Lunchtime Munching at Eat-a-Pitta

The other week I was bereft of lunch and then the fire alarm went off. Despite being earlier than I would normally take lunch I thought as I was outside I would head to St Nicks and forage for fodder. In recent weeks my team mate So-Ting had been in the habit of bringing up a box of falafel and hummous from Eat a Pitta to munch on, and I had sampled a few of these and they were extremely good.  So I decided that as I was already outside it was as good a time as any to finally sample a proper lunch myself.

I decided to go for the falafel salad box, which comes with 5 falafel and all the salads and sauces for £4.50, pitta on the side is 50p extra,  but the salad box looked big enough to me. So topped with the hottest hot sauce and the falafel on the top warming me through the plastic lid I headed back to the office to enjoy reading James Ellroy's LA Confidential and my lunch.

Eat a Pitta already has a great following and now it count me among them. Great fresh tasting salads, I particularly enjoyed the gherkins, and the falafel were the crunchiest I have ever sampled but never dry inside which is the key to a good falafel. Plus if you just feel like snacking you can buy 6 falafel with hummous for just £2 or 10 for £2.50 a total bargain. The only slight question mark I have is over the hummous it is very smooth but I like a little more zing to my hummous, but it is still very nice. If you want to find out a little more about Eat a Pitta visit their website for more info or get yourself down to St Nicks and sample away, don't be put off by the big queues they have a ticketing system and efficient production line that moves along fast.

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. 

A Moroccan Lunch at St Nicholas Market

The other day Jayne T and I had decided to meet up for lunch on our break. We both work in the centre and St Nick's market is less than five minutes walk for both of us. I have sampled a lot of what the food court at St Nick's has to offer and as the weather was rather inclement we decided something warm was what was needed. It was a choice between Pieminister and Al Bab Mansour, the Moroccan place, we picked the latter as neither of us had been.

Moroccan food is something I enjoy but sample fairly sporadically. Ironically like buses, two posts on this cuisine pop up in the same month after 9 months of nothing, thank goodness we don't have to wait that long for public transport, although sometimes it does feel like it.

Falafel Lunch

Al Bab Mansour, like most of the dine in places under the glass arcade at St Nick's, is small but the turnover of diners is fairly high at lunchtime so chance of getting a seat is basically pot luck. Inside it is beautifully decorated like a soft furnishings stand in a souk it does make you feel like you are a world away just stopping for lunch before going off to haggle a deal with a spice vendor. Jayne chose the falafel whilst I went for the Moroccan chicken.

Moroccan Chicken with Cous Cous

For under £6 (for mine and less for Jayne's) the quality of food you get is fabulous. My Moroccan chicken dish was very hearty, full of lots of veg and flavour, really warmed me up on a grey day, without being too stodgy or unhealthy. Going out for lunch mid week is a bit of a treat for me, I usually bring my own soup to work and spend the hour reading whatever book I have on the go. However I have tried nearly all the places to eat in the glass arcade now, looking forward to revisiting Al Bab Mansour, Caribbean Wrap and Spice Up Your Life again, amongst other places. I am sure a lot of fellow Bristolians have been to Al Bab Mansour so would be good to hear other people's views on it.

Pre Holiday Warning

So this weekend we are off to France for my friend Andrea's wedding. The area we are going to, around Bordeaux and Limoges is, I have been slightly reliably informed, known for truffles and fois grois. As I will be enjoying the beautiful weather and reuniting party of all my friends from University I shall also be having blogging withdrawal symptoms. So whilst my wonderful friend Jessie and I try to stop her husband blowing all the Euros on offal, I hope you have some beautiful weather also and some excellent eating adventures of your own, if you find any real gems please send us an email or comment on the blog. 

In the meantime here are two previously unpublished food photographs to make you salivate.

Caesar Salad from Goldbrick House

Wonderful Chicken Curry Special from Spice Up Your Life in St Nicks

Extreme Close up of a Pizza from Beerd

See you on the other side, Bristol I shall miss you, full French report week after next.