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 I was sad to see the demise of a Gloucester Road institution but it seems to have been replaced by another.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.
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
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 —
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 alongsideroast (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!
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 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
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!
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