5 minute read
RISE AND DINE
Brunch out, the right way
Mimosas before lunch? Every day is a good day when you can do brunch - and Bristol does brunch best.
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COPPA CLUB –CLIFTON
2-10 Regent Street, Bristol, BS8 4HG Tel: 0117 332 4489 Web: coppaclub.co.uk
Coppa Club is launching a new brunch menu in Clifton. The menu has been created with local produce and is perfect for long, lazy weekend gatherings. Some of the menu highlights include buckwheat and rye pancakes with berries, granola and coconut yogurt, sharing shakshuka with baked eggs, chorizo, za’atar, tahini, and Greek yoghurt and Bloody Baller 10, a signature brunch cocktail made with Baller chilli and bacon vodka, bloody Mary mix, cucumber and sea salt. Coppa Club is well known for providing all the best elements of a café, bar, restaurant and lounge into one offering – with something for everyone. It’s a private members club experience, without the membership fees, offering an informal, relaxed feel.
DARESHACK
Dareshack is a multi-functional space in central Bristol rooted in the belief that hospitality and entertainment can connect people, evoke feelings, and spark change. Serving counter-based brunch, homemade sweets, and doughnuts alongside a great range of speciality coffee, every purchase contributes to the development of creative projects as part of their mission ‘Creative revolution one cup at a time’. Located just opposite Castle Park, it's the perfect place to grab a picnic bag and sit in the park or to enjoy the great looking and alternative vibes the space offers. Find them on instagram.com/dareshack
EAT YOUR GREENS
156 Wells Road, Bristol, BS4 2AG Web: Eatyourgreensbristol.com
EYG is an independent, award-winning, fully licensed vegan eatery in Totterdown. Run by chef Babs Greaves, menus are 100% vegan and designed to be gluten free (unless otherwise specified). Brunch is served on Friday and Saturday; signature dishes include: ‘Goldie Lox’, consisting of smoked carrot lox, baked marinated tofu wedge, local sourdough, rocket and a pea purée, and ‘The Beasty’, a magnificent plant-based full English. Vegan Sunday roasts available and a Friday night supper club - with locally sourced organic tasting plates which change naturally with the seasons. Babs is committed to paying her staff the real living wage and to buying as locally and organically as possible.
THE JOY OF BRUNCH
Looking back at the history of brunch, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where the breakfast/lunch hybrid first began. Many believe that it’s an English tradition of feasting after a hunt, others say it’s a Catholic custom of fasting in the morning before tucking into a large meal once church services have concluded. In America, some New Yorkers state that brunch came from the wondrous selection of breakfast and lunch options available after a night on the tiles. Either way, one thing is abundantly clear: the love of brunch absolutely transcends borders and boundaries, nationalities and neighbourhoods.
Brunch made its print debut in Hunter's Weekly in 1895. British writer Guy Beringer coined the term in an article entitled Brunch: A Plea. He writes: “All of us have experienced the purgatory of those Sabbatarian early dinners with their Christian beef and concomitant pie. Have we not eaten enough of them? I think so, and would suggest Brunch as a satisfactory substitute.
“To a certain extent I am pleading for Brunch from selfish motives. The world would be kinder and more charitable if my brief were successful. To begin with, Brunch is a hospitable meal; breakfast is not. Eggs and bacon are adapted to solitude; they are consoling, but not exhilarating. They do not stimulate conversation. Brunch, on the contrary, is cheerful, sociable, and inciting. It is talkcompelling. It puts you in a good temper; it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow-beings. It sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.”
Amusingly, Beringer signs off with the final detail: “Beer and whiskey are admitted as substitutes for tea and coffee.”
So, there you have it, folks. Brunch: a bringer of joy for 127 years and counting.
THE SHORE CAFÉ BAR TERRACE AT THE BRISTOL
To celebrate the onset of the warmer months ahead and The Shore Café Bar at The Bristol recent refurbishment featuring extensive terrace seating and ambient festoon lighting, the neighbourhood-favourite haunt has launched a delicious Weekend Brunch menu, including an extensive Bloody Mary selection. With abundant awnings, outdoor heaters and cosy McNutt of Donegal woollen throws sprawled throughout, the reimagined terrace space is an idyllic place to while away an afternoon and bring guests luxuriously into those twilight summer nights. The new menu features classic brunch favourites such as Eggs Benedict, Florentine or Royale and Crushed Avocado on Sourdough toast, as well as some more contemporary dishes, including Baked Egg Shakshuka and a moreish vegan Grilled Tofu Burger. Available on Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 3pm.
BOCABAR FINZELS REACH
Fermentation 1, Hawkins Lane, Finzels Reach Bristol, BS1 6JQ Tel: 0117 374 1898 E: bocabarfinzels@outlook.com
Bocabar Finzels Reach is a hidden gem in the recently reclaimed old city centre by the floating harbour. As an independent, it has the quirks, passion and attention to detail. The look is vintage, rustic with a splash of luxury. Brunch on Saturdays ranges from full breakfasts, pancakes and much loved local Abu Noor bakery toasted bagels – among these are hot smoked salmon and poached eggs, or smoked mozzarella and Portobello mushroom, both topped with wilted spinach and hollandaise. Sip one of the 241 brunch cocktails on the sunny terrace, with heated jumbrellas and boho stretch tent for outdoor bookings.
