1 - 3 York Road Montpelier Bristol BS6 5QB
http://www.bellsdiner.com/
We went to Bell's Diner to celebrate a friends birthday and it was the perfect location for a shared meal with friends. We kicked off with a rhubarb bellini which was a lovely seasonal take on the classic peach bellini and we started off with a selection of starters; Bell’s pickled vegetables and Salt cod fritters with aioli.
I've become a real fan of salt cod lately; a popular starter in Bristol it seems as we also had salt cod at Ox in January. The pickled vegetables were a revelation; the sharp piquant taste with the vinegar and a dash of chilli on perfectly blanched veg. A real taste explosion in your mouth.
We decided to follow the advice of our lovely waiter Harrison and order a selection of dishes to share and luckily we all had similar tastes so we loaded up with a variety of dishes including:
- Spiced lentils with yoghurt and coriander
- Charcoal-grilled chicken oyster pinchos marinated in chipolte with harissa yoghurt
- Deep Fried Aubergine
- Charcoal-grilled salt and pepper prawns
- Roast Cornish scallops
- Rabbit in a creamy sauce
The chicken oysters were divine, soft and velvety with a hint of spice and the lentils were a great accompaniment to the rest of the dishes. The aubergine was the surprise of the night for me; even more so than the pickled vegetables. I tend to shy away from aubergine, but this came deep fried, crisp and served with goats cheese and honey which was added a silkiness to the crisp batter on the aubergine. I might even become a convert!
The rabbit dish was the disappointment of the selection as it was a little underwhelming and bland.
We then went for dessert. Husband went for coffee and salted caramel truffles which were just how I like them; salty. I find most salted caramel not salty at all, this hit the spot.
I asked Harrison for a recommendation on dessert and then promptly ignored him and ordered the new season’s Yorkshire rhubarb, pistachio and pomegranate pavlova which was amazing and after having a nibble on what he did recommend I made the right choice for sure!
We had a wonderful evening, full of good food, great conversation and prompt, swift, knowledgeable service. I'm looking forward to a repeat visit!
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