Pizza Workshop, on my Doorstep

I am always particularly happy when I hear of new restaurants opening up near my flat. Partly because I am lazy but mainly because I enjoy eating at new places, obviously. So when Pizza Workshop opened up on Whiteladies Road I was somewhat excited. I had heard good things about their first venue on North Street and was looking forward to trying it out.  The restaurant is pretty small but no smaller than Flour and Ash. Pizza Workshop have 10 pizzas on their menu as well as weekly specials listed on their blackboard. At lunchtimes they offer Boccas, a calzone/panini experience, all £5 each with a variety of fillings leaning from the more traditional Italian to British fried eggs and bacon. 

The dough they make is the now almost universally present sourdough, but unlike some of the most popular places at the moment they do not have as much of a raised crust. Pizza Workshop also offer gluten free bases which will be a relief to a lot of people. Most of the pizzas are tomato based but they do offer one white based pizza with lots of mushrooms and truffle oil. I sampled a number eight which is prosiutto, salsiccia, chorizo and n’duja, basically a meat feast. N’duja is becoming more prevalent on pizzas these days but I personally could see more places offer it because it’s simply delicious, spicy and meaty, and perfect for pizza. 

The base is chewy and enjoyable, I didn’t leave many crusts which is a good sign for me. I was also able to request for some mayonnaise to dip them in. They make the mayo fresh and it is extra indulgent with chewy pizza edges. Although dips are not offered as standard in Pizza Workshop you should definitely ask them for a dollop of their mayonnaise because it will enhance your pizza experience. To think that dips in a pizza restaurant were not that common place a few years ago but thankfully due to countless suggestions and feedback from social media and the love people have for Domino’s garlic and herb dip more restaurants are starting to offer dips as an add on. Although it would be good if a standard dipping sauce was offered included in the price of your pizza and the ability to upgrade was there instead, but this is just my opinion.

The number eight pizza was one of the best meat feast pizzas I have had in Bristol because it the toppings were so tasty and plentiful. They certainly weren’t shy with the n’duja, I know I go on about it, but it is sublime. The dough isn’t my favourite from the ones the city has to offer but it was very good. I am so glad to have this pizza place on my door step, the generosity of toppings alone are worth the visit. They mostly stick to the standard Italian meats and veg on offer, toppings wise, but there is something for most tastebuds here.

We have a lot of pizza restaurants in Bristol and each has their own loyal following of fans. The best ones offer something different so you can have a selection to rotate, depending on your preference on a particular day. I am fairly sure this one will enter my rotation under the, close by and traditional.  To find out more about the pizza selection check out their website. 

Celebratory lunch at Pasta Loco

Pasta Loco hasn’t been open a year yet and it has already become one of Bristol’s most talked about and lusted after restaurants. The carbonara alone has become the stuff of local legend. To fully extend my birthday celebrations I decided to take two days off after the day itself to indulge in eating and spending time with Rich, cats and friends. I had earmarked Tuesday for a lunch trip to Pasta Loco. For £10 you can have two courses, or for £13 you can go the whole hog and have all three. An exceptional deal such as this required company, so when I saw Charlie was looking to celebrate news of her own we joined forces and she kindly booked a table of four. 

 The restaurant is small, but charming, so booking is definitely advised for the evening. However if you find yourself passing by on a lunch time you will probably be lucky to pop in and find a free table. Lunchtimes offer a simple 3 choices per course on the menu which keeps indecision to a minimum. We were welcomed in very warmly from the rain and swiftly set about choosing our lunches, after ordering a round of drinks of course. Birthdays call for Prosecco so naturally I indulged. A selection of local beers are available such as Wiper & True and Lost and Grounded so you will be in good company when it comes to hops.

 

My choices from the menu were easy to make, starting with something fairly light I opted for the roasted beetroot with goats curd and rocket. I also ordered some of the focaccia which I was informed, was still warm from the oven. My main was the option that had me particularly excited. Fettuccine with tomato, mascarpone and n’duja. N’duja is a little bit of an obsession of Rich and mine. This smoky and spicy salami is often found in the form of a spreadable pasta often stored in oil, great on pizza or in pasta. However it’s not often on many menus so as soon as I find a dish that has it in, I am there.

 

 My starter was simple but tasty. The creamy curd worked wonderfully with the earthy beetroot. Having said that it only made me more hungry for my fettuccine that was on route. My will power was strong enough to leave some of that springy focaccia to mop up any leftover sauce.  Not too long after were were brought steaming bowls of pasta. All of us, bar Chris who went for the linguine with mussels, had ordered the fettuccine. A nice sizable heap of pasta sat in front of me with a healthy grating of Parmesan on the top. The smell was intoxicating, although that could have had something to do with the Prosecco. Pasta has long been a source of comfort for me, there is never a time when it won’t perk me up at least by 25-50%. 

 

 Fork in hand I stabbed a chunk of n’duja and started twirling the nearest orphaned strand of pasta. I don’t really have enough superlatives in which to describe how much I enjoyed this bowl of fettuccine. Creamy, tangy and spicy. It was perfection that’s all I can say really. I am still thinking about it now almost two weeks later, already thinking about when I can take a week day off just to get a fix of their pasta. I had some good news this week at work and I think this calls for booking up an evening here to celebrate. 

 

To find out more about Pasta Loco visit their website. 

Tuesday Night Testing Polpo

This month we were invited, along with other bloggers and food enthusiasts to sample the newly opened Polpo restaurant on Whiteladies. Situated where Entelia used to be, Polpo describes itself as a bacaro, a Venetian word for a humble restaurant serving simple food and young Italian wines. Basically I think it is quite hard to describe yourself as humble it's for other people to decide really, and to be honest I am not sure whether this fits the brief of the description, for reasons I shall explain shortly.

Polpo opened its first branch in Soho in 2009 and has expanded over the years to eight restaurants, mostly in London but now also one each in Brighton and Bristol. Polpo is the Italian word for octopus and you can get a few dishes of the eight armed creature to sample. The menu is one of small plates to share or keep to yourself depending on how territorial you are about your food choices. I still don't really like small plates but if the food is good I can warm to them, it is a case by case basis for me. Rich and I were welcomed by owner Russell Norman, which was a nice touch. We chose an Aperol spritz to start which is a favourite after honeymooning in Venice in April. We were brought some of their stuffed fried olives to munch on whilst we perused the menu.

The menu is set out in sections such as pizzette, meat, fish, vegetables and also cicheti. Cicheti bars can be found all over Venice serving bite sized snacks to accompany an after work drink or quick lunch. We chose a few more cicheti, more olives, arancini, potato and parmesan crocchette and coppa and peperonata crostini. Polpo have a section for just meatballs so seeing this as a sign we opted for the pork and fennel ones with spaghetti. We also went for a gorgonzola & prosciutto pizzette, some fried gnocchi with rainbow chard pesto and peccorino. 

With more dishes than arms arriving in front of us we started off with the cicheti. For me the most enjoyable elements of the whole meal were in some of the little snacks we started with. The deep fried olives are something I've never seen before. They are stuffed with anchovy, coated in breadcrumbs and fried, and they are incredible. Easily the best thing Polpo do. I also really enjoyed the arancini - creamy, crunchy and light. The crostini were crisp and topped with roasted pepper, prosciutto, capers and I think ricotta, very tasty indeed. I wasn't totally sold on the crocchette it was a bit like a hash brown with more finely grated potato.

On the the 'main' dishes. For £9 you can have three fairly large meatballs of your choice with spaghetti, not exactly a bargain. But I thought for a place that has five varieties of meatballs these have got to be worth it. They weren't. Fennel overpowered the meat I could barely taste any meat flavour at all and the tomato sauce was fairly bland as well. The pizzette had some tasty toppings but the base lacked salt. 

Lastly the gnocchi with rainbow chard pesto and pecorino, the gnocchi were soft and potatoey but the pesto was just too oily and flavourless to make the dish stand out. All in all a bit disappointed with the dishes we chose. We decided to finish with a coffee and ricotta doughnuts with cinnamon sugar to share. These were almost raw and doughy inside with a floury taste. It was a shame about how the rest of the meal went because the cicheti were really delicious. In fact I would welcome having a cicheti and drinks bar in Bristol. As it is I find Polpo a little expensive for what you get and the taste isn't quite there. Humble makes me think of homely food at a low price such as your mama used to make and I am not sure that describes Polpo to me.

I think despite this Polpo will be quite popular. It is a fairly well known brand and the location will catch some great after work traffic. Our meal was free of charge but did not impact my opinion. To find out more about Polpo check out their website.

A Saturday Night Catch Up at Al Bacio

Last weekend our good friends Kathryn and Gavin came down to visit from London and a big catch up and as I had been dying to try Al Bacio after hearing from friends that it was rather good, I booked us in for Saturday evening.  Located in the space formerly occupied for years by Sands and after that Sahara, Al Bacio is a fairly small restaurant but the night we were there it was very busy. Rather glad to be out of the cold we were directed to our table and coats were taken. They seem to have a lot of waiting staff at Al Bacio, but for good reason because their service operation was pretty slick, friendly unobtrusive Italian waiters who seem passionate about the food they are serving and offering up the odd joke.

Having already looked over the menu several times online before our visit I had mostly decided what to order. I was impressed by how many fish dishes they offered up and not just the usual couple so definitely check out the specials menu if you are a fish fanatic. I decided to pick the calamari for starters and classic Italian dish osso buco, as I have been wanting to try it for an age. Rich went for the mixed arancini and a steak whilst all four of us shared some garlic bread pizza.

garlic bread pizza

Trio Fantasia (arancini)

calamari

Caprese Al Bacio

As you can see from the photos of the starters they like to be a little different in their presentation it is nice to see dishes in an Italian restaurant presented with a little more flair. What you will also notice is how huge the portions are, these were starters and whereas most portions of calamari are around six rings at the most there must have been nearly twenty on my plate. When my calamari arrived I did think they looked a little anemic however they were cooked perfectly, no chewiness, although I would have liked a touch more salt on the batter but I was impressed on the whole.

Rich's arancini, the trio fantasia, were so tasty I almost wish I had ordered them, in fact next time that might be on my list. Kathryn ordered the Caprese Al Bacio, like a Caprese salad but wrapped in filo, she really enjoyed it. So far so good, Al Bacio had impressed with their starters, not to mention the lovely bottle of Italian red which was warmed just to the right temperature and was a smooth accompaniment to dinner.  On to the mains...

risotto Al Bacio

osso buco alla Milanese

steak in garlic butter sauce

The veal in my osso buco was very tender it just fell apart and was full of flavour I enjoyed it, I felt the risotto alla Milanese could have done with a tad more seasoning but I would definitely order this dish again when I see it on a menu. Rich's steak was cooked exactly to order with enough garlic to keep the vampires away. Once again the portions were generous and so by the end of two courses we were stuffed although we did almost crumble in front of the profiteroles but our stomachs begged us not to.

I was impressed with Al Bacio, they offer tasty Italian food, including dishes that aren't on your typical Italian in England restaurant menus, which means you get to explore some new dishes or stick to more familiar ones if you have your favourites. The prices are also really reasonable for what you get nearly all the pasta, pizza and risotto dishes are under £10 and even the meat dishes hover around the £15 or so mark. I am looking forward to trying out their pizza next time I visit as the dough on the garlic bread was superb.  Also if you are gluten free you can be rest assured that they offer up gluten free pasta which opens up more choices to the gluten intolerant for whom usually Italian restaurants are a bit of a no go area.  A great new restaurant edition to Bristol, I urge you to check it out although booking is advisable, news has spread fast about this place. To find out more about Al Bacio visit their website.

Pizzas at Pepe Nero

The other weekend Carla had invited a small group of friends out for one of her farewell to Bristol dinners and she had chosen Pepe Nero. Her Italian half craved a decent pizza and having heard from reliable sources that Pepe Nero offered true authentic Italian pizzas it would be folly to resist the opportunity to visit before she left for London. Pepe Nero can be found on the corner of Bond Street in Broadmead, a site historically held by  Italian restaurants Bottelino's and for a very short time, Fratelli's. 

We headed upstairs to the small seating area, Pepe Nero predominantly operates as a spot for a quick lunch time grab bag and also takeaway in the evening, they will even deliver to your door. They have a wide variety of toppings to choose from including the option for vegan cheese which is definitely something you don't see that often. I went for the crudo and panna pizza; Parma ham and double cream whilst Rich went for the Pepenero; bacon, olives, mushrooms, salami, ham and peppers.

crudo and panna

The Pepenero

Placing the toppings on top of the pizza, instead of cooking them at the same time, the Italian way, I am assured, is rather awesome. You could taste the quality of the deli meats much more easily than if they were cooked in and covered with cheese. I was extremely impressed by the high quality of the pizzas a great deal of topping generosity. The bases were I think the best you can get in Bristol, light and crisp but not dry. I did think the cream stated in my pizza of choice would be more apparent rather than mixed in with the cheese but it was still really indulgent and tasty. 

Crudo and panna upclose

A bargain for under £10 these pizzas are the jewel in the pizza crown, although I still also really like the pizzas at Beerd. The service at Pepe Nero was swift and polite and we were all pretty impressed, and I am looking forward to trying their takeaway service as a little weekend treat. To see what else Pepe Nero has to offer, visit their website.

Friday Night at Piazza di Roma

Last Friday, pizza fanatic Michael had organised us to go to one of his favourite pizza venues, Piazza di Roma right at the top of Whiteladies Road. It was a freezing cold evening when Rich and I trekked up the hill to meet Michael, Emily of Bristol Bites, and her partner Chris, luckily the restaurant was cosy, warm and inviting and we were shown to our table by a friendly waiter. 

I think it is important to mention that the service from the off, though friendly, was extremely slow. Taking our drinks order took 20 minutes alone and half that time to arrive, there were only 5 of us. The menu is very traditional, what you would expect in an Italian restaurant in the UK, pizzas, pasta, bruschetta and side salads.  The ambience is also pretty standard to what you would expect too, cosy, candles on the tables and the lowest of low lighting.

Rich and I opted out of a starter but Michael and Emily picked a tomato pasta dish, all pasta mains can be served as starter portions, and bruschetta. The starters took about 25 mins to arrive the portion sizes were good and made us all feel exceedingly hungry and regretful. I had ordered the Americana pizza, which had pepperoni and sweetcorn on  and Rich picked the Festa di Carni, with chilli. 

The Americana

Festi di Carni

Our table had been booked for 8 our pizzas arrived at 9.30 by that time I was pretty much gnawing at the table corners, pizza to me has always been one of those foods that you can pop in somewhere for a quick bite before heading to your destination. Some foods are meant to be taken time over, like roasts, pizza is not one of them. Having said that the toppings on the pizza were extremely plentiful and tasty, had we not had to wait so long I would have possibly be praising them higher. They are better than some pizzas in Bristol but they still don't beat Beerd's and Planet Pizza for me anyway. 

Pacman Pizza

I have always wondered about this little pizza place, and now my curiosity has been sated. The staff were very cheery but in a tiny restaurant of about 45 seats and only half are full it should not be taking over an hour to prepare 5 pizzas. This could have been a bad day for them I suppose, the food is nice enough I just don't know if it inspired me enough to recommend it above other places, plus the outside toilet doesn't exactly draw me in on a cold night. To check out the menu for Piazza di Roma please visit their website.

Pizza Pangs Solved by Renato's

The other weekend Rich and I were due to meet our friends in Renato's, we'd had a late lunch so had gone out without eating dinner. We don't drink in the centre that often but Renato's, on King Street, is one of our main go-tos if we do. Nice and relaxed with plenty to look at with lots of old theatre posters and autographed photographs of actors who have performed at the Old Vic. I have never made it to the restaurant above the pub part of Renato's but I can vouch for their drinks selection and bar pizzas. 

Inferno Pizzas

For Rich and Bud they can get their German beer fix, as they have a good selection of different from the usual beers and I am happy with a bottle of Weston's organic cider. The main draw here is the pizzas. For around £8 you can order a pizza at the bar and are given a ticket in return with which to go pick up your steaming hot pizza from the back room where the pizza oven is. Our favourite is the Inferno, tomato and mozzarella topped with thick slices of salami, chilli flakes and chilli oil, it definitely packs a punch spice wise. The toppings here are traditional, simple and extremely good, especially welcoming after a couple of beers. 

Inferno close up

The only thing I would change is perhaps a touch of dip for the crusts as they can be a tad dry. But if you fancy a casual night at a quirky family run bar with option of late night pizza in case you get the munchies (pizzas are served til midnight). It can get busy on Friday and Saturday nights so get there early to avoid disappointment, although I noticed a fairly quick turn around on some tables so luck may be on your side. I definitely recommend Renato's it doesn't change and I don't want it to. 

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.