The Riverbank Bar and Kitchen on Trent Bridge unexpectedly closed, after seven years of serving the folk of Nottingham, recently and has been given a new lease of life by family run chain, Brewhouse and Kitchen.
It’s been open about a month now, with the official launch party last week. It was an opportunity to have a taste of some of their in-house brewed craft ales, and have a nibble on some of the dishes the menu has to offer.
I stuck with the Talladega Pale, an American style ale, for two reasons; It appeals to my palate, and it appeals to my wallet. You can pay a pretty penny for a pint in there (or maybe less than a pint if the beer is a bit on the strong side) and the food isn’t cheap and cheerful, either. It put to mind London prices, and makes me wonder what kind of clientele they are hoping to attract. It’s good positioning for football matches, and for the Riverside Festival, but in my opinion is too in the middle to be on the route to Nottingham, or to West Bridgford, for a night out.
Saying that, as they say, you get what you pay for, and it really does have an air of classiness about it. Each dish they serve is matched with one of their own beers, and the menu is quite extensive, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. You can check out the menu here http://www.brewhouseandkitchen.com/venue/nottingham/
As well as food and booze, they also offer up activities and events. A regular quiz night, beer tasting parties, and a brewery experience day including breakfast, lunch, copious amount of beer tasting, and a 5ltr keg of beer to take home. You can also book a pour your own beer table, so as long as you have a group who all want to drink the same ale, you’re laughing.
All in all, I like what they’ve done with the place. It’s got a nice atmosphere, the décor, all brass and brewery-y, fits in with the theme of it being a, well, brewery. Of course, it also has the huge outside area which is going to give the place a massive boost of popularity during the Summer months and hopefully the business a new bar is always going to need.
By Johnny Banks
