Hand & Heart, Nottingham

10 minutes walk out of the city centre, this is a funny-looking bar what with its ungainly late 80’s Lego-esque glass balcony and arch. The inside, as noted extensively elsewhere, hosts a semi-subterranean cave carved into the sandstone which the pub utilises as a drinking and dining area. There’s also a nice conservatory dining area upstairs. GBG-listed (CAMRA discount available) and there were six ales, mainly local, to choose from on my visit with some fantastic choices; I plumped for the Dancing Duck Oatmeal stout which was superb, the best beer of a very long and comprehensive crawl. Service was extremely friendly and we were made to feel right at home; indeed I didn’t really want to have to leave. Music is pushed here, with live Jazz sessions plus a working upright piano and the piped music is of a much higher standard than the usual. The atmosphere was, as you can guess, a little more sophisticated than the norm which suited me. My favourite Nottingham pub of the day and I’ll make a big point of doing this one again. Superb.

This is an interesting pub with some nice Georgian features and an unusual rear section built into a series of sandstone caves. The front bar has a pleasant traditional feel and includes an attractive section of tiled wall on the left hand side of the room. There are a few high tables in this part of the pub, but on my visit, most of the room had been taken up by stilage in preparation for the pub’s Halloween beer festival. Moving past the right hand end of the bar, there is a nice lounge area in a part of the pub where the sandstone can already be seen. Button backed furniture predominates and there is an upright piano against one wall which was covered in various flyers and CAMRA leaflets. A corridor runs further into the rock and leads past a food counter, to a narrow dining room with some small tables set out in two formal rows. Stairs lead up to the first floor conservatory, but I didn’t venture up there myself. Music was playing quietly during my stay and the pub seemed busier than others in the Canning Circus area. The beer selection was one of the best I found during my stay in Nottingham and I was faced with a choice of Magpie Best and When I’m 6.4, Dancing Duck Round Heart, Burton Bridge Sovereign Gold, Nottingham Rock Bitter, Copthorne Black Beauty, Newby Wyke Turpitz and Welbeck Abbey Bay Middleton plus two ciders and a perry. I enjoyed a fantastic pint of the Black Beauty and was a little disappointed that I didn’t have time to sample any of the others. The lone barmaid was very helpful and efficient and did a great job of remembering who was next to be served at the crowded bar. I really liked this unusual pub and thought it would be well worth having an extended drinking session here. For me, this is the best pub in this part of town and should be near the top of the ‘must do’ list of anyone visiting Nottingham.

I normally make a note of the ales available, but it was sufficiently dimly lit that I couldn’t make out the darker clips. Undeterred however, I spotted something called Red Squall, and having enjoyed a pint of White Squall in Ye Olde Salutation I saw this as an omen and went for its stablemate. Jolly good it was too. They give a small discount to CAMRA members. This pub really doesn’t look much from the outside, but it opens up inside revealing a bit of drinking space plus a dining area apparently dug out of the rock. I thought the seating was quite comfortable, with a mix of normal tables and chairs plus a couple of armchairs. Where we sat at the back there were several cushions scattered on the seating, some with tassels which one of my companions saw as a sign of decadence. I suspect that the pubs where he comes from don’t view comfort for customers as a high priority! There were a few nice touches in the way of decor – the yard of ale behind the bar ready for use by overly optimistic drinkers, and the jazz photographs and memorabilia on the walls. I thought that this was a cracking pub – I didn’t see any fruit machines or any other similar unnecessary distractions; it was comfortable and friendly, and I would be happy to pay a return visit next time that I’m in Nottingham.

I have to agree that this is a very interesting real ale venue,with a good selection of beer styles on my trip.The rear restaurant set in the caves is a highlight,and talking to a member of staff revealed that the first floor conservatory function room will shortly be converted to a roof terrace ,which will provide another interesting feature when the weather obliges.A pub to include on any ale tour around Nottingham.