of 10): 7
Plate rating (out of 10): 10. Everything served in proper receptacles, no daft slates, planks, etc.
The Food Sleuth dines unannounced and pays his own bills
