Three Course Dining at The Square

Just before we jetted off to Budapest we were invited to sample the new menu at the Square. I had not been to the Square in some time, probably about 4 years in fact. The Square is a private members club but the restaurant is open to the public, as long as you sign in at the door. They have smartened up the place a bit since I was last here, it is more welcoming and the staff who greeted us were friendly.

The dining rooms at the Square are beautiful. Long tables and candelabras dotted around the place make for a relaxed atmosphere. As for the new Spring menu. First impressions were good. The menu is a modern British one with lots of classic combinations. For our starters we decided to opt for the Wiltshire bred pork belly with pressed ham hock and pickled vegetables and the wild mushroom soup with truffle and a poached egg. As for the mains Rich picked the 8oz rib-eye steak with triple cooked chips and myself, the Upper Wraxall lamb, two ways with spinach puree and pommes mousseline plus a port jus. We also picked side orders of asparagus and creamy leeks.

My soup was wonderfully earthy and rich. I was impressed, definitely up there for mushroom dishes I've had before. the egg in the centre just added to the creaminess. The only slight let down was the bread, it was nice enough but nothing over whelming. Rich loved the pork belly it was juicy and the flavours all worked together nicely.

My lamb dish was great. The lamb belly fell apart and was well seasoned. The meat was full of flavour and went perfectly with the glass of Malbec I had chosen to go with it. The pommes mousseline was rich and creamy and the vegetables were cooked properly with a slight crunch to them. The only slight problem was the rump was a little too underdone in parts for me, yes I like pink lamb but this was boardering on very rare indeed, so I left a little end bit of that.

The creamy leeks were very tasty and buttery but the dish was so huge we shouldn't have ordered too sides.  Rich enjoyed his steak said it was well cooked and juicy and the asparagus was full of flavour. I tried one of his chips and it was so huge, a breeze block of potato but with a fluffy centre. I could have built a delicious potato brick house to hide from the world in with these chips.

We hardly had room for pudding but I had spotted something on the dessert menu that ticked all my boxes. Creme brulee with rhubarb and ginger and spiced shortbread. Rich decided to test out the selection of cheese.

Rich enjoyed his selection of cheeses and the crackers were a nice quality. It is hard to get a cheese board wrong to be honest. My creme brulee was tasty but the rhubarb was too sweet it would have been great to have that sharper contrast, The shortbread was nice and gingery in flavour but overall the biscuits were a little dry and floury for my taste.

There were a few tiny little things that weren't 100% but overall we had a great meal at the Square and the staff were wonderful. The food definitely deserves more people visiting the restaurant. When we were there it was quite quiet and the people who were eating seemed to mainly be hotel guests. It is a shame because the food and atmosphere equal a nice evening out, people of Bristol, if you haven't had a chance check out the Spring menu at the Square give it a go. To find out more visit their website.

This meal was complimentary in return for a review, it did not impact my opinion. Rich and I decided to leave a 15% on what our bill would have been to thank the staff for the evening. 

Birthday Lunchings at Lido

Last month we were celebrating my parents in law's birthdays. Rich and his sisters had decided to treat them to spa and dine at the Lido with us joining them for the lunch part. Rich and I used to live round the corner from the Lido and we often used to pop in for a glass of wine and some tapas at the cafe bar bit. We arrived at the cafe early so we could take advantage of a hot drink and catch up with Natty and Pepper. I ordered a chai latte and some of their spiced fruit loaf with maple butter, as I hadn't had breakfast yet, and Rich tried the breakfast martini and the girls went for hot drinks all round. The service in the cafe part of the Lido has always been, let's say relaxed, certainly don't expect for things to arrive promptly or for ordering to be a breeze. But as long as you are in no rush you can while away the time looking out over the pool and chatting around the table.

After whiling a way a couple of hours, Rich's parents emerged, blissful from their massages. We headed upstairs to the Lido restaurant to take advantage of their set lunch menu. Their set menu is served at lunchtime but you can also catch it early evening between 6-6.45. Two courses will cost £16 and you can get three for £20 which isn't bad at all. I decided to opt for the avocado, chilli and coriander on toast followed by poussin with crispy potatoes and a paprika with hazelnut sauce. Everyone else had a mix of all the options available, including hake for main and a vegetable mezze with some flatbreads.

In comparison to the cafe the staff in the restaurant were much more attentive and I couldn't fault the service. We ordered a bottle of Rioja for the table and we had some of the freshly made bread with a choice of oil or butter to enjoy whilst we waited for the starters to arrive. One of my favourite things about the restaurant is the wonderful light you have coming through the wall to wall windows and looking out over the pool does make you feel like you are on holiday.

avocado toast

                         

scallop baked in it's own shell

roasted poussin

vegetable mezze

Avocado toast, the en vogue brunch favourite, including mine, this was fresh and zingy the nigella seeds were a nice touch of texture. There was a mistake in the scallop order so our waitress kindly brought the excess to the table so I was able to try one. Hot and cooked in their own shells this was salty and tasted like a hit of the sea. These were a popular choice on our table. On to the mains.

The poussin main for me elevated the meal to the next level. The poussin was juicy and the potatoes were like mini roasties. The sauce was phenomenal. A subtle smoky hit of paprika with the texture of coarsely ground hazelnuts really added an extra dimension. This was one of the best dishes I've had out in a while I would happily eat this over and over again, I left a very clean plate.

I was trying to decide whether to opt for a third course and thought perhaps the rosemary manchego and quince jelly would round off the meal nicely. However my father in law, as it was his birthday, decide to go to the a la carte menu for his dessert and he chose pineapple tarte tatin with black pepper ice cream. I sampled a spoonful and immediately regretted not ordering it. It was a brilliant dessert, a proper tarte tatin as well, I have not had a decent one in Bristol yet and this thankfully put an end to that.

It had been a long time since my last visit to the Lido restaurant and I should never have left it so long. The set menu is a great way to sample the food as it's good value for the quality and taste offered. For something a little extra special going in the evening means you can enjoy the all the lights for a romantic atmosphere. To find out more about the Lido restaurant visit their website.

A 7 Course Taster Menu at Square

Wuthering Bites (Sarah) and I were invited last Friday to sample the 7 course taster menu at The Square. We were allowed plus ones so we took our misters for a foodie night out. An extremely wet Friday evening meant we arrived rather damp to The Square. I had only been to the cocktail bar before a year or so ago and enjoyed a lovely tiki cocktail so was looking forward as to what they would come up with in the restaurant. Taster menus are something to be enjoyed occasionally because they are usually something quite special and the food is designed to wow the customer, but the sample menu I saw didn't thrill me as much as I had hoped but I was ready to be impressed.

Entrance to the restaurant

The entrance looks a bit like a faded 70s Hollywood star's attic of memories, it is certainly not what I expected to greet us but I loved it, kitsch and different. Those who know me know how I love my kitsch. We were led into the dining room which was laid out with 3 long tables, rather like you get when dining at school or possibly a prison. Luckily they had provided chairs rather than benches so it felt a bit more normal and with the candelabras scattered about it definitely felt cosy and romantic.

Tables and settings

The Menu

The menu looked slightly daunting, the prospect of 7 courses sounds a bit feast like but I was up for the challenge. Thought the wine flight price per person was a tad steep so Rich and I chose a bottle of Italian white to go with our courses instead.

Appetisers

Our first offering was a selection of 3 appetisers each. Pea and ham soup, mackerel tartar with horseradish and cucumber and finally some truffle and thyme popcorn. The popcorn was just piled in the middle of the slate which was just lazy presentation. The taste was alright but nothing special it didn't help that the flavour of the truffle and thyme wasn't mixed in properly so some pieces were more strongly flavoured than others. The winner was the pea and ham soup, a beautifully vibrant colour and chunky pieces of ham hock at the bottom which just melted in the mouth. Sometimes soup can be more stunning than clever new concepts.

Finally the mackerel tartar, served in an oyster shell, the mackerel it'self was pretty good but the flavours it was paired with completely drowned it's delicacy. I could taste mostly beetroot and radish and it was far too sharp and sour to go with the fish. So far a mixed bag but the next course we were waiting for was seared scallop with raisin and granny smith apple. I felt quietly confident this would be more of a winner.

Seared scallop

The scallop was delicious very well cooked I would argue the apple slice was unnecessary as the raisin sauce covered the sweet and tangy base more than adequately. For some reason I rarely order scallops, Rich usually has them as his go to, but after eating this one I am going to rectify that next time I see them on the menu. Our next course was the meat Battenberg, this had been the subject of much discussion on our table. Rich was full of the joys of standard Battenberg it is all he went on about pre and post the meat version  everyone was very curious as to how it would work.

Meat 'Berg

The meat Battenberg was made up of ham hock, duck confit and foie gras complete with crostini, piccalilly, apricot and hazelnut. I have had foie gras before and liked it but not overly so, this was even too rich for foie gras, all I could taste was butter so I left most of mine the ham hock was really delicious though as were the crostini. I didn't really like the piccalilly finding it way too bitter and tangy to work with the meat.

Cornish Turbot

The fish course I think was my favourite of the evening. A piece of Cornish turbot with pommes mousseline, pork belly and sea garnish, which turned out to be a couple of mussels, a clam some samphire and some foam. First off the pork belly was really delicious, soft enough to be able to fork through it, but the crackling was crisp. The turbot was flaky and pretty tasty but it could have done with a little more seasoning in my opinion. Pommes mousseline, basically mashed potato with a whole pack of butter in it, was very smooth and creamy but I thought too salty, adjusting the levels of seasoning in the fish and potato would make this dish perfect. My only main gripe about this dish was the plate it was served in, a fancy flying saucer type one which left little room to move the empty shells around to get to the rest of the plate.

Finally the course we were all dreading just a little bit. Venison, salsify, soil, snails, flowers and nettles. Snails. Why did it have to be snails? I have never tried snails but I was going to try and be brave as an intrepid food adventurer I had to be up for most things.

Venison garden

As soon as this plate arrived all my courage deserted me. The deck was stacked, and not in my favour. Snails are not something that most people would want to eat so, anyone who says otherwise has to be lying*, so putting them on a menu is a massive risk.  Also snails that look like they are in their natural habitat of the garden, was not playing fair. I did not need to be reminded where they came from, but there they were recreated garden, soil and all.  Like a coward I started to move the shells to the other side of the plate and as I picked one up the snail fell out, that evening I was no food hero.

My nemisis

Sadly this was the most disappointing course of the night, the venison was very bland, even with the herb crust and we all agreed they should have sliced it to make it look more appealing. It also was a tad dry and with very little sauce to liven it up a bit in my head I had already moved on to the penultimate course.

Once our untouched snails were moved away we were brought a half full shot glass of pear and whiskey with sherbert. I rather liked this the pear flavour was very strong and the sherbet gave it a pic n  mix flavour, if there was any whiskey in there I could not taste it, but I really enjoyed the refreshing sweetness after such a dry main. It was a tad baffling as to why we were only brought half a shot glass but I am a glass half full kind of person so happily topped it up with the bowl of sherbet provided.

Pear, Whiskey and Sherbet Shot

Finally we had reached course number 7. Thai curry flavours, a ginger cake, coconut and coriander panna cotta, chilli meringue, lime leaf ice cream and lemongrass custard. First off the ginger cake was superb I loved it I also liked the tiny chilli meringues, though I was possibly in the minority on our table. The meringues were crunchy but perfectly chewy on the inside they gave off a pretty full on heat but I could take it. Unfortunately the other two items on the plate faired less well. The coriander and coconut panna cotta did not work at all, it was pretty bitter and almost savoury I couldn't eat it. The lime leaf ice cream was a little better when eaten with the cake but on it's own it was not that palatable sadly. I think a much sweeter dessert was what was required at the end of this meal, just to finish it off properly.

Thai curry desserts

I like the idea of tasting menus but this one needs a little work to be truly excellent. The service was also at times a little absent but again this is something that can be fixed. Loved the decor and atmosphere so would consider going again if the menu tempted me and definitely would head to the cocktail bar which is very chic. Sarah did write a blog from a gluten free perspective but due to unforeseen circumstances decided it would be best to remove it.  As guests of The Square our food was free but we paid for any drinks we ordered, so this review is unbaised, I will not bow to any sponsor and I will not be censored. To see what else The Square has to offer, including a very good lunch deal, check out their website.

*For people who have had a sense of humour bypass, I am sure if the escargots were swimming in garlic butter and surrounded by bread I would have been more tempted. Sorry Anthony Bourdain not this time though, food has to attract the eye as well as the mouth and these looked dry to me. I am ready to be coaxed so if any readers have a burning desire for snails let me know what the secret is.

A Thursday Night Out at Bistro Biere (now closed)

It was an extremely rainy Thursday evening in Bristol, the British Summer we have grown to expect, and we were dodging the raindrops to meet our friend Claire at the recently renamed Bistro Biere, or The Clifton Kitchen as was. We were the only customers for about half an hour then it really started to fill up, this place was popular possibly because Monday-Thursday you can get 3 courses for £20 which is a real steal, plus you can bring your own bottle, for a corkage charge.

Rich ordered us a bottle of Prosecco, it had been a crap day with rubbish weather so a little sparkle always cheers. The light in restaurant was low and lots of candles dotted about made it a really relaxing atmosphere, perfect for an impromptu romantic evening.

We all thought in such bad weather to go for all three courses, comforting ourselves with food it didn't take me long to decide what to choose. The menu consisted of about 4 choices for each course which certainly helps me decide quicker, large amounts of choice on a menu tends to make me extremely indecisive. I went for wild mushrooms on toast with a poached egg and smoked salmon. Mushrooms, particularly wild ones, are a bit of a weakness. Claire chose Coquille St. Jacques and Rich a duck pate.

Wild Mushroom Starter

Coquille St. Jacques

Duck Liver Parfait with Smoked Ham

Got to say the food really knocked me for six I wasn't sure what to expect but it was really delicious. Those mushrooms were fragrant and full of flavour and Claire's coquille was creamy, rich and melted in the mouth, perfection. Claire and I both went for the guinea fowl for our main because we'd never had it before and it came with more mushrooms, what can I say I am obsessed with good mushrooms. Rich opted for the steak and frites, which was going to be my second choice, being the steak fanatic I am.

Guinea Fowl with Crushed Potatoes and Mushroom Sauce

Steak Frites and Fresh Béarnaise

Seasonal Veg

The sauce on our guinea fowl was wonderful, really complimented the meat. The guinea fowl itself, though well cooked, it wasn't astounding enough a meat to warrant me ordering it again, not quite chicken and not quite duck flavoured enough. I would if faced with guinea fowl on a menu again I would probably bypass it, it was tasty but not quite different enough for me to deviate from duck. Rich's steak was a wonderful piece of meat really naturally full of flavour and cooked to perfection, rare, but the only criticism was that it was a tad over salted but the béarnaise was one of the best I've tasted.

We were all pretty full but you know once you are tempted with the dessert menu it is hard to say no. Normally I would go straight for the crème brûlée but I saw peach crumble with crème anglaise and as you rarely see peach desserts and I love peaches it won me over. Claire meanwhile had the chocolate orange tart and Rich the cheese plate.

Peach Crumble

Chocolate Orange Tart

Cheese Plate

I was a little disappointed with my peach crumble, the skins on the peaches were a little tough after being cooked so probably would have been best skinless but the crumble and crème anglaise were some of the best I've had. Claire's chocolate tart was rich and decadent, I definitely wouldn't have been able to manage it myself, but I am not known for my tolerance of sugar, that is Rich's skill. Rich in a change from the usual went for the cheese plate, which was very generous and filling.

 It was almost like dining in the home of a friend, albeit one who could make multiple dishes at once, when our glasses of Prosecco or Malbec were in danger of hitting a low point they were topped up. The service was second to none, one lovely man attending to all the tables and he did a superior job, very attentive and detailed. We were impressed. For more information on Bistro Biere visit their website.

Menu Sampling at Filini at the Radisson Blu

After a delightful lunch at Hotel du Vin the other week, I was also invited by Bristol Bites to Radisson Blu's Filini restaurant to the chef's table to showcase their new Sardinian menu. There were only 5 of us there which made it feel extra special, after being greeted with a glass of Prosecco we were led into the kitchen to watch the chefs at work.

It did feel somewhat odd being sat in the kitchen drinking and eating whilst people worked around us but actually there was no chaos and the atmosphere was pretty chilled. Our glasses were never empty and it was  great to see how enthusiastic everyone was. We were treated to six miniature courses most of which you will find on their Tour of Italy: Sardinia menu, which concludes on the 16th of June before they head on to the next region.

The canapés were brought out in a cloud of dry ice, reminiscent of the video for Total Eclipse of the Heart, I did almost expect some heavenly 80s soft rock chorus to kick in.

Rock Star Canapes

Canapés: 

• Curry cornet with salmon tartar, sweet onion, cream fraiche
•  Poached Quail eggs with Bournoise vegetables 
• Parmesan crisp with goat cheese mousse 
• King prawn with avocado salsa 
• Truffle custard on egg shell with chive potato crisp 
• Asparagus with hollandaise sauce 

 These were as delicious as their entrance I actually didn't get to try the asparagus or the salmon tartar ones but the truffle custard on egg with crispy pancetta and chive crisp was a particular highlight. Savoury custard is definitely a strange concept. I have personally only come across it in chawanmushi, a Japanese dish that did not endear itself to me when described by my friend Matt as 'imagine a savoury creme brulee'. This was definitely something I did not want to imagine. This savoury custard however was smoky and full of richness. It sort of tasted like a fancy breakfast in a few bites. The king prawn with avocado salsa was another favourite, a really chunky prawn with a fresh but not overwhelming accompaniment.

Truffle Custard

King Prawn with Avocado Salsa

Starters
Lemon risotto with scallop and langoustine
Mixed Antipasti

The first starter to emerge was a lemon risotto with a chunky langoustine resting on the top. This was delightful. It was fresh, light, melted in the mouth, perfect flavours for Summer. The antipasti contained a few surprises, mainly the wonderful lamb prosciutto and smoked ricotta. The latter was definitely my highlight I have never had smoked ricotta before it was in no way bland and the smokiness really shone through the rich creamy texture. I found a whole wedge of Pecorino to be a bit heavy for an otherwise light board but that was possibly personal preference, strange as I adore full bodied cheeses usually.

Lemon Risotto

Mixed Antipasti

Main course
Monk fish wrapped with Parma ham, spinach and ceps
Roast rump of lamb with summer beans

Unless you discount sushi, of which I eat a lot of, I don't tend to order much fish when I am dining out, I have no idea why, but it is something that I must rectify. I found the monk fish tasty, the sauce in particular was excellent but for me it was nothing compared to the enjoyment I experienced upon tasting the lamb. The lamb was pink and tender, accompanied by a rich full bodied, meaty sauce. The beans were very well cooked, it might have been my favourite dish of the night but we had so many amazing things I am still not sure I can completely commit to a favourite.

Monk Fish Wrapped in Parma Ham

Roast Rump of Lamb with Summer Beans

Desserts
Chocolate mousse
Biscotti with fresh raspberries
Filini Tiramisu

We were brought a beautifully presented tray of miniature desserts which looked almost too good to eat. But being advised the chocolate mousse disc would melt fairly swiftly we tackled that one first. A melt in the mouth disc of mousse coated in cocoa powder, sheer heaven. As I don't like coffee flavoured anything, one of my only dislikes, I did not try the tiramisu but it looked very pretty and delicate. My favourite was the biscotti with fresh raspberries, both sweet and tart enough to make the perfect pudding.

Desserts

Desserts Galore

The chef's table experience was a wonderful one, if you ever see a restaurant offering such an event up, you should definitely take it as it was different and for me felt like a special evening. For more information on Filini visit their section of the website on the Radisson Blu website here. There is video available of some of the food preparation on the night definitely check this out, I get a very quick cameo as well.

As this was a showcase chef's table this meal was free of charge but did not impact how I felt about the food served, the photos speak for themselves. To see what Bristol Bites thought of the evening check out her review here.

Lunch at Hotel du Vin

Last week I was fortunate enough to receive a truly irresistible invitation. Emily from Bristol Bites asked if I would like to go for lunch at Hotel du Vin.  How could I say no? I pass Hotel du Vin every day on the way to work and have heard excellent things from a few friends, but I have never actually been in myself.

It was one of the nicest lunches I have had in a long while the restaurant itself is beautiful, lots of  wine bottles and pictures to catch your eye plus it is full of lovely natural light. 

Interior of Hotel du Vin

It took me a good long while to decide what to eat, that is the trouble with menu's that are packed with delicious options it takes me ages to pick something. Hotel du Vin has a very reasonable fixed rate lunch menu starting at £9.95 for one course, £12.95 for two and £14.95 for three. Perfect if you fancy a catch up or business meeting in a very wonderful setting you can view the lunch menu online here. On this occasion we decided to order from the main menu which you can also view here.

I chose the Chicken Liver Parfait, Toasted Brioche, Raisin Chutney, with the Duck Confit, Lentils du Puy for my main.

Chicken Liver Parfait

This was a truly delicious and indulgent starter. I am a huge fan of pâté and it's variants, it is always the first thing I pick up for when we go on a picnic, obviously followed by a super fresh baguette. The parfait was as smooth as silk and the raisin chutney was tart enough to cut through the richness. My only complaint was that the parfait size and the brioche piece didn't really match, luckily there was extra bread on the table for me to finish up the rest of the parfait. There was no way I was leaving any of this on my plate.

Duck Confit and Puy Lentils with Pancetta

Duck Confit, and the French feel of our table

My main was rich and hearty I've always wanted to try such a dish and I am very glad I now have. The flavour of the duck was smoky and satisfyingly melt in the mouth. We each had a bowl of Lyonnaise potatoes which was very nice but with such a filling main I could only manage about half of my side dish.

We were both pretty full after two such great courses but after a small pause we decided it would be wrong not to check out the dessert menu. Now had I not had such rich starter and mains I would have plumped for the cheese selection but I decided on my general fall back choice of crème brûlée because none of the other desserts tempted me much, I am much more of a savoury person after all.

Giant Crème Brûlée

Dessert was the biggest crème brûlée I think I have ever ordered it was simply enormous. The caramel top wasn't as hard as some crème brûlée's I've had but it didn't really matter because the dish was hot, comforting, smoothly creamy and full of vanilla pod seeds, very tasty. I actually couldn't finish it though it was  that massive. 

If you go to Hotel du Vin at any point to dine please make sure you check out their superb wine list it is immense and you'll be sure to get a glass of something that you really like. They are the knowledge so take advantage of the skilled sommeliers, we were fortunate enough to get a tour of the cellar from head sommelier Ben and it was magical.

Emily's review can now be found here. Here are a few teaser photos to start you off.

Asparagus with Poached Egg, one of the Specials

As the guest of Bristol Bites this meal was free of charge but did not impact how I felt about the food in any way, I will not be censored after all, but you knew that anyway. Next blog may be on my trip to Leong's Legends a Taiwanese restaurant in China Town but have my special tasting trip to Filini at the Radisson Blu to cover and a possible second look at Cosmo's larger buffet offerings from Rich.