World Service

Executive Chef/Proprietor Chris Elson, who used to be at Hambleton Hall and Hart's, brings his expertise from both to bear at World Service, where the ambience is oriental but the food in the main leans slightly more towards Europe than the Pacific. He uses first-class ingredients to produce such eclectic gems as monkfish and nori tempura with sesame soy dressing, pickled ginger, and wasabi, or pan-fried cod cheeks with crispy slow roast belly pork and oven-dried fig; the execution of these dishes is aided by Head Chef Preston Walker, also ex-Hambleton and Hart's.

The bar is quite a local destination now, concentrating on offering a wide range of wines by the glass, spirits from every nation imaginable and their own speciality cocktails, all offered in a richly different setting.

Those who knew the Nottingham United Services Club may be surprised to hear that it has consolidated on the upper floors of its elegant Georgian house, leaving World Service to set up on the ground floor, where it quickly earned its award of Nottinghamshire Newcomer of the Year.

There is a choice of three separate dining areas, two of which are also available for private hire; their lunch menu, which changes daily, represents excellent value whilst still remaining as inventive as the rest of their food.

Amongst the menus, which vary according to the time of the year, is a wide variety of dishes that are designed to blend with the gracious interior of this extraordinary house, a real survival of the gracious city that went before.

Starters of deep-fried ham and mascarpone cannelloni with green bean and quail egg salad, or crispy fried soft shell crab with mango and lime salad, or simple dishes such as cumin spiced cauliflower soup with cumin seed biscuit, all pave the way for mains dishes that could include pan-fried halibut with linguine, roast artichoke, bouillabaisse and Mediterranean vegetable sauce, fillet of wild sea bass with prawn risotto, ginger and coriander butter sauce, and crispy goats' cheese filled courgette flowers with rocket salad, honey and raspberry dressing.

The side dishes sound equally compelling, green beans with shallot butter, minted new potatoes, and home-made fries. Puddings of dark chocolate and praline mousse with a bitter orange ice cream, or a trio of orchard fruit crème brûlée make a gracious end to a meal prepared and served with impeccable taste.

They boast a masterful wine list with house wines from £14 and eight by the glass; all helping to increase the enjoyment derived from this smooth-running and promising relative newcomer, which gained the accolade of overall restaurant of the year in the Nottingham Restaurant Awards for a staggering four years out of five: 2003, 2004 and 2005 and 2007. They also have recognition from The Good Food Guide, and, at the end of 2006, they gained a second rosette from the AA.

Far more information can be gleaned from their Website, including very full details on their menus and huge choice of drinks.