The Pudding Pantry, located in Nottingham’s Trinity Square, prides itself, among other things, on its delicious homemade desserts available throughout the day; perfect, in theory, for all those sweet- toothed pudding fanatics. But close-up, the name doesn’t seem so appropriate. Excluding their selection of homemade cakes, there are only a mere five deserts to choose from, a surprisingly disappointing selection for a cafe whose title focuses around the word ‘pudding’.
The prices are pretty standard at around £5 per desert, though the presentation and portion sizes are a far cry from the professional photos featured on their website. The four perfectly rounded pancakes I ordered certainly tasted delicious, but are hardly comparable to the syrup-smothered tower they advertise online.
Expectation
Reality
Having said that, what they lack in the variety of desert choices, they make up for in quirky breakfast and lunch options that, starting from £3.95 for a sandwich, are far more reasonably priced.
The cafe itself is bright and freshly decorated in subtle pastel colours with a huge glass window that spans the whole length of the cafe and overlooks their quaint picket-fenced outdoor eating space (which is full, even on this chilly October morning.) Both are looked after by staff who epitomise the phrase ‘service with a smile’ , something which is refreshing in a city centre where it has become increasingly difficult to find. My friends (who I dragged along to get fat with me) and I were served by various waiters who were more than attentive. The staff are a huge part of why, aside from my criticisms, I understand why The Pudding Pantry is so popular. But despite enjoying the desert (or two) that I tried and being impressed by the standard of service, the truth is, I just wasn’t ‘wowed’ by The Pudding Pantry overall.
Mackenzie Orrock
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Image Credits: stacyvitallo via Flickr, thepuddingpantry.co.uk
