Riverbank Bar and Kitchen

Riverbank

There are two things in this world that fill me with insurmountable joy; getting my money’s worth and eating good scran. At The Riverbank Bar and Kitchen, you can do both – eating like a king or queen for the price of a pauper. Well, a well-off pauper by pauper standards. With one course for £8.95, two for £10.95 and three for £12.95, you’d be daft not to splash out. To begin, my mates and I went deep with the starters: a light and fresh courgette and mint soup, with a delicate helping of creme fraiche and baked breads; a strong, creamy goats cheese salad with vine tomatoes, basil and sweet pickles to balance out the cheese; and small, but perfectly formed crispy whitebait with a lime mayonnaise to die for. It’s easy to batter whitebait to death and lose the meaty part of the fish, but I have to say, the little blighters were as soft and fleshy as a 4cm fish could possibly be. The main events arrived in all their glory. My pals both went for all-American cheddar cheeseburgers with all the trimmings. A posh, toasted brioche bun encased a downright juicy bit of meat and the usual suspects, tomato, lettuce, bacon and a couple of gherkins. Proper. Of course, for the purpose of this review I simply had to sample them, and can confirm they were both delightful. If I was forced to offer any criticism, the onion rings could have been crunchier. But if that’s the only thing of note, they’re doing summat right. I ordered the confit chicken leg, accompanied by creamed potatoes, chorizo, cherry tomatoes and salsa verde. Presented like a piece of art, green beans formed a trellis for chorizo circles to balance atop juicy tomatoes, scattered about a splashing of tangy salsa verde. Apologies were offered as the leg was now a breast, but none were needed as I’ve always been more of a breast kinda gal and the chicken was tender and full of flavour. I’ve often been told that I’m prone to exaggeration, but I kid you not, those creamed potatoes were the best I’ve eaten in my whole life. Somehow, we managed to squeeze in a pud each. Being absolutely stuffed, I opted for a light, iced vanilla parfait with chocolate sauce and toasted almonds, and my friends had a couple of ginger cakes served with a salted caramel sauce and whipped cream. While I was chuffed to bits with the creamy ice cream-esque rolls of wonder, the cake was the winner. Sumptuously moist with a springy sponge that kicks the back of your throat with ginger but then soothes it immediately with the salted caramel. Fear not, though, my food envy was quelled by a couple of stolen spoonfuls. Lucy Manning

Trent Bridge, West Bridgford, NG2 5FB. 0115 986 7960

Riverbank website