Dinner / ££ / 7/10

Another Nottingham restaurant has caught the attention of national critic Jay Rayner and after reading his review I decided to give Everyday People another chance. I had rushed there post lockdown when it was the coolest new place to eat (and returned once more) to be disappointed and acutely aware that I did not like runny egg yolk on rice. In the review though it became clear that Everyday People were focusing on a clearer vision around ramen and a few small plates. At this point I am ashamed to admit I had the internal monologue ‘like a posh wagamama then?’.

Tucked into Byard Lane, we had a pre drink in Baresca on the only outside table left and watched the city go by before heading in. It had been a couple of years since my last visit but nothing has changed about the restaurant or bar area. The open kitchen and bar fill the back third of the restaurant with cafe like tables and chairs filling the remaining space. It is a really relaxed space and had the buzz of an independent doing well for itself. On reviewing the menu the offering seemed a lot more thought through than previous visits where it had been a bit of a pot luck if you were ordering 2 small dishes or 2 main courses. Despite being sold on it’s ramen focus me and The Northerner agreed we should still get the corn dog, share a crispy duck and ramen. I am not sure why I thought this was a good idea – reading it back now it is less coherent than a Trump speech, but I digress.

We started with prawn crackers and a beer, if there are crisps on the menu I will always order them. The beer was delicious, I am no expert but the Mikkeller was fresh and went well with all the food. The first thing to arrive was the 1/2 a crispy duck, it is the dearest thing on the menu at £30 but I love crispy duck and pancakes and I struggle to not order it if I see it is available.

The duck came crispy and whole so we started shredding it with little finesse and gave up about halfway through favouring the ‘picking’ method. Instead of pancakes the duck is served with lettuce leaves and reminds me of the Kushi Ya Pork shoulder, but that is where the comparison ends. The sides really needed to have a lot more flavour to compensate from the underseasoned duck and watery leaves. The pickled cucumber delivered a heft of ginger but the spring onion and chilli sauces were tart and hot but without any of the flavour of vinegar and chilli. I never thought I would reminisce about that awkward moment when a waiter shreds a duck in front of you but I will never moan about it again. Shredding half a duck was not worth the pay off. I had one roll then picked at the duck and cucumber on their own. The Northerner liked the chilli dip more than me and polished off the rest of the meat.

Next up was the famous corn dog – a triumph of flavour and three mouthfuls of tastiness. I wished we’d started with one of these each, as we shared and it was gone in less than 6 seconds. The smokiness of the sausage stays with you like a loyal pet, they’ve been on the menu since the place opened and are really good. Next up was the ramen (with 2 spoons). The broth had a deep, layered flavour and was a triumph but this is where I show myself up as a complete amateur – I don’t like ramen. If you do this is the best you can get in Nottingham but the lack of texture means I lose interest after a couple of mouthfuls. It was all quite ‘squidgy’ and I just don’t enjoy noodles on their own (which they invariably are with ramen as the broth is so runny). The vegetables still had a bit of bite but the dumplings were filled with grey meat so I abandoned the dish and wondered if it would be acceptable to order another corn dog.

The restaurant have benefitted from the favourable review, while we were there tables were being turned away and it was full until we left just after 21.30. I never really talk about other customers but feel it is important to mention how well the staff dealt with one particular arsehole who decided to bring their out of control dog (I know as a fellow out of control dog owner) into the restaurant on a saturday night and then ask sarcastic questions about when their food would be ready as fido skitted at every table, pair of feet and noise in the bustle.

FAMILY – the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant and lunchtime opening is perfect for kids – the menu not so much.