Bold interesting pairings will feature on the menu at Cleaver & Wake, the exciting new restaurant of MasterChef: The Professionals champion Laurence Henry. The chef patron, who won the BBC culinary competition in 2018, has revealed a much anticipated sneak peek of the menu following months of development at the 'finer dining' restaurant at Nottingham's Island Quarter.
Opening October 19, Cleaver & Wake will offer a modern, elevated dining experience, with an emphasis on quality seasonal British ingredients. The restaurant is based on the first floor, above Binks Yard, at the new development off London Road.
The menu, which will change regularly to use the very best produce of the season. Hero dishes include half a lobster tail finished over charcoal and served with fresh linguini and lobster ‘Bolognese’, as well as turbot cooked on the bone, salsify, smoked eel and Champagne veloutè. Beef short-rib is finished over charcoal with shallot purée, ale braised roscoff onion and bordelaise sauce.
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For a meat-free option, diners can enjoy the Maitake Mushroom, which is roasted and finished over coals, glazed in a Pedro Ximenez caramel and served with a toasted hay hollandaise, cep purée, pickled mushrooms and nasturtium.
Laurence said: “I’m really passionate about good quality British produce and that’s reflected in every dish on the menu. When crafting the menu, it was really important for me to make the produce the hero and create something special that delivers brilliant flavour with every bite.
“Seasonality goes hand-in-hand with home-grown ingredients, as we are sourcing them at their peak of flavour. This will give diners the best version of each dish we make. Our approach means we will be changing our menu regularly, as the seasons change, and different ingredients come into their own.”
Diners will have a varied selection of snacks, cured meats and starters. For seafood lovers, the ceviche of sea trout and yellowfin tuna, served with tiger’s milk, coriander, radishes and caviar promises to be a firm favourite. Meanwhile, vegetable lovers can dine on the slow-roasted baby beetroot parcel, with goats’ cheese and sorrel.
If your mouth isn't watering yet, other stand out dishes include oxtail served with a hollandaise sauce, English wasabi, burnt leek and smoked bone marrow; hand-dived Orkney scallop served with BBQ confit chicken wings and roasted corn salsa; and spiced Cornish crab salad served with watermelon and radish.
The menu also features a selection of fine oysters including natural oysters served with mignonette dressing, tabasco and lemon and cold oysters served with pickled cucumber relish, oyster emulsion and caviar.
Dessert lovers will struggle to choose between Grandpa’s coffee ice cream, a luxurious Kahlua coffee ice cream, with a chocolate coffee crumb and pecan tuille; an apple tarte fine made with English apples and served with Madagascan vanilla and Bramley apple pie, a pistachio soufflé served with dark chocolate, and a chocolate delice with Jerusalem artichoke and yoghurt.
Starters are priced around £15 to £20 and main courses from £24 to £36. Despite the premium offer the restaurant will have a relaxed atmosphere. An open-plan kitchen will allow diners to see the theatre of each culinary masterpiece being crafted by the team of ten chefs, which includes fellow MasterChef alumnus, Hira Thakur as head chef.
Laurence added: “I want diners to be able to see each dish’s journey from produce to plate, so the open-plan kitchen is integral to the restaurant’s design. I want people to feel like they are a part of their meal’s preparation. Our meat ageing fridges are also on show, to allow everyone to see the care and attention that goes into our star ingredients.”
Named after two Victorian lace makers who worked on the edge of the original site, Cleaver & Wake forms an integral part of the first phase of The Island Quarter, which once complete, will be one of the UK’s biggest ever regeneration projects.
John Whitehead, food, beverage and events project director, said: “We are all looking forward to welcoming diners to Cleaver & Wake. So much care and attention has gone into each element that everyone involved is justly proud of the menu. Laurence and his team’s passion really shines through in every dish, and we can’t wait to see people enjoying the results of their great effort.
“We are also very proud of the restaurant itself. Diners can enjoy premium food in a relaxed atmosphere, whether it’s a special occasion or just an opportunity to treat themselves.”
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