After a long day of unpacking the mountains of boxes I had brought up from London to Nottingham, my parents started to say their last goodbyes. Once the last tears had dried up my Dad pulled a little envelope from his back pocket and told me he wanted to give me a good luck gift as I started this new journey at university. I waited until I got back into my dorm room and opened the letter which to my joy contained a gift voucher for the award-winning vegan restaurant No. Twelve, which we had seen earlier that day when driving through town.
That voucher got shoved into the pack of my sock draw and forgotten about until one unusually sunny day in June. My friend Evie had come over to help me reorganise my room and we had found the envelope. It was just what we needed and our saviour after a week of pot noodles and freezer food!
Hopping off the bus we found the restaurant nestled in a beautiful back street of town, Eldon chambers. It sounds dramatic but we almost felt transported out of Nottingham and to some kind of seaside town; the sun was beaming, and the quiet paved street felt a far cry from the bustle of old market square.
Taking advantage of that long-lost sun we opted for one of the tables outside. The owner Lauren greeted us and ran us through their ever-changing menu. The menu is made up of tasting plates, sharing dishes and snacks. They run various deals including their lunch deal which is just £32 for 2 people and runs from 12-4 pm on Friday and Saturday which means you can indulge in various dishes the menu has to offer. Unfortunately, we had just missed our chance to try the lunchtime offer but I would encourage you to book between these times as the meal would work out about the same as a Nando’s or Wagamama!
Reading through the menu, now with a much-needed glass of house white in hand, everything looked enticing. Boasting innovative twists on classics and experimental flavours we were spoiled for choice but after a bit of deliberation, we finally decided on 3 dishes to try.
Soaking in the sun and indulging in conversation the food arrived quickly to our excitement. Evie whipped her phone out straight away, swatting my greedy hands away to snap a picture and how could I blame her when every dish just looked so beautiful? We dug into the pineapple-topped brioche first. The toasted pillowy brioche was slathered in a thick melted layer of vegan camembert which acted as a barrier stopping the bread from any sogginess that came from the sharp juice of the pineapple. The fruit had been married with fresh chillis and a generous heaping of coriander which added depth and fragrance to this already amazing dish.
Licking our lips we smiled at each other laughing, we knew whatever was next was going to be a real treat and we weren’t wrong. The tomato tart has a perfectly crisp pastry base (no soggy bottom in sight), topped with dried and crisp heritage tomatoes. A gooey helping of melted cheese was slavered over the tomatoes making each bite a well-balanced burst of salty and sweet. Evie shook her head in disbelief marvelling at how great the vegan cheese was and I couldn’t agree more. No. Twelve has come off the best vegan cheese I have ever tasted (and trust me I’ve been searching for a long time) and I couldn’t wait for our next dish to come so I could try even more!
The table was cleared and the dish I was most looking forward to was placed in front of us, their baked brie and toast. Being vegan for the last 4 years the thing I missed the most was the baked brie my dad used to make me after school and now my wildest dreams were finally coming true! It was just as amazing as I had hoped it would be, and Evie who isn’t vegan vouched that it was almost identical to the real thing!! A comforting nostalgic classic veganised what more could you want?
All in all, I think you could say I was thoroughly impressed with No. Twelve Nottingham. This secret spot is a foodie’s heaven and if you are a vegan, or just want to try something a little bit different you need to pay them a visit as soon as you can!