The NAE Cafe Bar at the New Art Exchange in Hyson Green is a great spot to get some lunch if you are in the area.
The food is a lot more diverse and interesting than many places in the city, I have been here many times over the years and enjoyed many different cuisines from all over the place cooked up by members of the local community
In the past we have enjoyed meeting the locals and trying their food at one of the annual Melting Pot Festivals. That was of course all before lockdown and so we were very happy to find them open and up and running when we were over in Hyson Green doing some shopping over the weekend as we hadn’t seen them open for a while
MENU BOARD AT THE NEW ART EXCHANGE CAFE
I took a quick scan over the menu board and I was blown away by the variety of choices, it was a lot to think about. The Specials were Jerk Chicken with Chips, a Saag Paneer with Rice, and a Chicken Curry with rice. They all sounded great.
Then I checked out the mains and saw more great sounding stuff, Tarka Daal, Chana Masala, Black Eyed Bean Masala, and a Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Dish. All home comfort foods and it was like I had been invited into someone’s kitchen for a meal rather than an art gallery cafe 🙂
JERK CHICKEN AND CHIPS
So Jerk Chicken with Chips and Salad it was to be 🙂 I know! with all that choice you might think I should have been more adventurous but truth be told I cannot pass up the opportunity for a bit of Jerk Chicken whenever I see it on the menu.
This was a deceptively large plate of food and way more than the small lunchtime snack I had been expecting. I think it was all the salad that filled the bowl that tricked me as it seemed that I was in for a bit of a healthier meal.
Oh no, as much greenery as there was present, there were equal amount of chips and a surprisingly generous serving of Jerk Chicken. Hey I am not complaining just saying that I would have been just as happy with half as much for that £6.95 I was paying, total bargain.
JERK CHICKEN AND RICE
If you didn’t want chips they were happy to give you rice instead and to be honest when I saw my companions plate with the rice I was a little jealous as it wasn’t just plain old white rice.
The rice dish was some sort of fragrant yellow rice with tomato and sultanas (or raisins) mixed in to it. There were a whole load of different rices on the counter that you could probably swap in if you so chose.
Whatever you chose as a side the star of both dishes was most certainly the Jerk Chicken. It was a little deceptive as it did not seem to be that spicy but as you worked you way through the dish the heat built up slowly in your mouth as the chilli started to work it’s magic
The salad and rice or chips did act as a nice cooling buffer to counteract the spice and it was all very harmonious in the end.
Really quite delicious and it really is worth making a trip over here to check them out
The New Art Exchange is located at 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Hyson Green, Nottingham NG7 6BE. The New Art Exchange Cafe bar is just through the door at the front and there are tables inside and out depending on the weather.
Parking is available nearby at the Forest Recreation Ground park and ride site for free, and you can take a short tram ride from the city centre as well to find the place. It’s within sight of the tram stop and a couple of minutes walk away
You can check out the New Art Exchange on their Facebook page and Instagram profile and the actual cafe NAE Cafe Bar has it’s own Instagram profile too where you can drool over the food in private 🙂