I had the pleasure of being invited to try out the brand new Mediterranean restaurant, ‘Baklava Bistro’. ‘Baklava’ was opened just two weeks ago by enthusiastic owner Omar. Just an easy ten-minute walk from Lenton, this small and well-decorated bistro situated on Alfreton Road is soon to be a top-pick for students.
“you can trust they’ll cater for whatever you’re looking for”
The bistro is well-furnished with a cafe-meet-bistro aesthetic, complete with preppy, high wooden chairs and benches facing out into the street, filled with magazines. When you first walk in, there is a glass shelf of huge, elaborately decorated cakes. So if you’ve got any birthdays coming up fear not – from a ’21st’ to a huge Barbie cake, you can trust they’ll cater for whatever you’re looking for.
We had a warm welcome from owner Omar and his colleague, who were very pleasant and demonstrated a swift service throughout our visit. First up, we decided to try something savoury before digging into their dessert menu (which looked mouth-watering). We opted for the spinach and cheese Borek, a small pastry with a thin flaky dough layer surrounding the fillings. These were served with tomatoes, cucumber and olives, a perfect snack, hot or cold for any time of the day. I have never tried a Borek before but I will definitely be having them again!
Next up, we got to try a range of Baklava, which, for those of you in the dark like I was, is a filo pastry with honey and nuts inside. We tried some with pistachio pastries and the others with walnut pastries. These small pastries are not as innocent as you think; I decided to eat one in one mouthful and I was not prepared for how sweet they were (though that is not to say they tasted bad!) I would advise you eat them in small bites as they are very sweet. For £4.95 (or £4.46 with their 10% student discount), these sweet Greek treats are definitely worth a try.
“I was not prepared for how sweet they were”
Last but definitely not least was the one thing I have tried before – CAKE. Omar kindly gave us a choice of what we would like to try and we (being chocolate fanatics) chose an Oreo cake and a chocolate cheesecake. The Oreo cake was lovely: the Oreo flavour was mainly in the icing, with a strawberry acting as the cherry on top of this beautiful dessert. But, even better, was the chocolate cheesecake, which was almost mousse-like in texture and flavour. For the reasonable price of £2.75 (or for us students, £2.48), these cakes are certainly worth it. As well as offering their delightful chocolate cakes, they also sell mango, vanilla, black forest, white and pistachio flavours to sate your cake cravings. Baklava Bistro aim to change their cake flavours almost daily, meaning you will never be disappointed by their range of flavours.
“the chocolate cheesecake, which was almost mousse-like in its texture and flavour”
Lastly, or firstly for some, drinks. I was pleasantly surprised by the wide range of drinks on offer: from coffee to soft drinks to milkshakes to smoothies, Baklava Bistro had it all. They use Nottingham’s very own 200 degrees coffee beans, which means you really can taste the difference between their coffees and your standard caffeine kick. But for those of you leaning more toward a milkshake or calming cup of tea, Baklava Bistro stays open until 10pm every single night!
“you really can taste the difference between their coffees and your standard caffeine kick”
So if you want to treat yourself to a snack (sweet or savoury), get yourself down to Baklava Bistro, the perfect place for students, with long opening hours and that 10% student discount we all love…
Baklava Bistro social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram): @baklavabistro
8/10
Charlotte Hegley
Images courtesy of Charlotte Hegley.
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