Harden's survey result
Summary
“Like escaping down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland into a new world, albeit a world more relaxed than Alice’s”: when you arrive at Sat Bains’s famous foodie Shangri-la, bizarrely situated on the fringes of an industrial estate next to the A52, “a concrete and pylon forest gives way to the most exquisite and wonderful place”. Once inside the humble looking building: “a magical experience kicks in” – “staff are knowledgeable and approachable, and the food is out of this world”. There are seven-course and ten-course tasting menu options in the restaurant, and you can also book at a chef’s table (for up to eight diners) or at ‘Nucleus’ (his development kitchen) which can take up to six diners at night.
Summary
“On the edge of an industrial estate, and under the A52 flyover might not sound the ideal place to take that special someone for dinner, but the experience makes up for it in spades” at Sat Bains’s “wonderful oasis, between the pylons, concrete jungle roadways and nettles!” – one of the UK’s most impressive restaurants (with rooms), on the outer-fringe of the city. “There is no other word than exceptional to describe his cuisine” (choose from a 7-course or 10-course menu) and “the unusual combinations are amazing without being different for the sake of it” (“horseradish ice cream sandwich was one of the nicest things I’ve ever tasted! and the chicken liver muesli was also a highlight!)”. Have they been working on the service too? – “with just the right amount of friendliness and attentiveness” it scored particularly highly this year. ‘Nucleus’ is a further dining option here – a six-seater chef’s table within the development kitchen, which couldn’t be more rapturously rated by reviewers.
Summary
“Sat is a genius”, and the “edgy” and “amazingly executed” cuisine at his fringe-of-Nottingham HQ can be “beyond delicious”, both within the main dining room, or – if you want to push the boat out further – at ‘Nucleus’, a new six-seater chef’s table within his development kitchen. True “it is difficult to get away from the fact that it is a ’70s, brick, motel-like structure, in an industrial setting” amidst pylons and “under a ring road”, but for most reporters the “exceptional food more than compensates for the bizarre location”. Other niggles this year? – that it is “so expensive” seemed to grate a little more, and service – on most accounts “hugely professional” – also showed instances of being “a little automated”, or in the odd case even dictatorial.
Summary
“You have to add this to your bucket list!” – Sat Bains’s famous restaurant-with-rooms won the No. 1 slot this year in our listing of Top-100 UK Restaurants. It certainly doesn’t win its accolades for its location – on the edge of a city-fringe industrial estate, surrounded by fly-overs and pylons (once memorably described by the chef himself as ‘like finding a diamond in a piece of turd’). But in culinary terms, “it’s an experience from start to finish”, delivering “out-of-this-world, quirky and offbeat” dishes, with “amazing flavours”. A seat at the chef’s table provides a particularly good trip, and – for those in search of something even more ‘experiential’ – in June 2015 Sat Bains opened Nucleus, a ‘restaurant within-a-restaurant’ with just 6 seats and its own dedicated kitchen.
Restaurant details
Restaurant Sat Bains Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Exciting and creative food. Service very good but a bit soulless. Location strange and interior a bit lacking."
Lenton Lane, Nottingham, NG7 2SA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 12 pm-1:30 pm, 6 pm-9 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm-1:30 pm, 6 pm-9 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm-1:30 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm-1:30 pm, 6 pm-9:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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