The world of fine dining can be intimidating if you've never tried it before. There's often ingredients and dishes on the menu that seem completely alien. Then there's the cost - a typical tasting menu can set you back at least £100.
The cost of living crisis has put a squeeze on eating out but there's still plenty of people wanting good food. A Nottingham restaurant is taking a different approach with what it calls "starter pack" fine dining with a six course menu for £55. What makes it all the more remarkable is that fact that hundreds of dishes a night are crafted in the smallest of spaces, using a pizza oven.
Located on Alfreton Road near the Canning Circus traffic lights, Sans Patrie has reinvented itself from when it opened in early March 2020 - just weeks before the first lockdown of the pandemic. The thrust of the menu at that time was tapas and flatbreads - hence the pizza oven.
Keep up to date with all the latest food and drink news by signing up to our newsletter here
Trade was inconsistent so in a 180 degree turn, Sans Patrie's head chef Keelan Burton devised a tasting menu. With every customer eating the same six dishes it meant he knows exactly what produce to order in, meaning less waste. "I run a tight ship," said the chef, whose early career saw him working in the kitchen of one of the area's best fine dining restaurants, La Rock in Sandiacre.
It's astounding what three chefs, sometimes four on a busy night, working shoulder to shoulder manage to achieve in the open kitchen that's barely 8ft square. The menu changes seasonally and a couple of dishes change every few weeks to keep it interesting for returning customers. There's also a meat-free version for vegetarians.
There's nothing too "out there" to make it appealing to newcomers. "For people who've never had a taster menu it's a good place to start," said Keelan. The spring menu starts with amuse bouche - a courgette polpette and a mango chutney and blue cheese tart, followed by allium veloute, a garlicy soup with truffle.
It doesn't get more familiar than farmhouse ham, accompanied by celeraic remoulade, pork crackling, a French Waldorf salad and watercress. Sea trout is served rather than salmon to keep costs down and it comes with pickled fennel and cucumber gin ketchup.
Again, chicken is chosen over beef and lamb as it is less expensive. Served French-style forestière with sherry tarragon cream sauce, leek and mushrooms, it's a classic.
The menu is rounded off with a passionfruit sorbet and a dessert that sounds like it shouldn't work but really does. The white chocolate cremeux (the combination of custard and chocolate) is accompanied by black garlic cheesecake and parsnip caramel.
Keelen said: "I keep it classic with a modern twist so you have a remoulade on the ham, you have chicken, mushroom and leek. The dessert is different but approachable, you know what caramelised parsnip is."
"We call it starter pack fine dining for people who want to get into it but aren't sure. We're not as expensive compared to other places."
Since working at La Rock and appearing on MasterChef: The Professionals in 2018, Keelan said: "I have sharpened my tools a little bit - I've taught myself. I follow a thousand restaurants online and I'm always looking for new places to eat. I know what works and what doesn't.
"I'm held back by space. Preparation is key. The water bath plays a massive part, I can feed the whole restaurant on main courses from that one water bath and then it just needs a sear to crisp up.
"Key ingredients I use are here all in front of me, chilled and ready to go, the purées are chilled and ready to go. The plate warmer is the pizza oven.
"I use the pizza oven for every single thing. It plays a massive part on the menu. I am probably the only place in Nottingham to cook everything on the menu in a pizza oven. The mushrooms go in there, the chicken goes in there, the sauces stay warm there. When you roast a cabbage at a high temperature it's beautiful."
All the produce is sourced locally, rather than using a butcher in the Lake District or wine merchant in France like high-end restaurants. "Always keep it local and work with everybody around you and you'll be alright. Build relationships and you'll get the best prices," said Keelan.
Before switching to the tasting menu trade was hit and miss. Now the 30-seater restaurant is usually full Friday and Saturday nights and trade is picking up the rest of the week. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday and Saturday lunchtimes. Bookings are already coming in for May and June.
Wine pairing usually accompanies fine dining, so this is an option for Sans Patrie diners for a further £40 if they want to splash out for the full experience.
Manager Sadaqat Ali chooses the wines from Weavers in Nottingham. He doesn't pretend to be a sommelier but he works hard to match up the best wines for the food.
Known by everyone as Ali, he built a career on working in fine dining restaurants in London and most recently Darley's Restaurant in Derbyshire. He said there's nothing pretentious or stuffy about eating at Sans Patrie, with its eclectic decor and friendly service.
Hanging baskets provide a touch of greenery, rows of empty wine bottles line the window sills and an old fashioned eye test light box is on display (a homage to Boots Opticians that used to be at the site years ago). It's a sunny spot during the day and at night, when the lights are dimmed it creates a warm, cosy atmosphere.
Ali said: "We offer good food, good atmosphere, good service. It's so relaxed here. I remember I was taught you've got to stand with your hands behind your back like statues, it's not like that now. It's not about wearing white gloves. It's about caring about what you do and caring about people at the table. We have a young team here and they are so good."
He said the kitchen is so small that the first time he walked in he didn't even notice it next to the bar. Spare a thought for the pot washer. While most restaurants have a dishwasher, every single plate and piece of cutlery is washed in a sink, the size of a typical one at home.
Food lovers have plenty of praise for Sans Patrie. Leigh Campbell, who blogs as the Nottingham Bucket List, said: "Every element of Sans Patrie has been curated to provide a really special evening, and it's one that I think is well worth the money spent for the experience of trying something new."
Joe Corr, of blogging duo Guys Who Dine said: "We have been dining at Sans Patrie since the day they opened. Keelan is one of our favourite Nottingham chefs who is so welcoming and eager to please all his guests. it's gorgeous food served by the friendliest of staff."
Another visitor said: "We absolutely loved our experience at Sans Patrie and will definitely be back. The food was exceptional and the wine pairings were great. I loved the mushroom soup and I am absolutely not a mushroom fan. I couldn't fault a single course."
READ NEXT:
Dad of triplets 'bites the bullet' by opening new restaurant
Nottinghamshire gang's production line of guns made out of replicas in workshop
It costs £11 but MasterChef winner's breakfast could be the best quality full English in Nottingham
Nottingham mum-of-three living in a hotel after becoming homeless
Snow and ice could return to UK next week following 'unsettled' weekend
