Nottingham’s most hotly anticipated new bar and grill with MasterChef: The Professionals champion Laurence Henry at the helm has revealed the menu. An opening date for Binks Yard has yet to be announced but the wait is nearly over.
The purpose-built bar will bring together the best of casual drinking and dining to create a cool, cosy, canal-side hospitality venue at the Island Quarter. The new space will feature an outside plaza and bandstand, showcasing live music throughout the year. It will also have an outside kiosk for on-the-go hot and cold drinks.
The menu features wood-fired sourdough pizzas boasting bold flavours such as ‘nduja, Stichelton blue cheese, candied walnuts, bresaola and truffle paste. Meanwhile dishes from its smoky charcoal grill include chicken shawarma, tandoori tempeh and spatchcock chicken. Other star dishes include black bream, moules marinière, a tempting selection of pinchos and tacos, and a breakfast menu served from 9am until 11.30am each day.
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Chef patron Laurence, who triumphed in TV's toughest cookery competition in 2018, said: “We’ve really put our hearts and souls into this menu to create something unique. The dishes are honest and bold, and with the help of our wood-fired oven and charcoal grill, the cooking methods really speak for themselves.
“We’ve got comforting classics like our Henry Binks full English breakfast, double cheeseburger, and sourdough pizzas, which feature quality ingredients cooked to perfection. However, some of our dishes showcase a twist on the traditional, like our ‘morcilla’ black pudding and quail egg pinchos and our spatchcock chicken marinated in tagine spices.”
Named after local Victorian beer retailer Henry Binks, who operated in Nottingham in the late 19th century, the bar and grill occupies the lower ground floor of the first building at the Island Quarter, one of the UK’s biggest ever regeneration projects.
Guests can enjoy breakfast dishes to suit all appetites from freshly baked pastries and acai bowls to the ‘Mr Binks breakfast sandwich’ and eggs Benedict, Florentine, or Royale. Vegetarian and vegan options include Shakshuka, baked in the wood-fired oven with eggs, spicy tomato sauce and crumbled feta and the Henry Binks full veggie breakfast with eggs, hash browns, roasted field mushrooms, wood-fired cherry tomatoes and baked beans. Barista-crafted coffees, freshly squeezed juices, and breakfast cocktails are also on offer.
Sourdough pizzas range from a traditional margherita with English buffalo mozzarella to the ‘Waldorf’, complete with celeriac base, local Stichelton blue cheese, candied walnuts, apple, and rocket.
Cast iron skillet dishes include twice baked Lincolnshire Poacher cheese soufflé, served with dressed baby leaves, chive beurre blanc and dried blush cherry tomatoes, as well as home-made potato gnocchi served with roasted cherry tomatoes, courgettes and nasturtium pesto. The kitchen’s impressive charcoal grill will serve up smoky flavours, including a rump steak panuozzi sandwich served in folded wood-fired pizza bread, with wholegrain mayo, as well as crispy glazed pork belly skewers with home-made cracking.
Laurence added: “We can’t wait for visitors from Nottingham and beyond to try this menu. We included sharable dishes like tacos and pinchos because we anticipate people will want to try a bit of everything after experiencing some real food envy.”
Binks Yard’s pinchos have something for all tastes. They’ll serve up classics including ‘Gilda’ anchovy with pickled green peppers and olive, and delicious chorizo with Pedro Ximenes sherry and padron peppers. Creative twists include a ploughman’s-style, with Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and pickle, and smoked beets with pine and thyme oil.
John Whitehead, food, beverage, and events project director, said: “After months of research, supplier trips, and numerous creative cooking sessions in the kitchen, we’re delighted to present a menu we’re really proud of. The team have worked really hard, and we’ve now got something to really get excited about, ahead of our opening this summer.”
A restaurant, Cleaver & Wake, serving refined dishes will open at a later date. It will also be led by Laurence Henry, who hails from Mapperley. To find out more about The Island Quarter and its venues, visit theislandquarter.com/
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