Vicky McClure: I tried Vicky McClure’s favourite Nottingham restaurant and now know why she loves it

Here at Nottingham World we love nothing more than showcasing the city’s best bits, from amazing restaurants and pubs to hidden gems where you can enjoy the great outdoors. 

This month our site is taking part in National World’s #LoveYour campaign, which aims to highlight the incredible local businesses, people, places, and unique traits that make Nottingham truly special.

During November our team will be out and about in the city in search of the businesses which deserve some love and attention. 

We all know that Nottingham has a thriving food and drink scene, but it can sometimes be difficult to navigate which places to try first, particularly if you’re new to the area. 

With this in mind, it’s always useful to get the opinion of a local - someone who lives and breathes the city on a daily basis. 

When it comes to trustworthy Nottingham locals, they don’t come much better than our very own Vicky McClure. 

The Wollaton-born actress, best known for roles in This Is England and Line of Duty, is always flying the flag for Nottingham wherever she goes.

A few weeks ago we were given the opportunity to put a few questions to Vicky, including what her favourite restaurant was in the city. 

In response to this question, Vicky said: “Bar Iberico, if you want somewhere to rock up quickly and enjoy, and La Rock restaurant if you want somewhere posh.”

So, I headed down to Bar Iberico in Carlton Street to try one of Vicky’s favourite restaurants for myself. 

My experience in Bar Iberico

Having never tried tapas before, I was quite excited ahead of my first experience. 

My visit to Bar Iberico fell at around 12pm on a Monday lunchtime, but I’d say at least half of the restaurant’s tables were occupied. 

I was shown to my table and given a menu, which presented a bit of a challenge considering this was my first time trying tapas. 

Unsure of what to have, I decided to go for the ‘Menu Rapido’ - a discounted lunch menu which allows you to choose three dishes for £16.95. 

My dishes of choice were Sourdough with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, Crispy Chicken with Spicy Jerez Sauce and Cured Sea Bass with Burnt Cucumber Mint Oil and Dill. 

I didn’t have to wait too long for my food to arrive and I could even see it being prepared in the kitchen from my table, which was quite cool. 

As I’ve already admitted, I’m by no means an expert when it comes to tapas, but it was easy to tell that all three dishes were made using high quality ingredients. 

The spicy chicken in particular was packed with flavour and was definitely my favourite of the three. 

Likewise, the cured sea bass might have looked like something from a Bushtucker Trial, but boy did it taste good!

In my opinion, £16.95 for all three dishes represented excellent value for such tasty food. 

I’ll definitely be returning to Bar Iberico for a quick snack when I’m next in the city centre. 

It’s fair to say that Vicky was spot on with her recommendation!