It's more than five years since a new venture selling healthy fast food burst on to Nottingham's food and drink scene with a queue down the road. Since then the Clean Cut Kitchen has proved that fast food doesn't have to be stodgy, fried and fattening.
After starting in Derby Road, the business expanded to operate a sizeable restaurant in Victoria Centre. It has now switched to a smaller shop on the edge of in Hockley, which owner Antonio Vendone said is 'a nicer fit'.
"It wasn't meant to be a move initially, it was meant to be a second site," said Antonio. "The centre was really busy but the overheads there were sky rocketing. It was never our intention to have a restaurant like that so we thought we'd go back to our roots."
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Clean Cut Kitchen quickly became popular not just with gym-goers but anyone looking for quick nutritious food that tastes good. The menu has freshly-made macro bowls with prices starting at £7.95. Varieties include tabbouleh, burrito and chunky mango, with a choice of protein, such as jerk chicken, grilled halloumi, rump steak, falafel and tofu, and six different sauces including sweet chilli, satay peanut and mint yoghurt.
Grab and go protein flatbreads and wraps can be found in the chiller display, with vegan options amongst them. Meal prep is another big part of the business. People can pre-order but once fully up and running a selection will be on display ready for takeaway.
A wide range of drinks are on the menu. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate come with six different milk options - dairy to almond. For something cold and refreshing, pick a smoothie, protein shake or one of the many cans or bottles in the chiller - kombucha soda, flavoured spring water and Clean Cut's own fresh orange juice are some of the choices.
Clean Cut Kitchen has taken over what was previously Wired, a coffee shop in Pelham Street, where it has stamped its identity on the premises with turquoise and natural wood decor. As well as two tables in the window area - those bobbly silver seats are more comfortable that they first appear - there's further seating for around 18 people downstairs. The business is currently awaiting a licence for outdoor seating in the warmer months.
The flagship restaurant opened in June 2019 next to the clocktower entrance at Victoria Centre. When fast food giant Taco Bell made an offer for the site, Clean Cut Kitchen relocated to the shopping centre's upper floor, in the former home of Nottingham Coffee Club.
The new shop is significantly smaller - but that's not a bad thing, said Antonio. He told us: "With what we do, it's good to be able to talk to the customers and explain the process. At the restaurant, the kitchen was behind the wall and you couldn't see much. There was a lot going on. It was busy and spread out, you didn't get the chance to have that engagement. For us it's really important to have that at the stage we're at. It's gone a bit full circle.
"The shopping centre gave us the option to move upstairs to where the coffee club was and it was great, super busy but obviously you were restricted by shopping centre hours so there were lots of quiet times in there - we couldn't close early as you had to stay open till 6pm.
"It became a different beast to what we'd originally set out to be. We added lots of things to the menu just to accommodate the demographic in Victoria Centre, such as French toast and cakes, so it was taking away a little bit from what we set out to be."
That said the new outlet will be stocking a range of vegan cakes because Antonio said: "It's all about balance. f you are trying to follow a diet it works if it's sustainable. There is no point in trying to restrict yourself too much, so we have a good balance of things."
The shop (handily located beneath a gym) is now trading but is planning an official launch next week with an unbeatable opening offer. Antonio said: "The customers who have been in and the positivity we have had and you can engage with everyone here like Derby Road, it's that feel again.
"We get a massive mix of people, obviously the core people who go to the gym and want to be able to come in and calculate what they're eating but there's also a lot of young professionals in the area. The reception has been great so far."
The shop is open Monday to Saturday, from 11am.
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