Sora – Japanese – Nottingham (Beeston)
Every town or city needs a place like Sora. On venture towards ‘the garage’ from the centre of Beeston and you will find this unassuming spot. It really is a cafe feel, simple wooden tables packed into the smallest of spaces. It was conceived over 10 years ago by the owner and after a few pop ups they began in this site in 2018. They have an array of desserts, cakes and teas but today I was here to try their lunch menu. For £18 you get a choice of a starter, main and dessert from a more limited menu than their full evening offering.
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Prawn Dumplings – Sora – Nottingham
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The starters are a small section, entirely between dumplings and small salads. I opted for prawn dumplings that were little homemade, fried gyoza. They were charmingly irregular and bursting at the seams. Crispy with plenty of the delicious seafood filling along with a simple soy-based dipping sauce. My vegan friends enjoyed some onigiri with interesting fillings and toppings.
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Keema Curry – Sora – Nottingham
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By comparison to the starters there were a wealth of options for the main. Unusually a curry caught my eye. It might not look much, but a more enjoyable and comforting bowl of lunch I can’t remember! The menu had described it as ‘Sora original Keema curry’. In the course of my research for this piece I didn’t find much consensus on what makes the dish, it seems open to quite a bit of individual interpretation but correct me if I am wrong. Sora’s version at least was mostly a minced beef in a sauce that had a really nice depth and a pleasing amount of spice (by Japanese levels). Desert is part of the lunch deal and whilst there were lots of exciting options I only had room for some ice cream. They have one unique home made flavour per month but I went more a palate cleansing strawberry which was a perfect way to finish.
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For £18 you cannot go too wrong with 3 courses of lovingly prepared food. There is something about charming places like this that nourishes the soul and Beeston is lucky to have it.