Dinner At The Recently Opened Hemisphere In West Bridgford, Nottingham
Published On Sunday 23 Feb 2025 by Sticky Beak
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‘Tisn’t often that I’m a bit anxious that I’m not going to be able to convey how magnificent a venue was, but that’s exactly how I’m feeling now as I sit before my keyboard! This visit has been in the pipeline a while, thanks to His Nibs’ day job getting in the way, but we eventually made it to West Bridgford to visit Hemisphere…and it was certainly worth the wait.
As we approached Hemisphere, we nearly missed it! The garish outside of Iceland completely dominates the altogether sleeker signage and door for Hemisphere, so look for the pair of topiaried Box Shrubs either side of a dark-framed door and head up the stairs to gastro paradise. I love the décor and was properly ‘fan girling’ over the circular LED ceiling light pendants and the surprisingly cosy, understated ambience they create. Wooden free-standing tables are paired with a mix of plain and patterned seats in muted natural tones, and set with cutlery and chopsticks; Hemisphere is very clear in its East/West (or should that be North/South Hemisphere?) fusion aesthetic. The vibe is one of inclusivity; you can definitely dress up and enjoy a celebration meal here, but equally you can go smart/casual and chill with a glass of good wine to accompany your meal.
The wine list is extensive enough to offer plenty of choice that compliments the dishes served, without being too long and complicated, and there’s a good selection to have by the glass. I had a cheeky Argentinean Malbec, whilst The Man had a pint of draught Asahi lager (expertly poured by the lovely Siobhan). Our wonderful server, Kitty, explained the workings of the menu to us, then left us to peruse it further. As we occupied ourselves with this task, co-owner Rachel came over to say “Hi” and fill us in on everything she and husband Paul (also Head Chef at Hemisphere) had been doing in the last few months – working their socks off, that’s what!!
We like to think we’re pretty fluid when it comes to dining out and, with the exception [now] of a couple of things, His Nibs will eat most morsels; to that end, Rachel suggested we try the set menus. The couple of tweaks meant that we ended up with a hybrid of the two set menus Hemisphere offer (priced at either £40pp or £65 pp). Paul and Rachel wanted an open kitchen and we got a great view of the pass and everything that Paul and his team were doing, not least assembling our feast!
Our first ‘nibble’ dish was Edamame Beans in Black Garlic, Ginger, Red Chilli and Maldon Sea Salt. Prior to their arrival at the table, Kitty had brought over two dinky finger bowls filled with warm water and sliced Lemon, and a larger bowl in which you put the Edamame pods; note: DO NOT eat the pods; they are super chewy and it’ll take you ages – seems obvious, but if you’ve not had them before it’s an easy thing to assume. Having to remove the beans from their pod makes you have a connection to the food you’re eating, something that seems all too rare in today’s society. Looking like miniature Broad Beans, Edamame taste sweet like Peas, though a bit nuttier; pimped with Black Garlic’s treacly earthy tones, Chilli’s heat, and Sea Salt’s tang, this was a marvellously tasty dish.
Second from the ‘nibble’ section was the Butter Board; totally not what we were expecting from the description: ‘Fig, Nori, Sea Salt, Pickled Shallot, Shaved Lemon, Focaccia, Micro Garden’. The Man and I thought that there would be several [probably fancily piped] rounds of flavoured butters, paired with the Focaccia and garnished with micro-herbs; not an unreasonable assumption? I should’ve known that a Chef of Paul’s experience and talent would push things left-field! The Butter Board was, literally, that: a wooden board thinly spread with butter. On top of the dairy layer was a visual delight of Fig pieces, impossibly thin sliced, pickled Shallots (they were literally see-through!), fairy-dust Nori, dinky pieces of sunny-hued Lemon, flakes of Salt and a veritable [RHS Chelsea worthy) garden of edible flowers and micro-herbs. This was a symphony of flavour and, if this was ‘only’ a nibble, what the heck could we expect from the rest of the menu??!!!
Replacing the soft-shell Crab was a trio of Corn Hotcakes with White Radish, Sesame, Red Shiso and Green Curry and, yes, it tasted every bit as delicious as it sounds. The crisp batter was amazing and the sweetcorn kernels burst with sweet juiciness; paired with the sharper Shiso and Radish, this had my taste buds’ full attention. Add in the utterly gorgeous coconutty green curry sauce and you’ve got one belting dish!
‘Woodland Scallops’ was an apt title for the King Oyster Mushroom treats that we were served next. The thick stems of the mushroom had been cut across horizontally and did indeed resemble the pale flesh of Scallops; the same, meaty texture was there but the taste was a little different: earthier and not fragrant. What Funghi [in general] does, though, is absorb the flavours it comes into contact with, in this case, Punchy Wasabi Peas, Shiso Pesto and a zingy Jalapeno Aioli. Another superb starter/small plate offering.
Our final ‘small plates’ were the Crispy Duck Maki Roll with Cucumber, Spring Onion and Hoisin Dipping sauce, and Pork Short Rib with Pork Puffs, Parsnip, Pickled Apple and Nam Jim. I’ll deal with the Duck Sushi first. Marvellous shreds of Duck were cocooned in the centre of a Nori-bound, rice square, accompanied by finely diced Cucumber and crisp Spring Onion. In the mouth, all the flavours bounced and the dense, creamy Sushi Rice bound everything together superbly, not least when His Nibs and I dunked the squares unceremoniously into the salty dipping sauce! This was a classic Sushi offering and it is easy to see why it’s so popular.
Fat cubes of Pork were pleasingly dense-textured in the mouth, contrasting with the meats’ milder flavour. Where the ribs were soft, the Pickled Apple strands and Pork Puffs were crunchy, and the sticky Nam Jim was multi-faceted, with its mix of spicily smoky, sweet/sour/umami added several layers of taste for the palate to swoon over.
Both of us were a bit sucker-punched at this point, our senses star struck at the sheer amount of stimulation they’d encountered! It’s been a jolly long time since we’ve been as impressed by the imagination and skill of a team as we were on this night, let me tell you; in fact, we commented that the last clear recollection of someone pushing the envelope like this was a certain [Chef] Joe Wood in his ‘Incognito’ days. Our servers had checked that we were happy with our food whenever they approached the table with another plate of food, and asked if we needed any more table water (which they’d brought over when we had first sat down).
However, there was no time to recover... Chef was presenting his ‘large plate’ offerings to us: Miso-glazed Black Cod with Bok Choy, Passionfruit and Lemon Jelly, and Picanha Beef (Rump Cap) served on a Hot Stone with Yuzu Ponzu, Crispy Garlic and Cut Chives. To go with these ‘mains’ were a bowl of Coconut and Coriander Rice, and XO Green Beans. As with the previous ones, presentation of all the dishes was absolutely exquisite.
Everybody loves a bit of table theatre, and we’re no different, so we were grinning in delight as Kitty drizzled the Yuzu Ponzu onto the steak and its hot rock chaise longue, revelling in the dramatic sizzling and resultant plumes of steam. The aromas carried on the steam were mouth-watering and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in. Verdant sprigs of fresh Rosemary and Thyme provided more aromatics as their volatile oils had been released by the steams’ heat – this was a total sensory delight!
Cutting into the thinly sliced Picanha Beef, our palates were captivated by its deep, rich taste and we were both crushing over this meaty beast. This cut of Beef is typically characterised by a delicate marbling of fat throughout the muscle fibres, and it is this fat that enhances the flavour profile, as well as adding a satiety factor. Chives added a gentle Onion edge to the meal which paired superbly with the citrussy note of the Yuzu Ponzu. Accompanied by some of the fragrant Rice and crunchy, Green Beans, each mouthful of Beef was elevated into something utterly enchanting. And we hadn’t even sampled the Black Cod (aka Alaskan Sablefish) yet!!
Black Cod is renowned for its unrivalled buttery taste and firm texture, its purity coming from the fish’s deep-water living; it is this hard-to-reach habitat that contributes to its prohibitive cost, as fishing crews have to spend inordinate amounts of time to reach the Alaskan Sablefish, never mind catch them! The effort is worth it though, in my [palate’s] humble opinion. His Nibs hasn’t had Black Cod before, but he was bowled over by it; the silky flesh seems to weave a spell in the mouth, and its buttery notes cosset the palate with a magical skill. Chef had utilised Passion fruit and Lemon judiciously to produce a jelly that didn’t overwhelm the fish but added a definite splash of fruitiness to the dish. Wilted Bok Choy was pleasingly crunchy, its grassiness parrying nicely with Miso’s umami note.
Seriously, the DeLorean was sorely needed now, so goodness knows how we were going to cope with dessert; it’s a tough life, having to eat ruddy tremendous food! On any other evening ‘Black Cherry and Almond Amaretti’ would’ve ensnared me, but curiosity got the better of me when I read ‘Coffee Garden: Coffee Mousse, Pistachio Crumb, Lychee, Mint, Strawberry’; just how the heck-a-doodle were these going to marry together???! I was determined to find out and figured that, if anyone could do it, Paul could. His Maj went for the Bitter Chocolate Mascarpone, Mango, Miso Fudge… ‘course he did, there’s chocolate in the title!
From the first second I clapped eyes on my dessert, it was obvious why it was titled ‘Coffee Garden’; the plethora of edible flowers, leaves and micro-Mint was certainly evocative of a garden. The Coffee Mousse was ridiculously moreish; I mean, my god, my poor waistline stood no chance as I scooped spoonful after spoonful of its luxury into my greedy mouth. Someone needs to invent zero calorie food, stat. Finely sliced Strawberries added a delicate sweetness to the sweet treat, as did Lychee juice, contained within tiny ‘pearls’; I needn’t have worried that the strong tastes would jar against each other, they didn’t at all. Even the Mint had been carefully used so that it merely whispered at the periphery of the dessert, rather than barging in naughtily.
The Man Bird was treated to perfectly formed quenelles of startlingly rich Mascarpone that had been pimped with intense, cocoa-heavy Chocolate. His first impression was how velvety the texture was…and then the bitterness of the chocolate unfurled like a lazy cat waking from slumber; delicious. Sweet Mango, again contained in ‘pearls’, was the perfect counter-balance, as was the umami nature of the Miso Fudge.
I’ve always been a bit of an eccentric, and something struck me as The Man and I were letting our meal digest whilst we finished our drinks. Now, it made me chuckle, though I appreciate it won’t strike everyone as funny; I was imagining Chef Paul not in kitchen whites, but in some colourful garb like Mickey Mouse in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Fantasia - told you it was random, and there’s more! Sushi replaced the films’ brooms and were taking over the pass as Paul chopped the whole Sushi roll into individual pieces, which then began transforming into other dishes on the menu. Don’t ask me why this popped into my head; I’ve no idea!
As I was telling His Nibs about it, he was just nodding his head and then said “best to keep this to yourself, sweetheart”! Guess I’ve just blown that one, eh? All you need to know though, is that the evening had been tremendous and that Hot Wings are unreservedly given to this fab West Bridgford restaurant.
Hemisphere is closed on Mondays but is open every other day between 10am-11pm. Brunch service is 10am-2pm, lunch is Noon-4pm, and dinner service is 5-9.30pm. To book a table call 0115 6480061 or head to www.hemispherewb.co.uk and hit the ‘book a table’ button; you can also view the menus here. Ooooh, and I should just mention that Hemisphere do Sunday Roasts, too; well worth a punt, I would imagine.
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