We try Nottingham’s newest takeaway spot Wavey Kitchen and find a new favourite

When it comes to takeaways, I’m as guilty as the next person for just relying on the old favourites which is usually pizza. It’s stressful to try a new restaurant as let's face it, we don’t have the spare cash to get it wrong.

I decided with the Nottingham Carnival taking place last weekend that that made it the perfect time to try Wavey Kitchen for some Caribbean flavours. Wavey Kitchen has just opened on Meadow Lane on the site of the former cafe and the mysterious Panini King that never opened.

I haven’t had that much experience with Caribbean food but that has always been something I’m keen to change. But, admittedly, I’ve been stuck in an ordering rut for far longer than I care to admit. So browsing the menu, I was, as a pescatarian, stuck between ordering ackee and salt fish or the salmon fillet. I love callaloo so it was a given that I would add a small pot of that to my order.

I opted for the salmon wavey box which was £13.00 then I slightly lost the run of myself as I added a few sides to the order. Sides on the menu include mac ‘n’ cheese, callaloo rice, rice and peas, coleslaw pots and dumplings. I decided I wanted to give the dumplings a go although, I regretted my decision not to add mac ‘n’ cheese later though.

The delivery arrived in its own specially prepared tray which meant I avoided washing up which is a win. The salmon arrived nestled on a mountain of rice and peas with a side salad and coleslaw. I love coleslaw so this is another bonus for me. The fish was incredibly tender with a spicy glaze that had a ton of flavour. My fork just sliced through the tender fish which was perfectly cooked.

Nothing was overly spicy or had an overpowering flavour as the rice managed to complement the salmon. I’m hit or miss with spicy foods as I have got a habit of liberally assaulting my food with lashings of hot sauce in a range of heat levels. I will happily eat things that genuinely hurt my mouth on occasion but other days, I’m a wuss and need a more gentle experience.

The salmon was accompanied by a host of chopped peppers and onion while the sauce on the salmon stopped things from being too dry. I found the main incredibly filling to the point where I doubted if I was going to need the dumpling or not.

The callaloo in the small pot was well worth an order at £3.50 too. I found it packed with flavour which is the main difference between it and spinach. It's a more exciting version, especially thanks to the extra spices and peppers added to the mix.

While the dumpling wasn’t my thing, I loved the main especially given how quickly I flew through it. My overall takeaway (sorry) from the experience was that this is one of the nicest orders I’ve placed in a while. I was impressed with the balance of flavours, how filling it was and also, how the actual experience of ordering it was stress-free which isn’t always the case with takeaways. While it is more expensive than my usual pizza order, I thought it was actually reasonable value considering how full I was. Around £20 got me a main, rice, two sides, salad and a drink.

I’ve definitely decided that this will be added to my list of favourite takeaways in the city for two reasons: that incredible salmon but also, they offer a Guinness punch which I somehow missed when ordering. As an Irish person in Nottingham, I can’t let that go unsampled now, can I?