No Man's Grace, Chandos Road

No Man's Grace
6 Chandos Rd, Bristol BS6 6PE
http://nomansgrace.com/

My best friend and I celebrate our birthdays three days apart and have done since we were 13. This year marked our 20th birthday together but for the first time in 20 years we weren't together. My superstar best friend is currently in Sierra Leone working in a lab testing samples for ebola so had a far more important place to be on our birthdays.

So instead of doing nothing, I hooked up with another couple of friends who had some celebrating to do of their own. They have just reached their first anniversary and they met at one of my Samba gigs. So we decided to have a night full of celebrations and to raise a glass to my absent best friend.

No Man's Grace has taken over Moorish's old place on Chandos Road. We were impressed by Moorish so we were sad when it closed, but it meant No Man's Grace has been on our radar for a while. We had already decided we were going to aim for a cocktail or two at Charlie's bar so we wanted something walkable. We have already rinsed Cotham Hill for food so wanted to branch slightly further afield and No Man's Grace fitted the bill.

We had planned to meet at Aviator for some pre-dinner boozes, but it was closed for a memorial event so for the second evening in a row we were propping the bar up in the restaurant.

The menu at No Man's Grace is sold as a starter and desserts bar and there was plenty on the menu to tempt us. The starter plates ranged in price from £2 for a portion of bread up to £8.50 for a Venison Carpaccio and between £6.50 and £7.50 for a dessert. We decided on a selection of dishes with a range of prices to share between the four of us. Service was a little slow, but we knew from sitting up at the bar that they were short staffed and there was also a large party in that night. We weren't fussed as long as we had a full glass!

Here are the plates we sampled:

• Plaice Goujons, Lemon Mayo £4.00
• Butternut Squash, Gnocchi, Sage & Chestnut Pesto £6.50
• Braised Ox Cheek on Toast, Pickled Carrot, Maple Bacon £7.00
• Keens Cheddar and Bread £2.50
• Thai Green Mussels £5.50
• Grilled Radicchio, Blue Cheese, Burnt Honey, Pear, Walnut £7.00
• Cod, Warm Black Pudding & Pickled Cauliflower Salad £8.00

All were delicious but the stand out dish was the plaice goujons. Perfectly cooked mouthfuls of fish with a lovely tangy mayo. The braised ox cheek was also lovely but when split between 4 it was only a small mouthful each, I would have liked a whole one to myself. I think this was our main complaint, all the dishes were quite small and not really shareable which when the food is good it's nice to do. I think this made it feel pricely and we could feel the bill racking up with every mouthful. Perhaps if we'd not shared, it would have felt like better value, but then you don't get to try all you want. Catch 22. Husband and I had planned on 3 starters and 3 desserts to share between us, but this was not enough to satisfy us and we ended up with an extra bread order and a cheese taster to try and bridge the gap.

We moved onto pudding and choose a selection from the list:

• Apple Crumble Slice, Almond Ice Cream £6.50
• Banana Bread Souffle, Clotted Cream Ice Cream £7.50
• Sticky Toffee Pudding, Cherry Sorbet £7.00
• White Chocolate Crème Brulee, Cherry Sorbet, Ginger £7.00

 

For me the banana bread soufflé was the winner although husband will dispute that ruling in favour of the sticky toffee pudding. Both were good and the portion size was better although still quite pricey when compared to desserts in most restaurants.

 

We also tried a variety of cocktails between us which were all great: 

• Elderflower Aviation 6°clock Gin, Lemon Juice, Maraschino, Elderflower Cordial
• Negroni 6°Clock Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth
• Stanley 6 o’clock gin, Appleton rum, lemon, grenadine
• Sazerac Sazerac rye whiskey, Peychaud bitters, dash of absinthe
• The Crow Heaven Hill bourbon, cranberry, pineapple
• Calvados Cocktail Calvados, Cointreau, orange bitters, orange juice

 

We had a lovely evening and all the staff were great. The food was tasty but our wallets felt the pinch at the end of the night - maybe a testament to our enjoyment of the cocktails which were certainly fun. A great birthday/anniversary dinner in a lovely venue. I'd like to return and when I do I will be a lot more selfish with my choices (and perhaps drink a little less).

 

 

  

Birch, Raleigh Road

Birch
47 Raleigh Road, Southville, BS3 1QS
http://birchbristol.co/

Twitter in Bristol has been alight with excitement about Birch and it's been on my wish list to try since it opened. North Street and the surrounding area has been totally spoilt lately with new openings and it's frustrating for a North Bristol resident that Bristol transport links are so shoddy that it makes a trip over to the other side of town a total pain if you don't have a designated driver. That elusive trifecta of events which mean I get to try out new places south of the river is a rare occurrence so I was delighted when the birthday stars collided and I got to sample Birch for myself.

We booked in for 9pm and we found ourselves in the area an hour early with no hope of finding a car parking space on one of the wettest nights of the year so far. After driving around the North Street area searching for a space so we could enjoy a pre-dinner drink we gave up and called Birch in the hope they could squeeze us in early. No luck, but they were perfectly fine with us holding up their bar for an hour so we gave up on North Street and managed to find a parking spot nearby.

Birch is sneaky little establishment; away from the hustle and bustle of North Street in a residential area. It has limited covers and the menu is about as fresh and seasonal as it gets. It even changes during service when popular items sell out. Whilst we waited for our table we sampled some drinks; husband plumped for the "In the Groves" beer from local boys Wiper and True whilst I also stayed close to home with a Psychopomp Gin and Tonic. We also snacked on the cheese straws which were suprising but pleasantly spicy.

Our table was ready spot on time and we decided on our starters of brawn, celeriac and mustard and the salad of radicchio, pear, ewes curd and cobnut. My salad was tweaked slightly to use a different cheese but it was tasty. Husband enjoyed his headcheese but admitted he thought I'd picked the better choice. I wasn't particularly wowed with my starter but on a very limited menu it was the best choice I felt.

To go with my main course I decided to sample the house white wine; which is a very interesting choice to serve. It's very sweet and I thought I'd been served the dessert wine choice by mistake; I kept reading the board above the bar to try and work out if it was the right one. It's a shame there isn't more choice in wine by the glass but I guess as most of the clientele are probably local and the mark-up on bottles is so small it makes sense to deal in bottles. As husband was driving, a bottle was a bit overkill and I probably wouldn't have remembered leaving.

For our main choices we were very predictable; husband plumped for fallow haunch (venison to us mere mortals) with celeriac, chicory and almond brittle. I went for hake with squash, chard, fried potato and sage butter. I happened to mention in passing to the waitress that I was sad the veggie course from the day previously wasn't still on which was egg and potato cake and she said that the venison came with potato cake and did we want some extra to make up for having to wait for our table. This was totally above and beyond what we were expecting as we didn't wait for our table really and I think husband was relieved he didn't have to share his.

The main course was amazing; the hake was perfectly cooked with a slight bounce. I was warned for bones but I didn't find a single one. The fried potato was like a giant potato croquette which was a lovely golden brown. The squash and leaves combined with the crunch of the deep fried sage leaves. Oh, it was wonderful. It was one of those dishes you can still taste later when you think back and you could eat again and again. Really well done Birch!

Husband's venison was also tasty. The almond brittle added a lovely crunch and sweetness injection into the dish. The venison was perfectly cooked and those potato cakes. Oh my! the potato cakes. I would abandon triple cooked chips for all eternity if I could have Birch's potato cakes. So good.

We finished the meal on that high, as we were totally stuffed and didn't really fancy the pudding selection. We also had homemade peanut butter cup brownies at home. However, when the bill came it was accompanied by some freshly made chocolate truffles. Again a lovely touch.

I had a wonderful birthday at Birch and I'm willing the stars to re-align again so I can go back. I said to husband that Birch is to my generation what Bell's diner was to the generation before me. I think that also reflects Bristol and how areas of Bristol have completed morphed and changed in 20 years. Birch has a great neighbourhood feel and I think it will have a very loyal fan base for many years to come. Well Done Birch team.

Bosco Pizzeria, Whiteladies Road

Bosco Pizzeria
96 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, BS8 2QX
http://www.boscopizzeria.co.uk/

Bosco aims to deliver the taste of wood-fired pizzas from Naples and seeing as I love pizza I was very excited to see if Bosco could pull it off. It was very easy to book at table through the website and when we arrived for a pre-theatre dinner at 6pm there were already 4 or 5 other tables occupied with a good number of children. We were shown to a table right at the front of the restaurant in front of an open floor to ceiling window which given the dropping temperature outside and a sparsely decorated luke warm restaurant was not a particularly nice welcome to Bosco. Luckily the waitress cottoned on to the not-so-great table choice and asked if we would prefer to sit nearer the back of the restaurant to which we immediately agreed on the proviso that they could claim the table back at 8pm. As we were due at the theatre by 7:30pm this was fine. Had we visited on a hot sunny day, then the window seat would have been an excellent choice so I'm glad the waitress used some common sense to move us.
The inside of Bosco took a long time to renovate, which given the size of the massive pizza oven is no surprise. However, it feels not finished. The walls are exposed concrete with exposed pipework. I know this is trendy; however it made the place feel cold. Perhaps with a bustling service it would warm up and keep the heat in.

There were an assortment of different places to sit; bar seats by the pizza cooker and also by the bar were mixed with a some low tables in the center of the restaurant and a line of tables across the back wall. We were sat in the bank of tables along the back wall which was great to watch the service; but we were right next to the "front of house" point which meant the phone rang almost constantly and there were lots of panicked conversations taking place within earshot.

There seemed to be a lot of emphasis being put on the booking sheet and it was very apparent that the staff were a week into their new jobs.

We were asked promptly for our drink order and when we requested a few minutes to decide what we were eating first we were then abandoned for a while and then approached again for a drink order and then abandoned again until someone noticed that our menus had been shut on the table for quite a while. I'm not sure why the waitress who took the drink order couldn't take the food order at the same time.
We decided we had to sample the pizza after reading about how pizza had inspired the opening of the restaurant and we also decided to try a pasta dish. We opted for the Emila - Romagna pizza for £9.50 which came topped with Italian sausage, Napoli tomato sauce, Fior di latte, wood roasted onions & sweet peppers and the Ox cheek ragu, rigatoni & smoked mozzarella also for £9.50. We also opted for the Primitivo to accompany our meal for £13 a carafe.

The food took quite a while to arrive, but we decided this must have been because of the baked Ox Cheek Ragu dish.

Both dishes were very appetizing but the Ox Cheek Ragu was fantastic. Very high meat content which was super soft and plenty of lightly smoked mozzarella on top. It was utterly divine. The pizza was ok, we didn't feel it was amazing and was certainly trumped by the pasta. This was a shame as we were expecting great things from the pizza. Perhaps we should have tried one of the more adventurous bianco pizzas but having never sampled a real-life pizza from Naples I can only talk from personal taste. The topping was very watery and sparse. The sausage was tasty; it contained a lot of star anise which was the main flavor coming through.

We wrapped up our meal with a double espresso each and made our way to the Hippodrome. The bill came in at under £30 and we did use a 20% off voucher we collected from another restaurant. The service was ok but I would imagine on a busy service it might be slow. If I was to visit again, I'd have to order the Ox Cheek ragu and for that dish alone I can recommend visiting but for pizza I would return to Beerd as that is the pizza I can't stop thinking about. We were debating how successful Bosco will be in the location it is and what trade it will catch. For us it would be a special visit as it's not in a location that is very accessible to us but seeing as most tables last night were families that bodes well for the future.

Prego, Westbury Park

Prego
7 North View, Westbury Park, Bristol, BS6 7PT
http://www.pregobar.co.uk/

When we went to London earlier in the year, we walked past the Wyndham theatre when Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy are starring in David Hare's Skylight. When we returned I found out that NT:Live were doing a live screening on the 17th July. All cinemas in Bristol were sold out, but Scott cinema in Henleaze held an Encore screening on 5th August. I booked tickets and then immediately booked a table at Prego via email.

Prego is a Italian restaurant in Westbury Park right on the edge of the downs. The restaurant is clean and tidy and obviously thriving in its location. We booked for the early opening of 5:30pm and were pleasantly surprised to find 5 other tables booked at the same time; two of which also came to watch Skylight (great minds and all that!!). Prego runs an early dining deal (Tuesday - Thursday) where all pizzas are £6.95 and seeing two of the tables booked last night also had children it seems a cheap way out eating out with the family.

We decided to skip starters in favour of dessert later and we decided to share a couple of dishes; a pizza with parma ham, rocket, parmesan and Tuscan extra virgin olive oil and a carbonara dish with guanciale, free range egg, parmesan and cream.  We also sampled a glass each of the 2013 Inzolia/Catarratto (a brave choice considering we are normally red wine connoisseurs).

The food arrived quickly, each generously portioned. The pizza was fresh, non-greasy and tasty. The pasta was wonderful and I would say it was even better than the carbonara we ate in Venice which has always been our standard to compare too. High praise indeed.

We finished off our meal with an espresso and a couple of the desserts; chocolate mousse on a florentine base and limoncello and forest fruit semi-freddo. The puddings were both pleasant but a little disappointing for the price of £5.95 each especially following that amazing pasta. But never the less, we enjoyed every morsel.

Service was quick, polite and prompt and the bill was a welcome sight at under £40, a lovely change from being pleased to see change from £80 which seems to be the going rate in Bristol!

It was lovely to be able to walk down to the cinema; overall a perfect date and one I can see becoming a regular thing especially as we can cycle so easily from our house.

If you get a chance to catch Skylight either in the West End or at a cinema then I can highly recommend it.

The Ethicurean, Barley Wood Walled Garden

The Ethicurean
Barley Wood Walled Garden, Long Lane, Wrington, Bristol, BS40 5SA
http://www.theethicurean.com/

The Ethicurean, for us, is one of those places all your friends rave about, have been too and love but due to circumstances we've just never quite got there. It took a offer on an archery experience nearby to finally get us to make the trip. Husband was a keen archer in his youth so for our 4th wedding anniversary I took advantage of a offer for a reduced price 2 hour session. The place was in Redhill just past Bristol Airport. I knew the Ethicurean was out that way somewhere and was pleased to discover it was a mere 4 minute drive from where we would be spending the morning attempting to hit targets with wayward arrows. I booked easily over email and the restaurant was easy to find with a little help from Sat Nav.

The Ethicurean is part of the Barley Wood Walled Garden and when we arrived and parked in the car park at the bottom of the garden, the sun was shining and we decided to mooch around the garden a little seeing as we were early. The garden is a delight and its wonderful to see some many of the ingredients used in the Ethicurean menu are sourced on site from the garden.

The restaurant itself is at the top of the garden in what looks like an old potting shed. There is a lovely outdoor seating area and the restaurant do a mixture of lunch service, afternoon tea and dinner service.

We were booked for lunch and took our seats at the front of the building which gave us a wonderful vista over the gardens and out over the hills. We were thinking perhaps we should sit outside in the glorious sunshine, but husband pointed out the ominous black clouds making their way rapidly towards us. The building was simply decorated with a rustic feel and we could imagine the room at night lit up with candles. Very romantic. We did comment that it might be a great place to visit around fireworks night as you could watch the fireworks go off around the area.

We studied the menu and everything sounds delicious; it was a master class in seasonal produce with many of the same ingredients being used in totally different ways throughout the menu. We settled on sharing the Cider and Cheddar Welsh Rabbit (rarebit) with Gert salad for starters. Then I chose the
Confit leg of Madgett's farm duck, sauerkraut, sautéed potato goat bacon & cos salad for main whilst husband chose the Bavette of Gloucester beef, Kimchi, burnt aubergine & brown butter roasted hispi cabbage. I also decided to sample one of the cocktails after they were recommended by a friend and I plumped for the Gin and Juice using Barley Wood apple juice and also a glass of the Portuguese red. Husband went for a Butcombe blond.

As our starter arrived, the heavens opened and our view was reduced to mist, rain and gloom with a hint of thunder and lighting. The Rarebit was lovely though and a welcome distraction from the weather. It was a very large slab of bread with a very tasty rarebit topping which had a lovely twang. The salad that came with it actually complemented the rarebit with its tangy dressing. It was very large for a starter so we were glad we shared.

The main courses were also great, I won the main course battle with the amazing duck course. The duck leg itself was massive, so much meat on it. The dish itself had a oriental feel to it and it was a treat for the dish to include potato as normally you would just get meat and vegetable. The goat bacon included with the cos salad was a taste explosion. Wow!

As we were celebrating, we decided to try a pudding each. Our initial choice had sold out, this was a common theme but to be expected when the ethical/environmentally friendly nature of the restaurant means food wastage is at a minimum. We plumped for the Ethicurean sticky toffee apple cake, toffee apple syrup, double cream & cinnamon and the rhubarb, white chocolate, rose water and anise tart with candied rhubarb sauce and clotted cream ice cream.

Both desserts were lovely; but not as stand out as the main course. Husband commented on how light his sticky toffee apple cake was and although I enjoyed my rhubarb tart and I could taste a small hint of white chocolate and anise it was a little lackluster. I think we also ordered at a particularly busy time as the desserts took around 15 minutes to arrive. This meant we needed to eat and run as we had another appointment to make back in Bristol rather than enjoy our food.

The weather brightened out for our return to Bristol. We really enjoyed our lunch and it was a lovely day out. Service was good considering the staff were having to check quantities of each dish to be able to inform diners what had sold out.  For us, its definitely a lunch venue rather than a evening one due to its distance from where we live. A taxi would be extortionate and add significant cost to an evening out. I would like to return with my mum and nan as I think they would love lunch here especially as they could wander around the walled garden. The other surprise was the price; very reasonable considering the reputation of the restaurant. The Ethicurean manages to balance great food with the ability to retain its casual and understated feel which is in keeping with its surroundings.  Well worthy of it's high reputation!

Koh Thai Tapas, Triangle South

Koh Thai Tapas
7-9 Triangle South, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1EY
http://www.koh-thai.co.uk

We ended up in Koh Thai Tapas by accident on the weekend. We'd met some friends down on the waterfront and decided to have a nose at the Thai festival going on in the Amphitheatre. We decided we didn't really want to pay the £2 entry fee when it looked like it was winding down for the evening and so we went in search of a beer elsewhere. Our friends asked us about the Koh Thai Tapas pop-up restaurant at the event and we told them they had a branch on the triangle. We also said it was on our list to try out as they have quite a big social presence online and we'd heard good things plus it was often on wriggle for a discount deal.

Seeing as these friends had spent their honeymoon in Thailand and were very big thai food fans we decided as we were already on our way up Park Street we would grab a beer in the Triangle branch and have a nose around. Although they weren't quite open yet, the staff were happy to show up to a table in their lovely hidden walled garden which is a lovely little find in the middle of the triangle and was perfect for what we were after. As soon as we sat down we were talking about coming back with a group.

We split a beer bucket which is a fantastic idea and it was great that they were happy to include a selection of beers which pleased all.  We also had a look at the menu as although our friends had eaten, husband, niece and I were a little peckish. We  just couldn't decide what to have so ordered everything we fancied thinking the portions would be pretty small as most dishes were priced around £6.

I ordered a tapas sized massamann lamb and the pad thai, my niece ordered the dim sum tapas and duck noodle soup and husband ordered the 24 hour ribs tapas and the rice soup. I don't know if Koh Thai Tapas have actually ever eaten tapas as every portion was huge!! Everything was delicious and well cooked and pretty authentic according to our friends. The ribs were actually THE biggest plate of ribs I've ever seen and the "tapas" portion of lamb massamann was big enough that along with a starter you wouldn't have needed anymore. We easily had enough food to feed another couple of people!

It definitely a place to go with friends and the whole place and menu is geared up for group dining and sharing. From the beer buckets to the "per head" priced menu where you tell them what you want to spend per person and they just supply a mix of different things.

The service was a little inconsistent, and one of the waiters really needed cheering up. We had a small oversight on our bill but it was fixed immediately.

But overall, we were impressed and will be back with friends for sure as the whole ethos suits communal eating and sharing with prices designed to ease the bill splitting at the end of the night.

Flinty Red, Cotham Hill

Flinty Red
34 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6LA
http://www.flintyred.co.uk/

It does seem that Cotham Hill really does have the monopoly on excellent restaurants. This time we made the trek to visit Flinty Red.

Flinty Red seems to be one of those restaurants alongside places such as Bell's Diner and Lido which crops up in conversation when discussing great places to eat in Bristol. I think it's earned it's place there by being reliably and consistently good and I was eager to try it out to see what the fuss was about. I booked via email for a Saturday night at 8pm and the place was pleasantly busy when we arrived. We were seated at the back of the restaurant, side-by-side, near the bar which was good for people watching. The first thing which hit us was the heat of the place, it was hot, hot, hot! Being at the back of the restaurant meant the breeze coming from the open front door wasn't really reaching us and it did have us reaching for the water jug to cool down.

We poured over the menus, trying to decide what to try. The menu has a Spanish/Italian tapas feel with a selection of small and large plates. The plates are split into categories such as "cured/preserved", "fried/deep fired", "slow cooked/braised" etc. We decided to start with the fried fresh haloumi with tomato and oregano and the grilled chorizo whilst we debated some more.

We also decided to try the New World 2009, Zinfandel, Nalle to accompany our choices. The wine was gorgeous but we were a little miffed we were served a 2012 vintage with no acknowledgement but it didn't affect our immense enjoyment of the wine.

Whilst we waited for the food to be delivered we discussed the restaurant and tried to work out what it wanted to be: wine bar which does food or restaurant with a pretty substantial wine list.
We couldn't decide. What we did decide was that it's a restaurant for catching up with friends over a couple of (potentially expensive!) bottles of wine and a spot of supper or a place to host business meetings.

Our starters were delivered and although very tasty we were a little deflated. The fresh haloumi didn't have that salty kick you expect or the slightly squeaky texture, it was more on a par with a mozzarella. The chorizo was tasty but I think Flinty Red could do with popping over the road to Bravas and finding out who their chorizo supplier is as compared to the Bravas' "Chorizo in Cider" it was lacking spice and kick.

We turned our attention back to the menu to decide what else took our fancy. In the end we decided to go for two large plates to share rather than any more small plates. This was just personal taste as we didn't really fancy any more of the small plates although there were plenty more to choose from. For main we went with the onglet which came with green beans, potatoes and anchovies and the gnocchi with pesto and again, green beans.

Both mains were tasty but for me the gnocchi with pesto and green beans was superb, husband attempted to steal far too much of it for my liking so it must have been good.

We decided to skip pudding and go in hunt of some elsewhere. We finished the meal relaxed, content and not overly stuffed which was great.

Our overall impressions of Flinty Red were that it's a great place, a lot more chilled and relaxed than we both expected. The food was great, but it did seem a little confused - Spanish mixed with Italian. If it was tapas I was after I would head for Bravas, but I could see this as a Clifton based replacement option for Bell's Diner. The wine list was great and I can see myself heading here with some of my older Clifton based friends for supper, wine and conversation. A real grown-up establishment. The service was swift and polite. It feels like the restaurant have the right mix of covers for staff numbers and that relaxed feel helps as time just seems to seep away. The only negative I could really find was the price, it's not extortionate but not cheap either and to be honest, in relation to other restaurants in the area, the price is competitive, I just felt like I didn't get value for money and I can't quite put my finger on why.

Bravas, Cotham Hill

Bravas
7 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6LD
http://www.bravas.co.uk/

I had wanted to visit Stonehenge for the Solstice, but as we're off to Glastonbury on Wednesday we decided we'd get the Solstice experience there so we decided to stay in Bristol and go out and sample some places we had wanted to visit for a while, return to some favorites and also check out some new openings.

First stop was the re-branded Flipside Cocktail Club which was previously Papaji's for a cheeky pre-meal cocktail. Flipside is a little shabby around the edges with dog-eared drinks menus and gentleman club style décor in need of some TLC, but a very tasty Disaronno cherry kiss put me in the mood for some grub.

Bravas was packed when we arrived, so booking is essential for busy periods. We were shown to a table at the back of the restaurant. I must confess, normally this is my kind of table as it allows me optimum people watching, but for some reason the bustle of Bravas left me wanting one of the bar stools or tall tables to really feel like we were in the thick of it.

We looked at the menu and decided on a strategy of ordering three plates at a time whilst we contemplated the next selection to order. We also decided on the 2012 Gran Cerdo to accompany our food choices.

We ended up with three rounds of plates; 10 in total which matches the recommendation of 5 plates each.

• Stuffed piquillo peppers
• Fried duck egg with Chorizo
• Goats cheese and spinach croquette
• New potato, asparagus & soft boiled egg salad
• Cod Frito
• Chorizo cooked in cider
• Presa a la plancha - Grilled Iberico pork
• Tortilla & alioli
• Braised Ox cheek
• Fried aubergine & molasses

It was interesting catching snippets of conversation from other tables and we ended up with some recommendations of plates to order. The stand out dishes were the duck egg with chorizo, the freshness of cod frito, the spicy chorizo cooked in cider and the amazing Presa a la plancha. The pork was stunning. It was melt in the mouth soft with a beautiful flavour. Like the best filet steak but lighter. It was a total showcase for how good pork could be. We were also bowled over by the simple but scrummy fried aubergine & molasses which we only ordered after overhearing another table rave about it. We were totally stuffed at the end of this, but still had a little room for coffee and salted chocolate truffles.

We were there for around two hours and never felt rushed. The service was fantastic, it was an excellent example of how good service should look and feel. Our waitress was chatty without being intrusive, attentive without loitering and nothing was too much trouble as she juggled multiple requests with ease . She is a real asset to the establishment and made our time at Bravas all the more memorable.

We were also pleasantly surprised at the bill, coming in under £80 including the bottle of wine which for the amount of food we stuffed ourselves with, the outstanding service and buzzy atmosphere was a bargain. I can't wait to visit again!

We finished the night paying a visit to one of my new favourites; Charlie's Bar next to Clifton Down Shopping Centre which we discovered through the wriggle app (if you don't have the wriggle app yet, download it from the play store as soon as you can!) and the newly rebranded Christmas Steps. 

Cosy Club, Corn Street, Bristol and Southgate Place, Bath

The Cosy Club
31 Corn Street, Old City, Bristol, BS1 1HT
http://www.cosyclub.co.uk/Bristol

The Cosy Club
Unit R4, SouthGate Place, Bath, BA1 1AP
http://www.cosyclub.co.uk/bath

By sheer luck, I have visited the brand spanking new branch of The Cosy Club in Bristol a mere two weeks after visiting the Bath branch so I felt compelled to write a review of both establishments entitled: "Same, Same but Different".

My visit to the Bath branch came one particularly hungover morning with my best shopping companion; my niece. We were both feeling like brunch and although had planned to travel up town to Jika Jika, the sheer closeness of The Cosy Club to the train station made it a clear winner. It's a hidden away little gem in the middle of the new Southgate shopping complex. You could quite easily walk past the door and not even know it was there.

We arrived and asked for a table, asking specifically to sit outside as we could see two free tables. We were declined a table outside and when questioned were told they were for drinkers only and we'd have to sit inside. On further questioning it became apparent that the tables were not just for drinkers, they were just not table serviced tables and to order you would have to go to the bar. What a crazy concept! We, of course, had no problem walking 20 yards to a deserted bar to order and it was much quicker to do this than actually wait for the table service!

I ordered our brunch at the bar - a large pot of Assam tea (anywhere that sells Assam tea gets a massive thumbs up from me - no other tea will do), a pancakes and bacon and a ham hock hash.

I had eyed up the ham hock hash on the menu on the train coming over to Bath; it stood out on an otherwise generic brunch  menu, and anything which comes with "breakfast" gravy is a must-try.

The drinks arrived swiftly with an apology of no large tea-pots so that had provided two standard pots instead. Each pot served 3 cups so we were most pleased.

The food arrived shortly after, and for once I won the menu choice game with my niece. Wonderfully roasted potatoes, a perfectly runny poached egg and the most amazing crispy, chewy, soft ham hock and the biggest surprise the best ever gravy to drown it all in. It was like a brown sauce, Worcestershire sauce infused gravy which just went with the ham and potatoes and egg  so well that the dish didn't taste right without it. I would have liked another egg on top, but that's because I love eggs and believe they taste better with friends.

My niece's pancakes were great and she had no complaints at all; other than the fact they came with golden syrup instead of maple syrup which is a big no-no in my book but they were totally overshadowed by the hash.

The bill was a pleasant surprise as brunch is a deceptively lucrative market for food establishments nowadays. The staff at the bar were great and the servers polite. The front of house was disappointing with the fiasco of actually trying to sit down and I can see the merits of their policy at really busy times - but a quiet Sunday brunch was not one of those times.

Onto my second visit to The Cosy Club, Bristol.

This time my companion was different; husband was in tow for this visit and after my raving about the Bath brunch he was eager to try the ham hock hash for himself.

We entered the amazing building; totally blown away by the ceiling height and the light and space. We were taken to a table for two with upright chairs right in the middle of the room; with hangovers kicking in, all I wanted was to melt into a sofa in the corner. So I asked to move to a sofa and got the same feeble policy of those seats are for drinkers, you'll have to order at the bar. Fine, again a deserted bar which is all of 10 yards away. No problem. I really find this policy at quiet times totally bizarre. We sat, correction, sank down into the sofa and raided the games selection placed in boxes around our table. You could tell that this place has only just opened by the squeak of the scrabble board as I opened it and the fact it looked like the game still had all the letters. I love this touch and would mean I would venture there to make more of a morning out of my brunch, I just hope they survive the Bristol nightife.

Anyway, I digress, husband went and ordered two ham hock hashs's, a lemon sherbert and a large Assam tea.

The tea, was the same sized pot to share, as we had in Bath each which was a total fail; surely I can expect a comparable sized pot from a chain. It meant we have to share the last cup from the pot and our caffeine levels for the day were left very depleted.  The lemon sherbet was a good choice for that furry mouth feeling, it woke us both up and was really refreshing. We asked for skimmed milk which was not provided; I don't understand why so few places provide skimmed milk - this is an easy win for places like this.

After a short wait the ham hock hash appeared. Slightly down in portion size and meat content compared to Bath and the potatoes not quite as well cooked and the ham not as crispy. But, still bloody tasty; we both could have eaten the dish again and agreed it was a real hangover buster.

I can see The Cosy Club in Bristol having a bright future in a building which has seen businesses come and go. It will be popular in the evening and will capture all the Sunday brunchers staying the in the centre. I can see lots of stag and hen groups making use of the place and also a lively after work venue. A welcome addition to the City Centre; but they just need to make sure they are aligned with other branches.

Overall for the chain, my major gripe is the seating policy; it really starts your visit off on a poor note, but I do understand its useful-ness at peak times; perhaps some common sense is needed here by the front of house staff. But, everyone was polite, helpful and both venues welcoming and enjoyable.

Soukitchen, North Street

Soukitchen

 277 North Street,  Bedminster,  Bristol,  BS3 1JP

http://www.soukitchen.co.uk/

We have been wanting to try Soukitchen ever since we visited EatDrinkBristolFashion last year on their night and were blown away by the amazing food we ate. We have several places lined up on North Street which we'd love to try and Soukitchen has been top of our list for forever but we're not often over that side of town to enjoy them especially with poor rail links back to our area later on. We finally got a reason this weekend so after I booked our show tickets to see Extravaganza by Le Navet Bete at the Brewery Theatre I immediately booked a table at Soukitchen through their website.

We arrived early for our 7:30pm booking but this was no problem and we were invited to take a seat. The restaurant is sat on a corner plot and is glazed on both sides which makes it feel very light and airy. The kitchen is to the rear of the room and is open so you can see some of the food preparation. The decoration is bright and colourful and the wallpaper used throughout the restaurant looks to be custom with its depiction of Moroccan style teapots.

We relaxed and browsed the menu, not really having a clue what anything meant, but excited to find out. There were three of us eating so we wanted to get a selection of dishes so we could try as many things as we could. Whilst we debated what dishes we wanted to try, we ordered a selection of flatbreads and dips to pick at. These were lovely; bright colours again and each very tasty. I can't remember what each dip was - I know one was carrot and rose which was lovely and sweet and I think one was made with split peas.

 We decided to order a selection of hot mezze:

• Batata hara, chickpeas + merguez sausage
• Spinach, spiced feta + pinenut bistilla with orange blossom honey
• Pork, preserved lemons meatballs with slow cooked tomato sauce

and for mains:

• Chargrilled vine leaf wrapped halloumi, roast beetroot, squash, couscous and mango amba
• Chargrilled lamb adana skewers, sour cherry + bulgar pilaf, zalouk and garlic yoghurt
• Chicken Khoresh, Omani limes, dried plums, split peas + spinach with saffron rice

The food was delivered promptly and we all had our favorites; which turned out to be the item we had suggested we try. For me the Batata Hara and the Chicken Khoresh were the stand out dishes. With the bistilla and lamb kebab a close runner up. The meatballs were disappointing though as we all decided that they needed to be tastier to compete with the other dishes we picked. The halloumi was nice and as a vegetarian option it was great; it just didn't do it for me, but it was husband's favourite and from a dedicated meat lover that's high praise indeed!!
 
We really enjoyed our meal at Soukitchen. The only thing I would have liked was perhaps a small description of the dish on the menu as I was very unfamiliar with a lot of the terms and even the ingredients, but having sampled a small snippet of food from these guys before I didn't worry as I knew it would all be delicious.  We were well looked after even with a packed dinner service. The bill was a very pleasant surprise at the end of the meal considering we had ordered a bottle of red. With it's relaxed atmosphere, tasty food which is big on flavour but light on the bank account I would be happy to visit again to sample the next menu the team produces.

Bakers & Co, Gloucester Road

Bakers & Co
193 Gloucester Road, Bristol, BS7 8BG
http://bakersbristol.co.uk/

I have been itching to sample Bakers & Co since it opened and on Saturday whilst strolling down to town for the Bristol Food Connections Festival I got my chance. We wanted a stop off for something to tide us over for a little while whilst leaving room for lots of tasting at the festival and for the first time there were some empty tables when I peeked in, so we took advantage.

The building Bakers & Co have taken over used to be a clothes shop which had been operating on Gloucester Road since I was a teenager. I was sad to see the demise of a Gloucester Road institution but it seems to have been replaced by another. The clever use of sunny bright yellow in both the sign and the awning invites you in to sample the San Francisco style brunch which uses most of my favourite foods especially eggs and chorizo.

When you enter the building you are greeted by a mouthwatering display of cakes and other treats and the room is packed with differing sizes tables which are brightened up by light streaming through the windows in the ceiling. Everything looks crisp and fresh.

We took a seat near the back of the building and salivated over the menu. We decided to share a bakers eggs which was slow cooked tomato and spinach with nuggets of spicy chorizo and topped with two small poached eggs. Alongside a refreshing lemonade and zingy orange juice.
Although we had to wait quite a while to get served, once our order was taken the food was served very swiftly. Most dishes seem to be served in large terracotta dishes which suited the variety of "stews" Bakers serve. The Bakers eggs dish was delicious and the only comment we could think to improve the dish would be to have the chorizo cut up so that the flavour could be more absorbed by the tomato stew, but that was a very minor point.

Our visit was marred slightly as our poor pooch was feeling very under the weather and we ended up not really staying and absorbing as much as we would have liked. But we saw and tasted enough to warrant a return visit!

Bakers & Co already seems like it's been on Gloucester Road forever, and hopefully it will stay for a long time. We really hope that some outside tables might appear soon to take advantage in soaking up the Gloucester Road atmosphere and sunshine.

Nathan Outlaw & Valentine Warner, Eat Drink Bristol Fashion

Nathan Outlaw & Valentine Warner Fine Dining,
Eat Drink Bristol Fashion, Queens Square, Bristol
https://eatdrinkbristolfashion.co.uk


For the third year in a row, we patiently awaiting tickets being launched to the annual Eat Drink Bristol Fashion event run in Queens Square by Josh Eggleton, Luke Hasell and their team. The first year we attended a Pony and Trap Sunday Roast which was run a little chaotically in a damp tipi. The following year, things had improved dramatically for our second outing sampling wonderful food by the Soukitchen. This year, having poured over the selection of events planned we decided to attend the opening night featuring a 6 course menu designed and cooked by two Michelin Starred chefs, Nathan Outlaw and Valentine Warner.

— Menu —

• ~ Doom bar and treacle bread, Cornish seaweed butter ~
• ~ Asparagus, crispy pheasant egg, green sauce ~
• ~ Clams and beans ~
• ~ Crab risotto ~
• ~ Roast pork 'tonnato style' ~
• ~ Goats curd, bitter herbs, aubergine and honey ~
• ~ Rhubarb Cheesecake, rhubarb and ginger sorbet, sugared pistachios ~

The night started off with Josh Eggleton introducing the chefs and asking them to explain the dishes they were preparing that night. Whilst listening to the chefs we were sampling some amazing Doom bar and treacle bread with some fantastic salty Cornish seaweed butter. I could have sat and nibbled on this all night as it was a real treat for fresh bread and salty butter fans.

The first course was a crispy pheasant egg, perfectly soft boiled in the middle covered in golden breadcrumbs with seasonal asparagus and a salsa verde. I'm not a fan of asparagus but when it was combined with the silkiness of the egg and twang of the vinegar from the salsa verde it was transformed.

The second course came from Valentine and was a rustic stew of cannellini beans and clams. I've never had clams before, I was a little bit wary. The stew was packed with clams and I was glad for the lower levels of lighting so I couldn't see the little hooked buttons. The beans still had a crunch to them and the cooking liquor was packed with flavour. Sadly for me, I'm not sure I'll be a clam convert, whilst the stew were perfectly cooked I did find myself making sure each mouthful was full of beans to trick myself into thinking I wasn't eating clams.

The third course came from Nathan and was one I was looking forward too, crab risotto. It was a very understated dish which didn't come with any tricks. Just well cooked food which was tasty.  It was on this dish that Nathan and Valentines cooking styles became apparent; Nathan's dishes very precise and calm and Valentines rustic and large. It was almost a reflection of both men in their dishes.

The next course we were back to Valentines more chunky style with a great slab of pork served up alongside roast (Sorry Valentine!) potatoes and lovely slow cooked tomatoes. My pork was quite hard going as it had quite a ring of fat around it. One of the waiting staff noticed I was finding it hard going; whipped the plate away and came back with a slab of lean meat. It was more meat than I would normally eat for a Sunday Roast and I'm afraid I couldn't finish it. It was beautifully cooked though and really lovely to be served potatoes as most Michelin starred places tend to shy away from them.

We were quite excited for the cheese course having eaten something similar before at Bells Diner, but sadly it was not a big hit with husband who actually couldn't finish it. He's not a great goats cheese lover but we hoped the sweetness of the honey and aubergine would work with the goats curd. I found it hard going as well and would have liked more sweetness.

The final course was a total hit though; the sorbet had a gentle spicy fizz to it and the cheesecake was so luscious. A perfect dessert! This was followed up with coffee and Cornish fudge and fairings brought by Nathan. The fairings were so salty which I loved!

We had a fantastic night, we were sitting next to the some of the judges and organisers of the Food and Farming awards which were held the previous night at St. Georges and it was great listening to some of the stories and having Valentine come and join us for a drink after service.

My only real disappointment of the night came from the drinks department. 25 minutes to get a drink from the main tipi bar and confused wine service within the fine dining tipi.

Other than that, Eat Drink Bristol Fashion is a great summer addition to the city and it's finding its feet now in its third year. A little more work on the drinks side of the operation would really help for next year! We will certainly be back for tapas before the tipi leaves and we wish we had enough money to sample more than one fine dining night!

Cherry Duck Bistro, Welsh Back

Cherry Duck Bistro
3 Queen Quay, Welshback, Bristol, BS1 4SL
http://www.cherryduckbistro.co.uk/

A year ago, Derren Brown released details of his "Infamous" tour for which I immediately snapped up front row tickets. So, when the date came around to actually watch the show we wanted to make a night of it!

Cherry Duck Bistro on Welshback seemed a perfect fit. Open at a time which would fit in for a pre-show dinner, within walking distance to the Hippodrome and with a very enticing menu.

I was able to easily book a table over email which is a real perk in today's online world. I often have trouble booking things over the phone as you need to catch staff  in a non-busy time of service. We booked the table for 6pm thinking 1.5 hours would be plenty of time to sample the seasonal menu. I had to look up on the website where the place actually was as I couldn't picture the restaurant at all. I found out it was slightly off the beaten track just behind Queen's Square.

We arrived at the restaurant slightly early as we were conscious of time and were surprised to be the only ones in there. We were given a waterside table at the back of the restaurant. The place was bright, airy with the glass sides giving a modern feel. We could see that this place must be popular with surrounding businesses for lunches and we agreed it would be a lovely spot for lunch in the summer.

We looked at the menu and chose wood pigeon and squid & chorizo for starters and a half bottle of malbec to share along with a oddly named Scottish beer for husband who was taken in by the unpronounceable name.

The food arrived quickly as you would hope being the only guests and was wonderfully presented. The bright red of the peppers and white of the squid contracted nicely on a grey slate. We shared both dishes and the squid was the better of the two dishes with an amazingly punchy chorizo stealing the show.

For mains we had opted for the Frampton on Severn Beef which was 40 day aged fillet of beef, oxtail croquette, calves liver, jerusalem artichokes, chantenay carrots, horseradish jelly, watercress, beef jus and the Ragstone soufflé which was a Goat's cheese soufflé, baby beetroot, cocotte potatoes, beetroot puree and red onion jelly.

Now, I like a vegetarian dish and often pick them over meat dishes if they sound creative and tasty. This time however I picked the vegetarian dish as I simply didn't fancy any of the other dishes. Whilst I was spoilt for choice on starter and dessert I really struggled with choosing a main.

Again, the dishes were delivered quickly and the beef looked stunning. The soufflé however, was a little disappointing. It was small and saggy and just looked uninspiring and a little sad. I expected a larger soufflé given the £16 price tag. Taste wise the beef was superb and husband really enjoyed it. The soufflé was quite bland and didn't improve when put together with the beetroot and cocotte potatoes as the beetroot, although mild overpowered the goats cheese. We had ordered sides of creamed spinach and garlic & herb roasted new potatoes and the addition of these to the plate helped bring out some of the flavour as well as inject some punch. The creamed spinach really helped the soufflé take a bigger role on the plate by bringing out the creaminess, I would recommend any vegetarians to add this if they have the soufflé. 

I hope Cherry Duck Bistro improve their vegetarian offering on their next seasonal menu, perhaps taking some tips from somewhere like the Maitreya social for tasty vegetarian dishes.

Thankfully, Cherry Duck redeemed itself on the desserts. We picked the lemon meringue pie and the rhubarb and custard and both were outstanding. I wish I had ordered more starters and desserts and skipped the main. The lemon meringue was fantastic. The tartness of the lemon sorbet against the creaminess of the lemon curd and pastry contrasted by the chewiness provided by the meringue, marshmallow and candied lemon was a delight. The rhubarb was equally magical, the crunch of the brandy snap, the silkiness of the crème patisserie and the sweetness of the rhubarb was yummy. If you eat at Cherry Duck, you must leave room for pudding!

Coffee rounded off our lovely meal at Cherry Duck and we had plenty of time to stroll across Queen's Square to the Hippodrome. The staff were attentive and service was swift. I did feel the price for main courses was a little steep and I really feel that for a Saturday night pre-theatre dinner the place should have been packed. Perhaps a pre-theatre set menu might help that, and I would certainly be back with guests if that was offered.

Overall we had a great night, a lovely dinner in an attractive setting with great service followed by a mesmerizingly jaw dropping show.

Akash, Filton Avenue

Akash
522 Filton Ave, Bristol BS7 0QE
no website, but you can find their menu on http://www.just-eat.co.uk/restaurants-akash-bristol/menu

We had such a #gastrobragging time planned over the weekend but we were foiled on Saturday with both our sets of plans.


Our first plan to visit Bakers & Co for brunch was foiled by this chap demanding to come with us on our bimble down Gloucester Road. This meant a change of plans to visit our favourite doggy friendly Boston Tea Party on the corner of Nevil Road instead of trying out the much hyped San Francisco inspired brunch joint. We will make it there one day!

Our second change of plans came in the form of Bristol Bootlegger postponing their opening until Thursday 17th April. So we were left looking for an alternative Saturday night plan. We had spent the day in the garden so we were looking for something low key. We decided to visit our favourite local curry house as we hadn't been in a while as we've been so busy trying out new places.

Akash does most of its trade through takeaway and I think that's normal for the area we live. It's a shame it's not more busy in the restaurant as the food really is great. I've done a few birthdays and work do's at Akash and each time it's been exceptional. They have opened specially for us at lunchtimes for work events and also early evening for birthdays (to suit small people eating times) and have been fantastic catering for us. They are happy to work with you to make it a successful event; happy to take orders/deposits in advance if required. I would highly recommend them for any event you have especially as they are walking distance from places such as the MoD, Airbus, HP and UWE.

As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted like old friends and were immediately asked where our furry four legged pooch was. He normally comes with us when we visit and sits quietly under the table snagging cucumber slices. We sat at our usual table and beers were delivered promptly along with some poppodums. We sat looking at the menu and although we eat there regularly we can never decide what to have as it's all so yummy.

In the end I decided on some old favourites; prawn puri to start. I sometimes ask for this as a main as it is so nice. Freshly cooked puri filled with a delicious medium spiced prawn curry. It's a meal in itself and a great option for a main course as you don't need any extras.

For main I decided to have a mixed vegetable bhaji with a starter portion of chicken tikka and a stuffed paratha to share with the table. I love the vegetable bhaji here, it's got a great spicy kick which you don't normally find in other places. I also had a small taster of the other mains on the table; a spiced up lamb passanda and a chicken tikka jalfrezi.

The lamb passanda was a hit after trying a similar experiment at another local curry house and being given a far too hot dish and the chicken tikka jalfrezi was a surprise as we were expecting a dry dish. This was quite a hot gravy with plenty of spice from the chilli and sour from the lemons.

Other dishes we highly recommend are the lamb rogan josh, chicken ceylon, chicken dupiaza and the lamb sagwala.

We managed to eat nearly all the food and the small bit leftover was bagged up for us to take home with a few poppodums thrown in for free. We were also treated to a free ice cream to finish off our highly enjoyable meal.

Akash is great value for money, they do a few different meal deals. The £10 deal is very good value; 2 poppodums, main, rice and bread. There is also a £15 deal (2 poppodums, starter, main, side, rice and bread), a couple of set menus and a new thali deal for week days. If you around North Bristol and hankering for a curry then I suggest you check out Akash.

Greenbank Easton, Bellevue Road

Greenbank Easton
57 Bellevue Road, Bristol, BS5 6DP
https://twitter.com/GreenbankEaston

The Greenbank Easton has recently been saved from demolition by the Zuzu Kitchen team and has been refurbished and re-opened to the delight of local Easton residents. We travelled down by train on Friday to meet up with friends and we were really impressed with what we found. A warm, inviting bar, beautifully decorated with subtle nods to the "green"bank area. Estrella and Orchard Pig Reveller on tap held memories of summer holidays and autumn weddings and the amazing aroma of freshly cooked pizza had us salivating.


The main problem we had was actually finding a seat. The bar is situated in the centre of the open plan bar with tables placed around the outside of the building. This means plenty of standing space but not much scope for adding another ring of tables or putting your drinks down whilst you stand. We ended up on what I can only assume by the amount of colouring pencils, is the kiddies table by the kitchen exit perched on some stools whilst we waited for a table to open up.

The smell of the pizza eventually got too much for husband and he decided he'd split a pizza with one of our friends. They ordered a pepperoni, ground beef and jalapeno pizza, very reasonably priced at £8. It arrived very promptly and from the bite I had, was delicious. The menu also lists half sized pizzas from £3 suitable for children or small appetites. Very clever! Everything on the menu looks lovely with the egg, taglio cheese and truffle oil pizza catching my eye.

The vibe at Greenbank Easton is very relaxed, the ambience is great with candlelight lit tables. I could actually hear the other people in our party speak over the low level buzz. This bar looks like it's going to be a real asset to the community of Greenbank. We had a great time here and will be back for sure!

Yume Kitchen, Cotham Hill

Yume Kitchen
9 Cotham Hill,  Bristol,  BS6 6LD
http://yumekitchen.co.uk


I have seen Yume Kitchen pop up all over my news feed recently and with a hankering for katsu curry, I decided to check it out.

Booking was easy, a quick email to the team which was answered politely and quickly. Getting there was also easy with the Wessex Red bus service dropping us off at the top of Cotham Hill.
Our reserved table was right next to the front counter with a direct view into the kitchen through the serving hatch, just the right seat to see everything going on. The restaurant has a relaxed café/bistro feel with a number of tables at street level and then some extras downstairs. We arrived at 8pm and there was a steady stream of custom throughout our time there. It was a bit of a mix between table service, counter service, eat-in or takeaway. We were completed boxed in at our table so had to assume table service would be forthcoming which it was!

We had decided to try and share a variety of dishes that took our fancy so we selected the chicken katsu curry, chicken teriyaki, beef yakisoba, potato korokke and chicken gyoza. I also warned the staff of my mushroom intolerance and they were great, suggesting an alternative "side" for the chicken teriyaki as the stir-fry veg it normally comes with included mushrooms. We didn't order anything from the sushi and sashimi menu as we didn't fancy it, but seeing the wonderful plates coming out of the kitchen I might be tempted on a return visit.

Our food arrived hot and fresh out of the kitchen in the order it was prepared so everything was piping hot. The chicken teriyaki came with a seaweed salad instead of the stirfry vegetables and all the dishes were delicious, our favourites were the katsu curry, the gyoza and the korokke with the latter two being so steaming hot we needed to wait before attempting to eat!

We were sat in a prime seat to watch the kitchen and the front of house. There were frequent confusions over orders; which I think comes with being so busy, but each time I could see it was sorted swiftly and without fuss. There was a table which complained about a wait time of 45 minutes which was hard to understand with how swift the service was but the staff jumped straight in and jiggled a few orders around to make it work!

Overall, we had a great time. The service we received was good, the food excellent and the bill reasonable for how stuffed we left. I can really only compare to places like Yo! Sushi which rely on conveyor belt gimmicks but over-priced for the small portions. You pay more a plate at Yume Kitchen but for double the food.

I would be happy to visit Yume Kitchen again and seeing as they are open from 12noon until late it would be a perfect stop for early dinner or lunch whilst out and about. We will be back!

Beerd, St Michaels Hill

Beerd,
157-159 St Michaels Hill, Cotham, Bristol BS2 8DB
http://www.beerdbristol.com

We have been making our way round the Bath Ales pubs recently as we have a discount card which is proving to be a fantastic deal for food and drink. Beerd is part of the Bath Ales collective and is a craft beer and pizza joint in High Kingsdown. We went on a Friday night and when we arrived it was rammed but in a good way. It felt lively, filled with a loud hubbub of conversation and plenty of specialty beer flowing. The clientele seemed to be a mix of the more intelligent, ale-supping students who are probably part of jugglesoc and older people who prefer a local night in High Kingsdown to the chaos of town. 
We made our way to the bar where I selected a blonde Belgium beer called Steen Brugge. It instantly transported me back to our short break in Brugge last year, when we frequently ended up in a basement bar just off the main square selecting which beers to try based on the accompanying glass.
I decided to try and find a seat and by some miracle a table opened up at that precise moment. The tables around us were mainly quite large groups sampling the pizza and it looked amazing. One of the staff noticed we'd taken a seat and he asked if we were after pizza and so we waited for him to return to take our order. It was a good ten minutes before he returned but the place was so buoyant that it simply didn't matter. The chatter was infectious. We selected our pizza; salami and roasted chilli and the cauliflower, blue cheese and chorizo pizza. I asked to swap the blue cheese for goats cheese which was no bother. We were warned that there was quite a wait for the pizza so we ordered some garlic bread to tide us over.
The garlic bread arrived pretty quickly and it was wonderful. Small strips of freshly baked dough lightly brushed with garlic butter. I think it took around 3 minutes to devour the lot.
As we knew we had a bit of a wait, we got another beer in but the pizza arrived before the beer! Result.
The pizza looked and smelled incredible. Thin base, generous coating of tomato sauce, lightly topped with perfectly non-greasy cheesy goodness. The toppings we had chosen were marvelous, the best one being the cauliflower, goats cheese and chorizo. The cauliflower went perfectly with the goats cheese and the chorizo balanced the creaminess with a spicy meaty kick.
It ended up being the perfect venue to kick off a night out. You couldn't help but get motivated to go out and the food set you up perfectly. We are already planning to return with friends, and with the discount, the incentive to return is even greater.

Rocotillos, Queens Row

Rocotillos
1 Queens Row, Bristol, BS8 1EZ
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rocotillos


I'd been meaning to try Rocotillos for years. It's one of the places which has always been there but I'd never made it inside. The lack of website has put me off for the last few years as I like to know what sort of place I'm heading to before I go.

However, last Sunday hungover husband and I decided we fancied breakfast. It was 1pm but still, breakfast was called for. We were trying to debate where to go and I said Rocotillos was on my list of places to try and their breakfasts are pretty legendary, so off we trotted.

We entered the diner and by some miracle there was an empty table near the back of the very packed restaurant so we took a seat and studied the menu looking for breakfast. The diner is surprising very bright and airy, with a duck egg blue theme. The open kitchen with high bar stalls is a nice feature and there were plenty of kids in there being treating to a post-museum milkshake.

We went down the breakfast list and then noticed that we had in fact missed breakfast service. Damn. If there had been a website I'd have known this beforehand and planned a little better, but Hey! we were here and seated so we looked to see what else we fancied.

I knew I needed to try a milkshake to see what all the fuss was about and there was only one choice for me; peanut butter. I also narrowed my choice of food to two things; chicken quesadilla and Philly cheese steak. I decided to ask the waitress which one was the best choice and she recommended the quesadilla. I also ordered a side of fries or so I thought...Husband went with a Cajun chicken burger and a strawberry milkshake

Our drinks were quickly served and the milkshakes were good. The strawberry one was quite fake tasting but the peanut butter one was great and a really good hangover cure I found out.

Ten minutes later and our food arrived. The burger, to be honest, was small especially with the influx of great burgers into Bristol lately with Chomp!, Grillstock, Atomic Burger etc. The fries, although piping hot, were very pale and anemic looking.
The quesadilla was stuck on a plate so small it overhung the edges and no attempt at presentation had been made with either dish. No side order of fries were delivered either. I waited a minute to see if the waitress was going back to get them and when it became clear she wasn't I piped up and asked if they were on their way. A complete look of surprise crossed her face and she went off to see where they are, coming back two minutes later to declare I didn't order any. When I said I'd ordered them twice as I thought the waitress hadn't heard me the first time she said she would put the order in and bring them over shortly.

The quesadilla was not too bad; not great either and I'd finished the whole thing before the side of ashen fries arrived. You would have thought that fries were on the go all the time and not having to be cooked from scratch each time. We finished up and paid the bill; neither one of us bowled over.

Service on the whole was ok, the good balanced the bad and I think the milkshakes are great, but I think for food there are better cooked and presented, more generous options out there at a better price.

Feast with a Chef, Long Ashton Village Hall

Feast with a Chef
Long Ashton Village Hall, Keedwell Hill, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9DP
http://www.clarehargreaves.co.uk/feast-with-a-chef/

This is where Twitter comes into its own, without this gem of foodie knowledge I would have never found out about Clare's genius idea to bring chefs she's come to know through her work as a food writer to a sleepy village hall to cook a feast for hundreds.

I signed up to attend Clare's taste of the east feast cooked by Ramael Scully, head chef at Ottolenghi's NOPI in London (http://www.nopi-restaurant.com/). I booked this as a surprise for husband and collaborated with friends and Clare herself to plan an exciting evening.

We arrived at Long Ashton village hall without telling husband anything about where we were going and he was a little surprised to get out of the car and inhale these wonderful smells emitting from the hall. We walked in to be confronted by three long tables seating 150+ people all chatting animatedly about what was in store. We took our seats and studied the menu:

It looked absolutely delicious.

We managed to grab a sample of the bread and Rodda's Cornish butter which was lovely and before we knew it the spiced potatoes landed in front of us. The pastry was wonderful, crisp pastry, warmly spiced creamy filling and acidic sauce which cut straight through the creaminess of the potato filling.

Husband was then presented with a bottle of fizz to celebrate his birthday from Clare which was a really special touch which he loved and really appreciated.

The next course was the Octopus with red quinoa. There was no scrimping on portion size for this course. A giant hunk of perfectly cooked octopus; with minimal tentacles.

The following course was a bit hit and miss really; we all loved the beef cheek. It was divine, really soft and melt in the mouth but the fishy accompaniments in the form of the seaweed salad and mackerel sauce left us a little queasy. Personally I didn't really enjoy this course, but that's my personal taste and no reflection on the quality of the cooking.

The final dish in our feast was a pudding called Milk; three ways. This was reminiscent of an Eaton mess; but we couldn't really tell how the milk was presented three ways. It was quickly devoured though as it was an amazing tasting pudding.

We finished off with coffee and petit fours. Our plate came with a birthday message for husband, again a really sweet touch from Clare and the team.  The lemon petit four was my favourite and finished off an fantastic feast in style.

Clare managed to pull off a great event, I have no idea how the chefs managed to cope with such a large service with no hiccups. The waiters and waitresses were great, attentive and happy to help. We were treated really well by everyone involved and Clare made it extra special for us with all her birthday touches.

I wish her all the best with her next ventures - check out her website!

KooKooToo, Filton Avenue

KooKooToo
518 Filton Avenue, Bristol, BS7 0QE
https://www.facebook.com/Kookootoo

We had noticed KooKooToo opening in our neighbourhood and decided to try it out on a quiet Wednesday night. The first thing you notice about the place is the décor, it's lush, all pastel colours; pinks, greens, terracottas with fabulous furniture and big wooden tables and benches. Warm and inviting.

We took a seat over one side of the restaurant and a funny, jolly little man who was the waiter or the owner (not too sure) came over with an array of menus. Four to be precise! We perused the menu for some time and debated what we fancied. A duck dish with walnuts and pomegranate and a chicken and lamb kebab took our fancy along with a bottle of red wine.

When the jolly waiter came back we went to place our order, but then found out both dishes we fancied were either off the menu or modified. They weren't the only ones; about 4 dishes were either off the menu or modified. We ordered a starter of hummous and we asked if we could have a mixed halluomi and chicken kebab instead of the chicken and lamb and after some to-ing and fro-ing to the kitchen it was agreed that was ok. We were also told that the duck dish was now chicken instead so we went with that. We also ordered some red wine and tap water.

Its worth pointing out it took us over 20 minutes in a deserted restaurant to get this far in the ordering process. The waiter did tell us later that he was working on his own as was the person in the kitchen and that they didn't expect it to be busy (whilst we were there 4 other tables arrived).

The wine minus the tap water arrived along with a little amuse bouche which was really tasty and got us quite excited about what was to come. The starter than arrived which was THE biggest portion of hummous and some flat bread. The ratio of hummous to bread meant you were having to devour a lot of hummous with each mouthful, a smaller portion would have been better. The hummous was nice though; very garlicky and the flat bread was yummy.

We then had quite a long wait for the next course and I amused myself watching the flustered waiter trying to keep up with serving the other tables.

The main course eventually arrived and the kebab plate had a smattering of mushrooms all over it, which meant I couldn't eat it. There was no mention of mushrooms on the menu and I don't think I've ever seen a kebab with them in. I double checked the other dish had no mushrooms in which the waiter confirmed but there was no offer to re-make the other plate sans mushrooms.

*cue plate swapping*

The chicken, walnut and pomegranate dish I ate was ok; it was not suited to chicken at all, lamb would have been a far superior choice and had it come with lamb I think I would be raving about it. It was quite a dull dish with not much taste and the chicken did nothing to improve it. Husband had the kebab which was very salty and quite hard going towards the end. I would have said you could share the kebab between two quite sufficiently. The halluomi was very squeaky; it would have done with more cooking. The water finally arrived after a gentle prod to the waiter which was needed after the food.

Overall, poor service, multiple menus and salty food let KooKooToo down for us. The décor and vibe of the place is great and we wish it had impressed on all counts for us to make it a regular haunt seeing as it's in our neighbourhood and we like to support local businesses.