Weekend Curry at Jubo Raj

Guest blog post from curry fanatic Phil where he gives you the low down on our most recent curry evening.

Lovers of curry are spoiled for choice in the vicinity of Cotham Hill, Jubo Raj, Garam Massala and Indian Ocean are all vying for your custom. After some deliberation we opted for Jubo Raj, which on a Saturday evening was busy enough to suggest it was worth trying but not so busy as to have to wait for a table.

Jubo Raj is at the more traditional end of the curry house market. The interior is pleasant enough, although the light is rather blue, and you will find all of your usual favourites on the menu. We opted to start with poppadoms and dips. They arrived warm and fresh and dips were fairly standard, although the raita was somewhat lacking in mint. Onto the main courses, Nehari Lamb was the standout dish, a lightly spiced masalla curry laced with slithers of fresh ginger. The ginger made for an interesting alternative to chili in providing the heat for the dish,  it was a cooked to perfection whilst maintaining a warming kick but without overpowering the rest of the dish.

Elsewhere the Deshi Lamb was less of a hit, advertised as a medium curry "slow cooked in lentils, green chillies, fresh herbs, spices and topped with egg and tomato" it certainly sounded the part, but ultimately it was a little bland for this curry lover. The mixed grill was described as "meaty" by the recipient, the lack of said meat left on the plate at the end of the meal suggests that it hit the mark. 

nehari lamb

deshi lamb

Lastly we enjoyed some complimentary treats with the bill, a delightful chocolate orange affair which scored very highly on my post meal chocometer. Whilst Jubo Raj may not be the best Indian restaurant on Cotham Hill, it's certainly in the top three. 

Next blog will be focusing on our visit to the Cyprus Kebab House, prepare to be amazed.

Farewell Tapas at Bravas

Last Tuesday I had arranged to have a farewell dinner with my friend Elly, someone I have known since I was four,  who was leaving Bristol for London. Elly is a big fan of all things Spanish, having spent some time living over there, so she chose Bravas for her farewell meal. This was my first visit to Bravas, shockingly, and even though we showed up before 7 it was already pretty busy. We found a spot in the window and swiftly ordered two glasses of red and some bread and olives to help us decide what tapas to pick.

It was difficult to restrain ourselves from not ordering everything on the menu it all sounded so delicious but in the end we picked five dishes to share and sat back to wait somewhat impatiently as the smells of food around us only increased our hunger. The tortilla with aioli was the first to appear swiftly followed by the  Zamorano cheese with membrillo and patatas bravas, you couldn't not order bravas whilst dining at Bravas after all.

Tortilla with aioli

Patatas Bravas

Zamorano cheese with membrillo

From these photos I don't think I need to tell you how good these tapas were, but I will. The tortilla was rich and creamy, improved even further by the wonderfully fresh tasting home made aioli. Zamorano is a sheep's milk cheese from Zamora in Spain and is very similar in taste to Manchego, the membrillo, or quince jelly that it was served with topped off the richness of the cheese very nicely indeed. The bravas were served as large slices of potato, like thick crisps with a tomato and pepper sauce this was different but it was just as nice in my opinion.

Iberico pork cooked on the grill

white beans with leeks and fino

It was hard to pick a favourite, but if pushed I think I would say it was the Iberico pork, cooked on the grill. They were the most tender and succulent pieces of meat I have had in a long while, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, from what I could tell, it melted in the mouth with barely a couple of chews. I was glad we chose an unfamiliar tapas dish, the white beans with leeks and fino was wonderful, slightly sweet which went perfectly with the leeks. Elly and I could not resist pudding there were four choices all as delicious as the last but eventually we settled on the truffles and the rice pudding.

Rice pudding

Rice pudding is a real guilty pleasure of mine but one I rarely indulge because most people I know don't like it enough to share with me. When I make it for myself I often flavour it with brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon, always cinnamon, I am a total addict. Bravas really stepped up to the plate with their rice pudding, it was flavoured with orange and nutmeg and was the ultimate in comfort food. The truffles were as good as they looked but you definitely only needed one each as they were very rich and decadent.

It was a perfect send off for Elly with all the food being superb. It made me anxious to return to Bravas as soon as I can, and I would urge you all to do the same, except then there would be no room for me. The food was so good I feel I want to keep it for to myself. Booking is definitely advised for more than two people so check out their wine list and sample menu on their website.

Planet Pizza Rebooted

Back in May, Rich and I checked out Planet Pizza on Whiteladies Road. In truth though the pizzas were tasty, if a little too doughy, the interior was truly dreary. It was way too dark and unwelcoming inside and it just didn't feel quite right, when you consider how The Burger Joint has turned around the interior of this venue you won't quite believe how bad it was before. Rich and I decided to visit the site of the new Planet Pizza, in the old Burger Joint spot on Cotham Hill, to see what changes had occurred.

Planet Pizza's New Home

The inside could not be more different, it's cosy, warm, welcoming and romantic with altar candles dotted on the tables. The lights were down fairly low and soul and samba beats were playing out at a pleasing level. For a Tuesday night it was about half full but we were there pretty early due to extreme hunger. On a Monday and Tuesday Planet Pizza operates a 2-4-1 policy on all of their 12" pizzas which is a complete steal. I expect it to get busier as the weeks towards Christmas progress and people's going out budget is  reallocated to presents.

Saturn and Meteorite

Saturn up close

Got to say we were both impressed Planet Pizza has really pulled it's socks up. Whereas earlier in the year I liked the pizzas, but thought the dough was too thick and filling, now they have improved the dough and have rolled it much thinner. They also now do gluten free bases which I know will be great news to my gluten intolerant friends who normally have to forgo this classic. 

The toppings were of great quality and very plentiful, they also went right to the edge which you don't normally get. I chose the Saturn, bacon, mushrooms and creamy gruyere whilst Rich went for the Meteorite, ham, chorizo, salami, pepperoni, sausage and jalapenos. The Saturn has almost topped my poll of favourite pizza in Bristol, but it will have to be content with 2nd place because my heart still belongs to the ham, artichoke, mushroom and olive pizza from Beerd. 

Meteorite

Now a perfect cosy Winter venue which is welcoming and warming. A great range of vegetarian pizzas this is the place for a bargain midweek meet up with friends or date night. Without the 241 offer the pizzas are pretty reasonably priced, check out their menu on the website.

Brunch at Deco Lounge

I love The Lounge bars that decorate Bristol and beyond, I used to live down in Southville close to the original Lounge where it all began. Now I live close to Deco Lounge in Cotham and they are both so relaxing to visit. There is definitely something about the atmosphere at The Lounges that I go back for again and again. Last weekend I ended up at Deco Lounge twice, Friday night was a catch up with some girl friends where we partook in wine, spicy cashews and fries and Saturday Rich, myself and our friend went for brunch.

Our friend and I went for the Lounge Breakfast, a full English, whilst Rich went for the Lounge Eggs, pretty much eggs Benedict, which looked so tasty I was almost wishing I had ordered it. Rich went for bacon as well as salmon and it was very nicely presented, he ate it all without letting me have any, so it must have been good! The full English comes with the usual trimmings, for me the thick cut bacon and herby sausage patty are the best in this breakfast, the mushrooms were bland and they clearly had used low sodium baked beans, which is not on at all! Having said that it was tasty on the whole and I still think the atmosphere at Deco Lounge and it's Lounge brothers and sisters is hard to beat. Definitely worth going any day of the week for coffee, a glass of wine or just some nice home cooked style food or tapas.

Although their breakfasts are good I personally think Rosemarino does a better brunch, I would travel far for their mushrooms, with parmesan and sage on toast with truffle oil. Now there's an idea for next weekend...