Sunday at Soukitchen

Last week was a massive dose of coughing half my lungs out and generally feeling sorry for myself. Sunday I dragged myself out of the house to meet Kym for lunch, something I was really looking forward to. Soukitchen, Clifton branch, has been open about 6 months and despite being five minutes from my door this was my first visit. Absolutely woeful.  Situated just off Whiteladies on Apsley Road as far as I can remember there has been a bar or restaurant at this site. Most of these ventures lasted a very short time, perhaps due to location. Souk has solved this with some lovely bright signage that draws in the eye, that and their reputation.

Soukitchen specialises in Persian cuisine but with a much more modern approach to Middle Eastern flavours. Kym and I ordered some drinks and got to the arduous task of deciding what to eat, which was a tall order I can tell you. Meeting someone at 12 means that you're just about on the cusp of being able to acceptably order brunch. However in my mind eating brunch much more after 12 feels wrong. 

Tempted by their cinnamon French toast or the shakshouka, poached eggs in tomato base with onions spices and flatbread with the option of merguez sausage add on was almost too much to pass up. That is until I saw a leg of chicken on a bed of pearl barley with grilled peppers, Iranian gherkins, red onion and spiced yoghurt. Sold. Kym also followed suit and we ordered some hummous and bread to share.

elderflower and rose spritzer

hummous with Mark's Bread

chicken on pearl barley

Just look at my spritzer, a drink topped with rose petals, beautiful and delicious. The food was outstanding. The bread, from Mark's Bread, was superb, my only slight criticism would be that I found the hummous not as smooth as my tastes prefer, this is personal preference however. The crowning glory of the lunch was the wonderful chicken dish. Packed full of flavours and textures I could easily see this being a firm favourite on my must have dishes in Bristol. The chicken was juicy and spiced enhanced by the smokey yoghurt and the pearl barley was plump, we practically licked our plates clean.

Can't wait to return to Soukitchen they really offer something different and that is no bad thing in a city full of burgers and pizzas, which I enjoy eating, it's just nice to have as many options as possible. To find out more about Soukitchen visit their website.

Lunch at Matina, St Nick's Market

Last Wednesday Jayne T and I went on one of our lunch dates to St Nick's market. In the last month Matina, a provider of Middle Eastern grills and freshly made naans, opened up right at the end of the glass arcade. Jayne and I had spotted it the previous week after our lunch at Al Bab Mansour and decided to give it a go. There was a disorderly gathering by the ordering hatch and we gingerly waited in the group before being called over to order.

Jayne, who had visited Matina the previous weekend, had warned me how giant they make the naans so when I ordered and was asked what I wanted to accompany my grilled chicken so I asked for cous cous and salad. The choices on the menu are slight but there is something for all. You can choice between grilled chicken, grilled lamb, or both, or if you are veggie you can have halloumi and roasted vegetables. We waited about 10-15 minutes, there were a lot of people queuing, so some people may have received their order earlier than others. I should think this could be solved by a ticketing system.

Once receiving our lunches we wandered off to Seamus O'Donnells to eat and have a drink. When I opened the takeaway box I was astonished at the amount of food that Matina gives for £4 it is wonderful and deceptively filling. Jayne's naan wrap was enormous I tried some of the bread and it was very light, fresh and delicious but I think most people would struggle to eat a whole one.

grilled chicken and cous cous box

Jayne's Chicken Wrap

I urge everyone strongly to check out Matina. Their food is superb. The chicken was still juicy, the salad crisp and the home made hummus exactly how I like it, just garlicky enough. What is great is that aside from cous cous you get a number of different things in the box, such as pickled chillis, red cabbage, zingy tomato sauce and perfectly cooked chicken. Plus it helps that it looks so vibrant and healthy.

grilled chicken and cous cous close up

So please form an orderly queue at Matina I will be seeing you there I am sure, this might be my new favourite place to lunch in St Nicks, and hopefully it will be yours too. Now go snap up some lunch before they put up the price, £4 is a complete bargain.