Located on George Street, Peggy’s Skylight is a recently opened live jazz venue offering a variety of exotic Persian dishes and vibrant cocktails. Alongside this it offers a platform for independent jazz musicians to showcase their talents adding a diverse element to the bustling nightlife of Nottingham’s bar and dining scene.

Upon entering the venue, you are instantly transported back to another era. Peggy’s Skylight has a genuine authenticity with great attention to detail. It has ample seating for dining and observing the various jazz artists that play. The theatre style seating adds further interest to the venue and heightens the jazz decor. The whole venue has a rustic feel through the exposed brick work and aged wooden flooring which complements the plush red velvet theatre seating.

There is good variety to their Persian themed menu with a range of meats alongside more traditional vegetarian options. Further to this, they have a lunchtime offer ‘Out to Lunch’ which is served Wednesday to Saturday 12PM till 5PM. This allows you to choose any 2 dishes you like from their meze menu along with their freshly baked sourdough flatbread for £10.50.

To really get the full experience, I ate a range of dishes from their menu. The flatbread is served chopped into strips. The flavours in the chewy fresh flatbread were subtle to allow you to taste the fresh flour used with a slight sour and tartness from the sumac. Homemade hummus is served alongside the temptingly moreish flatbread. The hummus is deliciously creamy and has a good texture with the toasted chickpeas served on top.

The halloumi was really creamy and moist. Not dry like cooked halloumi can be. Served with fresh and crisp salad leaves. There was a depth of flavour from the roasted peppers and the traditional Persian barberry contrasted with the saltiness of the cheese as it has a citrus like taste (bitter without being overly sour). The Lamb koftas are served as small meat patties and not on skewers like in most other places. The mint pairs well with lamb and the koftas were tender and juicy.

The duck and pomegranate dish was another well-constructed dish The duck is well cooked and pulled and offers something different to the overdone pulled pork in restaurants. The duck itself has a subtle hint of spices whilst retaining its game like flavour. Sweet and juicy pomegranate seeds are incorporated throughout and add a delightful crunch to the dish. This dish was accompanied by fluffy steamed rice which was delicately infused with saffron. The tradition of nuts in Persian food was continued with the addition of walnuts to the dish which again add a nice crunch against the softness of the rice.

The Lamb mince flat bread with chilli is served with three homemade dips/pickles; Spinach and turmeric, (surprisingly creamy and light) garlic and yogurt and Peggy’s pickles (beetroot and cabbage). The bread itself is seasoned well with a sweetness and spice from the cinnamon, giving it a rich depth of flavour. From the other dishes there was Loobia sabzi pollo, this had layers of slow cooked lamb with green beans and tomato. The dish was rich and had a slight crunch from the beans. The slight spice meant that all the flavours of the dish were still noticeable. The chunks of meat were moist and tender. The Iman bayildi will definitely be a hit with vegans, the slow baked aubergine with onion, tomato, dill and parsley. Multiple flavours come through in this dish and there is a distinct sweetness bought out by the roasting. The aubergine is almost caramelised from the roasting.
Their twist on a typical afternoon tea which combines the traditional (scones) with authentic dishes (basbousa, a semolina based cake with orange drizzle) and flavours of Persia which is a good mix to have and in keeping with the theme of the menu. The afternoon tea menu comprises a slice of quiche, a scone with jam and cream, a choice of homemade cake, ice cream and a macaron. The quiche had a crispy and crumbly crust and was flavoured well with a rich cheese. The scone was fresh and had a crumbly consistency. The jam was sweet, but the cream could have done with being a bit denser as it resembled slightly thicker squirty cream.
The orange cake had zest incorporated throughout. It was quite a dense cake but was suitably moist and the added strands of orange peel offered a contrasting texture to the oat like cake. The slice was topped with whole almonds which offered a crunch to the cake. The macaron was delicately chewy and soft with subtle and sweet strawberry flavour.

Peggy’s Skylight is an idea venue as it offers great food and entertainment and is a must try if you haven’t already been. This meal was complimentary in return for an honest review. I hope that this review has been useful and I always aim to give a balanced a fair summary of what I have eaten whether it is complimentary or not.

Address: 3 George Street, Nottingham, NG1 3BH

Opening Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 12PM till 12AM,
Sunday 12PM till 5PM,
Monday and Tuesday – closed.

Phone number: 0115 924 0176

Website: https://www.peggysskylight.co.uk/reservations