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.