Classic dishes in modern surroundings are served at new Italian restaurant Ottimo, which has opened its doors at the £50m Beeston Square development. While the town's High Road continues to thrive with a busy pavement cafe vibe, the latest opening is located beneath the Arc Cinema.
It's big, roomy and couldn't be easier to get to with trams, buses and a pay and display car park right on the doorstep. With 150 seats, it's one of the town's biggest restaurants, if not the biggest.
Hundreds of eager diners have booked in for a taste of Italy served by a bustling brigade of chefs working in an open kitchen while curious passers-by can't resist having a peek inside the door.
Tall windows at the front let in the sunlight, creating a bright airy vibe by day but when the lights go down in the evening, it sets the perfect mood for a date night. The decor, clean, neutral and simple, consists of white walls, a tiled floor and wooden tables, complemented by a display of rustic-looking wooden spoons on the walls, terracotta urns and and pampas grass. The golden glow from beneath wicker lampshades and green succulents provide splashes of colour.
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Opening for lunch and dinner, customers can sit at a table, in a booth or on a stool overlooking the pizza oven, watching the chef create their order, with a choice of nine toppings. Quattro formaggi (four cheese) comes with mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmesan and ricotta. Meat lovers can opt for pepperoni, salami or prosciutto while spice fans will be drawn to Diavola, a heat-fuelled pizza with 'nduja, jalapenos and chilli. All the pizzas can be adapted, with vegan cheese or gluten-free dough.
Executive chef Keelan Burton, who also works at Sans Patrie and Bar Sans Patrie in Nottingham, said: "It's a modern Italian with classical food with old school Italian dishes. There's no dried pasta served here. All the pasta is freshly made from egg yolks and flour. We have five different shapes.
"Wild boar pappardelle is one of the best sellers; the bolognaise is to die for and my dish personally is spaghetti vongole with clams. It's all good food. The steaks are really nice and the pizzas are good with sourdough bases."
Small plates include crowd pleasers such as pan-seared scallops, baked creamy mushrooms, burrata caprese salad and pulled beef cheek croquette. The menu has modern twists and plenty of vegan options. Lentil and aubergine lasagne and cauliflower parmigiana are amongst the mains.
The drinks menu covers all bases. Cocktails include Italian favourite Bellini and Amaretto Sour, there's Malfy Gin from Moncalieri and Italian beers Peroni and Moretti. As for soft drinks it has to be Sanpellegrino.
Sweet-toothed customers can round off a meal with a cocktail/dessert combo of Espresso Martini tiramisu which needs no explanation. If that doesn't tempt you, there's plenty of other delectable puds including lemon panna cotta, a trio of cannoli, gelato or a vegan-friendly chocolate brownie. The family-friendly restaurant has created a children's menu with pasta, pizza and kids' staples, cod and chips and chicken tenders.
Keelan, who appeared on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2018, and was runner-up in Nottinghamshire Food and Drink Awards' young chef competition in 2016, said the restaurant had got off to a flying start. "We did 400 last weekend, we have 300 booked in for this weekend. We had a lot of walk-ins at the weekend. It's going well."
Ottimo, which translates as 'the best possible', is open from noon Tuesday to Sunday but may change depending on demand. It is the third venue from the people behind Nottingham's Sans Patrie and Bar Sans Patrie, Ross Considine and Nick Parker. The duo, who run Saint Property Services, first ventured into the hospitality sector in 2020 when Sans Patrie opened in Alfreton Road.
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Ross, a self-confessed foodie, said his passion lies in delivering unique dining experiences centred around high-quality and fresh food to offer irresistible flavours and signature dishes unlike anything customers have tasted before. He said: "Ottimo derives from the word optimum – an adjective which translates as the ‘best possible’. This is what eating out should provide; the best possible ingredients and tasting experience you can get."
It is the first food and drink venue to open at the flagship development. Work is underway to transform an empty unit into The Beeston Social - a bar, kitchen and arcade run by the company behind Nottingham’s Das Kino, The Blind Rabbit and The Hockley Arts Club. Negotiations are underway for a third venue.
