Meltworks Grilled Cheese were in the City this weekend serving up some of their Artisan Toasties at Nottingham StrEAT on Smithy Row. I had read that they were going to be there on Friday and Saturday so took full advantage of the new Tram Stop at Wilford near my home and rode up into the Market Square to find them.

The Hook

Although I had been reading about Meltworks for a while, this was the first time I had been able to track them down and connect. I had heard that they like to use local produce wherever they can and that message was loud and clear on one of their chalkboards where they told us that the sandwiches were made with Sourdough Bread from the local Welbeck Bakery and that one of the Three Cheeses that they use is the excellent Lincolnshire Poacher.

The Menu

Serious Drooling and Salivation was in order as I contemplated the chalkboard menu. It all looks so good! I was almost tempted by the ‘Beef Works’ filled with “…braised brisket in an epic BBQ sauce” and by the ‘Pork Works‘ another grilled 3 cheese sandwich this one filled with “…marinated pulled pork shoulder, and coco cola BBQ sauce”, but neither could match the tempting sound of the ‘Chorizo Works’ that I ended up choosing.  We also ordered one of the ‘Cheese and Onion’ toasties, just because we could, not through unbridled greed.

I paid our £9 for the two sandwiches and stood back to watch them grill up these babies for our delectation. I love that they really are making ‘grilled’ cheese here and not ‘toasted’ sandwiches, they are so much better. They buttered up the hot flat top grill before placing the sandwich on the grill and then weighing it down with a cast iron press. Grilling on both sides until the bread is grilled and toasty and the insides all melted and gooey.

The Chorizo Works

The first sandwich to leave the grill was the ‘Chorizo Works’, this was my choice, and it looked amazing in my tray as we made the furtive exchange for cash over the countertop. This sandwich is filled with the three cheese blend of Barbers Vintage Reserve, Lincolnshire Poacher, and Ogleshield,  all combined with ‘Chorizo, Jalapenos, Red Pepper, and Chilli Tomato Relish’. The way it was constructed with a top and bottom layer of cheese surrounding all those other friends in the mix, meant that as the cheese melted on the grill you get an even mix and a bit of everything with each bite.

This is a great sandwich, and a great grilled cheese sandwich. I was slightly concerned that it could be really spicy, but all the richness of the cheese kind of counteracts all that chilli spice. It was a sort of pleasurable tangy spicy sensation to the taste buds. The sandwich was generously filled with chunks of that chorizo, which was nice and chewy and added some extra textures in amongst that gooey runny cheese. Man alive I want another one now!

The Cheese + Onion Works

The second Grilled Cheese sandwich that we bought was The Cheese + Onion Works. In comparison with the other options on the chalkboard it sounded quite simple, however I can assure that it was equally packed with flavour and was a worthy competitor for our dining attentions as we sat on the wall in the Old Market Square chowing down on our finds.

This sandwich combines those three awesome cheeses with ‘caramelised onions, wholegrain mustard and a splash of Worcestershire sauce’. So you got a kind of sweet and grown up spicy heat with each bite. This was a very Moorish sandwich and one not be ignored or dismissed, try it and you will not be disappointed.

I loved finding good grilled cheese sandwiches! In the States when I was living just outside New York, back then I got my fix at Union Square from the Gorilla Cheese Food Truck, and more recently from the excellent Kappacasein in Borough Market down in London. So it is really great news to find one of equal excellence here much closer to my current home in the East Midlands

You can follow what Meltworks are up to through Facebook and their Twitter Feed. They seem to be popping up at Street Markets and Festivals all over the place, so keep an eye out for them