Pici’s Ryon Ishfaq on perfecting pasta and Nottingham becoming a food destination
We speak to the co-owner of Hockley’s newest restaurant about Italian influences, delicious dishes, and running restaurants in Nottingham...
One of the hottest restaurants in Hockley, Pici is serving up fresh pasta, pizzettes, and small plates in the heart of Nottingham.
I spoke with co-owner Ryon Ishfaq — who also runs Slice ‘n’ Brew on King’s Walk — about opening up his second restaurant, his love for Mediterranean food, and being part of Nottingham becoming a foodie destination.
If you’re looking for restaurants in Nottingham to visit, Ryon’s newest place has quickly become one of the best Italian spots in the city. For more features and local guides, subscribe to The Notts Edit to receive our articles in your inbox for free.
“I just want to keep pushing the standards up” — Pici’s Ryon Ishfaq on Italian flavours and Nottingham’s food scene
By Eve Smallman
Photos by Neil Kates Photography
I have never seen the point of going out for pasta. It’s proper comfort food that I always thought tasted better at home. Plus, I’m vegetarian, so it used to be one of the only options on the menu when going out.
However, when I found out that Pici was going to be opening and was masterminded by Slice ‘n’ Brew’s Ryon Ishfaq, I was excited.
We are spoiled for choice when it comes to pizza places here in Nottingham, but Slice ‘n’ Brew is always the one I recommend to people when they ask me for my top spot. With its blend of NYC and Neapolitan flavours, its pizzas are unlike any other in the city. Its vibrant decor and neon lights feel very much on the American side of things.
In contrast, with its menu bursting with pasta, pizzettes, and fresh salads, Pici is much more Italian. “I just love Mediterranean cuisine and Mediterranean produce — I’ve always been into chocolate, cheese, and traditional Italian dishes,” says Ryon Ishfaq, co-owner of Pici. He spotted a gap in the Nottingham market to do fresh pasta but in a casual, more modern setting. “We’re trying to get away from that traditional Italian ‘80s vibe,” he says.
The interior has a cosy, mid-century modern look that is both sophisticated and relaxed. Step inside, pick up a menu, and you’ll see that the food is the same, with European influences both in terms of flavour and in terms of style. “The way the menu is designed, you could order for sharing or just have a plate each and a side to share,” Ryon explains. Whether you want an Aperol and nibbles with friends al fresco or an intimate candlelight dinner, it transitions seamlessly between both these scenes.
If you try one thing from the menu, make it the signature dish. Ryon says, “The Pici cacio e pepe is, simply, butter, cheese, and toasted black pepper sauce with Pici pasta, which is quite dense and almost like a dumpling in texture.” This texture did take me by surprise at first (even having interviewed Ryon before visiting), but it allowed me to spend more time eating and taking in the rich, sharp, indulgent flavour. I didn’t want to share it.
The restaurant has also become known for its fried mushroom lasagna, which comes with a herbaceous tarragon emulsion. Crisp and fragrant, you could have this with a glass of wine for lunch and leave quite happily. This is also one of Ryon’s favourites.
He continues, “We also get T-bone steaks, which are on the menu as a bit of homage to the steaks you see hanging from the windows in Florence.” These are served with a cafe de Paris butter, which goes beautifully with beef.
Ryon mentions that many people will come and order less food, so they can make room for desserts like the affogato, the tiramisu and the cherry and ricotta ice cream. I was very sad to be too full for these — but this is definitely an excuse to come back.
Having never run a fresh pasta restaurant before, Ryon and the team put careful planning and thought into Pici’s concept. Ryon travelled around Rome and Tuscany, as well as exploring the Italian food scene in the UK. “I remember visiting Padella in London and wondering how I got a plate of pasta so quickly that was so high-quality for such a good price,” he says.
In comparison at the time, in Nottingham, he was finding he’d have to pay a higher price for much too big of a portion. And, having built up Slice ‘n’ Brew so successfully from the ground up, he knew what Nottingham had an appetite for. Ryon explains, “That was a more gradual, organic process which gently snowballed and evolved, whereas here we had to really create the momentum. It's such a different brand size and it’s not really connected, so Pici is its own entity. But to me, that’s fun.”
Ryon’s love for Italian food and knowledge of the local scene brings a confidence to Pici that is evident even so early on. This has likely been especially helped by the immediate positive reception by Nottingham residents and by others in the Nottingham foodiesphere. While I did initially wonder if this was because of the warm early summer we’d had, after trying the food (even on a Saturday at 9.30pm — the only booking I could get), I now know it’s because it’s amazing.
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“We're cooking food that I believe people want to eat at a really good price. Everything is made on-site — even down to the ice creams — which not a lot of people are doing,” Ryon explains. “I also think the atmosphere here is incredible — it’s a warm environment people are going to enjoy.”
Pici completely changed my mind about what having pasta out could be. It shouldn’t be boring or one of a few limited options. Instead, it can be fun and playful, refined and elegant, or even just casual. In fact, it’s ideal to have before a film, as it sits right outside Broadway Cinema.
It also perfectly adds its own slice of Italy onto the Nottingham food map — which seems to be getting fuller and fuller. “The food scene in Nottingham is really exploding — nearly every independent restaurant that I’ve spoken to has said they’re having their busiest year on record, which is amazing to hear,” Ryon tells me. “I think even from neighbouring cities, people are travelling to Nottingham as a food destination, which is incredible. I just want to keep pushing the standards up.”
Ryon mentions to me that he finds it interesting having restaurants with different complexes, so I ask — in theory — what he could imagine doing next. “I’d probably look to open a pub, if the right thing came up, and just serve the best versions of classic roasts, pies, and steaks, along with good wine. Somewhere with a fireplace and someone with a dog in the corner, but that still feels high quality,” he smiles.
I’m already sold on this vision. But for now? I’ll be back to Pici for another plate of the cacio e pepe — and for the tiramisu.
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