After scouring the familiar streets of Nottingham and being informed by Google Maps that I had walked past my destination repeatedly, a sigh of relief came after spotting a quaint blackboard reading ‘Time Out Café & Kitchen’ on Wheeler Gate.
Finally venturing up a white staircase, Time Out Café was not only a welcome sight but a surprisingly lovely one at that. As a student used to conventional cafeteria style squares, the colourful mix of outdoor and domestic furniture, balcony-style windows and pot-plant arrangements within the Time Out space immediately sparked my intrigue. The smiling staff offered a variety of tables and my particular choice of the large dining-room-ish table looking out over the streets of Nottingham served perfectly for my mid-revision procrastinating mind-set.
Time Out’s menus offer an Asian-inspired tapas selection with exciting flavours as well as tempting single dishes, so original they had to be explained! The tapas were priced at 3 for £13, which was the perfect price; the dishes came with more than enough, not just in size but in fabulous flavours!
The tapas appeared one at a time, encouraging us to savour all the flavour, and not a bit was missed in the Vietnamese Spring Rolls – a taste of its origins, they were nothing like the standard goo-filled pastry we are so used to. No, these were fishy filled finger-food goodness and the perfect starter plate with their accompanying sweet–chilli dip.
I was then immersed in a feast of food as the other tasty treats arrived, including the crispy Chicken Karaage – tender battered chicken chunks with a soy dipping sauce and a bowl of curly calamari pieces! As well as a tub of Salt and Pepper Fries that served as the ideal side to dip in the tangy array of sticky sauces. A personal favourite from the street-food inspired selection was the Korean Sweet Soy Garlic Fried chicken – juicy, tiny chicken legs served in a scrumptious sweet sauce with a sesame coating.
Whatever your favourite may turn out to be, spending a few hours in Time Out will definitely surprise and delight! Whether you need a new place to sit with your laptop and enjoy their fancy snacks, such as Honey Butter Crisps or Kaya French Toast, or come for a marvellous meal with mates, this chilled out café with fantastic food to boot is the new student hot-spot!
Lydia Eccleston
Image Credits: Lydia Eccleston
