8 Course Taster Menu at Nettle & Rye

Last week we were invited to sample the restaurant menu at newly opened pub Nettle & Rye. Situated at the old Hophouse site in Clifton village and owned by the same team as the Famous Royal Navy Volunteer on Kings Street. The pub itself has the same craft beer set up as the Navy Volunteer, a big selection of independent breweries as well as a really interesting selection of spirits. The gin selection alone was impressive. I particularly liked the fact that they offered some different gins to sample than the usual. The bar staff were extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We were there to sample the soft launch of the restaurant menu upstairs the team had set up smaller versions of some of the dishes that will be available, in a eight course taster menu. There is a pub menu already operating downstairs for customers looking for a bite to eat with their beer sampling.

We had no idea what sort of food to expect although when ordering a drink at the bar the barman hinted that Scandinavian cuisine played a big part in inspiring the menu and everything had been sourced locally bar one or two items. We headed upstairs and a small cosy Wintery room greeted us, the decoration is meant to change with the seasons as well as the menu so that's a nice touch,  and we sat on a table near to the bar. Sure enough the menu revealed dishes involving mackerel, venison and rye, Scandi staples. The menu didn't give away many details so whilst some rather excellent Mark's Bread was brought to us and two glasses of Chablis we waited eagerly for the first course to emerge. 

Sure enough an amuse bouche of radish and tarragon mayonnaise plus an espresso sized cup of pumpkin velouté with toasted seeds and pickled pumpkin arrived in front of us. The velouté was particularly delicious and was definitely a highlight, thick and Wintery but with the surprise of the textures of the seeds and the pickled pumpkin.

Next up was carrot three ways with in house made ewes curd and puree prune and pumpkin seeds. The ewes curd was fabulous creamy but not cloying. The different textures and flavours of the carrot complimented the dish wonderfully, another standout dish. 

On to the fish dishes. First up cured mackerel with rye, buttermilk, apple and cucumber. This dish didn't quite work for me I found the fish to be far too overpowering and the buttermilk didn't really add anything. I did like the rye crisp for the texture plus the tarragon mayo from earlier made a reappearance which was somewhat surprising. Next was a main fish course of pollock, cauliflower three ways, smoked mussels, red watercress and brown butter. The star of this show should have been the pollock but it didn't really have a lot of flavour and was beaten by the cauliflower, the pureé was really delicious and the roasted cauli added a lovely earthiness to the dish. The muscles were wonderfully smokey I particularly enjoyed them.

The only meat of the evening came in the form of roe deer with beetroot, fennel and saison roasted onions. Artistically presented with vivid splashes of fuschia from the beetroot. A great dish the venison was cooked perfectly and the onions had a nice sweetness to them. I enjoyed this dish a lot, I was disappointed to hear that it would be priced at £20 when the menu launches, I feel this is overpriced considering that sides are not included. We did order a fantastic glass of tempranillo to pair with it which was velvetey smooth and slightly spicy, a perfect wine.

A palate cleanser of crab apple, Psychopomp gin granita and buttermilk followed. I did not enjoy this, I find Psychopomp to be too medicinal tasting for my gin preferences. I feel a palate cleanser should have a lighter touch to it and this was far too polarising a dish. Dessert was a hazelnut cake, peanut, white chocolate and yoghurt. The cake was fantastically light with a very slight hazelnut flavour the yoghurt ice cream was smooth but sharp and I couldn't taste any white chocolate. It was all executed well but it wasn't sweet enough for a dessert in my opinion.

To round off the meal pine and rosemary brittle appeared. A great snap but for me the rosemary totally overpowered the brittle, half the amount would have rendered this awesome. All in all there was some inventive cooking I really liked some of the dishes very much but some didn't quite hit the mark for me but I will be interested to see what the other seasonal menus have to offer.

I wasn't completely sold on all the dishes and I think the prices are rather ambitious. But the setting of the restaurant was very nice especially with a very Christmassy feel. It is good for Clifton to have a different pub option over what is already on offer and I think the bar will be pretty popular. I for one will definitely be back to sample some of their gins. To find out more visit their website.

A donation was made to homeless charity Street Smart in return for the food and we paid for our drinks separately. 

A Rainy Monday Burger Deal at Racks

A couple of Mondays ago we celebrated Jo's birthday at Racks, we had a bigger celebration the weekend before so this was a little extra. On Mondays Racks offers 2 for 1 on their burgers which means they work out at £5 per person, which is a pretty good deal.  I have always had a bit of a hate/hate relationship with Racks, it stares at me across the road from my flat with it's ludicrous £120 New Years Eve tickets and noisy closings but I cannot ignore such a deal. After Jo had finished teaching her final Jolates class we met her at 9pm at the bar.

Four burgers are on offer to choose from, beef, lamb, chicken and veggie. I decided to opt for the beef which comes in a ciabatta with smoked applewood cheddar, salad, fries and homemade relish on the side. I also opted for a side order of onion rings, seeing as my burger worked out so cheaply.

mass onion ring order

burger close up

First things first, we ordered about 9.15 the bar was fairly empty, probably because it was hammering down with rain outside, and found a seat out in the back area. We waited, and waited by this point I was gnawing at the table edges with hunger. When our burgers finally arrived, with no apology, it had taken 40 minutes, it's a burger, is it me? The portion sizes were pretty good, chips in the mini fryer as seems to be the norm these days. The patty was pretty chunky and came with what tasted like a tamarind flavoured relish.

The burgers for the money were good, not the best I've ever had but nicely flavoured, my only complaint was the toasted ciabatta.  It was a perfectly tasty roll just personally maybe too hard and crunchy to envelope a burger.  For me Racks does some very good onion rings and a generous portion to boot. For the money you cannot grumble really, it will fill you up nicely for a frugal feed on a Monday evening. To find out more about what Racks offers check out their website. 

Beating Bank Holiday Blues at The Clifton

So last Bank Holiday Monday, I had just finished a Jolates class and I was feeling pretty hungry and also deflated by the thought of having to go to work the next day.  So we decided to have a browse for dinner around and we stopped at the Clifton. The night before the wedding Rich had told me how him and Bud, the best man, stumbled upon burgers here and they remember them being pretty good, mind you they were down 4/5 pints by this point. 

Franziskaner, king of beers

The pub was pretty quiet but the welcome we received from the bar staff was warm and friendly.  We were told that we were just in time for last orders before the kitchen closed, well it was almost 9pm. The Clifton do have a menu full of pub classics like sausage and mash, steak and burgers, but they also throw a few curve balls in with their specials occasionally.

Rich ordered a burger topped with pulled pork whilst I was swayed by the fried chicken with slaw and a pickle dip. Fried chicken is a rarity, unless you find yourself in KFC or Miss Millies, but I definitely feel this is starting to change, more places seem to slowly be offering fried chicken as an option. It is a guilty pleasure but when it's done right it is so comforting and homely that it is worth it.

We didn't have to wait too long for our food to arrive, which was a good thing as I was extremely hungry, and luckily the portions were pretty generous. The amount of fried chicken I got was huge, I do like fried chicken so this was definitely a good thing.

pulled pork and cheese burger

fried chicken in a basket

They have taken care of the details with the food here, feels like it is a bit more loved. The fried chicken was pretty good, mostly all juicy and the flavour of the batter was nicely seasoned. What was great is that it came with a tangy sauce which matched the fried chicken perfectly. The skin on fries were slightly crunchy basically it was a reassuring hug in a meal, maybe a four day week at work wouldn't be so bad after all with a start like this?

Rich's burger was a high quality meat patty, again juicy, I felt the pulled pork was a touch over slathered with barbecue sauce, but that could just be my personal preference, it did have a great smoky flavour after all. Plus the burger came with a pot of fry sauce that was absolutely moreish, a good addition to any burger. Over all I was pretty impressed with what The Clifton had to offer, it's upped it's game since I last went to eat there, and all to the good because I did feel it was coasting a little before.  They have a rather bargainous fixed price menu with two courses for £10, three for £13 for the whole of Monday to Friday. To see what else The Clifton has to offer check out their website.

Sunday Lunch at Somerset House

Last Sunday my parents came over to have a pre-birthday lunch as they wouldn't be seeing me on the day.  I thought Somerset House would be a good place to try seeing as I had heard many good things about their food and decor.  We were led upstairs where the first thing we saw was a gramophone, which the kitsch enthusiast in me was happy about, the dining area upstairs is also lovely and light, a very beautiful room.  The menu for Sunday lunch consisted of a variety of starters and a meat choice of lamb, beef or pork, the roasts are a little on the pricey side at £14 each but luxury roasts seem to be on the up in Bristol.

All the roasts come with a Yorkshire pudding, which is pleasing as why should beef have all the fun? I decided to go for pork whilst Rich and dad picked beef and mum opted for lamb. We also decided to treat ourselves to a bottle of wine and some tear and share bread with truffle butter whilst we waited. The bread seemed a touch dry at the edges but we were assured it was made fresh daily.

tear and share bread

medium rare roast beef

roast beef with crunchy roasties

roast pork with apple sauce

mixed veg

cauliflower and broccoli cheese

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the quality of the meat on the roasts cooked to perfection, just look at that beef, and full of flavour. The roast potatoes were some of the best ones I have had out it was just a shame that there weren't a few more of them, they are my weakness when it comes to roasts.  The cauliflower and broccoli cheese was really tasty but I found the seasonal veg a bit tasteless and sadly the Yorkshire pudding suffered from a lack of flavour also, which is a shame because the gravy was really great. It was still one of the nicest roasts I have had out but I think at £14 it is a touch too expensive for what you are paying for, it needs to up it's game a touch to match the standard of the meat and potatoes.

Dessert on the other hand was truly remarkable, in my eyes at least. Rich and I both ordered the apple and cinnamon doughnuts with caramel dip and spiced mulled cider shot. Mum decided to go for the Eton Mess, a particular favourite of hers. The mini doughnuts were heavenly, the apple in the centre was slightly sharp which really cut through the cinnamon sugar on the top of the doughnut, I cannot wait to return for these doughnuts alone. The mulled cider was particularly nice, extra spicy with good hits of clove for good measure.

apple and cinnamon doughnuts

I am interested to try some of the weekday menu at Somerset House, it definitely had some standout moments and I think once a few areas are polished up it will be outstanding, because it is a very lovely looking pub. To find out more about Somerset House check out their website. Reviews of No.1 Harbourside and Wallfish Bistro to come soon.