Eat My Words: We review Cured cafe and bar, Bingham

A luxurious-feeling charcuterie night for two for under £25? It almost seems to good to be true, but it wasn’t.

Popular Nottingham eatery Cured’s new location in Bingham had been on my to-visit list since it opened in the town in August, and while it took me a while to get round to it, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Smack-bang in the town centre, just off the Market Place, the premises has been impeccably decorated in deep browns, reds and greens which makes it feel really rather luxurious.

But, it’s not a place where you feel like you need to be sat up straight in your chair all prim and proper, the atmosphere is relaxed, there was an enjoyable playlist on, and the space felt cosy and inviting.

Despite it being a Saturday night, and the night of the town’s bonfire night celebrations, the bar was busy but not packed. I was able to find a table and sit immediately, but was surrounded with a pleasant level of background chatter.

It felt like it would be equally as good for a date night or a gossip with a friend (the latter being what I was doing there).

Said friend ordered a mocktail version of a Pornstar Martini, which he said tasted “just like the real thing” with proper consistency, proper taste, proper everything, if you want the cocktail experience without the alcohol.

I opted for my classic choice of a Pinot Grigio, which came in a very nice wine glass indeed, and while I’m more of an amateur drinker than a wine connoisseur I’d say it went down very well.

Now on to the most important bit — the food.

Cured operate a small but triumphant menu, and the selection for charcuterie is quite simple: a cheese and cured meat board, cured meat board, and cheese board.

They are all served with ciabatta and dips, which can also be ordered separately.

While I’m a meat eater, my dinner companion is vegetarian so we opted for the cheese board, and since it didn’t specify how many it would serve, we took a guess at two and made the executive decision to order more bread if needed.

But, we needn’t have worried, the platter which was presented in front of us just a short wait later was generous and plenty filling for us both.

There was Long Clawson Stilton, made just over the border in Leicestershire, Croxton Manor cheddar with delightful caramel notes, Croxton Manor red, northern-Italian Taleggio, and creamy French brie.

It looked as divine as it tasted, presented with a range of accompaniments — olives, rocket, sun-dried tomatoes, grapes, apple slices, and roasted red peppers — and the three dips — caramelised onion, green pesto, and olive oil with balsamic vinegar — as well as the ciabatta and plenty of Netherend Farm’s Gloucestershire-made butter.

At just £12.50 I felt this was exceptional value, as the portions of cheese were generous and the accompaniments well-balanced. There was no bulking the plate with greenery here.

We didn’t go for a dessert, but if you did fancy a little something sweet to end the meal, there were nice-looking brownies and Bakewell slices on the counter.

I would absolutely recommend Cured and from my visit couldn’t find anything to fault. It was right up my alley, in fact, I’m already thinking of a return trip as there’s a very tempting salt beef bagel on the lunch menu.

Out of five:

Food: While the charcuterie selection is small it is very well curated and satisfying, and Cured does also offer a lunch menu of bagel or ciabatta with a range of fillings. GF bread is also advertised. Our platter was well presented, the fruit and veg seemed fresh and the balance of cheese to other items was good. The dip portions were particularly generous to the point that we did not manage to finish them. *****

Drink: Served in lovely glassware, our drinks definitely hit the spot. As well as what we ordered, there was a good variety of other alcoholic drinks, coffee, tea, and the mocktails were readily available on request. *****

Decor: The cafe bar was perfectly clean, very nicely decorated and had some nice quirky pieces (think a frog jazz band in the rafters). The seating was comfortable and there was a variety of armchairs, regular tables and taller barstools depending on your preference. *****

Staff: The staff were friendly and checked in on us every now and again, but not so much as to be overbearing. Service was prompt, both at the bar and in bringing orders to the table. *****

Price: Coming to a grand total of £24, for a small glass of wine (£5.50), mocktail (£6), and cheese board (£12.50), I felt the prices were very reasonable and good value for what we got and the setting we ate it in. *****

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