Food review: Mollis at Saltbox
Food review: Mollis at Saltbox
Chicken shop food has never tasted so good
Tucked away at the side of the Motorpoint Arena is Saltbox, which is hosting Mollis until the end of July.
This is the brainchild of Alchemilla’s Alex Bond, who calls it his ‘Michellin-starred chicken shop.’ We were invited to head down and try its menu, which aims to elevate casual dining for the regular punter.
If you’re looking for one of the best places to grab a burger in Nottingham and want to try something a little different, we’ve done the ‘hard work’ for you and sampled what Mollis has to offer.
“Fast food that feels seriously luxurious” — Mollis at Saltbox food review
By Eve Smallman
When I started writing this, I Googled the name ‘Mollis’ just to check the whereabouts of the Derby Road location. What I found was the name of a plant called ‘Alchemilla mollis’, which is the most frequently seen variety out of the Alchemilla herbaceous plant. This gives you a clue as to what Mollis has to offer, compared to Alex Bond’s fine-dining restaurant Alchemilla, where five courses cost £95.
While the original Mollis restaurant on Derby Road is fairly accessible to get to from the city centre, I’ll be real with you — that uphill bit of road is hard work. The Motorpoint is so much easier to get to, with it being near Nottingham Train Station and a breezy walk away from Hockley.
The Mollis pop-up is within Saltbox, which is a bright and lively bar to the left of the Arena. When I arrived it had a music night on, which made the atmosphere pop even more. But, with the sun shining, my friend and I sat outside, which was lined with colourful benches. I loved how quiet this spot was compared to the hubbub of Hockley and thought it was a total hidden gem.
Once we’d scouted out the perfect spot, our attention soon went onto the Mollis menu. It’s not overloaded with burgers and sides and simply chooses to do a few things really well. In terms of burgers, you can grab a southern fried chicken with kewpie mayo (£13), a veggie mushroom and black bean burger with whipped goat cheese (£11), or a vegan version with the same veggie patty but topped with red cabbage, lime, and vegan mayo (£11).
As a veggie, I get tired of places just having a token vegan option to cover all bases. Like, a girl wants to dive into some real cheese, alright? So, I went for this burger, while my friend went all-classic with the real chicken burger. There are also wings or tenders, with the choices of hot honey and salt and pepper or buffalo sauce with blue cheese and pickled pineapple (£8 for six or £14 for 12). But, we kept it simple and grabbed these along with fries (£5) and the pink fir potatoes (£6).
Let me tell you that this veggie burger was the best veggie burger I have ever had. I don’t say that lightly. The patty was properly deep-fried and had such a rich and varied texture thanks to the beans and mushrooms. This was perfectly balanced out by the lemony goat cheese, which is not something I would have ever thought to put on one, but is a combo I fell in love with.
My friend Lilith said her chicken burger was a serious step up from the late-night kebab shop chicken burger she was used to. The chicken was succulent and the batter was crispy and well-seasoned. She also loved the tangy cheesy sauce, saying it gave the whole thing a real American flavour.
I also can’t understate the amazingness of the pink fir potatoes. I could have literally had two bowls of those and been a very happy girl. Topped with truffle curd and crispy onions, they were so indulgent and moreish. While I did enjoy the fries with house seasoning, we got quite full with two sides and two burgers, so I recommend going for the pink fir out of the two.
If you’re looking for a comforting, hearty burger that you can enjoy with your mates and that will seriously wow them too, Mollis is well worth trying. Whether you’re seeing a show at the Motorpoint or just want to tantalise your tastebuds, it’s easy fast food that feels seriously luxurious.
Mollis is open every Friday and Saturday at Saltbox until the end of July.