Nottinghamshire has one takeaway up for Takeaway of the Year in the Food Awards England 2022, and it's also representing the entire East Midlands. Jimbos on Abbey Street in Lenton is one of five in the Midlands region, and 19 in the UK, up for the gong having already scooped a number of awards since it opened in September 2017.
The takeaway serves freshly made pizzas, kebabs and burgers along with a variety of desserts. And I've been given the rather enviable task of finding out if it's all it's cracked up to be.
I log on to their website to find that, sadly, the restaurant doesn't deliver to where I live - so I order it for collection. I study the menu in depth to see what's on offer, and it all sounds rather delicious.
In the end, I opt for a pizza, as that what I'm fancying and it's that option that's at the top of the menu, enticing me to pick that. All pizzas come in sizes of 9" for £8.99 and 12" for £10.99.
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The ones that really stand out to me are the Texas barbecue, Jimbos Special (which has 'must try' in bold letters next to it) and Franks. I must say, I really fancied the Jimbos Special, but that and the Texas barbecue are served with mushrooms, and not being a mushroom fan in the slightest, I opt for the 12" Franks option.
Franks is a pizza of cheese, Franks red hot sauce, tandoori chicken, onions and jalapenos. Sounds spicy, and yummy.
I place my order and it says on the website it will be ready in around 15 minutes. I get there in about 20 or so, and sure enough it's there ready and waiting.
I'm greeted kindly but the server, who knows instantly that I've come to collect it. The other workers are busy preparing orders, and the server gives me my pizza.
I'm in and out the shop in around a minute or so. So far, so good.
Taking the pizza off him, it feels piping hot through the box. And the smell... My goodness, the smell...
It's genuinely one of the nicest smells I've ever encountered. With the food hot and my car never smelling better, I drive home to try it out.
On the way back, I think to my favourite pizza in Nottingham, which is Suede (I'm yet to try out Pizzamisu and Oscar & Rosie's, much to my dismay). With Jimbos being so highly regarded, I think to myself that I'll be comparing it to that.
The pizza has travelled well, it's still hot by the time I get back. I open the lid to reveal the box's secrets, and it looks incredible.
There is a mixture of topping on top of and underneath the layer of cheese. It looks so appetizing, so much so that I can hardly wait to pick up a slice and try it out.
Before I taste test it, my first impression picking up a slice is that the pizza base looks good - it feels somewhere in the middle of a thin and deep base. There is barely a crust on it, as the topping stretches all the way to the borders of the pizza, meaning there's more of the good stuff, which I'm happy about as I had not ordered a dip.
I take the first bite, and I can instantly tell that it's been freshly made. I get a mixture of the cheese, light tomato base, a piece of tandoori chicken and a jalapeno.
Safe to say, it's quite spicy, with a decent kick to it. I'm a big fan of spice, so it suits me just fine.
The cheese itself is delicious and there is a good amount of topping on it. The onions really shine through too, and with each passing slice I keep thinking about how great it is that the topping goes all the way to the edge.
It's incredibly tasty and very moreish. So much so, that I have no problem seeing off the whole pizza, which stays hot throughout.
My final thoughts are that it's very tasty, I feel very satisfied and full afterwards. I would absolutely order from Jimbos again, to try out other pizzas and to sample a burger or a kebab, maybe one of the desserts too.
However, I can't help but feel that Suede just edges it on the pizza front in comparison for me. But considering Jimbos serves burgers, kebabs and desserts as well as pizzas, whereas Suede's speciality is pizza, it stacks up incredibly well, and in my personal experience I can find the pizza delivery from Suede to be a little hit and miss as it can go cold quickly.
I'll definitely be ordering from Jimbos again. And best of luck to all involved, fingers crossed that Jimbos can bring home the crown of the best takeaway at the Food Awards England 2022.
