Eow 2013

Eating 25TH EDITION

OUT WEST

2013/14

YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO FOOD & DRINK IN BRISTOL, BATH & BEYOND

100s of restaurants, cafes, bars & pubs listed and reviewed PLUS... POP-UP DINING, WINE MERCHANTS, COOKERY SCHOOLS, MARKETS & FESTIVALS, SPECIALIST FOOD SHOPS & MORE… Cover.indd 1

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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Introduction

Silver service

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elcome to the 25th edition of Eating Out West ... and as we reach our silver anniversary, you’ll find that the handsome tome you have in your hands remains the most comprehensive guide to the world of food and drink in Bristol, Bath and beyond.

Inside, you’ll find hundreds of listings for restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes and takeaways of every kind, as well as for specialist food shops, wine merchants and cookery schools should you fancy cooking up a storm at home.

From top-of-the-range fine dining to the humblest of fish & chip shops, and from cosy neighbourhood inns dating back centuries to the latest pop-up eatery, you’ll find them all in here.

Whatever your taste, appetite or budget, there’s all manner of gastronomic treasures to choose from – so browse through these pages and get set for a culinary voyage of discovery with breaks for refreshment at some of the West’s best watering holes en route ...

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Contents

Contents

How to use this guide 6 The local food and drink scene 10 Bristol profiles 15 Bath profiles 38 Restaurant listings 47 Afro-Caribbean 47 American 47 Chinese 50 English 53 European & Mediterranean 63 Fish 77 French 78 Global 80 Greek & Turkish 83 Hotels 84 Indian & Nepalese 84 Italian 94 Japanese & Korean 103 Mexican & South American 105 North African & Middle Eastern 107 Spanish & Portuguese 108 Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian & Vietnamese 110 Vegetarian 114

Cafes 115 Bars 135 Pubs 152 Out of town restaurants & cafes 173 Out of town pubs 179 Sandwich shops 196 Takeaways 203 Specialist food shops 214 Caterers 231 Pop-ups & dining clubs 234 Cookery schools 234 Wine merchants 237 Events 239 Index 241 Published by Venue Publishing Ltd Website www.venue.co.uk Head Office Bristol News & Media, Temple Way, Bristol, BS99 7HE Tel 0117 942 8492 Fax 0117 942 0369 Email editor@venue.co.uk (editorial), ads@venue.co.uk (advertising) Credits Editor Tom Phillips Listings Research Tony Benjamin, Melissa Blease, Simon Fry, Julian Owen Design/Production Cath Evans, Dan Srokosz Sub Editor Jo Renshaw Commercial Director Becky Davis Publication Coordinators Emma Gorton, Ruth Wood Ad Sales Rebecca Baddiley, Eleanor Pipe, Ben Wright, Adam Burrows, Nejla Unal Eating Out West 2013 was produced by Venue Publishing, specialists in leisure and entertainment media. Our publications include Bristol & Bath’s Student Guide, Festival Guide and Christmas shopping guide Batteries Not Included. Venue also publishes Bristol & Bath’s leading online what’s on guide: www.venue. co.uk For full details of all our publications, information packs and subscription rates, please call us on 0117 942 8491.

Extensive efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication; however, the publishers cannot accept any responsibility for any errors it may contain. © Venue Publishing Ltd Copyright of editorial content is held by Venue Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express written permission of the publishers – so rip-off guides take note!

Ring 0117 934 3741 for copies of Eating Out West 2013 A regularly updated online version of Eating Out West can be found at www.venue.co.uk

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Introduction

How to use THE LISTINGS...

There is a full index of all entries in alphabetical order on page 265. If you know the name of the establishment you’re interested in, simply look it up in the index and turn to the relevant page(s).

If you’re looking for inspiration, we have divided the listing entries (starting on page 61) into types of establishments, i.e. restaurants, cafes, pubs, bars, takeaways etc. The restaurants have then been sub-divided into types of cuisine, i.e. Italian, French, Mexican etc. Some restaurants are easy to categorise (e.g. Indian), but others are trickier to pigeonhole.

We have cross-referenced where we can but your best bet is to trawl through all the listings!

We have also divided the entries geographically. Within each section, the categories are divided into Bristol and Bath. There is also an Out Of Town section starting on page 194.

New establishments which have opened since the last edition in May 2011, or are about to open, have been marked as NEW.

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Turn over the page for more information on how to use the listings.

Restaurant profiles can be found at the front of the magazine. Bristol profiles start on page 15, Bath on page 43and Out of Town on page 55.

Printed in alphabetical order, these offer a fuller description of selected restaurants as well as photos.

The information typically covers a description of the restaurant and the people behind it, a sample menu, price guide, drinks guide, opening times and al fresco. The information has been supplied by the restaurants and does not necessarily constitute a direct recommendation by Venue Publishing.

However, we have only accepted submissions from bona fide companies or organisations who we know from long experience to provide quality goods or services.

Check First The key rule when using this guide is to phone first. Menus, prices, chefs and even opening times change constantly. It is also advisable to book to avoid disappointment. (Please mention this guide when booking!)

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WALTER’S RESTAURANT AT THE BRISTOL MARRIOTT ROYAL HOTEL Walter’s restaurant is the latest addition to the hotel offering locally sourced regional flavours from the South West of England. We have gathered produce from Gloucestershire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to create some great dishes that we are sure you will enjoy, along with a delightful wine selection.

Dinner from £22.50 for 3 courses Available 7 days a week 5.30pm – 10.00pm Traditional Sunday Lunch from £19.95 for 3 courses Available Sundays 1pm – 3pm (Booking essential) Walter’s Restaurant Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TA 0117 925 5100 - waltersbristolroyal.com

T’s & C’s - All prices are correct at the time of printing and are subject to change, all products and services are subject to availability at the time of booking.

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Introduction

How to use THE LISTINGS...

Starting on page 61 are listings entries for a vast range of establishments. Premises are listed first by the type of establishment (i.e. restaurant, cafe, pub etc), then by city and then alphabetically. In the Restaurant section, we have sub-divided the restaurants into the type of food they serve (e.g. Italian, French, Mexican etc).

Restaurant entries contain some, or all, of the information set out below.

Alternatively, if you know the name of the restaurant you are looking for, turn to the index on page 265 to find the relevant page number.

As usual in the restaurant and catering trade, the service is subject to change. This guide was compiled between April and early June 2012, but please always ring ahead to check details and bookings.

Information in Eating Out West is based on previous reviews in Venue and Folio magazines, visits to the establishments by Venue staff and contributors and details supplied by the establishments themselves, particularly the price guide.

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Feature

ez-Iglesia Pictured (clockwise): Casamia’s Sanch Chris Staines of brothers; Chew Magna’s Pony & Trap; Jones; Brewdog’s Allium Brasserie; star chef Gordon Beerd bar; Bristol’s Culinaria.

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Feature

Just for STARTERS

The recession may be biting, but our local food and drink scene is booming. Tony Benjamin has his finger on the foodie pulse

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f ever you need a justification for pitching your tent somewhere with a BA or BS postcode, the wealth of foodie delights in the pages that follow makes a compelling case. No doubt about it we’re blessed with a thriving local dining scene that continues to offer an ever-extending range of choices, from exotic street food to avant-garde fine dining.

London folk may murmur about ‘the provinces’, but what they don’t realise is how handy it is to be near the country when it comes to getting the freshest produce. If ‘plot to plate’ is a mere handful of miles, you can certainly taste the difference, which is why we South Westerners have really embraced that new Holy Trinity of menu design: local, seasonal and organic. No wonder the BBC have decided to relocate their prestigious annual Food and Farming Awards to Bristol from 2014.

And it’s not just the veg that’s homegrown, either; our independent restaurants have always given the local scene its energy and style. While the banks may be playing it safe with investing in new businesses at the moment, they seem to have gathered that a

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good restaurant in Bristol or Bath may well be a safer bet than most, judging by some very enterprising newcomers that have made big waves round these parts of late. Most impressive Bathonian arrivals included chefs Gordon Jones (Menu Gordon Jones), Dougie Bonar (Kilted Chef) and Chris Staines (Allium Brasserie), with the latter’s enticing menu and reputation even persuading flamboyant Observer restaurant critic Jay Rayner to come back to the city.

A disappointing experience in the past, apparently, had made him swear to never return, but dinner at the Allium has made him promise the opposite.

Bristol saw the departure of two legends of the local restaurant world with the retirement of Stephen Markwick from Culinaria, and Chris Wicks hanging up his apron and passing on the keys to Bell’s Diner.

In many ways, each represented a significant step forward in the dining culture of their day, with Markwick, like Keith Floyd and others, being part of the 1970s generation of chefs inspired by Bath’s Holein-the-Wall maverick George Perry-Smith to learn the delights of European cooking and drag us out of

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Feature the bland austerity of the 1960s. During more than 20 years of cooking - first at Markwicks and then at Culinaria - Stephen Markwick refined his dishes into a delicious simplicity that predated the ‘contemporary British’ style popular today. Chris Wicks, on the other hand, was the first chef in the South West to catch on to the ultra-technical ideas of Heston Blumenthal and others and then to dare to attempt them himself. In doing so he transformed Bell’s from a cheery informal bistro in Montpelier to a fine-dining destination for all - except the mysteriously absent Michelin inspectors who regrettably never saw fit to recognise his work.

You’ll find those elusive stars still twinkling all around us, however, with Bath’s Priory Hotel regaining theirs thanks to chef Sam Moody’s sterling work, thus joining The Park Hotel in the stellar honours list. Young turks Josh Eggleton (Pony and Trap, Chew Magna) and the Sanchez-Iglesias brothers (Casamia, Westbury-on-Trym) kept their Michelin status, too, despite the distractions of the former setting up the fabulous Eat Drink Bristol Fashion mega pop-up and Peter from the latter putting in a very creditable telly performance in the BBC’s Great British Menu. They all thoroughly deserve the recognition, but are by no means the only places offering real quality dining experiences round these parts - as the pages of this guide show.

And whether it’s fine dining or a quick burger that you’re after, keep an eye out for locally brewed ales to sip alongside your dinner. This year has seen the craft ale scene becoming well and truly established in Bristol and Bath, with Bath Ales opening their glitzy bar-restaurant and microbrewery Graze, and the renegade Scots Brewdog joining Bath Ales’ Beerd in offering discerning Bristolian ale-heads a mighty range of contemporary beers, while the likes of Wild Beer and the Bristol Beer Factory have added American-style pale ales and others to their more traditional real ale ranges.

Ultimately, however, it’s all up to you - and, as ever, this year’s Eating Out West guide more than amply demonstrates that you really can’t complain about the choices on offer. Indian or Italian? And the rest! Let’s prepare to eat our way out of recession in style.

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Bell’s Diner – steered to culinary glory by Chris Wicks; and, below, Bath’s Kilted Chef Dougie Bonar.

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Monday - Saturday 8.30am - 5pm Sunday 10.30 - 4pm Kingsmead Square Bath Tel 01225 329002 www.bathjazzcafe.co.uk

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HAPPY HOUR EVERY NIGHT 8-9PM

KRAZY KARAOKE DJ JAY WITH

Fully licensed independent café.

Serving our famous breakfasts, ciabattas, salads, specials and other favourites every day.

All dishes freshly made in our kitchen.

Jazz evenings planned for the summer

Thursday at 9pm PLUS! DRINKS PROMOS Student cocktails House double & mixer £3.20 £1 shots

Buy 2 for £7.00!

Saturday Nights Cabaret and DJ’s

Join us on Facebook for updates www.mandalyns.co.uk

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• 5 star catering for private and corporate events • Weddings, Anniversaries, Dinner Parties • Elegant venue in centre of Bath including 60 seater dining room & Conference facilities t: 01225 330555 e: enquiries@eat5star.com w: www.eat5star.com 14 Kingsmead Square Bath BA1 2AD

Experience the taste of a truly authentic Italian pizza pulled from the flames of Bath’s only wood-fired pizza oven.

Open seven days a week from 11am until 11pm 16 York Street, Bath.

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Key PRICE GUIDE DRINKS GUIDE OPENING TIMES AL FRESCO DINING AVAILABLE

Bristol PROFILES

THE INFORMATION FOR PROFILES HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY THE RESTAURANT. SEE PAGE 6 FOR MORE DETAILS.

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Profiles

Beefeater: Bristol Fashion The Haymarket, Bristol BS1 3LR T: 0117 929 8953 W: www.beefeatergrill.co.uk

Britain’s favourite just got better…!

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pen from 7am daily and serving a mouthwatering all-youcan-eat gourmet breakfast and Costa coffee, followed by exquisite lunch and dinner menus, the Beefeater is a household name that continues to serve up great memories.

You’ll find a menu of great-tasting, high-quality restaurant food, served in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

They also stock a range of local ales and ciders and have an extensive wine list. Chalkboards display a frequently changing menu of tempting classics and bar food: great salads, fresh fish, soups, sandwiches, steaks and burgers are just some of the dishes you can choose from here. And make sure you leave room for a dessert - they simply should not be missed! On Sundays their legendary Sunday dinners draw in locals and visitors alike - it gets busy, so booking is highly recommended.

They’ll happily cater for groups and parties of all sizes, and they can create a menu to match if required.

The upstairs restaurant can also be used for functions and private hire, including private dining events.

There are two Beefeaters in Bristol (there’s another branch at Emersons Green) – so visit your nearest branch to benefit from their free Wi-Fi, children’s menu, party menu, alfresco dinning and ample parking, or just pop in for a drink.

Sample Menu Starter

Sharing combo (includes calamari, spiced chicken paprika skewers, garlic & herb breaded mushrooms,

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Price

Starter from £3.49, main from £8.99, dessert £4.49£4.99. Value daytime & evening menus available

Drinks

spicy chicken wings, celery sticks, cheese-topped sourdough bread, ranch sauce, BBQ sauce, blue cheese dip) Main 8oz sirloin steak (choice of sauces), with grilled tomato, grilled flat mushroom, plain/spicy bottomless chips, side salad; Salmon fillet, freshly chargrilled, with bearnaise sauce, buttered potatoes, tender stemmed broccoli, cherry tomatoes Dessert Mixed berry eton mess sundae; Black forest gateau.

Wines, champagnes, local ales & ciders. House wine from £9.99 btl, £3.15 gls pen O Daily 12noon11pm (10.30pm Sun). Breakfast from 7am daily.

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Profiles

Beefeater: Emersons Green 200-202 Westerleigh Rd, Emersons Green, Bristol BS16 7AN T: 0117 956 4755 W: www.beefeatergrill.co.uk

Britain’s favourite just got better…!

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pen from 7am daily and serving a mouthwatering all-youcan-eat gourmet breakfast and Costa coffee, followed by exquisite lunch and dinner menus, the Beefeater is a household name that continues to serve up great memories.

You’ll find a menu of great-tasting, high-quality restaurant food, served in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

They also stock a range of local ales and ciders and have an extensive wine list. Chalkboards display a frequently changing menu of tempting classics and bar food: great salads, fresh fish, soups, sandwiches, steaks and burgers are just some of the dishes you can choose from here. And make sure you leave room for a dessert - they simply should not be missed! On Sundays their legendary Sunday dinners draw in locals and visitors alike - it gets busy, so booking is highly recommended.

They’ll happily cater for groups and parties of all sizes, and they can create a menu to match if required.

The upstairs restaurant can also be used for functions and private hire, including private dining events.

There are two Beefeaters in Bristol (there’s another branch in the city centre) – so visit your nearest branch to benefit from their free Wi-Fi, children’s menu, party menu, alfresco dinning and ample parking, or just pop in for a drink.

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Price

Sample Menu Starter

Sharing combo (includes calamari, spiced chicken paprika skewers, garlic & herb breaded mushrooms, spicy chicken wings, celery sticks, cheese-topped sourdough bread, ranch sauce, BBQ sauce, blue cheese dip) Main 8oz sirloin steak (choice of sauces), with grilled tomato, grilled flat mushroom, plain/spicy bottomless chips, side salad; Salmon fillet, freshly chargrilled, with bearnaise sauce, buttered potatoes, tender stemmed broccoli, cherry tomatoes Dessert Mixed berry eton mess sundae; Black forest gateau.

Starter from £3.49, main from £8.99, dessert £4.49£4.99. Value daytime & evening menus available

Drinks

Wines, champagnes, local ales & ciders. House wine from £9.99 btl, £3.15 gls pen O Daily 12noon11pm (10.30pm Sun). Breakfast from 7am daily.

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Profiles

Brasserie Blanc The Friary Building, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 5DF T:0117 910 2410 E: bristol@brasserieblanc.com W: www.brasserieblanc.com

Delicious, affordable French food from Raymond Blanc

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rasserie Blanc Bristol is a star in Raymond Blanc’s brasserie collection. Situated in the buzzy Cabot Circus shopping area, it has prime position, with a grade II-listed historic property surrounded by alfresco dining. The main restaurant is in a breathtaking Georgian meeting house with high ceilings and a sense of space and light, but it’s also comfortable and cosy thanks to the interior decor of warm wood and muted colours.

Raymond Blanc says that if his Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons is a gentle waltz, then Brasserie Blanc is a can-can… a little irreverent, fun and relaxed, but with a passion for great food served with pride.

The dishes themselves are inspired by his mother, Maman Blanc, who instilled a love of wholesome, honest French food in him as a child.

The extensive a la carte menu changes with each season and is supplemented by Daily Specials that feature locally sourced ingredients from quality producers.

Children are well catered for, with puree for babies and the Jeune Blanc options on the a la carte menu – half-size portions of ‘proper’ food for children under 12. Look out, too, for the great-value £11.95 twocourse lunch - perfect for a stop-off from shopping or a quick bite to eat.

Bristol’s Brasserie Blanc has another string to its bow: two medieval halls that have become Bakers and Cutlers banqueting rooms and which are widely used for everything from weddings to meetings to family celebrations. The venues are outstandingly beautiful (and, of course, the catering is rather good, too). Now all you need is a reason to party!

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Price

Starter from £4.95, main from £9.50, two-course set lunch £13.95, two-course set dinner menu £14

Drinks

House wine from £3.85 gls

Sample Menu Starter

Crispy goat’s cheese parcels and homemade tomato chutney Main Slow-braised lamb shoulder with olives Dessert Flaming baked Alaska for two

pen O Mon-Thur 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10.30pm, Sun 10am-9pm. Breakfast served daily 10am12noon

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Profiles

The Burger Joint 83 Whiteladies Rd, Bristol BS8 2NT T: 0117 329 0887 W: www.theburgerjoint.co.uk

Homemade luxury burgers

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ooking for the best burger in Bristol? Then fear not, your search is over -simply pop down to The Burger Joint, a place for serious food lovers to congregate and enjoy some tasty meaty treats (and some delicious veggie ones, too).

This popular place (so popular that they’ve recently moved to new premises twice the size) is always bustling with regulars and newcomers alike, all eager to order the eatery’s famous burger combinations, which can be taken away or enjoyed in the relaxed licensed (including a great craft beer list) restaurant. Each burger is individually designed to suit you; choose from a variety of top-quality meats, including venison, wild boar, lamb and, of course, prime beef along with vegetarian and children’s options.

Top this with as many additions as you think you can handle (perhaps some blue cheese, brie, black pudding or crispy chorizo?), then choose a tempting side (the first one comes free) - the handcut and sweet potato chips are both favourites. If you have room for dessert, make sure you try the melt-in-the-mouth warm chocolate brownie.

Provenance of produce and home cooking are what really make The Burger Joint stand out, with thoughtfully sourced ingredients going into every dish. Everything (aside from the ciabatta buns, which are sourced from an artisan baker) is freshly prepared on site, including the free sauces. What’s more, The Burger Joint team also cater for parties and events, which can be hosted at the restaurant or a venue of your choice -

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Price

Burger £7.50 (inc side dish), salad £7.50, starters & desserts £3.50

Drinks

Wines, beers, ciders, soft drinks.

House wine £12.95 btl, £3.50 gls pen O Daily 12noon -late perfect for your next birthday bash or summer barbecue.

Sample Menu Burgers

Prime beef; Lamb & mint; Venison; Mixed mushroom, garlic & herb Toppings Grilled bacon; Four cheeses; Roasted peppers; Onion rings Sides Handcut chips; Coleslaw; Sweet potato chips; Green beans Starters/Desserts Also available

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Profiles

Byzantium 2 Portwall Lane, Bristol BS1 6NB T:0117 922 1883 E:info@byzantium.co.uk W: www.byzantium.co.uk

Fantastic fresh food, exotic surroundings, magical entertainment

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ounded in 1998, Byzantium has become a Bristol byword for gorgeous food and the perfect space for parties, weddings or intimate suppers for two. You’ll find it opposite St Mary Redcliffe church, with a car park facing Portwall Lane.

For over a decade Byzantium’s dedicated events team have hosted parties, corporate events and weddings (maximum capacity 240; seated dining on each floor for 120).

For more intimate parties of up to 24, Byzantium has a private dining room with its own air-conditioning and music system and a dedicated server for the night.

In the ground-floor bar and lounge area, enjoy Byzantium’s new summer menu dishes daily, from 12noon till late. Their menu always includes at least two vegetarian options, and there are set menus for events. Food is based on modern European recipes with global influences, using the best local and regional produce, taking account of seasonal variation and availability. Byzantium’s dessert lanterns provide six different portions and tastes. For a more relaxed experience you can chose to dine on the sofas in their lounge area.

Weekend entertainment can include specialist DJs, with a comprehensive choice of music, belly dancers and magicians who will entertain you till 2am with Byzantium’s full late licence. Frequent special events and dining offers are also available on Byzantium’s website and Facebook and Twitter pages.

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Price

Small bites from £5 Big bites from £7 Desserts from £5

Drinks

Wide range of new/old world wines, cocktails, beers, spirits, liqueurs, champagne. House wine from £14.50 btl

Sample Menu Small bite

pen O Tue-Sat 12–late

Parmesan Beignets with a crab salad - £6 Big bite - Field mushroom, stilton & red onion burger with slaw and fries - £9 Dessert Tasting lanterns comprising six different bitesize desserts per person

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Profiles

CUPP Philadelphia St, Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol BS1 3BZ E: hello@cuppteabar.co.uk W: www.cuppteabar.co.uk

Authentic Taiwanese bubble tea in an innovative space

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et in a beautifully converted shipping container, CUPP are Bristol’s bubble tea specialists. Located in Quakers Friars in Cabot Circus, they produce authentic Taiwanese bubble tea and fresh fruit iced teas by using the finest ingredients sourced from Taiwan and fresh produce from the South West.

CUPP provide a refreshing and exciting tea-drinking experience.

With a tea base of jasmine green, ceylon black or oolong tea, their fruit teas are mixed with fresh fruit to provide a thirst-quenching, healthy and unique iced tea drink. They have interesting options on their bubble milk tea menu with the likes of Matcha green tea, coconut and taro, which is an Asian root vegetable.

Bubble Tea, also known as pearl milk tea was invented in Taiwan in the 1980’s and is given to a range of refreshing milk tea or fruit tea drinks with chewy tapioca pearls which are vigorously shaken together to form a bubbly foam on top of the drink. As well as bubble tea, they serve speciality coffee, Taiwanese noodle salads and tea-inspired cupcakes.

The shipping container cafe is a fantastic space that has an outdoorindoor feel. It’s been modified in such a way that, come sunny days, the sides open out for the cafe to spill out onto the street, but it can also be cosy and relaxing on those colder days. This creative company have been nominated for a SCEPTRE Best Retailer of the Year 2013 award.

Sample Menu Drink

Classic milk jasmine green bubble tea

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Price

Bubble tea or fresh fruit iced tea £3.30, Taiwanese noodles £3.50-£5

Drinks

Bubble tea, fresh fruit iced teas, speciality coffees and iced coffees. pen O Mon-Sat 10am-6.30pm or authentic Asian taro bubble tea

Main Taiwanese cold noodle salad Desert Matcha green tea and lemon

cupcake

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Profiles

Filini at Radisson Blu Radisson Blu Hotel, Broad Quay, Bristol BS1 4BY T: 0117 945 8605 W: www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-bristol

Exquisite Italian and Sardinian cuisine, with waterfront views

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his contemporary Italian restaurant, tucked away on the first floor of Bristol’s Radisson Blu Hotel, offers exquisite Italian and Sardinian cuisine, merging the best local and Italian produce to create mouth-watering dishes. Lovely waterfront views, soft lighting and impressive artwork all add to the relaxing ambience - perfect for watching the world go by, with large windows overlooking bustling Broad Quay and the waterfront. Filini seats up to 90 guests on a mix of quiet, cosy tables for two and tables for larger parties.

The very well thought-out menu entails the head chef taking a trip to Milan twice a year to get inspiration and discuss thoughts for the new menu. There are lots of traditional dishes on the menu, with something for everyone. Filini’s fantastic wine collection of Italian delights will complement any dish, and if you’d like advice, their helpful waiters and waitresses are on hand. A great restaurant for celebrating with colleagues or for special occasions with friends and family, Filini (conveniently opposite the Bristol Hippodrome) also offers pre-theatre dining, with their Rapido menu available from 5.30pm. You’re advised to book in advance, but feel free to drop in and experience it for yourself.

To finish, a quote from one extremely satisfied diner: “The whole experience was so enjoyable. The surroundings were tasteful and the service impeccable - they couldn’t do

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Price

Starter £4-£9, main £7-£19, dessert from £4

Drinks

enough for us.... highly recommended if you’re staying at the hotel, and even if you’re not, go anyway: get a window seat and watch the world go by as you enjoy some really great food!”

House wine from £18 btl.

Beers, cocktails, champagne Open Lunch: MonSat 12noon-2pm.

Dinner: Mon-Sat 5.30-10pm

Sample Menu Starter

Bruschetta, asparagus & artichoke salad Main Grilled fish caponata, spinach & ham calzone Dessert Coffee parfit.

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Profiles

Fosters Event Catering Unit 5, Avonside Rd, Bristol BS2 0UQ T:0117 977 6611 E: events@fostersevents.co.uk W: www.fostersevents.co.uk

Bespoke event caterers with their roots in Bristol

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or more than 50 years, Fosters have been delivering first-class catering, created by awardwinning chefs to guarantee the best events in town. From family parties to weddings and large corporate events, Fosters make sure that every occasion is special, providing a friendly, personal touch. Customers and clients return again and again because they know just how much the team here care.

Their passion for food and quality shines through in the delicious and imaginative range of dishes. The origin of ingredients is fundamental to the success of the business, and the team prepare mouthwatering menus using the finest and freshest local seasonal produce. From bespoke meals and delicious canapés to elegant dinners or summer barbeques, this is food packed with flavour to tantalise your taste-buds.

Since Fosters was established in Bristol in 1959, the business has retained its family-run ethos. As well as outside catering, their team of professionals can plan any aspect of your event, including the choice of venue, to make your occasion unique and truly memorable.

Here are some comments from just a few of Fosters’ satisfied customers…

‘Thank you for making our event. It was so much more than just food. You delivered well above and beyond expectation’ …

‘Everything was just perfect: the food, the wine…” … ‘The food was amazing, the service impeccable’ … ‘Fosters really did help to make our day truly wonderful’...

‘We just wanted to say a BIG thank you for helping to make our wedding day so special... we really couldn’t have done it without you! Your energy and enthusiasm helped to keep our spirits up throughout

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Price

Canapés £7.40, Buffets £11.95, Sit down dinner £24.40 (cost per head)

Drinks

Bottles of wine £12.50

and it was so reassuring knowing you were there on the day.’

Sample Menu Starter

Roulade of smoked salmon, white crab and artichokes with rocket and baby capers Main Rump of Welsh lamb with caper sauce, parisienne potatoes, green beans, roast cherry vine tomatoes Dessert Rhubarb crème brûlée with butter biscuits

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Profiles

The Kings Arms 168 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2XZ T: 0117 973 5922 W: www.kingsarmsbristol.com

Versatile pub serving classic homemade British cuisine

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he Kings Arms - for those not already in the know - is the big redbrick Victorian pile at the top of Whiteladies Road. Spread over several levels, its quirky interior caters for all occasions - and all party sizes, from a table for two to a party of 100.

The menu is predominantly British. Classics include home-recipe butcher’s sausages with Tewksbury mash, 28-day-aged steaks, and beer-battered haddock with chunky triple-cooked chips. There’s a fishcake the size of a boulder, topped with a poached egg and homemade tartare sauce, which is simply delicious, and the Kings Arms burgers have become legendary - especially since they’re two-for-one during weekday lunches!

For those just wanting a light lunch or evening snack, doorstep sandwiches are available, and the tapas menu includes the delicious Kings Arms Scotch egg alongside moreish dishes such as chorizo with chickpeas, and chicken goujons with sweet chilli jam. Ingredients are locally sourced - including some from the family farm - to create thoughtfully prepared dishes, all cooked to order. The emphasis is very much on homemade, from the gorgeous chutneys to chef’s own pastrami and chorizo.

You can book the dining room or just grab a table around the bar area to enjoy great food with good drinks and atmosphere to match. In summer the pretty roof terrace plays host to alfresco dining, or is a great place to just sit, relax and enjoy a glass of wine.

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Price

Starter & tapas from £4.50, main from £8.95, dessert £4.95

Drinks

Cask ales, continental lagers, wines, spirits, cocktails, teas & coffees

Sample Menu Tapas

Beer-braised chicken, patatas bravas, calamari rings, crispy fried halloumi and tomato salad Main 8oz local rump of beef with roasted vine tomato, buttered field mushrooms, peppercorn butter, Tewkesbury mustard Dessert Warm chocolate brownie with pistachio and white fudge ice-cream.

pen O Tue-Wed 12noon-11.30pm, Thur 11am-12midnight, Fri 11am-12.30am, Sat 11am-12.30am, Sun 12noon-11pm, closed Mon. Food served all day. (Wi-Fi, table football, darts, table tennis and more…)

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Profiles

Meals.co.uk Order online W: www.meals.co.uk

Posh nosh takeaway

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eals.co.uk is a unique Bristolbased, online takeaway and delivery service that provides great-quality food direct to your door from your favourite restaurants that don’t normally deliver. So don’t settle for a poor takeaway again - choose meals. co.uk instead!

Having only started in 2012, Meals.co.uk is rapidly becoming a Bristol institution. It serves great food from more than 20 quality Bristol restaurants, with a choice of eight different types of cuisine.

Whether you fancy Thai, sushi, Italian, Caribbean, Indian, British, gourmet burgers or Lebanese, getting restaurant-quality food delivered to your door couldn’t be easier. Simply order online at Meals.co.uk, monitor your order as it’s cooked, and then enjoy as it’s delivered to your door.

Meals.co.uk was born out of the idea that people love the food served in quality local restaurants but that a standard takeaway just doesn’t live up to expectations.

If you’re looking for a night in with a takeaway, don’t settle for second best again. Search through their extensive list of restaurants and choose your favourite, then decide which great dishes you’d like to order.

Whether you’re looking for a romantic night in, a feast with friends or dinner-party catering, Meals.co.uk has everything you need. What’s more, Meals.co.uk

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only serves local restaurants that don’t have a delivery service you’re guaranteed great food every time. So what are you waiting for? Order online at Meals. co.uk and never settle for a poor takeaway again!

Price

See website for full food & drinks listings and prices.

Eating Out West 2013 5/24/2013 12:32:39 PM

Profiles

The Mothers’ Ruin 7-9 St Nicholas St, Bristol, BS1 1UE T: 07546 082009

Party bar with live music and DJs at its heart

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right red, and spread over three levels, The Mothers’ Ruin has spent the last four years establishing itself as Bristol’s top alternative party bar/madhouse, specialising in super sweaty aural delights (rock and roll, pop, disco...). Open from 12noon to 2am every day except Sunday, you can expect to see and listen to everything from international touring bands to the best local talent.

People from around the world who have graced the upstairs stage in the past few years include: Hans Chew (US), Monotonix (Israel), Pinky Doodle Poodle (Japan), Ex Models (US), Final Flash (Canada), Justice Yeldham (Aus), The Morlocks (US), as well as homegrown talent such as: David Gedge (The Wedding Present), The Masonics (ex Thee Headcoates), Dan Le Sac, Shield Your Eyes, Howlin’ Lord, Wild Palms and The Kabeedies,

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Drinks

Ales, lager and cider from £3 pen O Mon-Sat 12noon-2am, Sun 6pm-12.30am.

amongst many more. There are bands three times a week or more, and DJ nights (including O.C.D, Distinguished Gentleman's Drinking Club & POW! POW!) every Friday and Saturday night.

New to 2011 is the recently opened Berlin-style squat bar in the basement, which is now open most weekends: go downstairs to find proper underground beats and tunes. Drinks start from £2 every day of the week.

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Profiles

The Muset 12-16 Clifton Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1AF T: 0117 973 7248 W: www.themuset.com, Twitter @TheMuset

Award-winning fine dining in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere

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he Muset is the epitome of a modern British restaurant.

A much-loved fixture on the Clifton dining scene, The Muset enjoys an unrivalled reputation for the highest-quality cooking and most attentive service.

On entering the restaurant, you’ll find boldly patterned wallpaper, bar-style furnishings and retro fixtures and fittings. “We offer a relaxed, laidback atmosphere and top-drawer fine dining,” says restaurant manager Jonathan Bowker. “It’s the best of the best - and at affordable prices. For instance, right now you can enjoy a fixed-price lunch menu of two courses for £10 or three courses for £13, including a glass of wine.”

An army of loyal, returning Bristol customers keep this very special restaurant busy six days a week. Meanwhile, visitors from far and wide make the pilgrimage to sample head chef Jethro Lawrence’s latest delights. For special occasions, consider booking the fascinating Chef’s Table. You’ll be able to watch the kitchen at work and get a glimpse into the restaurant’s engine room.

Said the reviewer from Bristol Bites: ‘I described a recent meal at Clifton’s The Muset as “the best meal I’ve had in a long time”. There is no word of a lie in this statement - it was a rare evening where food, drink, service and atmosphere combined seamlessly to provide the kind of dining experience that I’d more than happily enjoy on a regular basis.’

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Price

ALC: starter £8-£11, main £17£21

Drinks

The Muset’s well-stocked cellar is on display to the public, with wines from £18.50-£200 btl. More than 20 wines available by the glass & carafe

Sample Menu (from fixedprice dinner menu, 3 courses £22) Starter Shitake ravioli, dashi broth & soft herbs Main Venison merguez, chick peas, spinach & fromage blanc Dessert ‘Peanut butter & jelly’

pen O Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12.30-2.30pm, closed Mon

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Profiles

Renato's Taverna dell Artista 33 King St, Bristol BS1 4DZ Tel 0117 929 7712 E: info@renatos.net

Legendary late-night destination since the 70s

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sk anybody who’s connected with the arts in Bristol where Renato’s is and they’ll be able to tell you more about it than just its location. To artists and theatre-goers alike, the warm and welcome hospitality here makes Renato’s Taverna dell’Artista the natural destination for pre-show eating or late-night socialising. The place is, quite simply, legendary.

La Taverna, just a few doors up from the Old Vic, occupies the oldest building in King Street, dating from the 17th century. It has a unique atmosphere that stretches out over two floors: downstairs, the bar is the ideal location for quiet early-evening conversation, before later developing a shoulderto-shoulder party feel as the pizzas fly from table to table, the food providing a fabulous accompaniment to the general bonhomie.

There is a wide range of bottled beer from Poland, Belgium and Germany and, of course, Italy, including the award winning Menabrea lager from Biella, Piedmont in Northern Italy. Upstairs – known as “Upstairs At Renato’s” (for booking purposes) – is perfect for all sorts of parties.

Renowned for their flexibility and sense of fun, Renato’s caters for birthday parties, formal/informal weddings, book launches, with bar and disco etc. So whether you’re nipping in for a good drink or a pizza downstairs, or holding a party upstairs, Renato’s is just the right place for enjoying the best of company.

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Price

Pizzas from £8.50 Dessert from £3.95 Coffee available

Drinks

Extensive wine list, continental beers. House wine £14.50 btl pen O Pizza Bar TueSat 5.30pm-2am Private parties “Upstairs at Renatos” bookings Mon-Sun

Eating Out West 2013 5/24/2013 12:48:02 PM

Profiles

The River Grille Prince St, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 4QF T: 0117 923 0333 E: bristol@doylecollection.com W: www.doylecollection.com

Using ingredients that shine for themselves…

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ocated along the river on Narrow Quay, The River Grille is a short walk from such sights as Arnolfini, Bristol Old Vic, the ss Great Britain and the Floating Harbour.

Guests can gaze at the waterfront over a drink from the fully stocked cocktail bar before ordering from a menu that changes with the seasons.

The beef is 21-day dry-aged and, like the pork and lamb, sourced via local butcher Ruby and White.

From the recently extended grill section, try pork T-bone with apple sauce, crispy sage and crackling, or barnsley lamb chop with devilled kidneys, alongside steaks cooked to your taste. For vegetarians, basil and lemon gnocchi or spinach and feta pithivier are sure to please.

And the dessert menu is pure temptation, with palette-tickling flavour combinations - try white wine-poached pear tart tartin with earl grey tea ice-cream, or go traditional with classic treacle tart and milk ice-cream. If cheese is more your thing, the ever-changing selection of West Country cheeses with Bramley apple chutney and oatcakes is sure to hit the spot.

For a more casual experience, the Shore Cafe Bar boasts chic decor and a waterfront patio - perfect for relaxing with a cocktail or sharing some tapas with friends and colleagues. The luxurious Bristol Hotel, a member of The Doyle Collection, offers fabulous bedrooms, as well as a stunning

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Price

Starter from £5.95, main from £10.95, dessert from £5.95

Drinks

Meetings and Events Centre suitable for any occasion.

Sample Menu Starter

Cured fillet of Loch Duart salmon, fennel, Brixham crab and avocado cream Main Trio of Wiltshire pork (loin, slow-roast belly and faggot), braised cabbage and sage mash Dessert Marinated pineapple with nougatine parfait

Full cocktail bar. Wine from £19.50 btl, £5 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 6.30-10am, Sat-Sun 7.30-11am.

Lunch: Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm (currently only available for parties of 10+, pre-booking required), Sat-Sun 12noon-2.30pm.

Dinner: Sun-Thur 6.30-10pm, Fri-Sat 6.30-10.30pm

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advertorial

Cabot Circus…

A Foodie Destination web: www.cabotcircus.com

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abot Circus is widely known as the South West’s fashion capital but it also houses some of the tastiest places to eat and drink in Bristol, including finedining restaurants that will please even the most serious foodie.

Whether you like your food served in a fast and fun setting, or want something special for a romantic dinner or night out with the girls, Cabot Circus can help. With 34 restaurants, cafes and food shops, Cabot Circus is one place where you’ll never go hungry!

Bon Appétit!

If French fare is your thing, Cabot Circus has plenty to offer - from moules to mille-feuille! Topping the line-up is Brasserie Blanc, set within a stunning grade I listed building in the Quakers Friars area of Cabot Circus. The food is simple yet high quality, using local and seasonal produce.

Café Rouge is another favourite the interior takes you right back to holidays in France.

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Viva Italia Cabot Circus boasts one of the best Italian offers in Bristol, which includes Piccolino - a great mix of traditional and modern recipes in chic surroundings.

There’s also an outdoor terrace, perfect for the warmer months.

You’ll find Carluccio’s across the square in Quakers Friars, with a newly refurbished restaurant, cafe and food shop, and a large alfresco area.

A Date with Friends For Eastern flavours, head to Yo Sushi! or Tampopo. Both restaurants are perfect for meeting friends, and offer some of the best noodles and teriyaki in the city. Other great casual dining spots include Giraffe and Gourmet Burger Kitchen - and TGI Friday’s when the restaurant opens during summer 2013.

Something Special?

For a special treat, the two AA rosette-winning Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant offers a gourmet menu created by head chef Louise McCrimmon. Harvey Nichols also features a stylish bar area, with an extensive selection of cocktails and an award-winning wine list.

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Profiles

Stag and Hounds 74 Old Market St, Bristol, BS2 0EJ T: 07546 082009 T: Facebook page

A taste of the Med in downtown Bristol

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aken over in June 2011, and now being run by the team behind Mother’s Ruin and Three Sugar Loaves, The Stag and Hounds is the latest addition to a burgeoning little family. Situated in Old Market, this 17th-century gem has been overlooked and unloved for a long time, subjected to long periods of neglect and forlorn abandonment. But the new team took pity on it and plan to raise it back up to its former glory. They have pretty much everything you want from a pub like this: log fires in the winter, a roof terrace for the summer sun. The plan for this beautiful old building is simple: good food, good ale, good times! The decor will be relaxed – the type of place you can lose a bit of time in – and the menu will be fresh, local and full of things you want to share with your mates. Think lazy days on the coast of the Med in summer; cosy and warm in front of a log fire in the winter; full of flavour and warm inside. For a lazy day

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Price

Mains around £6.50-£7.50

Drinks

Local ales and ciders, imported lagers from £3 per pint, house wine £12.50 per btl or a long boozy night, this is the place for you: you are in safe hands.

There’s also a 17th-century courtroom on the first floor of the pub, decked out, ceiling to floor, in nice old oak panels, ready for your meeting, birthday or wedding party: hire it off them and they will treat you like royalty – or criminals if you prefer!

pen O Sun-Thur 10am-12midnight, Fri-Sat 10am-1am, food served till 8pm

Sample Menu Mains Pork and chorizo burger with fries and salsa; Matador platter, chorizo skewers, black pudding, grilled haloumi; homemade corned beef hash Eating Out West 2012 5/24/2013 12:36:48 PM

Profiles

The Thali Cafe 1 Regent St, Clifton, BS8 4HW T: 0117 974 3793; 64-66 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH T: 0117 951 4979; 12 York Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5Q T: 0117 942 6687; 1 William St, Totterdown, BS3 4TU T: 0117 933 2955 W: www.thethalicafe.co.uk

Authentic Indian street food at fantasic prices

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he Thali Cafe is a national-awardwinning micro-chain with a passion for the authentic flavours of India. Inspired by travels to the subcontinent, it’s defined by strong ethical values, serving seasonal, local and organic food - better for you and for the planet.

A Bristol food-scene innovator, the Thali Cafe established the tiffin as a takeaway essential and has gone on to launch a brand new daytime menu that’s light, fresh and fast.

‘India by Day’ features chapatti wraps, summer super salads, Bombay potato chips, and cooling kulfi ice-cream in astounding flavours such as Choc-Praline Cluster. The much-loved evening menu centres on carefully spiced signature thalis: southern fish curry, mogul chicken, dairy-free or vegetarian, all served with rice, salad and homemade chutneys.

The Thali Cafe uses the finest-quality ingredients: head chefs Ramesh, Asha and Prasad prepare everything in-house, from Indian snacks and pakoras to mango lassies and India’s ubiquitous chai. The drinks list ranges from organic wines and local brewery beers to fantastic coffee from the Monmouth Coffee Company. The restaurants provide opportunities to work, with full Wi-Fi available. The Thali Cafe now has four restaurants across the city, located in thriving local high streets, supporting fellow independent retailers and diverse communities.

In summer 2012 the Thali Cafe hits the road on an annual pilgrimage to fuel thousands of hungry festival-goers, from Bristol’s fabulous Harbourside Festival and BrisFest to further afield at Hop Farm, Secret Garden, Camp Bestival, Wilderness Festival, Boomtown, Green Man and Shambala.

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Price

Starter £4.25, main from £7.95, dessert £3.50. Tiffin takeaway from £8.50

Drinks

Bristol Beer Factory ales, organic wines, Kingfisher Beer

Sample Menu Starter

Coriander & lime potato bondas Main Thali: Goan fish curry, butternut squash & red pepper subji, tomato & tamarind chutney, Keralan salad & pilau rice Dessert Stem ginger kulfi

pen O Clifton: daily 12noon-closeEaston: daily 10am-close.

Montpelier: Mon-Fri 6pm–close, Sat-Sun 10am–close. Totterdown: daily 6pm-close

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Profiles

Three Sugar Loaves 1 Christmas Steps, Bristol, BS1 5BS T: 0117 329 2523

City centre ale house given a new lease of life

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art of the burgeoning Mother’s Ruin family, this historic pub was given a new lease of life in March 2012. A former sugar house and sweet shop dating back to the 1600s now has new life as a premium city centre ale house. Tucked away at the bottom of the historic Christmas Steps, its warm and cosy atmosphere is enhanced by the multitude of nooks and crannies to settle into and the traditional wood burner still in the middle of the room. Full of history (look out for the original brick-built sugar oven still situated behind the bar), the pub is split onto two levels: the top level that used to house the Gaiety tea theatre in the early 1900s is now a home for quality acoustic music and dining, and the bottom level a home for quality real ales and ciders. There are three real ales permanently on the bar as well as guest ales from local and countrywide craft breweries and real ciders served from the barrel behind the bar. Food is served daily from 12noon to 8pm and is all produced on the premises, using local and seasonal ingredients where available. There is a full range of handmade gourmet burgers as well as more standard pub fare such as fish & chips and corned beef hash. A must to try is the traditional Hungarian goulash made to a family recipe by the Hungarian chef.

Price

Mains around £7.50

Drinks

Local ales and ciders, imported lagers from £3 per pint, house wine £12.50 per btl pen O Sun-Thur 12noon-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am, food served till 8pm

Sample Menu Mains

Handmade beef rendang burger with fries and lime dressing; pork and cider apple burger; homemade carrot and celeriac bake with salad.

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Profiles

Tiffins 151 St Michaels Hill, High Kingsdown, Bristol BS2 8DB T:0117 973 4834 E: info@tiffins-bristol.com W: www.tiffins-bristol.com

This place doesn't have customers, it has friends

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heir coriander, chilli & coconut chutney is worth the trip to Bristol alone,’ wrote The Guardian of this friendly St Michaels Hill eatery. BBC Radio 4 agrees, naming Tiffins one of the UK’s top three takeaways in its 2010 Food and Farming Awards.

Fast food isn’t usually fine food, but Tiffins isn’t a typical takeaway. Nick and Jay Jethwa have served authentic Gujarati cuisine here since 2003: the genuine western Indian article, cooked using health-promoting spices and much less oil.

Using their microwaveable or ovenproof containers, you can heat and eat, or freeze dishes for future enjoyment. They’re all prepared daily and changed regularly – with seven vegetarian and two meat options, you can stock up on a week’s dinners in one visit. Alternatively, cafe-style seating means that Jay and Nick can serve your selection hot, accompanied by wine or lager and the warmest of company, as you admire the cafe’s distinctive wall mural by internationally acclaimed artist Nick Walker. They also provide outside catering – from house parties for 10 to celebrations for 150.

The Evening Post’s Mark Taylor wrote: ‘This is Indian food as it’s eaten in India – light, fragrant, aromatic and fresh, rather than heavy, rich and swimming in oil.’ Venue’s verdict? ‘The only problem with Tiffins is the choice – it’s nearly impossible to resist everything they make. The homecooked freshness and skillful use of flavours stand out from the run-of-the-mill Indian takeaway. Now in their 10th year, this place doesn't have customers, it has friends.'

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Price

Main £6.00£7.00, sundries 40p£1.85, dessert £1.35, meal deals (for two) £16.00-£17.00

Drinks

Selection of beers, wines, soft drinks & wine pen O Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 4.30-9pm

Sample Menu Main Saag

paneer & toor dahl with peanut and coconut, rice or chapattis Dessert Homemade kulfi (mango or mixed nuts with saffron)

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Key PRICE GUIDE DRINKS GUIDE OPENING TIMES AL FRESCO DINING AVAILABLE

Bath PROFILES

THE INFORMATION FOR PROFILES HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY THE RESTAURANT. SEE PAGE 6 FOR MORE DETAILS.

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Profiles

The Catherine Wheel 39 High St, Marshfield, nr Bath, Wilts SN14 8LR T: 01225 892220 E:roo@thecatherinewheel.co.uk W: www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk

Pub with a buzz - and great food

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his grade l-listed 17th century coaching inn, at the gateway to the Cotswolds, a few miles north of Bath, is the centre of many pleasurable countryside walks. Always a pub with a buzz, the Wheel is highly regarded for its traditional homecooked meals, freshly prepared and using local produce whenever possible.

Savoury feta cheesecake with roasted tomato salad is just one of the tempting dishes on the seasonally changing lunch menu.

Chef Chris Hicks has a passion for food; he runs the kitchen with enthusiasm and flair - and his servings are never less than generous. His scrumptious steak & kidney pie is especially popular, as are his Sunday roasts, including succulent beef with yorkshire pudding. Eat in the elegant dining room, the pleasant, sunny courtyard or at a table by the fire in the bar (book ahead for weekends and Sunday lunch).

Well-kept real ales include the local Cotswold Spring Brewery’s award winning Stunner, and there’s a comprehensive wine list. If you fancy staying overnight, there are four very comfortable ensuite bedrooms, and the breakfasts are superb.

It’s a great party venue, too, and has excellent conference room facilities, with free Wi-Fi, projector and screen. Half-day or full-day hire can include breakfast, lunch or evening meal (see website for more details).

Eating Out West 2013 P39.indd 39

Price

Lunch from £4.75, eve ALC from £11.25, Sun roast £9.75

Drinks

Huge choice, inc Butcombe Bitter.

Wines from £3.95 gls

Sample Menu Starter

pen O Daily 12noon11pm. Food served Mon-Fri 12 noon2pm & 6.30-9pm, Sat 12 noon-3pm & 6.30-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-3pm & 6-8.30pm

Sundried tomato bruschetta topped with avocado & basil salad Main Pork tenderloin with apricot & coriander stuffing and honey soy sauce Dessert Chocolate & strawberry cheesecake

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Profiles

Jimmy’s World Grill & Bar 6-8 Dorchester St, Bath BA1 1SS T:01225 426802 W: www.jimmysworldgrill.co.uk

Offering the world on a plate...

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Jimmy’s World Grill and Bar is the ultimate dining destination, offering an all-you-can-eat concept with cuisines from all around the world. Jimmy’s World Grill promises to offer a fresh and unique take on all-you-can-eat dining, with all food freshly prepared twice a day, for both lunch and dinner service.

The restaurant’s team of highly trained and experienced chefs bring both skills and passion to the kitchen. The talented team produce some of the world’s favourite foods, including Italian, Mexican, Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Indian.

From fajitas, green Thai vegetable curry and pasta in an al formaggi sauce to freshly tossed pizza and sushi, the choice that you’ll find on offer here is endless.

All the desserts at Jimmy’s World Grill are made fresh on site by the inhouse chefs – and, in true Jimmy’s style, they offer that bit extra with the amazing ice-cream teppanyaki station. Choose your favourite icecream and condiments, from Oreos to pistachios, and then watch the chefs create your sweet treat for you on the spot.

Sample Menu Starter Greek salad Main Live noodle

station - choose your favourite noodles, fresh vegetables, meats and sauces Dessert Ice-cream teppanyaki

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Price

Buffets: MonFri lunch £7.99, SatSun lunch £10.99, Sun-Wed dinner £13.99, Thur-Sat dinner £15.99. Ages 11 & under half price, ages 4 and under free

Drinks

Wines, cocktails, beers, ciders & soft drinks Open Lunch: MonFri 12noon-3pm, SatSun 12noon-5pm.

Dinner: Sun-Wed 5-10pm, Thur-Sat 5-11pm

Eating Out West 2013 5/24/2013 12:57:44 PM

Profiles

The Oakhill Inn Fosse Rd, Oakhill (near Radstock), Somerset BA3 5HU T:01749 840442 E: info@theoakhillinn.com W:www.theoakhillinn.com

Traditional inn with truly seasonal menus

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he Oakhill Inn was bought by Charlie and Amanda Digney six years ago, since when they’ve refurbished the pub and ancillary accommodation to create an inn in the traditional sense, with five ensuite B&B rooms, a fantastic dining room and lively bar. Head chef Neil Creece recently won an AA rosette for culinary excellence.

The pub serves great real ale and has an interesting wine list. As big sister to the King William and the Garrick’s Head, it provides the same exacting standards of service, both front and back of house.

This is a great place for Sunday lunch, a mini break or just fish & chips and a pint on a quiet evening.

Head chef Neil stays true to their ethos of ‘local food tastes better’: truly seasonal menus boast dairy products and free-range eggs from Midway Farm (2.5 miles), organic beef from David Perkins (as seen from the car park) and free-range chicken and guinea fowl from Otter Valley Farm. All their meat and poultry is free-range or organic, as supplied by Larkhall Butchers, and seafood is delivered daily from the Cornish coast by Wing of St Mawes.

Everything including fantastic freshly baked bread is made on the premises.

Neil has won further national recognition in the Gastropub Challenge at the Earls Court Restaurant Show. His skill and dedication shine through in his menus - dinner here is an experience that you definitely won’t forget, and it’s backed up by great value for money.

Sample Menu Starter

Mussels steamed in local cider with

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Price

Starter from £4.95, main from £9.95, dessert £5.95

Drinks

Wine £15 btl, £3.85 gls. Guest ales from £3.20

fresh cream and herbs Main Grilled rump of lamb, seasonal vegetables, dauphinoise potatoes, green sauce Dessert Hot chocolate pot with Midway Farm cream

pen O Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-11pm (12midnight Fri), Sat 12noon12midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm. Food daily 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm

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Profiles

The Tasting Room 6 Green Street, Bath BA1 2JY T: 01225 483 070 W: www.tastingroom.co.uk

Independent Wine Merchant Wines & Spirits to suit every occaison

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his city-centre brasserie, cafe-bar and wine shop is owned and run by Will Baber, Bath’s independent wine merchant. The brasserie/cafe-bar is a hidden gem, tucked away on the first floor above the wine shop, with a great local following. Track it down and you’ll find stylish, informal surroundings, with a small secluded terrace for the summer months.

A modern brasserie-style tapas and plates menu runs alongside a wide selection of directly imported wines, unusual spirits and singleestate coffees and teas, offering the opportunity to eat at any time of the day or night. Lazy brunch is available on Saturday and Sunday, with food, coffee and wine served all day, every day, and five nights of the week, too.

An extensive wine list, imported direct from the grower, offers a large and ever-changing selection by the glass. Private dining, with exclusive use, is available for up to 25 people.

Sample Menu Tapas Braised lamb croquettes with aubergine, roast

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Price

Tapas £4.90£9.50 (3 dishes £10).

Small plates £7.50£11. Larger plates £11.50-£16.50. Pretheatre: 2 £11.95, 3 £14.95 (Mon-Sat 5-7pm)

Drinks

Extensive wine list. HW approx £16.50 btl pen O Cafe-bar/ brasserie: Mon 10.30am-4.30pm, Tue-Sat 10.30am11pm, Sun 10.30am4.30pm garlic and mint Large plate Pan-roast breast and confit leg of guinea fowl with a sweetcorn veloute, pearl barley and girolles Dessert Limoncello iced parfait with poached strawberries + gingersnaps

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Profiles

The Tramshed Beehive Yard, Bath BA1 5BD T: 01255 421200 T:@tramshedpub W: www.thetramshedbath.co.uk

Top-notch food in fabulously contemporary surroundings

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Fabulously edgy and always high quality, the Tramshed brings something truly stand-out to the city of Bath. It’s been taken on by a group of young entrepreneurs who’ve transformed the place into somewhere you really want to be. In the dining room (shabby mismatched furniture, fantastic feature pieces) or on the gorgeous alfresco dining patio, enjoy perfected pub classics with elements of the Mediterranean woven in, alongside an impressive range of wines, super-chilled beers, soft drinks and cocktails.

Fresh produce is at the heart of the menu’s vast range of dishes, from homebaked pizzas, classic fish & chips and generous salads to daily chef specials. “You can come here with your partner, work colleagues or a party - even your granny!” says head chef Jack Denning. Whether you choose their Prix Fixe Menu (two courses £11.95, three £15.45) or a full-on three-course celebration meal, this is top-notch food and drink in a relaxed, enjoyable setting. There’s a DJ in the bar on Fridays, and a gourmet burger menu. And don’t miss the live music on Sunday evenings, with a pizza and cocktail offer.

The Tramshed team are tremendously proud of their wine selection, and with good reason (don’t miss the exciting themed wine evenings, first Tuesday of the month).

They’ve worked closely with their global wine partners to develop their very own exclusive Tramshed original blends, so rest assured you’re not being served anything but the best a sentiment that rings true for every

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Price

Starter £4.25-£7.95, main £7.95-£17.95, dessert £5.25-£6.95

Drinks

Extensive list inc champagnes, cask ales, cocktails.

House wine from £14.95 btl, £3.95 gls

aspect of this beautifully unique city pub.

pen O Daily from 9am, dining room from 12noon

Sample Menu Starter

Pancetta hash (savoy cabbage, pancetta lardons, potato with bechamel sauce, free-range hen’s egg, crispy pancetta) Main Lamb rump (oven-roasted, with soubise sauce, asparagus, peas, chorizo dauphinoise) Dessert Sticky toffee pudding with Italian vanilla gelato.

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Profiles

Whatley Manor Hotel and Spa Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wilts SN16 0RB T: 01666 822888 E: reservations@whatleymanor.com W: www.whatleymanor.com

Classic French food that bursts with flavour and originality

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ristol-born award-winning chef Martin Burge oversees both of the restaurants at Whatley Manor: The Dining Room and Le Mazot, the informal Swiss interior-style brasserie. The Dining Room offers an elegant, intimate atmosphere combined with exceptional food, highly rated by the Michelin Guide with two Michelin stars.

From the exquisite canapés, amuse-bouche, starters, mains and desserts to the additional courses in between, each course is triumphant.

The service is professional and friendly; you get the impression that nothing is ever too much bother - even the request to take the delightful petit-fours home at the end of the evening. Wines are chosen from a substantial and international wine list featuring top growers from around the world. The sommelier is well versed to advise which wines pair perfectly with each course.

One of the ways to get your taste-bud’s accustomed to Burge’s cuisine is to opt for the more casual brasserie, Le Mazot, featuring seasonal food and whenever possible sourced locally, served in a casual brasserie setting. When the weather is fine dine alfresco on the Kitchen Garden Terrace. Set lunch menus from £19. Whichever restaurant you choose there’s one thing for certain: your first visit will not be your last.

Look out for special events, including

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Price

The Dining Room: £79 a la carte menu, £99 for the 7-course tasting menu, £159 tasting menu with wine. Le Mazot: Light lunch from £19. 3-course Sunday lunch £29

Drinks

Sunday cinema, jazz, cookery master classes, wine and dine events.

Sample Menu Starter

Pig’s cheekBraised in Thai spices, served with caramelised Obsiblue prawn tails and shellfish purée MainFillet of veal poached and roasted served with slow braised cheek, textures of hazelnuts, caramelised sweetbread and Madeira sauce Dessert Prune and orange soufflé Served with prune and Armagnac ice cream

Expert wine list of popular and lesser known wines.

Wines served by the glass £5.50. pen O Wed to Sun from 7pm last orders 9.30pm. Le Mazot 12 noon to 2pm and 7pm to 10pm daily.

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COME DINE WITH US Set in the Mansion House at Hartham Park; you’ll find a restaurant of real distinction. The a la cart menu is expertly crafted by Head Chef Anthony Radford-Hancock, and features classic European dishes with a modern twist all based around local ingredients. For occasions that demand the best; reserve one of our private dining rooms for a truly exclusive dining experience.

FOR LUNCH FOR DINNER FOR EVERYONE

01249 700 100 I www.harthampark.com I Hartham Park Corsham Wiltshire SN13 0RP

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Listings AFROCARIBBEANCHINESEAMERI CANBARSENGLISHFRENCHGREEK &TURKISHFISHEUROPEAN&MEDITE RRANEANINDIAN&NEPLESEITALIA NCAFESJAPANESEPUBSANGLOFR ENCHNORTHAFRICAN&MIDDLEE ASTERNSPECIALISTFOODSHOPSVE GETARIANSPANISH&PORTUGEUSE

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LISTINGS, SEE PAGES 5, 6 & 8.

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Restaurants AMERICAN

Afro-Caribbean Bristol PLANTATION CARIBBEAN BAR & RESTAURANT 223 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 907 7932, web: www.plantationrestaurant.biz ■ A Bristol staple ever since its 2003 opening, and a must-visit for all those inclined towards jerk chicken, goat curry and similarly tastebud-tantalising Caribbean cuisine. Indeed, it’s a one-stop immersive cultural experience, what with the full programme of live music, art on the walls and open mic on Wednesdays. Just check those weekend opening hours - those looking for hushed meals for two are recommended to try another night! Sign up for regular email updates, which may include one of Bev’s favourite recipes. Price ALC (Thur only): £4.35£4.95/£11.95-£14.95/£3.50-£5.50. Buffet (Fri-Sat): £12.95 per plate, £17.95 all you can eat Wine list HW £14.50 btl, £4.10 gls Open Tue-Thur 6pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 6pm-3am, Sun 6pm-12midnight. Disabled access & toilet. Parties 20+ welcome. Available for private hire. Home delivery menu - see website.

Takeaway 10% discount.

RICE AND THINGS 120 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5RW Tel: 0117 924 4832, web: www.riceandthings.co.uk ■ The fact their own-brand jerk seasoning flies off the shelves tells you a lot you need to know about the authenticity of this Jamaican delight. Branatic Neufville learned plenty at his grandma’s apron

One-stop immersive cultural experience Plantation

strings, as first evidenced to the world by his ‘hole in the wall’ takeaway. Nowadays he’s a big noise in grown-up restaurant world - Mr Oliver popped by here in the West Country episode of Jamie’s Great Britain, having got wind of the splendid Jamaican and Guyanese cooking (and some scrumpy). Plenty of vegetarian and vegan choices, and homemade Jamaican wines. Price ALC (5.30-10pm): £3-£3.50/£6£17/£2-£5. Sandwiches made to order (£4), lunch £7/£8 takeaway. Wine list Jamaican spirits/cocktails, Red Stripe, Guinness Open Mon-Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 11am-8pm. Disabled access & toilet. Parties welcome - call in adv. Outside catering.

NEW TURTLE BAY 8 Broad Quay, BS1 4DA Tel: 0117 9290209, web: www.turtlebay.co.uk ■ The latest in the four-strong chain of Caribbean eateries opened in April 2013. And, frankly, not before time - after all, it was co-founded by Ajith Jaya-Wickrema, one of the pair behind founded-inBristol franchise Las Iguanas. They promise a range of food from across the islands - in contrast to the oft Jamaican-centric fare elsewhere - with an emphasis on sharing. You’ll find everything from tasty nibbles (spiced grilled corn cob, spiced chickpeas) to heartier dishes such as jerk salmon and studded lamb. Big on cocktails, too (rum in particular, of course).

Price Lunch: all dishes £6. ALC £2.25-£4.95/£9.50£14.95/£4.85 Wine list Worldy range, all £16.25 btl, £3.95 gls Open Mon-Wed 11.30am-11pm, Thur 11.30am-12midnight, Fri-Sat 11.30am-1am, Sun 11.30am-10.30pm. Takeaway 10% off.

American Bristol BURGER JOINT 83 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT Tel: 0117 329 0887, web: www.theburgerjoint.co.uk ■ Nominated for Best Burger at the Bristol Good Food Awards and, since August, shifting operations from Cotham Hill to these larger premises. Good times, then, for owner, Dan Bekhradnia: “The meat that we source is very important to us. It’s the key. We use as high-quality beef as possible... the butcher we use is a specialist - they sell three grades of beef mince and we obviously go for the best one.” And then tower them high in the most spectacular burgers you’ll have seen in your life, as our food editor discovered: ‘On each table was a pad of forms, a multiple-choice test of your ability to design a “luxury homemade” burger from six

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Restaurants AMERICAN different patties (including two vegetarian options), six toppings and nine sauces. There’s a half-dozen choices of sides, too, including homemade chips and onion rings. The BJ have rolled back 40 years of processed atrocity and given life back to their chosen specialty.’ Keep an eye on their Facebook page. Price Burgers from £7.50 inc one side, extra topping 80p or three for £1.95. Afternoon Meal Deal (weekdays 3-5pm): £4.95 burger & side. Lunch (Mon-Fri 12noon3pm): £7.50 for any burger, 2 sauces, 1 side, any drink Wine list HW £12.95 btl, £3.50 gls Open Sun-Tue 12noon-10.30pm, Wed-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11.30pm. Takeaway.

CHOPHOUSE RESTAURANT & BAR Future Inn Cabot Circus Hotel, Bond St South, BS1 3EN Tel 0845 094 5588, web: www.futureinns.co.uk/ restaurant-bar-bristol ■ Yes, OK, we’re talking Canadian heritage - please don’t send letters, Canucks - but the Chophouse is distinctly North American enough for inclusion here: steaks and chops chargrilled over mesquite wood chips to give a deliciously smoky flavour, with plenty of fresh fish and vegetarian options. Lunch menu goes big on light bites - and some more substantial fare available - with prices ranging from £4-£12. Price ALC: £4-£9/£8-£20/£4-£6 Wine list Extensive, wellchosen. HW £15 btl, £4 gls Open Daily. Disabled access & full facilities. Parties/group bookings welcome - call in adv.

FRANKIE & BENNY’S NEW YORK ITALIAN Unit SU 83b, Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3NX Tel: 0117 954 9800 The Venue, Merlin Rd, Cribbs Causeway, BS10 7SR Tel: 0117 959 1180 Hengrove Leisure Park, Hengrove Way, BS14 0HR Tel: 01275 834725 Aspects Leisure Park, Longwell Green, BS15 9LA Tel: 0117 947 4680, Unit 5, Kingsmead Leisure Complex, Bath BA1 2BX Tel: 01225 465067 Flowerdown Retail Park, Aisecome Way, Weston super Mare, BS22 8FD Tel: 01934 637739, web: www.frankieandbennys.com ■ They might go big in downhome Italian and American cooking (‘just like Mamma used to make it’), but never without an eye to modernity - you’ll find free Wi-Fi across the board. All the better, of course, to keep up to date with the latest cinema times - each Bristol and Bath outlet stands in the shadow of a multiplex. Deport yourself in a booth and choose from burgers, freshly cooked pasta, steaks and BBQ ribs, or light and crispy pizzas. Popular with teens and families - a special kids’ menu starts at £3.95.

Egg-and-bacon-type breakfasts for a fiver. Price ALC:

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£4.25-£5.95/£8.45-£20.95/£3.55-£4.75 Wine list HW £15.95 btl, £4.15 gls Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm. Disabled access good: all on one level, disabled toilet. Takeaway. Parties 20+ welcome.

GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN Glass Walk, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BT Tel: 0117 927 9997 74 Park St, BS1 5JX Tel: 0117 316 9162, web: www.gbk.co.uk ■ New-school burger chain - 100% beef, sourced from independent West Country farms, etc - that’s grown rather swiftly from its Battersea beginnings in 2001.

Buns and sauces are all homemade, there’s a small selection of nibbles to keep you occupied till the main event arrives, and a dedicated kids’ menu. Servings are massive, but do try the chunky-cut potato wedges or homemade onion rings on the side. Big online presence via Facebook and Twitter, if you’re into that kind of thing. Price Burger £6.70-£11.95, side approx £3 Wine list HW £13.95 btl Open Cabot Circus: MonSat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-9pm. Park St: Sun-Thur 11am-10pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Takeaway. Parties - book in adv.

ROCOTILLOS 1 Queens Row, Triangle South, Clifton, BS8 1EZ Tel: 0117 929 7207 ■ Like walking onto the set of American Graffiti - this is pure 1950s-style US dine, with spinning stools at the counter and an assemblage of old school booths.

And then there’s the menu: triple-decker sandwiches, quesadillas, huge homemade 100% beefburgers, fluffy pancakes, muffins and, of course, triple-X milkshakes.

Note, too, that portion sizes are rather more what you’d expect to find on the far side of the Atlantic.

Breakfasts are a made-to-order speciality, and served all day. Freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juice, too. And it’s worth joining the Early Morning Breakfast Club - we are, after all, talking about a place that won an Observer Food Monthly award for Best Breakfast in the UK. Price Breakfast £3.25-£8.95, main £4.50£8.45 Wine list HW £11.95 btl, £3.45 gls Open Mon-Wed 8am-5pm, Thur-Sat 8am-9pm (sometimes later), Sun & bank hols 10am-5pm. Disabled access.

Takeaway.

TGI FRIDAY’S The Venue, Lysander Rd, Cribbs Causeway, BS10 7UB Tel: 0844 692 0275, web: www.tgifridays.co.uk ■ Classic American fare (albeit with waiting staff dressed in decidedly Brit beach-recalling, deckchairstyled red and white striped uniforms) in the form of ribs, nachos, burgers and steaks. Bustling, friendly, and a higher-than-usual chance of bumping into massed tables of office do’s. Cocktails, too: 40,000

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Restaurants AMERICAN of them per week across the UK franchises. Price Mon-Thur £9.99 all day for two courses. ALC: £2.99-£5.49/£8.99-£23.49/£3.99-£5.99 Wine list HW £12.99 btl, £2.79 gls Open Sun-Thur 11.30am-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-11pm.

Disabled access.

Bath FIREHOUSE ROTISSERIE 2 John St, BA1 2JL Tel: 01225 482070, web: www.firehouserotisserie.co.uk ■ The Bristol branch of the Firehouse Rotisserie has long since closed its doors, but the original incarnation continues to thrive, thanks to contemporary British bistro surroundings (in a listed Georgian townhouse) that form a lively backdrop to menus flaunting California-themed/Pacific Rim delights: rotisserie chicken, fabulous salads, stylish pizzas, superb steaks. See also the Hudson Bar & Grill (below) flourishing under the same ownership. Price ALC: from approx £7/from approx £9.90/from approx £6 Wine list HW approx £15 btl, extensive bar Open Daily 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm. Disabled access. Parties - call in adv.

Brilliant Burgers Burger Joint (pictured)

Whiteladies Rd, Bristol ■ Award-winning luxury burgers made from impeccably sourced ingredients.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

Cabot Circus/Park St, Bristol & Brunel Square, SouthGate, Bath ■ Fun, fabulous, dynamic, imaginative burger heaven!

Market

Sawclose, Bath ■ Boisterous bargain burgers, best enjoyed on the suntrap terrace (when the weather complies).

GARFUNKEL’S The Empire, Orange Grove, BA1 1LP Tel: 01225 461465, web: www.garfunkels.co.uk ■ The Bath branch of this nationwide chain specialising in loosely American-themed, family/ tourist-friendly grub has to be the most elegant one of all. Located in a listed building (formerly a grand hotel), with conservatory section and alfresco terrace overlooking the Abbey, alongside separate lounge, bar (with cocktail menu) and dining areas. Kids’ menu and highchairs. Open for breakfast. Price ALC: £3.99-£7/£6.95-£17.99/from £5 Wine list HW from approx £14.99 btl, extensive bar, regular cocktail & pitcher deals Open Daily 10am-11pm. Disabled access & toilets. Parties up to 100 welcome, set menus for large groups.

HUDSON BAR & GRILL 14 London St, BA1 5BU Tel: 01225 332323, web: www.hudsonbars.co.uk ■ The recipient of many glowing reviews in our food and drink pages offers a tried-and-trusted formula of classic California-style combinations of pan-global flavours served in contempo-elegant surroundings.

Eat, drink and be stylishly merry in the laidback, cushion-strewn bar or upstairs in the dining room: a welcoming, bright, breezy affair that casually radiates

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Restaurants AMERICAN/CHINESE discreet glamour. Food bears all the hallmarks of proprietor Richard (Firehouse Rotisserie - see above) Fenton’s trademark flair: simple ingredients impeccably sourced and perfectly presented. The steaks are superb. Price ALC: £7.95-£9.95/£11.95£29.95/£7 Wine list Intelligently eclectic. HW approx £15 btl, fabulous cocktails Open Grill: Mon-Sat 6-10.30pm (last orders). Bar: 5-11pm. Disabled access to street-level bar only. Private hire.

TGI FRIDAY’S Unit 2a, Kingsmead, James St West, BA1 2BT Tel: 01225 446929, web: www.tgifridays.co.uk ■ Popular American-themed party-on chain housed within a multiplex cinema complex. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Thur 12noon-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-11.30pm, Sun 11.30am-10.30pm.

Disabled access & toilets. Braille menu, hearing aids.

Parties 20+ welcome by prior arrangement.

Chinese Bristol CATHAY RENDEZVOUS 30 King St, BS1 4DZ Tel: 0117 922 6161 (opening hrs only), web: www.cathay-rendezvous.com ■ Almost as much a King Street institution as Renato’s or the Old Vic, a fine old Georgian building dotted with Chinese antiques plays gracious host to one of the oldest zingers in town, specialising in high-quality Cantonese, Szechuan and Mandarin cuisine. Lots of great offers, including a great Sunday lunch buffet. Themed menus for special events like Valentine’s. Book in advance at peak times. Price ALC: £3.20-£7/£8.20-£22.50/£4.95. SL: 2 £6.90, 3 £8.90. SD: 3 £21, 4 £25. See website for special holiday menus Wine list Extensive, international. HW £14.50 btl, £3.20 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm, Sun (buffet) 12noon-3pm, Sun-Thur 6-11pm, Fri-Sat 6-11.30pm. Disabled access - call for advice. Upstairs (bar, disco, stage) for private hire, up to 65.

CHEUNG KONG CHINESE 2b North View, Westbury Park, BS6 7QB Tel: 0117 973 5165 ■ Properly friendly place, this, and a long-standing family-run member of the local community. Expect beautifully turned-out Cantonese and Pekingese fare, speciality teppa (sizzling) dishes and Chinese melodies. Besides wine, you’ll find a decent choice of imported beer from China and Singapore. Price ALC: £3.95-£10.50/£8.95-£13.50/£3.50. SM £35-£38pp (min 2). Dinner special: 2 £9.95 Wine list HW approx

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£11.90 btl, £2.95 gls Open Mon-Thur 6-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 6.30-11.30pm. Good disabled access with toilet.

Parties 20+ welcome. Takeaway.

COSMO 30 Triangle West, BS8 1ET Tel: 0117 934 0999, web: www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk ■ Part of a franchise specialising in pan-Asian fare, this 250-seater offers good budget affair cooked up across six live cooking stations: teppanyaki hotplate, yakatori barbecue grill, dim sum bar, wok station, fresh noodle bar and freshly prepared sushi counter.

Watching your handpicked creations come to sizzling life is all part of the fun. Price Lunch: £6.99 Mon-Fri, £7.99 Sat. Dinner £12.99 Sun-Thur, £14.99 Fri-Sat Wine list HW £10.95 btl, £2.20 gls Open Lunch: MonFri 12noon-3pm, Sat 12noon-3.30pm. Dinner: MonThur 5.30-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 5.30-11pm, Sun 12noon11pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

DYNASTY 16a St Thomas St, Redcliffe, BS1 6JJ Tel: 0117 925 0888, web: www.dynasty-bristol.co.uk ■ Long-established local favourite, and voted one of the top five best restaurants in the UK by a chap who really knows what he’s talking about: Alan Yau of Hakkasan and Wagamama fame. If the litmus test of a specialist restaurant is its popularity among connoisseurs, then the proportion of clientele from Bristol’s Chinese community affirms that this place passes with flying colours. The Observer know a thing or two as well, and they voted it one of the UK’s Top Five Chinese Restaurants. You’ll find it just down the road from the Fleece, atop a Chinese supermarket, and serving delightfully dainty-looking dishes packed with delicious punch. The dim sum comes particularly highly recommended. Price ALC: £4-£6/£7.50£12/£4-£6. Express lunch: 2 £7.95. SD: 3 £18, 4 £22 Wine list HW £12 btl, £3 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Takeaway. Parties.

JADE PALACE 277 Two Mile Hill Rd, Kingswood, BS15 1AX Tel: 0117 967 3851 ■ Two decades of service for this large, comfortable, relaxed neighbourhood Chinese restaurant (once voted one of Bristol’s Top 10 Restaurants in the Post), good for both parties and romantic meals for two. The quality is high, but if quantity is equally important to you then there’s the good-value, beltstraining, all-you-can-eat option. Speciality Tsingtao beer particularly recommended. Price Most dishes £5-£6 Wine list HW £10.50 btl, £2.80 gls Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11.30pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Takeaway. Parties welcome.

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Restaurants CHINESE KOBE KARAOKE 2nd Floor, Nelson House, Nelson St, BS1 2JT Tel: 0117 945 0505 (after 6pm), web: www. bristolkaraoke.co.uk ■ Singalongtastic venture from downstairs neighbours Shanghai Nights, with four karaoke rooms fitted out with large HD plasma screens, splendid speakers and a call button for service. Expect the same authentic menu, with modern takes on traditional Chinese dishes from expert chefs, with drinks including a wide cocktail range plus beers such as Asahi, Tsing Tao and Tiger. As we went to press there was a deal for all-you-can-eat buffet and karaoke for £15. Price ALC: £3.50-£7.50/£5.50-£18/£3.50 Wine list HW £13.50 btl, £4 gls Open Daily 5.30pm-3am - “We may close early if quiet - please phone before coming.” No disabled access. Parties welcome.

MAYFLOWER 3a-5 Haymarket Walk, BS1 3LN Tel: 0117 925 0555, web: www.mayflower-bristol.co.uk ■ It’s brightly lit, plain and boxy, and sits just off the Bear Pit in the underpass by the bus station.

Of infinitely more import, you’ll find plenty of experts who’ll tell you that this is the finest Chinese restaurant in town. Not a place to claim ‘authentic’ food before serving distinctly anglicised fare, this is the place to go for genuine - and utterly delicious Cantonese food. Lovely staff, a splendid buffet, and more Chinese families dining en masse than anything else this side of Soho. Splendid at any time, but really comes into its own after hours. Price ALC: £2.80£6.50/£8.50-£16/£4-£5. SD from £16pp Wine list International. HW approx £9 btl, £2.50 gls Open MonSat 6pm-3am, Sun 12noon-3am. Disabled facilities.

Takeaway discount. Separate function room for private parties.

SHANGHAI NIGHTS Nelson House, Nelson St, BS1 2JT Tel: 0117 945 0505 web: www.shanghainightsbristol.co.uk ■ A popular, chicly-styled restaurant, housing a splendidly broad range of Chinese food: more than 140 cooked-to-order dishes, plus another 100 from the all-you-can-eat buffet station. Won Best Buffet section in the Bristol Good Food Awards 2012. It’s claimed that more than 50 per cent of diners are Chinese - locals, students - which is clearly a fine recommendation of quality in itself. Menu includes exquisite, authentic dim sum and modern takes on traditional Chinese dishes from expert chefs.

Regional specialities and contemporary specials include lobster, razor clams, crab. Vast ALC menu is supplemented by a broad range of set banquets. If you’re feeling in the mood for wine and song, check out the Kobe Karaoke (see above) upstairs. Check, too, for the bubble tea, refreshingly flavoured fruit teas and milk teas originating in Taiwan and growing tremendously in popularity since the early 80s. Price Gold menu (cooked to order plus all-you-can-eat buffet): Sat-Tue £18 (adult), Wed-Fri £16. Silver menu (all-you-can-eat buffet) lunch (Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm) £6.50, dinner 2 for £20 (Wed-Fri), £12.50 (Sat-Sun 5.30-10.30pm. Bronze menu (dim sum ALC): daily 12noon-3pm, £3-£7 Wine list HW £11.90 btl,

Vast and vibrant Water Sky

NEW EMPEROR COURT 26 Portland St, Clifton Village, BS8 4JB Tel: 0117 973 1522/0117 923 8661, web: www. newemperorcourtrestaurant.co.uk ■ Long-established Clifton favourite, this family-run place majors on Peking, Szechuan and Cantonese cuisine. Two large dining areas are warmly presided over by front-of-house Kim Lien, while hubby/owner Thanh Que Vien works his magic in the kitchen.

Won a prestigious Chef of the Year award (Quality Cuisine UK) for excellent food and superb service.

Unsurprisingly makes for a very popular takeaway, too. Price Chef’s special £28.95pp (min 2 people).

ALC: £3-£7/£7.15-£11.95/£3.30. SD £20.95 Wine list International. HW £13.95 btl, £4.10 gls Open TueSun 6-11pm (11.30pm Fri, Sat). No disabled access.

Takeaway 10% discount. Separate room for private parties 25-30.

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Restaurants CHINESE £3.40 gls Open Sat-Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

Lunch Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm. Dinner 5.30-10.30pm (last entry 10pm, leave by 11.30pm).

No disabled access. Parties welcome.

TEOHS 28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, BS2 9NP Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net ■ See Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean & Indonesian.

TORO PAN ASIAN 72 Park St, BS1 5JX Tel: 0117 316 9261 web: www.toro-panasian.co.uk ■ Asian fusion specialists - the standard Toro menu fulsomely ranges across the continent, alongside a separate Chinese menu - who moved into the old La Riva Italian premises in April 2012. For creative dining, opt for the noodles in soup stock and build your own meal via loads of different combinations of veg, seafood and meat, four noodle varieties and five soup bases. In the height of summer, refreshingly tasty green-tea ice-cream comes as a heartily recommended closer. Price ALC: £3.95-£7.95/£5.95£14.95/£3.50-£4.50 Wine list HW from £12.95 btl, £3.50 gls Open Daily 12noon-11pm. Takeaway WATER SKY BRISTOL Eastgate Oriental City, Eastgate Rd, Eastville, BS5 6XY Tel: 0117 951 2888, web: www.watersky-bristol.com ■ Five years to the good, Water Sky’s vastness we’re talking 400 seats here - makes for a vibrant night out. Sitting atop the rightly renowned Wai Yee Hong oriental supermarket, the restaurant offers up a wide-ranging menu of traditional Cantonese cooking. Best way to experience the fullest variety?

The 65-dish-sourced, all-you-can-eat menu is £16.95 (adult) and £9 (child), for a minimum of two people.

For maximum gladrag swinging, there’s a live musicfuelled Dinner and Dance every last Fri of the month (10pm till late). Price Dim sum menu £3-£4.60 (11.30am-4.30pm). ALC (available all day): £4.508.35/£8.95-£39.95/£3.50 Wine list International.

HW from £12 btl Open Daily 11.30am-11pm. Disabled access, lift to restaurant. Parties welcome.

WONGS 12 Denmark St, BS1 5DQ Tel: 0117 925 8883 ■ Prepare for a sumptuous education in Chinese food, ranging across north, east, west and south (as respectively represented by the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Szechuan and Guangdong). We’re talking a choice of over 150 dishes, so sharing among the party is to be heartily recommended. And, indeed, encouraged, with dishes served up on plate-spinning Lazy Susans. ‘Those in the know (and that now

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includes you),’ we said, ‘should go for one of the setmenu options. If you order ALC, try the stone-grilled curry chicken (a million miles from your takeaway curry). Food is superb, the atmosphere unmatched.’

Express Lunch Menu available for business meetings.

Price ALC: £4.80-£10.50/£7.50-£13.80/£4.50. SM £9.60-£30 Wine list HW £l4.50 btl, £4.10 gls Open Daily 12noon-11.0 pm. Disabled access - call in adv.

Takeaway. Parties welcome.

ZEN HARBOURSIDE First Floor, Explore Lane, Millennium Square, Harbourside, BS1 5TY Tel: 0117 920 9377, web: www.zenharbourside.co.uk ■ Sister to the long-established (and equally longloved) Dynasty, Zen brings cuisine drawn from 23 Chinese provinces to Millennium Square, and cooks it up with regal flair. Truly: their chefs have cooked for all manner of royal families, with the head chef a past master at serving up rather more than a tray of Ferrero Rocher to dignitaries at embassy sojourns. With views across the fountains, plenty of space and discreet lighting, the classiness of the interior effortlessly matches the menu. Want to sample as much as your appetite allows? Best opt for the Endless Banquet, with over 100 freshly cooked dishes to choose from (£17.50 Sun-Thur, £18.80 Fri-Sat). Or, for a lighter sample of the deliciousness on offer, check out the special two-course lunch for just £4.90. Price ALC: £4.20-£7.80/£7.50-£24.80/£3.50. Sat-Sun ALC lunch: 40% food with voucher from website. SL: 2 £4.90. SD £20 Wine list HW £11.90 btl. Wide cocktail range Open Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5.30-11.30pm, Sat 12noon-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm

Bath HOI FAAN 41-42 St James’ Parade, BA1 1UQ Tel: 01225 318212, web: www.hoifaan.com ■ A welcome addition to the limited availability of decent Chinese food in Bath, flaunting menus that juggle a castlist of at least 260 characters (that’s before we even begin to explore side-dishes), from traditional classics (crispy/sizzling dishes, tides of sweet and sour, chilli and black/yellow bean sauces, etc) through to scrumptious Clay Pot combos, a neat selection of south-east Asian fusion dishes and more daring options (vinegar whelk spinach, chicken’s feet, tripe, fish head, pig’s lungs) that further endorse authenticity. Add in the masses of vegetarian and seafood options and superb dim sum, and our own little sweet chilli dumpling concluded that a trip to HF is ‘fresh, flavoursome and characterful enough to prove the restaurant’s worth as an uplifting experience to be returned to time and again’. Price

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Restaurants CHINESE/ENGLISH ALC: £3.95-£7.95/£5.95-£14.95/£7 Wine list HW approx £14 btl, Asian beers Open Daily 12noon-11pm.

Disabled access but not to toilets. Discounted takeaway menu. Parties welcome - call in adv.

HON FUSION 25 Claverton Buildings, BA2 4LD Tel: 01225 446020, web: www.honfusion.com ■ Seriously good, wallet-friendly, fully authentic Chinese food in a nicely appointed Widcombe bistro. Menus flit cheerfully from classic sweet/ sour, green pepper/black bean, ginger/spring onion combinations to more adventurous options. Daily dim sum (12noon-4pm) and a decent wine list. Two-course suppertime feast (with plenty of sharing dishes) shouldn’t set you back more than £25. Price ALC: soup, appetiser, side £2.80-£7.50/main £7-£10 Wine list HW approx £14 btl Open Daily 12noon-11pm.

Disabled access. Discounted takeaway menu. Small parties welcome - call in adv.

HONG KONG BISTRO 33 Southgate, BA1 1TP Tel: 01225 318500/316088 ■ With its functional furnishings, prosaic location and pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap ethos, this efficient little Beijing-style noodle bar doesn’t claim to offer a high-falutin experience. Instead, find an extensive, wallet-friendly selection of rice dishes, noodles, soups and sides, speedily served. Price ALC: side from £4.50/main from £6.95 Wine list French, HW £9.50 btl. Beers (inc Tiger) Open Sun-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight. Disabled access. Parties 20+ - call in adv.

PEKING 1-2 New St, Kingsmead Square, BA1 2EF Tel: 01225 461750/466377, web: www.pekingrestaurantbath.co.uk ■ Bath’s longest-established Chinese restaurant has undergone a facelift of late and now boasts an altogether fresher contempo-glam countenance.

Menus (also updated) revolve around traditional Cantonese, Szechuan and Peking classics (seafood a speciality). Peking duck, prepared entirely on the premises, must be booked 24hrs in adv. Bespoke allyou-can-eat feasts are freshly cooked from a huge menu selection on Mon-Thur eves, £20pp (under-10s £10). Price ALC: starter £3.95-£7.95/main £6.95£14.95. SL: 2 £8.95 Set banquets (min 2 people) from £21.95 Wine list HW approx £11 btl Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 6-11.15pm. No disabled access.

Function room for private hire, depending on size of reservation. Takeaway 15% discount on standard menu.

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REAL CHINA ORIENTAL BUFFET Unit 3, Kingsmead Leisure Complex, 5-10 James St West, BA1 2BZ Tel: 01225 332677, web: www.therealchina.co.uk ■ Contemporary, family-friendly, eat-all-you-like Chinese buffet restaurant (part of a huge chain) with teppanyaki kitchen (fresh dishes made from your choice of ingredients, prepared before your eyes).

Price Lunch buffet: Mon-Fri £6.95, Sat £7.95 (child £5.50). Dinner buffet: Mon-Thur £21.95, Fri-Sat £13.95. Sun all-day buffet £10.95 (child under 140cm half-price) Wine list HW approx £12 btl Open Lunch: Mon-Fri 11.30am-3.30pm, Sat 12noon-4pm. Dinner: Mon-Thur 5.30-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 6-11.30pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

English Bristol BRISTOL CONCORDE Shield Retail Park, Gloucester Rd North, Filton, BS34 7BR Tel: 0117 906 3102, web: www.brewersfayre.co.uk ■ Family-friendly chain promising ‘pub food as it should be’. The range is actually wider than that might lead you to expect, with egg and chips, or bangers and mash, augmented by the likes of Goan vegetable curry. For two main meals for a tenner, visit Mon-Fri 12noon-6.30pm. Early birds can find breakfast from 6.30 am weekdays, 7am weekends.

Price ALC: £2.29-£4.29/£7.29-£11.49/£3.29-£5.29 Wine list HW £1.70 gls. Btld/draught beers & ciders Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

Breakfast: Mon-Fri 6.30-10.30am, Sat-Sun 7-11am.

Good disabled access & toilet.

BROWNS 38 Queens Rd, BS8 1RE Tel: 0117 930 4777, web: www.browns-restaurants.com ■ Established in 1973, so roll up for some decidedly classy 40th birthday celebrations: that long shaded terracing is just perfect for sipping a cool one and looking on while the world hurries by, while the interior is, surely, just about the airiest in the city. As gracious, indeed, as you’d expect from a building modelled on the Doge’s Palace in Venice.

More classiness? OK, in how many places will you hear, ‘If it’s Thursday night, it must be lobster night…’? (Book today for a pre-dinner cocktail.)

And don’t think we’re funny or anything, but it’s ever so nice to see staff in smart uniform. Cocktail specialists, of course. Breakfast and brunch menus until 12noon, afternoon teas from 2.30pm, and bar snacks, too. Then there’s that birthday: two courses

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Restaurants ENGLISH for two people for £19.73 Mon-Thur, incorporating classic dishes at 1970s prices, with a valid Friends of Browns voucher. Price ALC: £4.95-£8.95/£8.45£22.45/£4.95-£8.95. Breakfast £3.95-£16.95 Wine list Extensive. HW £14.75 btl, £3.95 gls. Superb range of btld/draught beers, Euro lagers a speciality Open Mon-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm. Bar open till 12midnight Thur-Sat. Good disabled access & toilet.

CARVERY COMPANY The Venue, Merlin Way, Cribbs Causeway, BS10 7SR Tel: 0117 959 8272, web: www.thecarverycompany.co.uk ■ Large, independently owned 350-seater restaurant, perfectly in tune with its Cribbs surroundings. Meat is British, strawberries come up from the traditional growing fields around Cheddar, and ice-cream and veg also hail from Somerset. Lunchtime special runs Mon-Sat 11.30am-5pm, offering a range of roast carvery. Expect fine fare across the board, though, for kitchen chief Alan Broadhurst worked a dozen years at London’s New Connaught Rooms, rising from sous chef to executive head chef. Milkshakes, bottled/ draught beers (bar open to non-diners). Children’s menu £3.95-£4.95 Price ALC: £1.95-£3.95/£5.95-

Proper-job skin-splittingly tasty Clifton Sausage

£8.95/£2.95-£4.45 Wine list Wide selection of wines, beers, spirits, cocktails. HW £9.95 btl, £2.95 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon-late, Sun 11.30am-late. Disabled access. Takeaway. Parties welcome.

CHIN! CHIN! BAR & KITCHEN 155 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DB Tel: 0117 973 9393, web: www.chinchinbarkitchen.com ■ Intimate High Kingsdown eatery, turning from cafe-bar-by-day (ace coffee, too, supplied ethically from Clifton Coffee), serving up fine brunches and afternoon teas, into cosy restaurant come sundown.

That 2.30am licence makes it a fine private party option, as does the drink selection: fine wines, real ale, continental beer, ciders. Expect a bistro-style menu - changing weekly - naturally augmenting fresh local ingredients that are used with flair in risottos, frittatas, soups, etc. Price ALC: £4.45-£5.95/£10.95£14.95/£4.95-£5.95. Sun roast: 1 £9.95, 2 £14.95, 3 £18.95. Pre-theatre menu: 3 £14.95 (Tue-Thur 5-7pm) Wine list HW £10.95 btl, £3.25 gls Open Tue-Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 10am-6pm. Good disabled access.

Private parties welcome, late licence.

CLIFTON SAUSAGE 7-9 Portland St, Clifton Village, BS8 4JA Tel: 0117 973 1192, web: www.cliftonsausage.co.uk ■ Here’s a good stat: over 100,000 sausages are consumed every year at the Clifton Sausage. And every last one of them is proper-job, skin-spittingly tasty, from Beef & Spitfire ale to Hickory Smoked Pork & Maple and loads more (not forgetting the festive treat of Reindeer & Cranberry). There’s a whole lot more than bangers here, mind, with taste across the board making this one of Clifton’s thrummingest fooderies.

Current tip: the slow-roast belly pork is an absolute, crackling-surrounded delight. Check website for their sharing of knowledge with regular tasting nights.

Price ALC: £5-£6.50/£11.50-£18.50/£5-£7.50. Sun lunch: 2 £15.50, 3 £17.50 Wine list Impressive. HW £15.50 btl, £3 gls Open Bar daily 11am-12midnight.

Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Sat-Sun 11am-4pm.

Dinner Mon-Thur 6.30-10pm, Fri-Sat 6.30-11pm, Sun 6.30-9pm. Over-14s welcome. Limited disabled access.

Parties 8+ - book in adv.

COWSHED 46 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2NH Tel: 0117 973 3550, web: www.thecowshedbristol.com ■ As the name suggests, a full-on steakhouse. Most emphatically not, however, your typical ‘all flame and no flair’ grillery. “The beef is hung in chillers for people to see, and our table staff will tell you what cuts we’re using each day,” explains owner Adam Denton. “There’ll always be three cuts of beef, but

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Restaurants ENGLISH the menu isn’t just steak. We have the best chicken from the Cotswolds, and Bath pigs, as well as lamb and daily fresh fish.” Do away with all fear of how other people interpret ‘rare’, ‘well done’, etc, by checking out the Steak on Stone option where you cook your own steak on a hot stone plate. Look for the unusually wide-ranging Sunday lunch options, too. Now also opens Sunday eve for the ALC menu, 6.30-9.30pm. Price SL (Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm) 3 £10.

ALC: £5.95-£9.50/£10.95-£23.50/£5.95-£8.50. Early bird special (Mon-Thur 6-7pm): £10 burger/steak & chips plus wine/pint. Wine list Well chosen. HW £14.50 btl, £3.20 gls. Cider, interesting beers on tap, lots of digestifs Open Daily 12noon-12midnight (last lunch orders 2.45pm, 3.15pm Sun, last dinner orders 9.45pm Mon-Fri, 10.15pm Fri-Sat). Booking advised.

Disabled access, but not to toilets. Parties up to 100 call in adv.

ELLIPSE AT MERCURE BRIGSTOW HOTEL 5-7 Welsh Back, BS1 4SP Tel: 0117 929 1030, web: www.accorhotels.com ■ In one direction you can admire handsome views of the harbourside, and in the other the reassuring sight of an AA rosette. Hotel chain it might be, but that doesn’t stop Haydn Neal’s ingredients being as seasonal and locally sourced as possible. Full English breakfast, light lunches, classy and romantic dinners, and very fair prices for decent wines. Price ALC: £4.75-£7.50/£7.50-£20.50/£5.50-£6.50 Wine list Extensive selection of grands vins, cocktails, real ales, draught beers. HW £16 btl, £4.15 gls Open Daily 11am-5pm & 6-10pm (bar till 1am). Disabled access.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

GALA CASINO BRISTOL HARBOURSIDE Explore Lane, Harbourside, BS1 5TY Tel: 0117 906 9970, web: www.galacasino.co.uk ■ There’s an ice bar on the ground floor for a swift pre-dinner drink, then head on up to the fourth floor and the harbour-overlooking Chargrill restaurant. Fare is as you’d largely expect - BBQ ribs, beer-battered onion rings and the like - but some pleasant surprises, too. The Scottish fillet steak is delicious, sourced from Aberdeen Angus cross-breed cattle that are grass-fed and naturally reared. There’s also a fair old vegetarian selection, including the welcome likes of fajitas and pecorino risotto. Less of a gamble than you might expect. Price ALC: £4.45-£5.45/£7.45-£20.95/£3.25-£5. SD (seated before 8pm): 2 £9.95, 3 £11.95 Wine list HW £13.95 btl, £3.75 gls Open Daily 24hrs (food 12noon-3am). Disabled access.

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GRAZE BAR & CHOPHOUSE 63 Queen Square, BS1 4JZ Tel: 0117 927 6706, web: www.bathales.co.uk ■ See Bristol Bars.

GREENS’ RESTAURANT 25 Zetland Rd, BS6 7AH Tel: 0117 924 6437, web: www.greensbristol.co.uk ■ Modern take on British classics, with plenty of European influence, too, and bags of experience to bring it all to life: head chef Martin spent 11 years working in fine-dining restaurants in Scotland, while Nick, the front-of-house man, worked as his colleague the entire time. ‘This place positively screams pedigree,’ said we.

‘The lighting is soft, the staff are nice and smiley, and the menu turns out to be a good mission statement of relative simplicity - outstanding stuff avoiding unnecessarily overcomplicated combinations.’ Price ALC: £5-£6.50/£10.50-£18.50/£5-£7.50. SL: 2 £10. SD (TueThur): 2 £15, 3 £20 Wine list Extensive, international, 7-8 wines by gls/small carafe. HW £14 btl, £3.75 gls Open Tue-Sat 12.30-2.30pm & 6-10pm. Disabled access, but not to toilets. Parties welcome - call in adv.

RACKS BAR & KITCHEN St Pauls Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LX Tel: 0117 974 1626, web: www.racks-bristol.co.uk ■ Bringing the sports bar concept to the good people of Clifton - loads of flatscreen TVs serving up SKY & ESPN - Racks also bring forth the rather more familiar idea of restaurant-ing. Offers abound (two-for-one Burger Monday, 25% off all bottles of wine and champagne every Tue), while lunch - pies, baguettes, salads, etc - is available for just a fiver. And when it comes to the ALC menu, we’re talking full range: Gressingham duck, for example, or handmade herb gnocchi. A treat for hungry pint-quaffers and serious foodies alike. After enjoying the lively terrace, our food editor found that ‘the converted wine cellar inside, by contrast, is a catacomb of vaulted spaces for drinking or dining. It’s discreetly lively, though, with a light crowd in the bar and a scattering throughout.’ Price ALC: £4.75-£8.50/£8.50-£13.50/£4.75-£7.50. Breakfast £4.75-£7.50. Lunch (Mon-Sat 12noon-5pm) £5. Sun roast £10.50 Wine list Good international range, beers, full bar.

HW £15 btl, £3.70 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7-10am, Sat-Sun 8-10am. Other food: Mon-Sat 12noon-10.30pm, Sun 12noon-10pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Parties up to 120 in private function room - free to hire. BBQ & hog roast parties available for hire on the terrace.

NEW RIVER COTTAGE CANTEEN St John’s Court, Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2QY Tel: 0117 973 2458, web: www.rivercottage.net/canteens/bristol ■ The third of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s canteens

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Restaurants ENGLISH

Top Tapas El Puerto

Prince St, Bristol ■ Authentic, fresh tapas and a cool vibe - what’s not to love?

La Tasca

Cabot Circus, Bristol & Grand Parade, Bath ■ Revamped menus have brought this UK-wide chain bang up to date.

Portvcale Lounge (pictured) St James Parade, Bath ■ Properly perfect Portuguese tapas, made by the owner’s lovely mum.

(following those in Axminster and Plymouth) is set to open after this guide goes to press. Plenty to commend it already, mind, from the promise that up to 90% of the seasonal produce will be coming from within a 50-mile radius through to taking on Mark Stavrakakis as head chef, given his track record at RockFish Grill and Seafood Market, not to mention Goldbrick House. “As the Canteen opens,”

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quoth development chef Andrew Green, “more and more small growers, breeders and producers will be discovered. We never rest on our laurels and our door is always open to new suppliers who meet our ethos.”

Price/Wine list See website for more info Open SunMon 9am-5pm, Tue-Sat 9am-10.30pm. Breakfast 9-11am, lunch 12noon-3pm, dinner from 6.30pm.

Cakes & savouries: 10am-12noon & 3-6pm RIVER GRILLE AT THE BRISTOL HOTEL Prince St, BS1 4QF Tel: 0117 923 0333, web: www.doylecollection.com ■ Wall-to-ceiling windows make for fresh-feeling environs in this central eatery - part of the Bristol Hotel (nee Jurys) - and high up on the list of the city’s top people-watching locales. It might be part of the Doyle chain, but food is locally sourced steak courtesy of some of Somerset’s late bovine citizenry, West Country cheeses, etc - and majors on ‘handcrafted dishes with a modern twist’. When we visited we enjoyed the ‘pinkly glowing best end of lamb and rich jus’ and ‘the market fish of the day - sea bass fillets - with mussels and crayfish tails in saffron cream sauce’. Dead popular with business types. Afternoon tea from £17.50 in the River Lounge; light bites in the Shore cafe-bar. Price ALC: £5.95-£6.95/£11.95-£22.95/£5.95-£9.25 Wine list Extensive, expensive. HW £19.50 btl, £4.50 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 6.30-10am, Sat-Sun 7.30-11am.

Lunch: Daily 12noon - 2.30pm. Dinner: Sun-Thur 6.30-10pm, Fri-Sat 6.30-10.30pm. Disabled access from outside entrance.

RUNCIBLE SPOON 3 Nine Tree Hill, Stokes Croft, BS1 3SB Tel: 0117 329 7645, web: www.the-runcible-spoon.com ■ Nothing less than the best restaurant in town in our book - thus, our Top Banana winner. ‘There’s plenty of talk about seasonal, local and foraged,’ said Mr Judge the Food Editor, ‘but grow-your-own collective the Runcible Spoon keep it real, tasty and excellently prepared night after night.’ Earlier in the year, he’d discovered that: ‘The group’s manifesto is clear from their menus - an imaginative collection of ever-changing dishes using locally sourced seasonal ingredients, including stuff grown in a local walled garden and some foraged foods. Everything is made on the premises, including bread and chutneys, with new dishes arriving each day as fresh ingredients are sourced.’ The walls boast a monthly-changing art gallery, too. Price Sat breakfast: £6.50 carnivore, £5.50 herbivore. Sun roast (different free-range meat every Sun): 1 £10, 2 £15, 3 £20 - all roasts come with free bloody mary! ALC: £5-£6/£10.50-£12/£5 Wine list Carefully sourced, local ales, cider by the

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Restaurants ENGLISH jug, homemade liqueurs. HW £14 carafe, £7 halfcarafe Open Tue-Fri 6-11pm dinner, Sat 12noon-5pm breakfast & 6-11pm dinner, Sunday 12noon-3pm roast. Disabled access (one step, staff can assist) - call ahead. Cash payments only.

STAR & DOVE 75-78 St Luke’s Rd, Totterdown, BS3 4RY Tel: 0117 933 2892, web: www.staranddove.co.uk ■ A fine old Bristol institution as a pub, and increasingly - in a white tablecloth-bedecked upper room - one of the most popular places in the city for ‘proper’ dining. As we said, ‘Here’s your chance to “go for an English” with a vengeance, whether it’s “beer food” (bar snacks) or the “old kitchen” menu of historic recipes, some dating back to the 14th century: Crabbe - The Boke of Keruynge, for instance, is a hippocras, cinnamon and ginger ensemble dated to 1508. It’s an approach favoured by Heston Blumenthal with his Dinner place in London and, judging by the meal we had, deserves to be a great success in Bristol.’ Out from the kitchen came River Exe mussels, meat prawns, gravy and ‘sippetts’ of toasted bread. We enjoyed ‘tasty shellfish in thick meaty broth scattered with rough croutons... and broiled baby fowl with pâté and English greens - another perfect combination, the creamy pâté enriching the stew of vegetables and the tiny bird so softly cooked that even the bones melted in the mouth’. In short, dining as distinctive as it is delicious. EOW tip? Try the nettle beer. Fabulous roast, too. Price 2 £21, 3 £25. Wine list Extensive, well selected Open Daily. Food Mon-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm TOWNHOUSE BAR & RESTAURANT 85 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2NT Tel 0117 973 9302, web: www.thetownhousebristol.co.uk ■ Formerly the Picture House East, but still under the same ownership, The TownHouse serves up modern British cuisine founded on first principles such as crunchy crackling, black pudding and hot dripping on bread. British tradition in the round, come to think of it, from full English with the papers through to elevenses, Sunday roast with giant yorkshire puds, decadent afternoon tea, and on into the evening with voluminous menu and artisan cheeseboard to finish. Price ALC: £5.90-£7.50/£12-£22.50/£4.90£5.90. Breakfast/brunch £3.50-£8.90. Express lunch £7. SL (12noon-7pm): 3 £10. Sun lunch: 1 £12.50, 2 £16, 3 £20 Wine list Extensive. HW £13.50 btl Open Sun-Fri 11am-12midnight, Sat10am12midnight. Disabled access - call ahead.

Parties of 20+ welcome.

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ZEST BISTRO Second Floor, House of Fraser, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BD Tel: 0117 927 9395, web: www.cabotcircus.com/shops/ zest-bistro ■ ‘In-house restaurant at a department store’ and ‘unhurried’ aren’t generally concepts that appear in the same sentence. It’s fair to say of House of Fraser’s eatery, though, both in terms of service and general environs: contemporary and stylish, with comfortable leather chairs and - award mandatory maximum points! - no intrusive music. Rest your weary feet for coffee and widely beloved cake, or go for fuller fare on the main menu: fish pie, classic puds like Eton Mess.

As kid-centric as you’d expect, with revolving offers including child eating free when eating with an adult, high chairs and advertising itself as breast feedingfriendly. Price Breakfast £3.25-£4.95. All-day menu £5.50-£8.50. Champagne afternoon tea for 2: £25, Wedgwood afternoon tea (from 2.30pm): £7pp Wine list Mostly European, constantly changing, many by the gls. HW £12 btl, £4 gls Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm (last orders 6.30pm), Sun 11am-5pm (last orders 4pm). Disabled access.

Bath ALFRESCO & VELLORE AT THE BATH SPA HOTEL Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, Sydney Rd, BA2 6JF Tel: 01225 444424, web: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk ■ Choice of two restaurants within a supremely elegant five-star, seven-acre hotel and spa complex.

Alfresco offers the more casual experience (strong emphasis on seasonal flavours, fresh salads, grills, and a gorgeous patio), while Vellore (the fine-dining experience, recipient of two AA rosettes) serves impeccable, classic culinary delights in an elegant ballroom setting with a very upmarket ambience.

Food is perfectly executed and beautifully presented in both restaurants. Menus are based around traditional and contemporary British sensibilities with a tres foodie edge. Price Alfresco: £7.50-£14.50.

Vellore: ALC from £9/from approx £20/approx £7 Wine list Extensive. HW from approx £22 btl Open Alfresco: Lunch daily 11am-6.30pm, dinner Fri-Sat 5.30-9.30pm. Vellore: daily 7-10pm. Full disabled access & facilities. Dress code: smart-casual, no jeans, sportswear, mobile phones in dining area.

ALLIUM BRASSERIE AT THE ABBEY HOTEL North Parade, BA1 1LF Tel: 01225 461603, web: www.abbeyhotelbath.co.uk ■ Revamped, glossy brasserie and bar offering a covered alfresco patio and all-day brasserie/full-on foodie menus courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Chris

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Restaurants ENGLISH Staines. Menus revolve around a modern Britishwith-a-cheffy-twist theme, served up in chic, laidback surroundings, a formula that’s recently garnered acclaim from national restaurant critics Jay Rayner (Observer) and John Walsh (Independent). But remember, we were the first to tell you how good it is. Price ALC: from approx £7/from approx £9/from approx £6. Set menu (12noon-7pm): 2 £14.95, 3 £19 Wine list Extensive bar. HW approx £13 btl Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12midnight, Sun 11am-10.30pm. Food served daily 12noon-9pm (inc afternoon teas). Disabled access, inc to toilets & accommodation. Parties/private hire welcome - call in adv.

BANGLO 44 Lower Bristol Rd, BA2 3BD Tel: 01225 345442, web: www.banglo.co.uk ■ Good-times eatery (available for private hire only, except on Sundays when a fabulous roast is served to all-comers) existing in an enchanting little satellite all of its own. Cosy veranda outfront, gorgeous little garden to the rear, and a spacious merrymaking area with squishy sofas, chunky canteen seating and funky white resin furniture within. Price/Wine list Private hire only (excl Sun) - contact for details Open Private hire only, except Sun 12noon-4pm. Limited disabled access - call in adv. Private hire only, except Sun.

Consistently perfect Bath Priory

BATH PRIORY HOTEL & RESTAURANT Weston Rd, BA1 2XT Tel: 01225 331922, web: www.thebathpriory.co.uk ■ Bath’s original country house hotel, set in the city’s own version of LA’s Mulholland Drive: a grand but accessible mansion featuring an intriguing art collection, gorgeous gardens and lots of very, very plump cushions, all serviced by graciously welcoming, effortlessly knowledgeable, impeccably polite staff.

Kitchen is overseen by affable superchef Michael Caines, whose trademarks - technically exacting classics executed with subtly imaginative flourish - are writ large throughout the entire experience, thanks largely to resident head chef Sam Moody’s indisputable skills. ‘Absolutely stunning,’ EOW’s own lady of the manor declared after a recent trip.

‘Consistently perfect, from start to finish, on all counts.’ Price SL: 2 £25.50, 3 £35. ALC dinner: 2 £59, 3 £75. Tasting menu: 7 £90pp. Signature tasting menu: 7 £100 Wine list Extensive. HW from approx £25 btl Open Daily 12.30-2.30pm & 6.30-9.30pm.

Afternoon tea 3-5pm. Disabled access. Separate rooms for private hire, capacity 64.

BATHWICK BOATMAN Forester Rd, Bathwick, BA2 6QP Tel: 01225 428844, web: www.bathwickboatman.com ■ Set within the environs of the Victorian Bath Boating and Punting Station. Tranquil surroundings and homemade quality fare using largely locally sourced produce (and including Sunday roasts of the kind that mother would have made if only she had known how) turn the BB into a beloved gem.

Downhome Italian-themed specials (onion basola - warm mousse, tuscan vegetable soup, tapenadestuffed roast chicken breast) reflect chef/proprietor Ben Hall’s Mediterranean-inspired influences picked up during many years spent in Europe, but modern/ traditional British grub constitutes the bulk of the menu, with fresh fish/locally reared meat pushed to the fore. In summer, arrive by boat from Pulteney Weir; punts, skiffs and canoes for hire by the hour/ day from the station itself. Price ALC: £3.75-£6/£9£14.50/£5-£6. Sun roast: 2 £15.75, 3 £21 (child: 2 £9.50) Wine list HW from £11 btl Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2pm (last orders) & 6-9pm (last orders). Sun roast: 12noon-3pm (last orders 2pm). No disabled access. Parties, weddings, corporate events & formal dinners catered for (no surcharge for exclusive use).

NEW BILL’S 7-8 Cheap St, BA1 1NE Tel: 01225 424262, web: www.bills-website.co.uk ■ Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, supper, hampers, a grocery and all manner of kitsch, eclectic knick-

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Restaurants ENGLISH knackery to keep attention levels up - it’s all going on at Bill’s, an ever-expanding national chain offering casual, round-the-clock dining. Menus are as cheerful as the easygoing vibe and offer a similarly crowdpleasing approach, taking in British classics (fish & chips, macaroni cheese, burgers, etc) and spicy/ Mediterranean-themed twists’n’turns (including solid veggie options) and the kind of sweet treats that make the words ‘on a diet’ redundant. Price ALC: from approx £4.95/from £8.50/from £4.95 Wine list HW approx £15 btl, excellent beers Open Mon-Sat 8am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm. Disabled access/ parties - call in adv.

BOATHOUSE Newbridge Rd, Newbridge, BA1 3NB Tel: 01225 482584, web: www.boathousebath.com ■ From the outside, the recently refurbished Boathouse - with its multiple verandas, white wooden awnings and sprawling manicured lawn that rolls as close to the river as it’s possible to get without actually taking a punt on it - almost looks like a West Country version of Tara, the gert big Southern Belle house at the heart of the Gone with the Wind action.

Once inside, split-level comfort zones, a relaxed attitude to use of such space (eat, drink and make merry wherever you fancy) and thoroughly modern, flexible menus offer a bang-up-to-date contempopub experience, which waltzes from Medi-themed small plates and sharing platters to substantial modern Brit classics with stylish grace (including fab Sunday roasts). ‘Friendly food of a high standard that won’t drop when sunny days put big demands on the kitchen,’ said our own jolly sailor of her trip along the river. ‘Well-priced, people-pleasing grub served in uniquely pretty surroundings.’ Price ALC: from £3.95/£6.95/£3.50. See website for set menus, Steak Nights, events, etc Wine list HW from approx £11 btl Open Food served daily 12noon-9pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Private hire - call for details. Parties welcome - call in adv.

BROWNS Orange Grove, BA1 1LP Tel: 01225 461199, web: www.browns-restaurants.com ■ Formerly a police station and magistrates’ court, today this stunning Georgian building plays host to a spacious, timelessly stylish 160-seater restaurant, separate bar area and gorgeous terrace out front, with top views of the Bath Abbey and the weir. Goodvalue lunch/dinner deals, and great-value cocktail happy hour. Kids get their own menu. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Sat 10am-11pm (9am summer), Sun 11am-10.30pm. Good disabled access & toilet. Several private hire options. Parties welcome call in adv.

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BRUNEL’S AT THE ROYAL HOTEL Royal Hotel, Manvers St, BA1 1JP Tel: 01225 463134, web: www.royalhotelbath.co.uk ■ The Royal Hotel (opposite Bath Spa Station) was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1846 and has traded as a hotel, restaurant and bar ever since; ongoing updates and refurbishments keep proceedings up to date while still retaining the building’s original charm. Steaks/grills are a speciality, and all ingredients are locally sourced wherever possible. Price ALC: from £4.50/from £9/£4.95. SL: 2 £9.95. Sun lunch: 1 £9.95, 3 £13.95 (under-7s £7.50) Wine list Popular classics. HW from £14 btl Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon10.30pm (food served till 9pm). Good disabled access & toilet.

CIRCUS CAFE & RESTAURANT 34 Brock St, BA1 2LN Tel: 01225 466020, web: www.thecircuscafeandrestaurant.co.uk ■ Chic contemporary bistro in the heart of Georgian Bath, serving morning coffee and elevenses, lunch, traditional teatime treats and full-on suppertime feasts, all rustled up using intelligently sourced seasonal ingredients, locally produced wherever possible, and put together with a great deal of integrity. The wine list is a joy to behold, and pavement tables on one of the Heritage City’s prettiest streets complete this ‘very Bath’ experience. Price ALC: from approx £6/from £12/from £5. Lunch £6-£10. Elevenses/teatime treats from £2.50 Wine list Large, well-balanced. HW from approx £16 btl, £3.90 gls Open Mon-Sat 10am-12midnight.

Wheelchair accessible. Private parties welcome - call for details.

COSY CLUB Unit R4, SouthGate, BA1 1TP Tel: 01225 464161, web: www.cosyclub.co.uk ■ The lovable Loungers group (whose portfolio includes Tinto, Porto, Deco and Banco in Bristol/ Velo in Bath) have branched out into Cosy Club world, following on from their first successful CC venture in Taunton by bringing a Cosy to Bath’s SouthGate shopping centre. Take a trip up the stairs beyond a rather obscure door on a concrete corner, and prepare to be impressed by how an array of carefully chosen, artfully stylised decor flourishes can transform an erstwhile personality-free void into a uniquely welcoming space, where lavish 18th century gin palace meets vintage flea market by way of Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen in his Changing Rooms heyday - at once daringly flamboyant, wittily ostentatious and laden with contemporary twists and turns. Breakfast/ brunch at this vast, upper-level space (with spacious

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Restaurants ENGLISH alfresco balcony) go large, and all-day menus take in elevenses, light/substantial lunches, terrific tapas and sturdy, homecooked, downhome treats (shepherd’s pie, bakes, goulash) on the specials board. Burgers, steaks, tapas and puds are all highly recommended, and vegetarians/children are very well catered for, too. ‘Flavours - much like the decor - were unashamedly big, bold and boisterous, portions were generous and service was lovely throughout the whole experience,’ said our resident Cosy queen, by way of review. Snuggle up! Price Breakfast/brunch (all day) £4.75-£6.95. Sandwich/salad from £6.95-£9.95.

Classics £7.95-£15.95. Sweet treat/puds approx £3-£5.50 Wine list HW from £13.50 btl. Good range of beers, bubbles, cocktails, spirits Open Food served daily 9am-10pm. Full disabled access throughout.

Bookings for parties 8+ only (order from party menu).

DOWER HOUSE AT THE ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL Royal Crescent Hotel, 16 Royal Crescent, BA1 2LS Tel: 01225 823333, web: www.royalcrescent.co.uk ■ From welcoming bar to graceful dining room and beyond, the Dower House - part of the iconic Royal Crescent Hotel and recipient of 3 AA rosettes - is a paean to refined elan, softly lit and decorated in flattering eau de nil tones throughout, with a superpretty private garden. Friendly, confident, supremely competent staff exude a your-wish-is-my-command attitude in a thoroughly unforced manner; you’re in the hands of a brigade of experts, but there’s not a

A paean to refined elan Dower House at the Royal Crescent Hotel

whisper of snoot in sight. Head chef David Campbell recently caused our own dour-faced critic to wax lyrical: ‘A faultless experience, as beautiful to behold as it was to eat.’ Price See website for full details of a multitude of menus, inc fabulous afternoon tea Wine list Extensive. HW from £28 btl Open Daily 12.30-2pm & 7-10pm. Disabled access. Various private dining options. Groups, parties & functions welcome.

GASCOYNE PLACE 1 Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 445854, web: www.gascoyneplace.co.uk ■ ‘An elegant simplicity about the decor, a friendly informality in the welcome and a ditheringly tempting menu,’ said one EOW reviewer of this tasteful, easygoing cafe-bar/restaurant hybrid that represents a cornerstone of the Theatre Royal Plaza scene - and he’s right. Lovely sparkly bar at street level (also home to one of the most fascinating, extensive wine lists in the city), cosy snug to the left, bright and breezy balcony to the right, two upstairs rooms that are surely among the most elegant in Bath, and an evocative subterranean merrymaking area down below. Price ALC: from £5.50/from £11/£6.50. SL/ pre-theatre: 2 £13.50, 3 £17 Wine list Extensive, international, impeccably sourced (90+ labels, 30+ by the gls). HW approx £16 btl. Excellent cocktails, real & local ales/ciders, spirits, liqueurs Open Daily 11.30am-late. Food: 12noon-2.30pm (4pm Sun) & 5.30-10pm (Sat-Sun last orders 10.30pm). Disabled access possible but not to toilets - call in adv. Parties welcome, rooms for private hire - call in adv.

NEW GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN 8 Brunel Square, BA1 1SX Tel: 01225 471057, web: www.gbk.co.uk ■ Upmarket, burger-specific haven already much loved by Bristolians and others who live in the vicinity of links in this ever-expanding chain, earning itself extra brownie points in this instance for its unique location in one of the recently exposed, refurbished vaults next to Bath Spa Railway Station (the Vaults complex). Price/Wine list See Bristol listing. Open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm. Full disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

NEW GRAZE BAR, BREWERY & CHOPHOUSE 9 Brunel Square, BA1 1SX Tel: 01225 429392, web: www.bathales.com ■ Trainspotters will love Graze - should you be so inclined, you can sit within what feels like touchable distance of the gleaming locomotives that go speeding by at regular intervals at this flashy, flagship venture within the new Vaults complex. But despite

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Restaurants ENGLISH all the high-speed action beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, inside is warm, cosy and ultra-inviting, comprising a spacious bar area, buzzing open kitchen, onsite microbrewery (we’re on Bath Ales’ territory here) and plenty of alfresco opportunities. The allimportant menu should stoke up your pistons, too, especially if you’re of the carnivorous persuasion: they’re rightfully proud of their traditional, wellhung beef - view selected cuts at the meat-hanging room before you make your choice. Elsewhere, find well-executed British classics such as fab-things-ontoast (Welsh rarebit, devilled kidneys, potted shrimp, etc), classy comfort food (Barnsley lamb chops, steak & Bath Ale pudding, pork faggots), a decent fish selection and a limited vegetarian selection. Price ALC: from approx £5 (‘small plate’ options)/from approx £9 (steaks from £14.95)/approx £6 Wine list Extensive bar selection inc Bath Ales brews & specials from the onsite microbrewery. HW approx £16 btl Open Mon-Thur 8am-10pm, Fri-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 9am-10pm. Full disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

HALL & WOODHOUSE 1-3 Old King St, BA1 2JT Tel: 01225 469259, web: www.hall-woodhousebath.co.uk ■ Contemporary merrymaking venture courtesy of Blandford-based brewery Hall & Woodhouse, featuring an open kitchen, massive sweeping staircase linking street-level bar/canteen to first-floor dining room and rooftop restaurant, scrubbed-up potting-shed knick-knackery providing plenty of eyecandy to the front of the bar, and shelves laden with British grocery-shop classics lining the canteen walls.

Menus cover all bases throughout the day (including excellent breakfasts and boisterous Sunday roasts), largely based around familiar, contemporary takes on Brit-trad classics: fish & chips, thoroughly decent beefburgers, eggs benedict, stargazy pie, sticky toffee pudding, treacle tart. Kids get their own menu. Price ALC: from £4.25/£9.50-£20/£4.75-£6.50. Sandwich/ light lunch from £6-£10. See website for promotions, deals, etc Wine list HW from approx £14 btl.

Substantial range of beers, lagers, cocktails, spirits Open Daily 8am-11.30pm (last food orders 9.30pm).

Disabled access throughout. Parties up to 120 - call in adv.

NEW KILTED CHEF 7a Kingsmead Square, BA1 2AB Tel: 01225 466688, web: www.kiltedchef.co ■ We haven’t got a dedicated Scottish section in this guide, but we’re confident that Dougie Bonar - head chef at this sparkling little Bath newbie that, although

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Wonderful Wines Flinty Red

Cotham Hill, Bristol ■ Fine wine bar/French deli/tapas specialist hybrid courtesy of a lively wine-loving team of experts.

Hotel du Vin

Sugar House, Narrow Lewins Mead, Bristol ■ Exactly what the name suggests.

Tasting Room (pictured) Green St, Bath ■ Wine buff Will Baber’s eminently tasteful sanctuary of good taste is a quaffer’s dream come true.

a fairly recent addition to the scene, has already made a huge impact on foodie life in the Heritage City - is happy to jump the border for inclusion in this category. ‘At street level, there’s not much to see,’ our own little haggis observed. ‘But below stairs, the vibe revolves around smartly dressed, effortlessly chic glamour - from the off, menus confidently whisper of a supremely foodie experience to come ...

Expect a swathe of majorly foodie inspirations writ large throughout a roll-call of dishes based around impeccable sourcing and seasonality, a selection of which pay imaginative homage to Dougie’s Scottish

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Restaurants ENGLISH roots, leaving the rest of the menu to flaunt modern British inspirations,’ she said, before going on to give her Highland fling a full-on 10/10 score. Price ALC: from approx £7.50/from approx £16.95/from approx £6. SL: 2 £14.95, 3 £18.95. Pre-theatre: 2 £15.95, 3 £18.95. Tasting menus from £65. Sun lunch: 2 £16.95, 3 £20.95 (see website for deals and offers) Wine list HW approx £15 btl, extensive bar Open Daily 12noon3pm & 6-11pm. Disabled access. Parties - call in adv.

MARKET Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 330009 ■ Recently under new ownership, this lively, multifaceted affair (featuring an unmissable partially covered/heated terrace facing the Theatre Royal) is the summertime epicentre of Sawclose fun. When rain stops play, cleverly eclectic interiors decorated with funky, largely reclaimed fixtures and fittings, candlelight and versatile seating arrangements offer much flexibility: party with a crowd or snuggle down for an intimate date (if you choose your table wisely, never the twain shall meet). Kids’ menu.

Price Burgers from £6.25, pizzas £6.25-£9.95, steaks from £11, salads from £5.50. Half-price pizzas Mon (12noon-10pm), half-price burgers Tue (3-7pm), half-price salads Wed (3-7pm). Wine list HW from £13 btl, £4.50 250ml carafe. Btld beers/ciders: 2-4-1 Thur (4-7pm). Soft drinks inc carafe options, beer buffs get their own unique treats, extensive cocktail menu Open Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-5pm. Disabled access, but not to toilets.

Parties welcome - call for details.

MENU GORDON JONES 2 Wellsway, BA2 1EY Tel: 01225 480871, web: www.menugordonjones.co.uk ■ Currently probably Bath’s most talked-about restaurant, courtesy of characterful uber-chef Gordon Jones (formerly of the Royal Crescent Hotel). It’s tiny (14 covers max) and there’s no set menu - in Gordon world, you get what you’re given. However, said our overwhelmed critic recently, ‘Only an experience this unique could, after a decade of reviewing restaurants, evoke such emotion. The whole experience was a veritable rush of sheer, thrilling, delighted excitement from start to finish.’ Blimey! Price SL: 5 £35. SD: 6 £45 Wine list HW from approx £24 btl, inc lots of organic & biodynamic options Open Tue-Sat 12.302pm & 6.30-9pm. Disabled access. Private hire - call for details. Parties welcome - book in adv.

OLIVE TREE Queensberry Hotel, 4-7 Russel St, BA1 2QF Tel: 01225 447928, web: www.olivetreebath.co.uk ■ Offering broad appeal to contemporary chicsters,

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Bathonian traditionalists and hip long-weekenders who make the stylish boutique hotel upstairs their regular urban retreat, the restaurant’s location (beneath the discreetly glamorous Queensberry Hotel, just behind the Assembly Rooms) is as elegant as the experience itself - recipient of 3 AA rosettes, home to the characterful Old Q Bar (plush, uber-glam cocktail hotspot) and a charming alfresco urban oasis outback. But overall, it’s really all about the grub, from a kitchen recently taken over by young uberchef Chris Cleghorn - a man who, according to our girl about town, is ‘a master of delicate, sweet/sour teasers, not afraid to flaunt brave, bold pairings when the time is right’. The full gamut of 10 stars was then duly awarded thus: ‘A subtly challenging, memorable experience in chic but welcoming surroundings.

Flawless service, too. Fabulous!’ Price See website for the full lowdown Wine list Huge, international, regularly updated, award-winning. Highly commended cellar home to over 300 labels. HW from £19 btl Open Lunch: Tue-Sun 12noon-2pm. Dinner: daily 7-10pm. Disabled access possible via lift - call in adv. Private dining room for hire, up to 35.

NEW RESTAURANT ELEVEN 11 Margaret’s Buildings (off Brock St), BA1 2LP Tel: 01225 421251, web: www.restauranteleven.co.uk ■ Head chef Mike Chandler has aimed to devise various menus flaunting a mix of classic and contemporary dishes to appeal to every style of diner, from breakfast to beyond suppertime, at this charming little contemporary bistro (complete with alfresco seating). And from what we hear via the gossip grapevine, the boy’s done good. Price/Wine list/ Open Full details were still being finalised as we went to press, but by the time you read these words, the website should be up to date with full vital statistics.

Disabled access - call ahead for details. Private hire call for info. Parties welcome - call in adv.

ROMAN BATHS KITCHEN 11 Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY Tel: 01225 477877, web: www.romanbathkitchen.co.uk ■ Brand-new addition to the Bath tourist hotspot scene courtesy of a major B&NES/Roman Baths complex redevelopment comprising a deli, cafe and gorgeous terrace on the ground floor and a bright, breezy, contemporary bistro upstairs, all offering stunning views of Bath’s most iconic square. Food is of the modern British variety, impeccably sourced.

Price/Wine list All-day menu from £6.95. ALC eves: 2 approx £40 Open Cafe/Deli daily 7.30am-6pm.

Bistro daily 9am-10pm. Disabled access. Parties - call in adv.

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Restaurants ENGLISH SALLY LUNN’S 4 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX Tel: 01225 461634, web: www.sallylunns.co.uk ■ Located in the oldest house in Bath (built 1482) and named after the Huguenot refugee who baked here some 200 years later during the building’s bakery incarnation, this is one of Bath’s major tourist hotspots. The good lady’s buns (enjoyed today with sweet and savoury accompaniments) are served up alongside historic English (and a bit of French) cuisine. Also very popular for afternoon tea, a quintessentially English experience that graciously gives way to candlelit dinners later on. Don’t be put off by the crowds - inside, it’s much bigger than it looks. Price ALC: £4-£5/£9-£11/£4-£6. SD (5-7pm): 2 £12.50 inc gls wine. Afternoon tea from £7 Wine list HW £12 btl Open Mon-Thur 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 11am-9pm. Disabled access difficult (listed building), but staff try to be as helpful as possible. Large groups by adv booking only.

TASTING ROOM 6 Green St, BA1 2JY Tel: 01225 483070, web: www.www.tastingroom.co.uk ■ Eminently tasteful social sanctuary incorporating a vibrant street-level wine shop and deli and gorgeous upper-level bistro (complete with super-chic alfresco patio) courtesy of acclaimed wine buff Will Baber, described thus by our tasty girl-about-town: ‘A chic but cosy interior (think Paris bistro meets Brooklyn brasserie by way of Nigel Slater’s kitchen) offers the perfect backdrop to properly seasonal menus that always present right-here-right-now inspirations.’

Open for breakfast (brunch at weekends), lunch and dinner/tapas/bar snacks in the evening; tea, coffee, pastries served all day. What Will and his team don’t know about wines, whiskies, liqueurs and more isn’t worth knowing (and they all share their knowledge at wine-tasting courses and related events on a regular basis). ‘But for me, the taste at the heart of the matter makes my heart go pitter-pat,’ Ms Tasty decided. ‘Always imaginative, always satisfying, and always strictly seasonal. Visit TR as often as you can, and I promise you won’t tire of the experience.’ Price Breakfast (9.30-11.45am) from £1.75. Lunch £5.95£12. ALC bar menu/dinner: £3.95-£7.50/£6.95£13.50/approx £6. Tapas: 3 £10 Wine list HW £12 btl Open Tue-Thur 9.30am-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 9.30am-11pm, Sun-Mon 10am-4.30pm. Disabled access difficult - call in adv. Private hire - call for info.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

THEATRE VAULTS RESTAURANT Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 442265, 01225 448844 (theatre) ■ Atmospheric thesp hangout in a vaulted cellar

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beneath the Theatre Royal. Cosy and elegant with a relaxing ambience, the general style is English with a touch of the Med, and seasonal menus incorporate the freshest ingredients. Menu changes monthly.

Price ALC: from £4.95/from £9.95/£5. Free dessert with any main course ordered Wine list Cosmopolitan.

HW £14.50 btl Open Lunch: 12noon-2.30pm on theatre matinee performance days only. Dinner: daily 5.30pm-9.30pm (closed Sun when there’s no show on at the theatre). Disabled access - call in adv. Parties by adv booking only.

TRAMSHED Beehive Yard, BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 421200, web: www.thetramshedbath.co.uk ■ A sprawling bar, bright’n’breezy dining areas, roaring log fires, heated and covered alfresco terrace and lots of funky decor based around NY loft-style design flourishes offer the perfect backdrop to all-day, flexible refreshment. Modern British seasonal menus with Mediterranean influences run the gamut from fish & chips, steaks, salads and spitroasts to pasta, pizza, generous sharing platters and hearty Sunday roasts. Price Sharing platters from £4.95. ALC: from £4.45/from £7.95/from £5.25. SL (Mon-Fri 12noon7pm): 2 £11.95, 3 £15.45. Sun roast: 2 £12.95 Wine list Extensive. HW approx £14 btl. Large selection of cocktails, btld/draught beers Open Daily 9am-late.

Food: Mon-Thur 12noon-10pm, Fri-Sat 12noon10.30pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm. Full disabled access throughout. Parties welcome - call for details.

VELLORE AT THE BATH SPA HOTEL Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, Sydney Rd, BA2 6JF Tel: 01225 444424, web: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/bathspa ■ See Alfresco & Vellore at the Bath Spa Hotel, above.

European & Mediterranean Bristol A CAPPELLA 184c Wells Rd, Totterdown, BS4 2AL Tel: 0117 971 3377, web: www.acappellas.co.uk ■ Chances are you know this as the finest pizza takeaway restaurant in the city, bar none. You don’t?

Well, go order yourself a Vivaldi - tomato sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola, brie, provelone, oregano and red onion - and try telling us we’re wrong. Anyway, we digress, but only to point up the fact that you should enter the place - cafe by day, BYO pizzeria by night with high expectations. Not for nothing did it scoop

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER...

Best Cafe in the 2012 Bristol Good Food Awards. An independent establishment, it’s genuinely friendly, the most relaxed of places to drop by and enjoy homemade desserts, tapas, healthy breakfasts, great coffees, free Wi-Fi, and - look, parents! - toys, books, etc, for the kids. Alfresco dining area, eve takeaway and delivery, booking essential at weekends. Not for nothing was it voted Bristol’s Best Budget Italian in The Guardian. Price Pizzas £7.45-£14.45. Breakfast/ brunch £1.50-£7.95 Wine list BYO (corkage £1 per head) Open Tue-Sat 9am-10pm (Fri-Sat 10.30pm).

Good disabled access.

AQUA ITALIA RESTAURANT & BAR Welsh Back, BS1 4RR Tel: 0117 915 6060 153 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2RF Tel: 0117 973 3314, web: www.aqua-restaurant.com ■ See Italian.

ARNOLFINI CAFE-BAR 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA Tel: 0117 917 2305, web: www.arnolfini.org.uk ■ Italian-influenced menu, with light bites and good-value lunch deals. See Cafes, Bristol.

NEW OWNERSHIP BELL’S DINER AND BAR-ROOM 1 York Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5QB Tel: 0117 924 0357, web: www.bellsdiner.com ■ Just as this guide went to press, news arrived that one of Bristol’s most illustrious foodie landmarks has changed hands, with chef/proprietor Chris Wicks passing on the keys after 15 years, during which he established Bell’s Diner as a pioneering restaurant with ambitious fine-dining menus. The place is now in the very safe hands of Connie Coombs and Kate Hawkings - the team behind the renaissance of the Arnolfini cafe-bar - who plan to open Bell’s throughout the day, offering a changing menu of quick bites and small-plate selections, with a more formal menu for the evenings in the dining room.

Following a thorough refurbishment, there’ll be a separate bar area for socialising, and an excellent wine policy is promised, aiming to make interesting bottles available at reasonable prices. We look forward to finding out more when it opens under the new name of Bell’s Diner and Bar-room.

(Already suffering from Chris Wicks withdrawal?

See Berwick Lodge, below.)

BERWICK LODGE Berwick Drive, BS10 7TD Tel: 0117 958 1590, web: www.berwicklodge.co.uk ■ Welcome to Chris Wicks Goes Rural (see Bell’s

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Diner, above), in this 2009-opened arts and crafts manor house. Where Bell’s was cosily intimate, this is grandly sweeping, all high-pointed columns and higher-still chandeliers. And food to match, naturally: the restaurant won our Best in Bristol Top Banana award at the first time of asking. ‘Dinner-suited staff wait on the red carpet,’ said our reviewer, ‘and the mystique is complete when you’re shown into an opulently furnished lounge for nibbles, aperitifs and the chance to discuss the awesome wine list with an impeccably French and knowledgeable sommelier.

A special place, serving special food - eat here now while you can still get a booking.’ For a top-value visit, check out the Mon-Thur brasserie menu (sample: cheese souffle, candied walnut, pear and celery salad, £7.50). Fancy trying some of this for yourself? Check out the Cookery School in the adjacent, beautifully renovated old stable block. Price ALC: £8-£9.50/£15£20.50/£7.50-£9.50. SL/Sun lunch: 2 £26.50, 3 £31.50. SD: 2 £36.50, 3 £41.50. Afternoon tea £15, champagne afternoon tea £25 Wine list Exceptional, extensive - over 30 different champagnes alone. HW from £23 btl, £6 gls Open Daily. Breakfast 7-9.30am, lunch 12noon-3pm, afternoon tea 3-5pm, dinner 6-10pm. Disabled access. Private hire up to 70.

Conferences & events catered for.

BORDEAUX QUAY V-Shed, Canons Way, Harbourside, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 943 1200, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk ■ It’s the foodie equivalent of the health industry’s ‘holistic experience’: restaurant, bar, brasserie, cookery school, deli, bakery, wine courses - if you’re ever looking for a shortcut to wholly sustainable, self-sufficient living, hide yourself away here and you’ve got it made. You won’t find much room to hide in the trophy cabinet, mind: check those gongs from the Soil Association, Good Food Guide and Observer Food Monthly, to name but three. As The Guardian said, ‘What’s so impressive about this place is, well, everything - a gleaming jewel of a restaurant.’ And all driven by an ethos to reduce food miles, reduce waste through recycling and make full use of locally sourced produce. All in all, an absolute oasis at the otherwise avoid-worthy area that is V-Shed. Daily changing menus reflect the best of what’s local and seasonal throughout the year, from wild game to fresh Cornish fish and locally reared organic lamb delicious ingredients, beautifully prepared. Breakfast, brunch and light bites in the informal brasserie, while the restaurant offers seriously fine dining in a lively but mellow atmosphere. See excellent website for forthcoming events, including a new harbourside market, cookery classes and offers. Price Restaurant SD: 3 £29.50. Sun roast: 1 £13.50, 2 £17.50, 3 £20.50 Wine list Extensive, organic. HW £18 btl, £4.75 gls.

Eating Out West 2013

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER...

Bath Ales, low-alcohol & fruit beers, spirits, liqueurs Open Brasserie & terrace: daily. Restaurant: Sat 6-10pm, Sun roasts 12noon-3pm. Good disabled access. Private room for hire, parties welcome - call in adv.

BOSTON TEA PARTY 75 Park St, BS1 5PF Tel: 0117 929 8601 1 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HR Tel: 0117 973 4790 97 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT Tel: 0117 923 9571, 156 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5RL Tel: 0117 329 1454, web: www.bostonteaparty.co.uk ■ One of Bristol’s true culinary success stories, BTP boast four Bristol outlets and, since their 1995 inaugural opening on Park Street, have spread right across the rest of the West Country and, recently, up into Birmingham. Easy to see why: they were in on the ground floor of the 1990s late-coming realisation that popping out for coffee - proper coffee, mind was actually a rather fun thing to do, and have kept caffeine lovers’ trust ever since (the tea range is as extensive and well-selected as the coffee). Indeed, The Independent recently listed the Clifton branch in their top 50 coffee shops in the country. Combining zesty liveliness with laidback feel, BTP serve original, rustic food (largely organic, free-range, Fairtrade and locally sourced), with friendly service from people proud to be called baristas. Brilliant breakfasts (from full English to smoked salmon/scrambled egg bagels) served daily, before the ever-changing menus move on to salads, wraps, sandwiches, panini, homemade soup and daily specials, with homemade cakes, flapjacks and muffins offering all-hours assistance. Check out the well-maintained website and Facebook for current events and online shop.

Price All-day breakfast £4.50-£6.95, wraps & burgers £6.50-£7.25 Open Clifton: Mon-Sat 7.30am-7pm, Sun 8am-7pm. Park St: Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 8am-7pm.

Whiteladies Rd: Mon-Sat 7am-7pm, Sun 9am-7pm.

Cheltenham Rd: Mon-Sat 7.30am-7pm, Sun 8am-7pm.

No disabled access to Park St. Parties up to 80, max 35 reserved seats.

BRAVAS BRISTOL 7 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LD Tel: 0117 329 6887, web: www.bravas.co.uk ■ Née Zorba’s Greek eatery, and the big-time debut venture from supperclub tapas-in-a-flat aces, Kieran and Imogen Waite. And a proper-job gem of the local scene it’s become already. All they’ve learned of Spanish tapas has come to spectacular fruition, with environs to match: big old homely ceiling-high shelving, stripped-back wooden tables, the reassurance

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of a partly open kitchen, reclaimed wood counter - we could go on, but trust you’re getting the cosy old picture by now. They hardly need help on the food front, but have chosen their drinks partners very well: Bristol Beer Factory and Six O’clock Gin & Tonic sit neatly alongside a splendidly Spanish wine list. It’s a properly thronged place, unsurprisingly - visiting at the earliest opportunity heartily recommended. Price Tapas £2.50-£6.50, sweets approx £5 Wine list Spanish all the way. HW £15.95 btl Open Tue-Wed 5-11pm, Thur 5pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight BRIDGE CAFE Avon Gorge Hotel, Sion Hill, Clifton Village, BS8 4LD Tel: 0117 973 8955, cafe reservations: 0117 906 4652, web: www.theavongorge.com ■ Quite some backdrop designer, that Brunel. While other restaurants boast of cosy gardens - perhaps the odd tree or two - this place has the most graceful bridge in all of Christendom to serve as its private deck’s focal point. Not only that, but God/geological evolution (delete according to belief) chipped in with the whacking great gorge that it so spectacularly traverses - woodland, swooping peregrine falcons and all. So it’s to Bridge Cafe’s credit that they come up with a menu that doesn’t pale into insignificance beside it.

Quite the opposite: we’re talking AA-rosette standard.

Said our man: ‘A meal worthy of its location - a perfect spot for a summer celebration or special date. I jumped at the chance of pave of lamb, one of the softest and leanest of cuts, and the evenly sliced portion I got was delicious, its fine, pink centre so tender that I could cut it with a fork. The bonus was another rare treat tempura sweetbreads, hot and crisp batter surrounding creamy meat.’ Wine list offers some 60 choices (£16£40) arranged helpfully in categories like ‘Light Elegant White’ and ‘Softer, More Rounded Red’. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with heated seating outdoors on the private deck. Sunday lunches, too, and a menu for the kids. Look for regular offers, such as two steaks and a bottle of wine for £25 every Thur. Price ALC: £5.25-£8.50/£9.95-£17.50/£5.75-£7.95. Sun lunch: 2 £15.95, 3 £18.95. Afternoon tea (2.30-6pm): £14.95 (£20.95 with champagne) Wine list Extensive range of international wines, beers, liqueurs, cocktails, champagnes (inc champagne by the gls). HW £16.50 btl, £4 gls Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm (9pm Sun). Disabled access. Groups & parties welcome call in adv.

BRISTOL FASHION BEEFEATER The Haymarket, BS1 3LR Tel: 0117 929 8953 Emersons Green, BS16 7AN Tel: 0117 956 4755, web: www.beefeater.co.uk ■ In our youth, nothing quite said ‘treat!’ to the same

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... extent as our parents declaring that the family was “eating out for dinner [ie lunch] at the Beefeater”.

In fairness, there was barely any alternative. To the chain’s credit, as hundreds upon hundreds of dainty little competitors have risen up in the meantime, they’ve stuck to majoring on what they do best: meat, lots of it, with unfussy veg on the side (in a slight concession to modernity, it’s now chargrilled within sight of your table). That’s not to say that there aren’t alternatives, mind: there are plenty of pasta, salad and vegetarian options, plus bar food (jackets, sandwiches, wraps, soup) for those on the go. Main meals from £4.99 Mon-Sat before 6.30pm. Price ALC: £3.49-£5.49/£8.69-£19.99/£3.89-£6.20. Sun roast £9.99 Wine list HW £9.99 btl, £2.85 gls Open Breakfast Mon-Fri 6.30-10.30am, Sat-Sun 7-11am, then Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm.

Disabled access with lift & toilet. Parties 20+.

BYZANTIUM 2 Portwall Lane, BS1 6NB Tel: 0117 922 1883, web: www.byzantium.co.uk ■ ‘Stepping inside Byzantium, you find yourself in a Hollywood film-set from the Arabian Nights, with a sweeping staircase crying out for buckles to be swashed from the balustrades - whatever else you might expect from dining out, it’s clear that this place offers a sense of occasion,’ said our man with the napkin and notebook. ‘That impression

A real sense of occasion Byzantium

was heightened when, shortly after settling on one of the cushioned banquettes in the spacious ground-floor bar, we were approached with diffident confidence by up-close-and-personal illusionist Philip and enjoyed a short sequence of genuinely baffling tricks. This is the place that launched the career of Derren Brown, after all.’ Happily, the food isn’t overwhelmed by its surroundings - in the dining room at the top of the stairs - and offers a Mediterraneanstyle approach, utilising local ingredients. Check the website and pop by for a banquet Saturday, incorporating bellydancer, close-up magic, banquetstyle seating for three-course meal, and more, for £59pp. Price ALC: £5.95/£14.50-£16.75/£5.95 Wine list Extensive, classic, contemporary. HW £14.50 btl, £4 gls Open Tue-Sat 5pm-2am. Disabled access & facilities. Parties welcome - exclusive bookings up to 250. Private dining room. Licensed for civil wedding ceremonies.

CITY CAFE Hilton Garden Inn, Temple Way, BS1 6BF Tel: 0117 925 1001, web: http://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com ■ This place scooped a Best Food Award, as gonged out by the Post. Not for us to say whether or not that means more to them than the two AA rosettes pinned up in the kitchen. Either way, said our food editor, ‘It’s easy to see why the City Cafe pleases the AA judges - it’s very much more of a dining experience than most hotels would offer, and definitely worthy of a visit in its own right.’ Modern European menu, with plenty of classics to keep the traditional hotel clientele happy: marinated crab salad, seared pigeon breast, pork, fish, etc. You might be near one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, but no matter - even if you’re dining out on the heated alfresco terrace facing the evening sunlight, there’s no hint of traffic.

Sunday lunches are rather fine, and children are well looked after. Price ALC: £4.95-£7.95/£10.50£21.95/£5.50-£8.50. Breakfast £10.95-£14.95. SL: 2 £9.95, 3 £14.95. SD: 2 £14.95, 3 £18.95 Wine list Extensive new world, old world & European, vintage champagnes, ports, dessert wines. HW £17.50 btl, £13 carafe, £3.75 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 6.309.30am, Sat-Sun 7-11am. Lunch: Mon-Fri 12noon2.30pm, Sat-Sun 1-3pm. Dinner: Mon-Sat 6-10pm, Sun 7-9.30pm. Bar food all day. Disabled access & toilets. Private dining rooms. Parties 20+.

COAL GRILL & BAR Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 954 4624, www.coalgrillandbar.co.uk ■ Next to the cinema in Cabot Circus, and part of a national chain that’s as flame-happy as the name suggests. Signature dishes are the ‘fire sticks’: flame-

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... grilled skewers of meat or fish served on a hot skillet with fire-roasted sweet peppers, courgette, mushroom and red onion ratatouille, plus chilli, tzatziki and BBQ dips, garlic rice or chips. Grab two sticks for £14.95, three for £17.95. Sign up to join ‘The Club’ for offers and discounts on both this place and Severnshed.

Price Breakfast £2.95-£6.95, sandwiches £5.95£8.75. ALC: £4.95-£6.95/£8.95-£20.95/£5.25-£8.95.

SL (Sun-Fri 12noon-7pm): 2 £7.95, 3 £9.95 Wine list Well-chosen world wines. HW £14.30 btl, £3.90 gls Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm.

Disabled access (lift to food court). Parties catered for.

overstatement.’ Any wine on the menu is available for purchase, and they do special events, too (discussion of foraged foods, special wine dinners showcasing food with specific vineyards - see website or ring for details). Price ALC: lunch £4.50-£7.50/£8.50-£13/£4£7.50, dinner £3.50-£7.50/£13.50-£16/£4.50-£7.

Lunch deal: hors d’oeuvre + small main £9.95 Wine list Extensive and impressive - as you’d expect, given the owners. Always changing, many served by the gls.

HW £16 btl, £3.50 gls Open Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm, Mon-Sat 6.30-10pm. Disabled access - with one step at entrance.

DELMONICO 217 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8NN Tel: 0117 944 5673, web: www.delmonico.co.uk ■ ‘Interesting and unpretentious food, carefully prepared and served with perfect hospitality,’ summarised our Food editor after visiting last year. ‘There’s something enduringly nice about Delmonico’s,’ he expanded. ‘It’s first experienced in a warmth of service, making no demands on the customer but effortlessly providing exactly what it offers. It’s not a sycophantic thing, nor obtrusive, but rather the best kind of old-school English hospitality, untainted by transatlantic “bonhomie” or continental “attitude”. But, happily, it’s not accompanied by the culinary cack-handedness that such Englishness might have served up in those Bad Old Days, with the menu offering a cosmopolitan mix of popular favourites.’ Expect hearty food ranging across European styles, and a leisurely atmosphere.

Desserts are particularly fine - our top tip is the white chocolate cheesecake flecked with toasted coconut.

Price ALC: £4.75-£5.20/£11.95-£21.50/£5.25£5.95 Wine list Small but perfectly formed, inc classic French & more unusual new world, excellent champagne. HW £13.95 btl, £3.50 gls Open Tue-Fri 5-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-3pm. Fairly good disabled access, but call ahead for details. Parties welcome, call ahead for details. Private dining up to 30.

GLASSBOAT Welsh Back, BS1 4SB Tel: 0117 929 0704, web: www.glassboat.co.uk ■ Is there a finer view from a Bristol eatery than looking straight down the Welsh Back water through the Glassboat’s full-length rear - sorry, aft - windows?

It’s up there with the terraces overlooking Clifton Gorge and bridge, for sure. Over a quarter-century to the good, the good boat is still pulling in the crowds with its winning combination of fresh creative food and exquisite service. Happily, the food matches the surrounds. Last time he was there, our Mr Food declared, ‘The kitchen passed with exuberantly flying colours: the soft, flavoursome meat was simply heavenly, balanced with sweetly roasted new potatoes. My companion’s wild mushroom and parmesan risotto was no less pleasing - a celebration of intense flavours, still juicily tongue-tingling. A rather grown-up bitter chocolate and prune souffle cake and kick-ass coffee rounded things up with consummate style, ending an evening that had slid by as smoothly and gracefully as those swans.’ Price SL (Tue-Fri 12noon-2.30pm): 2 £10, 3 £12. Early Bird supper (Mon-Sat 5.30-7pm): 2 £15, 3 £20. ALC dinner (Mon-Sat 5.30-10pm): £5-£12.50/£13-£22.50/£610. Sun SL (12noon-4pm):1 £12, 2 £16.50, 3 £21 Wine list Extensive, international, incredible. Superb choice of spirits, lots of malt whiskies & vintage cognacs. HW £18 btl, £3.25 gls Open Tue-Fri 12noon2.30pm, Mon-Sat 5.30-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

Disabled access but toilets downstairs. Private hire, up to about 110.

FLINTY RED 34 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LA Tel: 0117 923 8755, web: www.flintyred.co.uk ■ Distinctive place, this, essentially a cross between a very fine wine bar, a tapas and a French deli. Which, when you see the team behind it, makes sense: a collaboration between chefs Matthew Williamson and Claire Thomson, and wine merchants Dominic Harman and Rachel Higgens of Corks of Cotham.

Smartly understated interior - bare brick walls, dark wood chairs and tables - neatly points up a focus on food. ‘This is a place where flavour and quality were an absolute priority,’ said our Mr Food, ‘with dishes chosen to bring out the ingredients without

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GOLDBRICK HOUSE 67-69 Park St, BS1 5PB Tel: 0117 945 1950, web: www.goldbrickhouse.co.uk ■ One of those places pulling off the neat trick of proving fabulously popular while at the same time retaining an air of exclusivity. From the downstairs front bar to the top-floor restaurant via the wonderful labyrinth of the floor containing the champagne/ cocktail bar, it’s classy decor - and attentive, knowledgeable staff - all the way. Roof terrace with

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER...

Unique Eateries Lido

Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol ■ Swim, steam, dive or splash up an appetite at this super-relaxing oasis, then gorge yourself on fresh, lively seasonal treats from the fabulous kitchen.

Menu Gordon Jones

Wellsway, Bath ■ Bath’s most talked-about restaurant offers a truly unforgettable voyage of gourmet discovery.

Runcible Spoon

Nine Tree Hill, Stokes Croft, Bristol ■ Real food at real prices from a grow-your-own collective.

skyline view, bar and private-dining options add to the charm. Menus (including breakfast/all-day brunch) are generally modern European with a nod towards Mediterranean cuisine, with a few good old-fashioned British classics thrown in. ‘Faultlessly satisfying and unimposing upmarket dining

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destination,’ our man declared. Price ALC: £5.50£7.50/£12.95-£21.50/£5-£7.50. SL (Mon-Sat 12noon3pm): 2 £10, 3 £13. Early eve (6-7pm): 2 £10, 3 £13.

SD: 2 £21, 3 £26 Wine list Extensive. HW £14.50 btl, £3.75 gls Open Restaurant: Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm.

Cafe-bar: Mon-Sat 9am-11pm. Champagne/cocktail bar: Mon-Thur 4pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am.

Disabled access - call ahead.

H BAR CAFE-BAR & RESTAURANT Colston Hall, Colston St, BS1 5AR Tel: 0117 204 7131, web: www.thehbar.co.uk ■ Remaining one of the finest upsides to the Colston Hall’s refit, H Bar is run by the amiable man behind the popular Bocabar at Paintworks and what used to be Bocanova up the road, Humberto Benevenuto, the imaginative Latin American chef. Fans of the latter’s Brazilian/Mediterranean fusion food will find themselves fully at home here, with our Food editor noting: ‘All kinds of intriguing combinations were on offer and we wrestled with choices before ordering from our amiably patient waitress.’ He went on to enjoy rump of lamb and spicy aubergine, and wild mushroom, courgette & thyme risotto. Lunch, dinner, and cafe-bar downstairs serving lighter bites, breakfasts, teas, coffees. Price SL: 2 £8.95. SD: 1 £14.95, 2 £17.95, 3 £21.95 Wine list Extensive. HW £14 btl, £3.90 gls Open Cafe: Mon-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun according to shows. Restaurant: Tue-Fri 12noon2.30pm & 5-9pm, Sun according to shows & events.

Good disabled access. Parties up to 40. Available for outside catering & events.

HARVEY NICHOLS SECOND FLOOR RESTAURANT & BAR Harvey Nichols, Philadelphia St, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BZ Tel: 0117 916 8898, web: www.harveynichols.com ■ An 82-seater restaurant, two AA rosettes, and a sumptuous thing indeed: luxurious finishes, soft lighting, wow factor all the way. Head chef Louise McCrimmon has been here since the 2008 opening, having trained at Leith’s School of Food and Wine and cooked her way around Burgundy in France, before working her way up the Harvey Nicks family.

If you just want to sample the environs in lowkey style, coffee and cakes are available Mon-Sat 10am-12noon (Sun 11am-12noon). Alternatively, check out the extraordinarily hefty afternoon tea for £15.50 (champagne tea £22.50). Price ALC: £7.50-£8.50/£18.50-£24/£5.50-£8. SD: 2 £17, 3 £20. Sun brunch: £5/£10/£5 Wine list Enormous, all-encompassing. HW £19 btl, £3.25 gls. Champagne £9.50 gls Open Lunch: Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. Afternoon tea: Mon-Sat 3-5.30pm.

Dinner: Tue-Sat 6-10pm. Disabled access. Separate entrance (via Penn St) in eve.

Eating Out West 2013

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER...

HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO Sugar House, Narrow Lewins Mead, BS1 2NU Tel: 084473 64252, web: www.hotelduvin.com ■ Long-time high-end fave for Bristol foodies, thanks in no small part to the fabulous plush depths of the sofas in the welcoming lounge - aka Sugar House Bar and the ultimate ‘Suits you, sir’ for smokers, the walkin humidor (puffed to the gills with fine cigars from around the world). This place was firmly into sourcing local produce long before it became obligatory to shout about doing so from the rooftops, with the large dining room a broad thrum of content as diners enjoy 28-day-matured steaks, French onion soup and other Gallic-influenced faves. If you’re looking to treat someone to a special night - yourself included - this place should be very near the top of your list.

Price ALC: £5.95-£11.50/£14.75-£29.50/£6.50-£8.50 Wine list Extensive, impressive. HW £18.50 btl, £4.25 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7-10am, Sat-Sun 8-11am.

Lunch: Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-3pm.

Dinner: Mon-Thur 6-10.30pm, Fri-Sun 6-10.30pm.

Disabled access, toilets on ground floor. Three function rooms for hire. Parties up to 10 in bistro, but on separate tables.

JUNIPER 21 Cotham Rd South, BS6 5TZ Tel: 0117 942 1744, web: www.juniperrestaurant.co.uk ■ Neighbourhood eatery just atop the crest of Cotham Brow. ‘A cracking Anglo-European menu full of local and seasonal bits and pieces,’ said our reviewer.

‘Reliably imaginative food, skillfully prepared and served with style.’ Fans of intimate dining should know that it comes full of cosy, quiet corners and tables for two. People who put great store in seeing how well a place engenders loyalty and repeat bookings (ie anyone of a sensible disposition) should feel entirely confident about booking sightunseen - just try not to let locals know you’re in on their little well-kept secret. Expect informality, individuality and excellent food - hearty portions coupled with an eye for detail and some splendid artistic flourishes. Price Taster menu: 8 £60. ALC: £6-£9/£14-£20/£7-£12 Wine list Extensive.

HW approx £15.95 btl, £4 gls Open Mon-Sat 7pm-12midnight. Disabled access to cafe-bar but not toilets. Parties welcome - call to discuss.

KILN AT THE RAMADA BRISTOL CITY Ramada Bristol City Hotel, Redcliffe Way, BS1 6NJ Tel: 0117 926 0041, web: www.ramada-bristol.co.uk ■ Classic English cuisine and local cheeses - Somerset yarg, Cropwell stilton, etc - rub up alongside international favourites. Be sure to understand that the produce here is not as hard-baked as in days

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of yore - the restaurant is housed in the shell of a 17th-century glass kiln. Breakfast buffet (£11.95) includes hot offerings and fresh fruit. Price ALC: £5.75-£6.95/£11.95-£19.75/£5.45 Wine list Good global selection. HW £16.50 btl, £4.15 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 6.30-10am, Sat 7.30-10am, Sun 8-9.30am. Dinner: Sun-Thur 6.30-9.30pm, Fri-Sat till 10pm. Disabled facilities.

LIDO Oakfield Place, Clifton, BS8 2BJ Tel: 0117 933 9530, web: www.lidobristol.com ■ One of the most relaxed spots in the city, with the restaurant overlooking the length of the freshwater mountain-like lido. Since reopening five years ago, the long-neglected 1849-dating complex has been making up for lost time by swiftly becoming one of the most popular draws in town. That counts for the food as much as the pool, the 90-seat restaurant brought to you as it is by the company that created the Glassboat and Spyglass restaurants. And what a lot of options you’ve got when it comes to sampling it! There’s swim & breakfast for £30 (9-10am), swim & lunch £35 (11am-12noon), swim & afternoon tea £35 (12noon-3pm), swim & dine £40 (from 4.30pm).

Price ALC: £7-£10.50/£15.50-£19.50/£5.50-£8.50 Wine list HW £17.50 btl Open Restaurant: daily 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm (closed Sun eves). Spa & poolside bar: Mon-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 9am-6pm.

Disabled access.

LIVING ROOM Building 11, Canons Way, Harbourside, BS1 5TY Tel: 0117 925 3993, web: www.thelivingroom.co.uk ■ Popular chain accommodating up to 200 plateseekers over two open-plan floors. Bright and bustling, it has swiftly become an established Harbourside fave. Arrive early evening to hear the resident pianist undertaking a little ivory stroking, tinkling and whatever else comes to mind on the baby grand. Live music Fri-Sun. Price ALC: £3.75£9/£9.75-£22/£4.75-£8.50. Sunday Comforts SL (including trad roast, 12noon-6pm): 2 £14, 3 £17.

Mon-Fri SL: 2 £12, 3 £15 Wine list Sturdy, well chosen. HW £14.50 btl. Cocktail specials £4 during signature drinks hour (Mon-Sat 3-7pm).

Two-for-one on Classic Menu cocktails all day Sun Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 12noon-11pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome.

Private hire available. Business meeting facilities - call for details.

LOCKSIDE 1 Brunel Lock Rd, Cumberland Basin, BS1 6XS Tel: 0117 925 5800, web: www.lockside.net ■ Now 50 years old, this building previously played

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... home to The Venturer’s Rest, Popeye’s Diner and - in fiction world - Sid’s Cafe in Only Fools and Horses. In current guise it’s a breakfast and lunch specialist, offering up all manner of deliciously straightforward treats alongside more fancy fare - a fine range of ‘proper’ English breakfasts alongside such posh newcomers as smoked salmon, poached eggs and bubble & squeak with hollandaise sauce. The menu stays winningly eclectic throughout the day. Bowl of Maltesers for pud? Of course, Madam. All this, plus stunning views across the eponymous lock to Brunel’s bridge. Decking terrace at the rear seats 60. Available for private hire for all sorts of gatherings. Price Breakfast £5.95-£8.95, lunch £3.50-£12.95 Wine list Finely tuned. HW £14.95 btl Open Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 9am-4pm. No disabled access.

Available for private hire.

MAITREYA SOCIAL 89 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6HY Tel: 0117 951 0100, web: www.cafemaitreya.co.uk ■ See Vegetarian.

MARRIOTT ROYAL HOTEL College Green, BS1 5TA Tel: 0117 925 5100, web: www.bristolmarriottroyal.co.uk ■ Churchill stayed here, you know, when he popped by on an eye-opening tour of blitzed cities. Step through the door and survey the room and, truly, it’s not hard to imagine him sitting contentedly amid the opulence of the drawing room in a generously backed chair. Or possibly in the Club Bar, or out on the terrace. This grand Victorian-style hotel, infused with polished marble, warm mahogany and gleaming

High-end favourite Hotel Du Vin

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brass, offers breakfast and bites in Walter’s Restaurant (two-for-one on main courses for two-six people on Sun/Mon), while there are special teas and light bites - later, dinner - in the Club Bar. Price ALC: £5-£10/£7.50-£11.50/£5-£8 Wine list Extensive, global, emphasis on new world/European. HW £21 btl, £5.50 gls. Excellent cocktails, very well-stocked bar Open Walter’s Restaurant: Mon-Fri 6.30-11am & Sat-Sun 7-11am, daily 5-10pm. Club Lounge: daily 12noon-11pm. Disabled access. Parties, weddings, functions - call in adv.

MEZZALUNA 81 West St, Bedminster, BS3 3NU Tel: 0117 953 2069, web: www.mezzalunarestaurant.co.uk ■ Mehmet and family bring forth a Turkey-centric taste of the Med - paintings and murals included with a mix of mezze dishes and evening ALC. Keeping with the cross-cultural theme, trad breakfasts can also be found alongside offerings such as the Mediterranean breakfast: spicy sausage, two eggs, feta cheese, honey, butter, olives, tomatoes, bread.

There’s a new pizza menu now, too. This place can hum just as much as you want it to - for full-on party spirit, you can even book the establishment’s resident belly dancer. Front terrace and large garden. Price Breakfast (9am-4pm) £3.60-£6.75, lunch £6.75£6.95, ALC dinner: £3.95-£7.95/£7.50-£12.90/£3.75£4.75, pizzas £7.50-£11.95 Wine list HW £12.50 btl, £3.35 gls Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-7pm.

Disabled access. Parties up to 80.

MOREISH 6 Chandos Rd, Redland, BS6 6PE Tel: 0117 970 6078, web: www.moreishrestaurant.co.uk ■ Snugly chic - all stripped floors and airy windows - Moreish is community-beloved cafe by day, relaxed bistro come eventide. Decor apart, the unhurried atmosphere is positively encouraged by the provision of free Wi-Fi and daily newspapers, not to mention a fine drinks range incorporating Luscombe and Bath Ales. The menu is best classified as ‘modern European’ - when weather allows, the continental theme continues out on the small heated terrace and ranges from the likes of chicken, lemon & basil terrine to English cheeses and chutneys. Check out the seven-course taster menu to best appreciate the fare on offer, reviewed by our man with the notebook as ‘a non-stop fireworks display of intense flavours and subtle food ideas accompanied by wines that were themselves a revelation of their kind. Pretty sensational it turned out to be, not least as value for money, everything being well chosen and prepared with great attention to detail.’ Price SL (12noon-

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER...

6pm): 2 £11.50, 3 £14.50. SD: 2 £18.50, 3 £22.50 (FriSat: 2 £21, 3 £25). Tasting menu: 7 courses + truffles + coffee £65 (optional £20 wine flight). Sun lunch (till 9.30pm or it runs out): 1 £10, 2 £14, 3 £17 Wine list Sturdy, well chosen. HW £14.50 btl, £3.70 gls Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-10.30pm, Sun 9.30am-9.30pm.

Disabled access but not to toilets. Parties up to 50 welcome. Takeaway weekdays.

MUD DOCK 40 The Grove, Harbourside, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 934 9734, web: www.mud-dock.com ■ Mud Dock might carry an air of being more pleased with itself than most establishments but, in fairness, it’s not without some justification. Downstairs, the converted former harbourside warehouse caters to the city’s most earnestly dedicated cycling fraternity, while up here it’s food all the way. Well, food and views: the aspect enjoyed out across the harbour from the large windowed interior is topped only by that outside, and the huge, south-facing sundeck. Tapas is still a major player on the menu, but its inspiration is evolving: “As time has passed, we’ve meandered from a rustic Spanish theme and embraced a hint of other influences in the kitchen,” quoth the MD. “Chefs of differing nationalities - French, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian - have each made their mark.” Our reviewer was impressed enough: ‘Imaginative fare that remains reassuringly earthy. Good, tasty, unpretentious stuff that was impressive but never intimidating.’ Price ALC: £5.95-£6.25/£9.95-£16.95/£4.65. Brunch (12noon-3pm) £4.25-£12.95 Wine list Carefully selected. Well-stocked bar, btld/draught beers. HW £13.95 btl, £3.05 gls Open Mon-Wed & Sun 10am-5pm (kitchen till 3pm), Thur-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat 9am-10pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Cafe space for private hire. Parties 20+, set menus for groups of 10+ for lunch & dinner.

Alfresco Hotspots Bridge Cafe at the Avon Gorge Hotel

Sion Hill, Bristol ■ Spectacular views of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and right across the gorgeous Avon Gorge itself.

Browns

Queens Rd, Clifton, Bristol ■ The original Bristol people-watching paradise is still the best!

Graze Bar, Brewery & Chophouse (pictured)

Brunel Square, SouthGate, Bath ■ Trains to the left, Heritage City rooftops to the right just follow the sun!

MUSET BY RONNIE 16 Clifton Rd, BS8 1AF Tel: 0117 973 7248, web: www.themuset.com ■ Our Food editor would regularly trek out to Thornbury to partake of Ron Faulkner’s near-peerless emporium of ‘British classics’. So, imagine his delight when Mr Faulkner brought the concept to Clifton, and housed it in former beloved institution of these parts, Le Muset. ‘Muset goes further,’ he discovered, ‘offering such a kaleidoscope of ingredients that it’s almost impossible to picture what will come.’

He soon discovered that ‘mains are a similar palette of surprises. I have a seared lump of blue fillet with a roll of crispily tasty cheek, dotted with pickled mushrooms and succulent carrot to make a solid plateful of manly eating. Dining partner gets pinkglowing cannon of lamb with soft-cooked breast

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... alongside, plus simmering leek fondue and dark tapenade of olives and anchovy. As before, it’s these dots of intense (and sometimes indefinable) flavour that make the experience, like the treacle-smoked muscavado mousse accompanying her spiced plums & mascarpone sorbet and the zesty curd underlying my lemon plate of cheesecake and crumble.’ His conclusion, come coffee time? ‘Got a boat to push out? This is the place.’ Keep an eye out for food and drink events throughout the year, including live music, gourmet literary evenings and meet-the-wineproducer dinners. Price ALC: £8-£11/£17-£32/£4.20£7.90. SL (Tue-Sat): 2 £10, 3 £13. SD (Tue-Thur): 2 £19, 3 £22. Sun roast: 1 £12, 2 £16, 3 £19.95. Taster menu £45, plus wine flight £23 Wine list HW £17btl Open Tue-Thur 11.30am-3.30pm & 6-11pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-3.30pm & 6pm-12.30am, Sun 10am-4pm.

Disabled access, but no toilet.

NO.4 Rodney Hotel, 4 Rodney Place (off Clifton Down Rd), BS8 4HY Tel: 0117 970 6869, web: www.numberfourrestaurant.co.uk ■ Gracious Georgian facade, huge sash windows stretching from oak floor to ornate ceiling, roaring open fire, beautiful gardens at front and rear… “That’s all very well,” you say, “but what about the food?”

AA rosette awarded for ‘culinary mastery’, since you ask. And, naturally, the ingredients haven’t travelled far: meats from Devon Rose Organic Farm and Ruby & White, fish from Wing of St Mawes, salads from Class 1, and so forth. Excellent wine list, and the POSH Bar, overlooking the beautiful walled garden below, is perfect for summer pre-dinner cocktails. Check out the canapes and BBQ menu, too. In short? Just

A firework display of intense flavours Moreish

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a little bit good. Price ALC: £5.95-£7.50/£13.95£17.95/£4.95-£7.95. BBQ: 1 £9.95, 2 £16 Wine list HW £15 btl, £4.50 gls Open Mon-Fri 7am-9am & 6-10pm, Sat-Sun 8am-10am & 6-10pm. Lunch: on request. Disabled access - call in adv, ramp available.

Private parties welcome.

OLIVE SHED Princes Wharf, Harbourside, BS1 4RN Tel: 0117 929 1960, web: www.theoliveshed.com ■ Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but some imitators are more flattering than others.

“I love this place,” said Raymond Blanc. “I hope you don’t mind if I copy some of your ideas!” Some of them are beyond copying, alas. After all, there are only so many sites on Bristol Harbourside looking relaxedly back across towards the city, handsome old cranes in the corner of one eye, masts of the ss Great Britain in the other. Yep, if you’re running a lovely Mediterranean-infused restaurant/cafe-bar/ deli and looking for space for some continental-style tables spilling outside the front door, you could do a lot worse than pitch up here. Olives predominate as the name suggests, and salads and fabulous tapas pack the deli counter, while sturdy, classic European faves proliferate on the accessible, people-pleasing menu. For full olive coverage, check out the sister Olive Shed Shop on Gloucester Road, including flavoured vinegars, handcarved legs of ham and - of course - olive wood. Price ALC: £5.95-£8.50/£9.50£16.95/£5.95-£7.95. Tapas buffets £5-£19, sharing platters £10.95-£14.95 Wine list All wines organic, many hand-sourced from own vineyard suppliers in France. HW £15 btl, £4 gls Open Restaurant: ThurSat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-4.30pm. Disabled access.

Outside catering for weddings & private/corporate parties.

PUMP HOUSE Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ Tel: 0117 927 2229, web: www.the-pumphouse.com ■ ‘The place has that open, cheerful ease that distinguishes contemporary eating places,’ said The Guardian. True. The joy, of course - as the name combined with Harbourside location suggests - is that all the cheerfulness and openness is housed within a building steeped in local history. And, indeed, in keeping things shipshape and Bristol fashion.

Today, that means bringing forth delicious food for both upstairs restaurant and ground-floor bar, but without any gastropub pretensions. It also means keeping things local, with chef/proprietor Toby Gritten conducting regular foraging excursions for the freshest seasonal and wild ingredients. It works, too - unlike the food, those two AA rosettes don’t grow on trees, you know. For maximum satisfaction,

Eating Out West 2013

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... cast a careful eye over both restaurant and bar menus. Price Taster menu: 8 £45 (booking essential).

Restaurant ALC: £6-£8.50/£15-£20/£5-£7.50.

Sun lunch: £4.50-£7/£13-£18/£5-£5.50 Wine list Extensive, international. HW £15 btl, £4.50 gls Open Sun-Wed 11am-11pm, Thur-Sat 11am-12midnight.

Bar meals: Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6.30-9.30pm. ALC: Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 7-9.30pm. Sun roast 12noon3pm (call to book) & eve meal 7-9.30pm. Disabled access. Parties 20+ welcome - call in adv.

RIVERSTATION The Grove, Harbourside, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 914 4434, web: www.riverstation.co.uk ■ 15 years to the very good indeed, Riverstation is a twin-terrace-augmented Harbourside restaurant and bar+kitchen, treading an adroitly walked line between chic smartness and unfussy informality. Modern European menus change daily and, just like the Good Food Guide said, ‘This modernist eatery remains one of the city’s most consistent places.’ The lower level of this two-storey former police station houses a bar/kitchen that provides morning coffee, pastries, fast-paced, simple lunches and suppers, afternoon cakes and teas, and evening bar food. Upstairs, meanwhile, is all about the restaurant ‘proper’.

Ingredients are stringently sourced from local farmers and growers where possible and the accent is firmly on freshness and seasonality. Look out for all manner of oft decidedly unusual events. Price ALC: £5.50-£11/£15.50-£19.75/£5.50-£6. SL: 2 £12.75, 3 £15.50. SD: 2 £14.75, 3 £18.50. Sun lunch: 2 £16, 3 £19.50. Kids aged 11 or under, accompanied by paying adult, eat free Wine list Global. HW £15.95 btl, £3.50 gls Open Bar/kitchen: Mon-Wed 9am-11pm, Thur-Sat 9am-12midnight (last food orders 10pm), Sun 10am-5pm (last food orders 4pm). Restaurant: Lunch Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & Sun 12noon-3pm, Dinner Mon-Thur 6-10.30pm & Fri-Sat 6-11pm. No disabled access to upstairs restaurant, but menu can be served at downstairs tables, with access to disabled toilet. Parties up to 150 for seated dinner, 200 for eve party or informal buffet.

SEVERNSHED The Grove, Harbourside, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 925 1212, web: www.severnshedrestaurant.co.uk ■ Riverstation’s next-door neighbour on Harbourside at the top of Welsh Back. Food is key, of course, but you might just like the surrounds, too: spacious, airy and dead historic - this was formerly a Brunel-built boathouse. Balcony serves up comfortable space for up to 80, with fine alfresco dining, and the bright indoor restaurant (floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the waterfront) offers a laidback yet luxurious

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ambience. Excellent tapas and superb cocktails, a good cafe-bar menu for lighter bites, and splendid specials like Fish Fridays: market-fresh menu with two courses for £18.95, three for £22.95. Price ALC: £4.95-£7.95/£7.25-£21.95/£4.95-£8.95. SD (Mon-Fri 12noon-6pm): 1 £6.95, 2 £8.95, 3 £10.95. Sun lunch from £9.95 Wine list HW £15.95 btl, £3.45 gls. Wide range of cocktails, beers, spirits Open Breakfast: daily 8.30am-12noon. Lunch: daily 12noon-5pm. Earlyeve menu: Mon-Thur 5-7pm, Sun 5-10pm. ALC from 12noon daily. Disabled access. Private parties welcome, special menus - call for details.

SPYGLASS BARBECUE & GRILL Welsh Back, Harbourside, BS1 4SB Tel: 0117 927 7050, web: www.spyglassbristol.co.uk ■ The first cuckoo heralding spring? Not in the middle of the city, it isn’t - no, it’s when Spyglass emerge from their wintry hibernation to break out the high-end barbie and wood-fired pizzas. We really do mean high quality, too - even the mince for the Spyglass burger comes from 28-day-aged beef. Chicken is all free-range, fish and shellfish are sustainably caught from predominantly local waters, and even the ice-creams are churned on the premises.

It returns for its 11th season, but is closed as we put this year’s directory together. Here, though, are the 2012 details as a guide… Price ALC: £2.50£8/£8.75-£19.50/£1.50-£6 Wine list Good range of continental/Mediterranean wines, beers. HW £18.50 btl Open Mon-Thur 12noon-10pm, Fri-Sat 12noon10.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm (“If the weather is particularly foul the BBQ may close early…”). Disabled access, but no disabled toilet. Parties 20+.

SQUARE KITCHEN 15 Berkeley Square, Clifton, BS8 1HB Tel: 0117 921 0455, web: www.thesquareclub.com ■ ‘It was all faultless, sensibly sized portions of good ingredients, carefully enriched and perfectly cooked,’ said our Food editor when he dropped by this longstanding, snootiness-free, warmly rambling members’ club. Choose your spot to idle a while between the Square Kitchen (main restaurant), Lounge (artdisplaying cafe-centric area), Lower Deck (cocktail bar, hosting cocktail masterclasses (£25pp), regular jazz and What the Frock comedy nights) and Terrace (as secret as the place voted ‘Best Outside Dining in Bristol’ can be, accessed as it is via the cocktail bar). For an initial sampling of surrounds, check out the splendid value of the £5 lunch deal. And did we mention the brace of AA rosettes, or the cinema club, art classes, poetry nights…? Yep, it’s class all the way at this place. Price Taster menu: 7 £55, wine flight £22.50. ALC: £4.95-£6.50/£11.50-£17.50/£4.95£6.50. Breakfast/brunch £7.50-£11.50. Sun roast

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... £10.50-£12.50 Wine list Extensive. HW £15 btl, £4.50 gls Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7-9.30am, Sat-Sun 7.30-10.30am. Lunch 12noon-5pm. Dinner 5-10pm.

Disabled access - call ahead. Parties - call ahead.

TYRELLS AT THE GRAND The Grand, 53-58 Broad St, BS1 2EL Tel: 0871 376 9042, web: www.thistle.com ■ A grander afternoon tea than most: starting at £19.95, you get scone, cream, jam, tea… not to mention champagne and access to pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Still, it’s the restaurant we’re chiefly here for in this section: expect modern British and European cuisine on the ground floor of this Thistle hotel. And we’re talking a long old way from curled-up triangle sandwiches and warmed-over veggie lasagne - instead, our Mr Food places Tyrells alongside City Cafe and Hotel du Vin as up there with the best hotel food in the city. As, indeed, the painted wood panelling and flower-festooned tables suggest.

Price ALC: £6-£6.50/£11.50-£22.50/£6-£6.50 Wine list Extensive classic and new world. HW £17 btl, £6.50 gls Open Dinner: daily 6.30-10pm. Food in Marlow’s bar, too. Good disabled access.

URBAN WOOD 90 Colston St, BS1 5BB Tel: 0117 929 3627, web: www.theurbanwood.com ■ Formerly known as Wild Wood, the Urban Wood is an independent establishment split into two rooms: the front holds deep Chesterfield sofas and stripped flooring, plus intimate tables for couples and larger tables for groups; out back, meanwhile, is a room

A remarkable oasis Urban Wood

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for party/meeting hire. ‘A remarkable oasis offering a place to meet, drink, do lunch or dine with the minimum of formality,’ said our reviewer. ‘Food is satisfyingly freshly prepared and reasonably priced and should cater for most tastes.’ Proper range of beers, from local Bristol Beer Factory brews to fine pils from Austria, Flensburger Pilsener, etc. The ideal environs, you might suspect, for a little music as you dine. And you’d suspect right: there’s lots of acoustic music staged here. Price ALC: £4.75-£8.50/£7.50£14.95/£4.75. Brunch £4.50-£6.50 Wine list HW approx £12 btl Open Mon-Wed 11am-11pm, Thur-Fri 11am-late, Sat 12noon-late. Disabled access, but not to toilets. Parties catered for.

VILLAGER 35-36 Church Rd, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3EQ Tel: 0117 950 0373, web: www.villager-restaurant.co.uk ■ Properly charming place, this, housed in two converted 18th-century cottages, replete with beams and open fireplace and village church in clear tolling distance. Promising ‘an epicurean experience for lovers of food and drink’, the menu is regularly updated to take advantage of seasonal produce, with modern English, French and Mediterranean influences leading the way. A fine place to come for a relaxed, friendly, intimate atmosphere, with BYO available for parties of eight or fewer. Suppliers are local and there are plenty of good-value options. Price ALC: £4.75£7.95/£11.25-£14.95/£4.50. SD: 2 £12.50, 3 £17.

Sun lunch: 1 £7.95, 2 £10.95, 3 £15.45 Wine list HW £12.25 btl Open Lunch: Sun 12.30-3pm. Dinner: ThurFri 6-9pm & Sat 7-10pm. No disabled access. Parties catered for. Takeaway.

WATERSHED CAFE-BAR 1 Canons Rd, BS1 5TX Tel: 0117 927 5101, web: www.watershed.co.uk ■ From breakfast to lunch, mezzes to mains, this is, said our reviewer: ‘tasty and ethical - eating, drinking and viewing - and you can’t ask for more than that. A very warm and pleasant place, quietly busy with a mix of diners, drinkers and talkers and the usual scattering of Apples glowing with Wi-Fi activity. Thanks to Watershed’s plot-to-plate organic/ seasonal/local policy (developed with Better Food Co main man Phil Haughton), the menu board tells you where all the meat and fish is sourced. The difference is immediately obvious in the vibrant flavours.’ Thus, meat from Gatcombe Farm on the Jurassic Coast at Seaton, freshly caught fish from the Cornish Wing of St Mawes, and fruit and vegetables from the Soil Association-approved Kidners Organics and The Community Farm. Oh, and a table in just about the most cutting-edge building in the city, always at least

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER... a couple of steps ahead of the pack in all things tech and net-related. So, don’t forget to check out the cinema, exhibitions and shop, and be aware that it can get very busy later on as the room transforms from continental cafe to booming bar. Price ALC: £3.70£5.50/£4.95-£10.95/£3.50 Wine list Extensive. HW £15 btl, £2.80 gls. Lots of real ales, lagers, cider, guest ales Open Food daily 10am-9pm. Disabled access possible via lift, and adapted toilet. Semi-private room for private bookings, up to 200.

NEW WILKS 1 Chandos Rd, Redland, BS6 6PG Tel: 0117 973 7999, web: www.wilksrestaurant.co.uk ■ They couldn’t have stepped into much bigger shoes - until last summer, this was the home of Culinaria, the Bristol institution run by Stephen and Judy Markwick. Happily, they’re going about it the right way, with an emphasis on all things local: farmers, growers, suppliers, not to mention giving space to the work of local artists. That means colourful surrounds for sampling West Country cheeses, River Exe mussels and British dishes with a Mediterranean twist. You can take a little piece of Wilks home, too: bread, salads, soups, mains, desserts, vinaigrettes, jams, chutneys, wines and more. Price SD (12noon-2pm & 6-6.45pm): 2 £16, 3 £19. ALC: £6-£9/£12-£20/£3-£9 Wine list Extensive, smartly selected. HW £16.50 btl, £3.50 gls Open Wed-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-10pm, Sun 12noon4pm & 6-9pm. Food-for-home: Wed-Sun 10am-10pm ZAZU’S KITCHEN 225 Gloucester Rd, BS8 7NR Tel: 0117 944 5500, web: www.zazuskitchen.co.uk ■ First there was Stokes Croft, then Clifton Village, in relatively quick succession. We suspected, however, that Zazu’s move to their third premises may be altogether longer-lived, and see no reason to change our minds: there’s something about the independence of Toby Bywater’s emporium and the general atmosphere on Gloucester Road - in the old Bistro La Barrique site - that seems altogether well met. Expect quality to remain, with the high standards that saw them written up in the Good Food Guide, and which found our man wondering at ‘an assured mastery to it all - the key seems to be absolutely first-rate ingredients: start with raw materials this good and you don’t need to mess about with them. Absolutely superb.’ Brunch ranges from trad English fare to fine-sounding treats like yellow chickpea curry with poppadom bowl, rice and salad. Dinner, meanwhile, is inventive all the way - check online for full delights.

Price ALC: £4.50-£5.95/£9.50-£18.50/£4.95-£7.50.

Brunch (9am-3pm): £2.95-£8.50. SD (6-7pm): 2 £11.50 Wine list Small, perfectly formed. HW £14

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Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, earlier closing Sun. No disabled access - several steps up to entrance. Available for private bookings. Takeaway.

NEW ZAZU’S KITCHEN 220 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JD Tel: 0117 963 9044, web: www.zazuskitchen.co.uk ■ Zazu’s go from strength to strength, with their dead popular Gloucester Road emporium joined by this sister restaurant, opened as March 2013 drew to its shivery close in the premises where once stood The Terrace. Purveyors of fine fare from breakfast through to supper, and there’s also a new bar menu. As with all of North Street’s most successful eateries, it’s properly child-friendly, too. Check the listing above for a flavour of what to expect on the menu. Price ALC: £4.50-£5.95/£9.50-£18.50/£4.95-£7.50. Brunch (9am-3pm): £2.95-£8.50. SD: 2 (6-7pm) £11.50 Wine list Small, perfectly formed. HW £14 Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, earlier closing Sun. Disabled access.

Available for private bookings. Takeaway.

ZERODEGREES 53 Colston St, BS1 5BA Tel: 0117 925 2706, web: www.zerodegrees.co.uk ■ Award-winning micro-brewery not just on the same site but in the same sleek, industrial interior: just check out those large vats of delicious delights like the splendid Mango Beer. Food-wise, it’s best known for its kilo pots of fresh mussels and fine gourmet pizzas, with bangers & mash, hearty salads and European-influenced pasta dishes also distinguishing a modern, fresh menu. Not a place for an intimate dinner for two, perhaps, for this is a brashly loud old place. That said, if you fancy ducking outside for a little alfresco dining, you’ve made a fine choice - no less than three dining balconies here, all fully heated and smoker-friendly. Price ALC: £3.50-£9.95/£8.95£15.95/£4.75 Wine list Extensive. HW £14.95 btl, £4.50 gls. Fabulous, unique range of beers Open MonSat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm. Disabled access & toilet. Parties 20+. Takeaway.

Bath AQUA ITALIA 86 Walcot St, BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 471371, web: www.aqua-restaurant.com ■ See Italian.

DEMUTHS 2 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX, Tel: 01225 446059, web: www.demuths.co.uk ■ See Vegetarian.

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Restaurants EUROPE & MEDITER...

Simply Fabulous Allium Brasserie

North Parade, Bath • Super-stylish gourmet dining in surroundings to match.

Berwick Lodge (pictured)

Berwick Drive, Bristol • Splendid food in characterful, chic surroundings courtesy of Bristol uber-chef Chris Wicks.

Harvey Nichols Second Floor Restaurant & Bar

Harvey Nichols, Cabot Circus, Bristol • A fullon, contempo-glam, wow-factor experience.

times ante. Mornings are all about coffee and cakes, set menus are exceptionally good value for money, and evening ALC is always imaginative. Price ALC: from £4.95/from £10.95/£4.95-£5.25. SD (Tue-Sat 6-7pm): 1 £9.95, 2 £12.50, 3 £14.95 Wine list HW from approx £11.95 btl Open Mon 10.30am-3pm, Tue-Sat 10.30am-11pm, Sun lunch 12noon-2.45pm.

Disabled access. Large parties, weddings & business functions welcome (up to 200, set menus available).

RAPHAEL Gascoyne House, Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RN Tel: 01225 480042, web: www.raphaelrestaurant.co.uk ■ Cosy, candlelit, contemporary bistro, very popular with the pre-theatre crowd. Menus feature imaginative Medi-themed dishes based around seasonal availability and daily market deliveries.

Specials board often features fresh fish, and vegetarians are never overlooked. Price ALC: from £4.95/£12.95-£21/from approx £5. SL: 2 £11.95.

SD (5.30-7.30pm): 2 £14.95 Wine list Extensive.

HW approx £15 btl. Draught beers, cocktails, fine brandies Open Daily 12noon-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm (last orders). Disabled access, but not to toilet. Parties 20+ - call in adv.

RIVERSIDE CAFE 17 Argyle St (below Pulteney Bridge), BA2 4BQ Tel: 01225 480532, web: www.riversidecafebath.co.uk ■ This charming cafe-bar in a unique location right on Pulteney Weir serves fabulous breakfasts and fresh, homecooked lunches, plus thoughtfully eclectic suppers on a modern British/Mediterranean/ global theme. Pavement tables offer gorgeous weir views. What’s not to love? Price ALC: approx £6/£10£14/£6. Lunch/light bites from approx £6 Wine list Thoughtful, well-chosen. HW £13.50-£17 btl Open Daily 9am-9.30pm. Disabled access very limited. Not suitable for large groups, except by prior arrangement.

SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT 7a Princes Buildings, BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 466856, web: www.same-same.co.uk ■ Sturdy Medi-themed yumminess (including excellent tapas) served Thur-Sat eves at this charming licensed cafe. See Cafes.

GREEN PARK BRASSERIE Green Park Station, BA1 1JB Tel: 01225 338565, web: www.greenparkbrasserie.com ■ Convivial Euro-style brasserie with alfresco, covered seating (60-seater porte-cochere out front, 70-seater deck out back, in what was once a railway station but is now home to the popular weekend farmers’ market) adding to the overall appeal. Free broadband/Wi-Fi in the library area, and regular live jazz ups the good-

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TILLEYS BISTRO 3 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX Tel: 01225 484200, web: www.tilleysbistro.co.uk ■ Don’t be fooled into thinking that only a streetlevel table at Tilleys - on one of Bath’s prettiest trafficfree passages - is Where It’s At. Downstairs, stoneflagged floors, country-cottage furniture and eclectic knick-knackery give what could be a claustrophobic subterranean vault a homely, farmhouse kitchen feel.

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Restaurants FISH The menu follows suit: mix and match from a selection of small, medium and large dishes, paying homage to robust Mediterranean influences, with the odd twist on local regional classics such as haddock smokies, crab St Malo, Dartmouth Smokehouse fish selection, pork a la dijonnaise, guinea fowl supreme stuffed with black pudding and wrapped in pancetta, gressingham duck breast with black cherry sauce, bitoke roquefort, chocolate St Emilion & lemon posset. Price ALC: small dish £6-£8.50/medium £6.50-£9/large £10-£19/ dessert £6. SD: 2 £13.50 Wine list HW from approx £16.50 btl Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6.3010.30pm. Disabled access to ground floor & toilet.

Separate room with lounge & bar for private hire: 10-16. Parties 20+ welcome.

WOODS 9-13 Alfred St, BA1 2QX Tel: 01225 314812, web: www.woodsrestaurant.com ■ Enjoying a prime location opposite the Assembly Rooms since the late 1970s, this upmarket but informal bistro serves affordable food to match (modern European classics) and deservedly enjoys local-institution status. French-style bar-brasserie area at the front leads to an elegant, spacious dining room - all white cloths, fresh flowers, candlelight, softly-softly carpet underfoot and walls lined with all things racehorse-related. Price ALC: from £5.50/ from £13.50/£6. SD (Mon-Fri 5-7pm): 2 £16.95. Party menu options Wine list HW from £14 btl Open MonSat 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-9.45pm (last orders), Sun by special arrangement. Wheelchair accessible throughout but staff assistance required at entrance.

Room for private hire, up to 45.

Fish Bristol FISHERS 35 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BX Tel: 0117 974 7044, web: www.fishers-restaurant.com ■ Smack in the heart of Clifton Village and boasting portholes in the kitchen doors, Fishers’ dining room feels like a smart seaside restaurant. You need to like fish to enjoy the place because (token meat and veggie dishes notwithstanding) the daily changing menu is entirely seafood-based, with a cavalcade of freshly caught temptations presented in an interesting variety of dishes. Our Food editor was distinctly impressed: ‘While the Great Fish Resurgence has made a welcome change to menus, it can reveal a lack of skill in otherwise reputable kitchens. Fishers, happily, is not one of those.

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Everything tastes perfectly fresh and clearly doesn’t want hurrying - the staff leave us to meander through it. The small but perfectly formed wine list knows its stuff, too, with a wide choice of fish-friendly whites and a few light-grape reds. A place that truly knows seafood and wants to share the love.’ Price ALC: £5.50-£9.50/£9.95-£21.50/£4.25-£5.50. SM (12noon-2.30pm & 6-7.30pm): 2 £8.50, 3 £10.90. See website for current offers Wine list New & old world.

HW £14.50 btl, £3.50 gls Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm (10pm Sun). Booking advisable. Disabled access, but not to toilets. Parties 20+ welcome - call in adv.

LOCH FYNE Queen Charlotte St, Welsh Back, BS1 4HQ Tel: 0117 930 7160, web: www.lochfyne-restaurants.com ■ Shacked in the lovely Old Granary building, this renowned chain specialises in reliable, sustainable sourcing of fish and shellfish. Not to mention paper, for even the menus are printed on 100% recycled paper. “Where species are not plentiful,” they assure us, “we’ll find alternatives and we will not source fish caught by methods deemed to be harmful to the marine ecosystem, such as deep-sea trawlers, beam trawlers or industrial long-liners.” The smoked salmon and oysters are possibly the most celebrated dishes, but it’s the mussels that caught the taste-buds of our reviewer: ‘Being wholesomely raised in the eponymous loch [on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, fact fans], they’re a bit varied in size and plumpness, but all exude a real marine freshness in their mariniere gravy. The lobster bisque was also really good, with the satisfying texture of granular velvet.

Both were filling enough to see us through the wait for the main courses, which arrived with French-style promptness.’ Always a couple of meat and vegetarian options, and blackboard specials comprise fresh, imaginative treats and catches of the day. Prices are competitive because the company supplies itself, cutting out the middleman/woman and guaranteeing that all-important source. Well-informed, friendly staff add to the overall high standards. See website for online shop and latest offers. Price ALC: £4.95£8.45/£9.95-£23.95/£4.95. SL (12noon-6pm): 2 £9.95, 3 £11.95 Wine list Extensive. HW £13.95 btl, £3.85 gls Open Mon-Thur 12noon-10pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm. Disabled access.

Groups/parties welcome - call in adv.

ROCKFISH GRILL & SEAFOOD MARKET 128 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2RS Tel: 0117 973 7384, web: www.rockfishgrill.co.uk ■ ‘If you love fish, then RockFish is heavenly,’ said our Food editor, a man who values fish above all

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Restaurants FRENCH but classic motorbikes and the collected works of Charles Mingus. Blending stylish, informal, relaxed eatery and cookery school, it’s a virtual seaside spot from which to partake of the freshest of seafood, simply prepared and cooked to your liking. Or cooked yourself: drop in from Tue-Sat each week to order from the freshest seafood market in town, open every Fri-Sat. Chargrilling fish is their speciality, giving it a uniquely Mediterranean flavour. Direct links with Brixham fishermen on the south Devon coast, they say, mean that they “get the best of the day’s catch - every day”. New additions to the menu include locally sourced meat. Sunday lunch on last Sun of the month. Price ALC: £6-£12/£9.50-£30/£5.50-£6. SL (till 7pm): 2 £12.50, 3 £15 Wine list HW £14.25 btl, £4.75 gls Open Restaurant: Tue-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm (10.30pm Fri), Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-10.30pm.

Seafood market: Fri-Sat 9am-5pm. Disabled access, but no toilet access. Parties 20+ welcome - phone in adv.

Bath LOCH FYNE 24 Milsom St, BA1 1DG Tel: 01225 750120, web: www.lochfyne.com ■ This stylish fish-based franchise (see Bristol listing for full details) also opens for breakfast, including a smashing full English and the most glorious smoked kippers this side of the Scottish border. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7.3010am, Sat-Sun 8-10am. Lunch/dinner: Mon-Thur 12noon-10pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon10pm. Disabled access. Groups of up to 15 can be seated together.

French Bristol BRASSERIE BLANC Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BF Tel: 0117 910 2410, web: www.brasserieblanc.com ■ “I have never been speechless, but when I first visited Quakers, it was close,” claims Brasserie honcho Raymond Blanc. “If the Georgian Meeting house was not enough, the two medieval halls will just stagger you. Too big for just a Brasserie - I’ve turned the halls into banqueting halls. They were built in the 13th and 14th centuries as a monastery and then used by Bristol Guilds.” That’s banqueting set up for French classic and modern dishes, made with fresh, local and seasonal produce, and lining up with decent prices.

Under the watchful eye of senior head chef Saurabh Hirve, expect to enjoy the likes of Mediterranean

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fish soup, crispy St Loup goat’s cheese with tomato chutney, Swiss chard & cep mushrooms lasagne, spring rack of Cornish lamb, and Raymond’s renowned salmon & smoked haddock fishcakes. The Post were certainly impressed: ‘Raymond Blanc’s group of brasseries is in serious danger of giving restaurant chains a good name,’ purred their foodie. ‘I, for one, have fallen in love with Brasserie Blanc and cannot recommend it highly enough.’ There’s a terrace for suitably continental-style alfresco dining or coffees.

Predominantly French wines are sourced directly from selected vineyards. See helpful website for offers, menus and Raymond Blanc online shop. Kids get their own ‘Petit Blanc’ menu (around £5.95). Price ALC: £4.95-£8.50/£11.25-£26/£4.95-£7.85. Roast sirloin Sun lunch £12.80. SL (until 7pm): 2 £11.50, 3 £13.95.

SD (from 7pm): 2 £14, 3 £16.45 Wine list HW £15.95 btl, £3.85 gls Open Mon-Thur 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-10.30pm, Sun 10am-9pm. Good disabled access.

Can cater for large parties - phone to check.

CAFE ROUGE Unit SU51A, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BD Tel: 0117 954 4808 85 Park St, BS1 5PJ Tel: 0117 929 2571 Unit R4, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway BS10 7TG Tel: 0117 950 8730, web: www.caferouge.co.uk ■ Chaintastic Gallicisms, as shruggingly served up via outlets in a couple of local shopping malls and the top of Park Street. Your correspondent found the latter to boast a distinctly ‘Will this do?’ attitude to both food and service, but is minded to observe that others have delighted in a ‘huge menu to suit most tastes, alongside daily specials board, superb classic French delights (moules/steak-frites, tarts, salads) and an excellent bar’. Price ALC: £4.95£6.95/£7.95-£15.75/£4.95-£6. Breakfast £4.95£7.50. SL (Mon-Fri 12noon-5pm): 1 £7.95, 2 £9.95 Wine list Good selection, strong French emphasis. HW £15.95 btl, £4.30 gls. Euro-beers & lagers, cocktails, liqueurs Open Cabot: daily 9am-10pm. Cribbs: MonSat 9am-9pm, Sun 10am-5pm. Park St: Mon-Thur 9am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm.

Disabled access - call ahead (Park St); excellent facilities at Cabot and Cribbs, including step-free access, accessible toilets, Braille and large-print menus.

Parties welcome - call ahead.

COTE 27 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG Tel: 0117 970 6779, web: www.cote-restaurants.co.uk ■ A chain, yes, but a good ’un - this one arrived in Bristol as the 22nd link in a franchise launched by the former owners of the Strada chain. And though the place is big - 120 covers - there’s no stinting

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Restaurants FRENCH on individual dish quality. Our man with the foodstained notebook was happy to arrive to ‘friendly greetings that are the first sign of what proves to be a service culture of amiable effectiveness and consideration in the best French style. Full marks for both food and the service - small wonder that the place is heaving and, I suspect, will continue to do so.’ Clearly, the place is building on Cote’s rating as the Good Food Guide’s Best Value Restaurant in the UK four years back. Expect modern versions of classics (steak-frites, moules marinieres, corn-fed chicken from the heart of rural Brittany) alongside lighter dishes such as tuna nicoise, and creme caramel for dessert. Price ALC: £4.35-£7.95/£8.55-£17.95/£3.95£5.25. Breakfast (Mon-Fri 9am-12noon, Sat 9am-1pm, Sun 10am-1pm): £3.80-£8.10. SL (Mon-Fri till 7pm): 2 £9.95, 3 £11.90 Wine list Proudly all French. HW £14.50 btl, £4.30 gls Open Mon-Fri 8am-10.30pm, Sat 9am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-9.30pm.

Good disabled access.

Bath BISTRO LA BARRIQUE 31 Barton St, BA1 1HG Tel: 01225 463861, web: www.bistrolabarrique.co.uk ■ Cheerful, distinctly welcoming cafe-society surroundings (including pavement seating out front and absolutely gorgeous walled garden to the rear) and a lively menu selection largely revolving around ‘petits plats’ (French version of tapas) make this a very popular Heritage City hotspot. Head chef/ proprietor Michel Lemoine’s inspirations have firm foundations in the classic French bistro experience, translating to an emphasis on confits, tatins, rillettes, crepes, balotines, etc, in a thoughtful selection of dinky little dishes. ‘A cosy, well-priced, welcoming bistro specialising in cosy, well-priced, welcoming food supplemented by a thoroughly decent wine list that offers familiar succour and brave-new-world zeitgeist in equal measure,’ is how EOW’s own little tarte tatin put it. Price Petits plats from approx £6, sides £2.95, daily special (large plate) £10-£14, dessert £5-£6 Wine list Intelligent, lots by the gls.

HW from £16 btl Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10.30pm, Sat 12noon-10.30pm. Disabled access.

Large parties welcome - call in adv. Private dining room available.

epicentre of the recently refurbished Francis Hotel.

Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.45pm & 5-10.30pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-9pm. Disabled access. Large parties welcome - call in adv.

CAFE ROUGE 15 Milsom St, BA1 1DE Tel: 01225 462368, web: www.caferouge.co.uk ■ Lively, upmarket French-themed cafe-bar/ brasserie/restaurant franchise. See Bristol listing.

Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm. Disabled access.

Parties welcome - call ahead.

CASANIS 4 Saville Row, BA1 2QP Tel: 01225 780055, web: www.casanis.co.uk ■ In one of the prettiest buildings on one of Bath’s most picturesque traffic-free lanes, and serving exemplary, authentic French bistro food in elegant but gently informal surroundings. Styling within this softly lit haven of bonhomie represents that quintessentially Gallic sense of effortless good taste - pristine white tablecloths set with twinkling tableware prove how stunning simplicity can be, and even Michel Roux couldn’t fail to be impressed by the utterly charming service, from warm welcome to bonsoir. A hot contender for Most Romantic Restaurant in Bath award - intimate without being cloying, a table for two here offers a dream-date fantasy made flesh. ‘Only the grumpiest of grouches could fail to find the Casanis experience uplifting,’ said one swooning EOW critic. And when the sun comes out, the dinky little private courtyard really comes into its own. Gorgeous. Price ALC: from approx £6/from approx £13.95/from approx £6. SL: 2 £16, 3

Medi-themed yumminess Same Same But Different

BRASSERIE BLANC Francis Hotel, Queen Square, BA1 2HH Tel: 01225 303860, web: www.www.brasserieblanc.com ■ New addition to the Bath merrymaking scene courtesy of Gallic celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, featuring a rather splendid bar and brasserie at the

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Restaurants GLOBAL £20. SD (6-7pm): 2 £18, 3 £22 Wine list Well chosen, predominantly French. HW from £15 btl Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm. Limited wheelchair access. Private parties welcome - call for details.

Wine list HW £14.95 btl, £2.90 gls. Large cocktail selection Open Mon-Thur 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-9pm. Disabled access (lift to food court).

COTE 27 Milsom Place, BA1 1BZ Tel: 01225 335509, web: www.cote-restaurants.co.uk ■ Another branch in what one EOW reviewer recently called ‘a classic brasserie experience from a chain with no weakest link’, the Bath branch making full use of the gorgeous split-level oasis (complete with alfresco courtyard area and upper-level terrace) at the epicentre of upmarket shopping mall Milsom Place. See Bristol listing. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm. Disabled access to ground floor, inc toilets. Parties welcome - call in adv.

IROKO 27-29 Midland Rd, St Philips, BS2 0JT Tel: 0117 329 4462, web: www.irokorestaurantbristol.com ■ Few are the places offering genuinely distinctive flavours in Bristol’s ever-growing foodie market. This, praise be, is one of them. Formerly the wonderful John’s Cafe, Iroko brings forth Nigerian fare of fine old quality, not to mention an equally delicious afrobeat soundtrack. When our Food editor dropped in, he found that ‘starters arrive promptly and sizzling, with the gizzards spicy and tender, the moinmoin a satisfying sponge of ground beans flavoured with dried crayfish. The hastily chosen asun’s goat meat chunks are embellished with raw red chilli and snatch at our tongues, as the menu had warned. Our soups - egusi, edikang ikong and efo riro - are subtly different, delicious and best eaten with fingers, tearing lumps from the doughy pounded yam to pinch up with dark spinachy vegetables, picking apart fried tilapia, chicken and golden honeycomb tripe.’ In short: great service and well-prepared, distinctive food. Price ALC: £4.99-£11.99/£6.99-£14.99/£2.50£3.50. Lunch: £3.99-£5.29/£4.99-£6.49 Wine list HW £12btl, £3 gls Open Mon 5.30-10.30pm, Tue-Sat 3-10.30pm, Sun 3-8pm. Disabled access but not to toilet. Takeaway. Private parties up to 70. Outside catering.

NEW OWNERSHIP NO 5 BISTRO 5 Argyle St, BA2 4BA Tel: 01225 444499, web: www.no5bistro.co.uk ■ This popular French bistro now has new owners, but little about this charming experience has changed.

Expect confident incarnations of French bistro food (soupe a l’oignon, coq au vin, boeuf bourgignon, escargots, etc), served with flair in a warm and welcoming environment. Free live jazz every Tue and Thur from 7.30pm. Price ALC: from £6.85-approx £9/from £13.50/approx £6. Pre-theatre: 2 £16.95 Wine list HW approx £16 btl. Open Daily 10am-11pm (closed every second Sun in the month). Disabled access/parties - call in adv.

Global Bristol GIRAFFE Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 930 0603, web: www.giraffe.net ■ On the top row of the Circus, next to House of Fraser, sits Bristol’s Giraffe outlet. Global all the way, from continents-straddling menu to piped world music, so you can go from breakfasting in Mexico (huevos rancheros) to enjoying a Middle Eastern sundown with fattoush vegetable salad, served with dukkah spiced vegetable cakes. Plus, naturally, more determinedly populist fare such as burgers and pizzas, not to mention a mean brunch menu teetering from full English to stacks of American-style pancakes.

Price ALC: £2.95-£8.45/£8.25-£15.95/£3.95-£5.95.

SD (daily from 5pm): 2 £9.95. Breakfast £4.05-£8.50

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PHO HANOI NOODLE BAR 209 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8NN Tel: 0117 373 8882, web: http://huongquebristol.wix.com/restaurant ■ Family-run eatery - Michael the owner, plus sister and nephew - and a mixture of traditional Vietnamese decor (lanterns, artwork) and rather more modern large TV screens showing Vietnamese music videos for your singalong delight. When we visited, we found it ‘satisfyingly authentic and reasonably priced, with a friendly ambience’. Expect clean-tasting, not overly rich food, with ginger, chilli additions, pho soup and well-prepared meats served at a quick pace.‘The brightly decorated dining rooms are buzzing, the small crew of waiting staff are practically running from table to table, and trays of food are appearing at an unbelievable pace.’ Friends of theirs own the Vietnamese supermarket further up the Gloucester Road, so the ingredients and produce are no doubt authentic. Price £5-£8 Wine list BYO option Open Daily 12noon-10.30pm. Disabled access.

Takeaway.

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Restaurants GLOBAL POCO 45 Jamaica St, Stokes Croft, BS2 8JP Tel: 0117 923 2233, web: www.eatpoco.com ■ Like the Thali Cafes before it, Poco is the permanent home of a beloved festival tourer. And it’s similarly good at garnering awards, too: in February 2013, no less a figure than Raymond Blanc presented them with the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s (SRA) Restaurant of the Year Award for Environment. They offer NY-style brunch, salad wraps and sourdough sandwiches for lunch, before, come eventide, a menu of Brit-centric tapas, local wines and cocktails take over. Expect the likes of roasted belly of pork with fennel crackling, homemade Moroccan harissa, chorizo and merguez sausages, and roasted pheasant with quince and sherry. And a very fine first impression it’s made, too. ‘The decor is lovely - little glass vases with simple white flowers adorn each table, hanging plants drape from the tops of tall shelves,’ said Bristol Bites. ‘There’s lots of worn wood and some vintage/hipsterish artefacts, such as an old gramophone and old hanging light fittings.’ Having enjoyed the food even more, Ms BB concluded: ‘Go, people of Bristol, and visitors-toBristol. If you know what’s good for you, go!’ Says owner (and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall protégé) Tom Hunt, “I’ve partnered up with Taste of Freedom, a charity that works with food destined for landfill, intercepting perfectly good crates of ripe fruit or imperfectly shaped vegetables - the menus I’ve been creating alongside them are inspired by ‘freeganism’.”

Goodness all the way, then. Price Brunch £2-£6.

Lunch £2-£7. Dinner tapas £2.50-£10 Wine list Well-chosen, served by the carafe, £9 Open Mon-Fri 9am-late, Sat-Sun 10am-late PREVIEW BUFFET BAR The Venue, Merlin Rd, Cribbs Causeway, BS10 7SR Tel: 0117 959 8282, web: www.previewbuffetbar.co.uk ■ All-you-can-eat buffet bar - sister to the next-door Carvery restaurant - and bringing forth single fixedprice choices across soups, salad, pizza, pasta, grills, oriental wok dishes, burgers, trad English roasts and desserts. A hit with with visitors to the Venue - especially those grabbing a bite before taking in a movie or going bowling - and do be sure to save room for the ice-cream machine. Pre-pay/self-serve system means that there’s no waiting for meals to be delivered to the table, or for the bill to arrive at the end. More efficient than strictly atmospheric, but probably just what you’re looking for if you’re headed Mall-wards. Price All you can eat: midweek daytime £6.95 till 5.30pm, £9.95 after; weekends £11.95 Wine list HW £10.95 btl, £2.95 gls Open Daily 12noon-late. Good disabled access.

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STUDIO ONE AT CINEMA DE LUX Showcase Cinema de Lux, Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 910 0091, web: www.showcasecinemas.co.uk ■ Restaurant and full-service bar within Cinema de Lux, with an internationally inspired menu, kids’ menus and cocktails, and two-for-one main courses Sun-Thur. Price ALC: £3.85-£4.95/£8.45£14.95/£4.45-£6.25 Wine list HW £11.95 btl, £2.55 gls Open Restaurant: Sun-Thur 10am-10.30pm, FriSat 10am-12.30am. Bar: Sun-Thur 10am-11pm, FriSat 10am-12.30am. Disabled access (via lift). Parties welcome - call in adv.

SURAKHAN 52 Park Row, BS1 5LH Tel: 0117 929 0806, web: www.surakhanrestaurant.com ■ Following the short-lived Takala and similarly mayfly-like Legend Oriental Kitchen, it’s good to see Bristol’s first Korean restaurant doing rather nicely after more than a couple of years in these premises.

More than nicely, actually, having scooped Best Asian Restaurant in the 2012 Bristol Good Food Awards. Quite right, too: real care is taken over these specialist dishes, with the sauces alone having taken six years in the search for perfection. Mission accomplished! More substantively, you can go from bibimbap (rice served in a sizzling earthenware bowl, topped with vegetables, meat and either a raw or fried egg, with the ingredients stirred together just before eating - and hot sauce at the ready) to bulgogi (barbecued beef cooked over an open flame: ask for kim chee, or fermented cabbage, to go with it - you’ll wish it were in a bottomless bowl). Group bookings welcome - private basement area with licensed bar is good for large parties. Price ALC: starter £4.99, main £8.99-£11.99. Lunch £5.49£11.99. SD: min 2 people £18.99pp, min 4 people £21.99pp Wine list HW £18.55 btl, £2.85 gls. Asian beers Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm.

Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - book in adv. Takeaway.

ZA ZA BAZAAR Canons Rd, Harbourside, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 922 0330, web: www.zazabazaar.com ■ As our Food editor noted when he dropped by, ‘Imagine a bustling funfair where all the activity is about eating. The enormous bustling hangar of Za Za Bazaar is ringed with dazzlingly decorated booths and eating areas, with a line of attention-seeking stalls down the middle dispensing food on all four sides. What feels like the population of a small town is thronging, fetching colourful platefuls of Indian, Far Eastern, European and Tex-Mex food, and the

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Restaurants GLOBAL

Belly-Busting Buffets Preview Buffet Bar

Cribbs Causeway, Bristol • All-you-can-eat all-kinds-of-everything, including full-on Sunday roasts, from £6.95pp (daytime).

Jimmy’s World Grill

(pictured) Dorchester St, Bath • Load up your plates with a taste of Thailand, China, India, Mexico, Italy and Japan from £7.99pp (lunchtime).

Shanghai Nights

Nelson St, Bristol • Far Eastern all-you-caneat binges starting from £6.50pp (lunchtime).

sense of restless activity never stops.’ It’s a simple concept - buy a plate, fill it up, repeat until fully gorged. Someone might want to tell the children: ‘I see a small boy looking furtively around while helping himself to sweets from the dessert bar, but he needn’t worry - it really is unlimited here. At some point it hits us that we have to say no. No to the replenished tureens of chilli con carne or beef in black bean sauce, no to alluring kebabs and pick’n’mix stirfry. As with any other fairground, the risk is going too far. There’s a difference between “all you can eat” and “eat all you want” - and I’m thinking the latter while seduced by the former.’

Price Lunch: Mon-Thur (12noon-5pm) £8.99, Fri-Sat (11am-5pm) £9.99. Dinner (5-11pm): MonThur £14.99, Fri-Sat £16.99. Sun all day £12.99 Wine list Much broader range than your average all-you-can-eat emporium. HW £13.50 btl, £4 gls.

Globe-straddling beer range Open Restaurant: Mon-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sun 11am-11pm. Bar 11am-12.30am. Parties. Takeaways.

Bath GIRAFFE 8 Dorchester St, BA1 1SS Tel: 01225 463333, web: www.giraffe.net ■ Another link in a 30-strong chain of restaurants specialising in crowd-pleasing, family-friendly food set against a hip’n’happening, world music-playing backdrop. The Bath branch claims to be inspired by ‘New York’s clubby coffee shops and restaurants’, resulting in a split-level affair featuring quirky decor flourishes in an admirable (and largely successful) attempt to distinguish itself from the blander food outlets that so far dominate the SouthGate shopping centre. Menus (including an impressive breakfast/ brunch selection, served till 12noon) largely focus on familiar flavours from around the globe, including burgers, stirfries, jambalayas, massive salads, sharing platters and Mexican standards (chillies, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas). See website for regularly updated, wallet-friendly promos and special offers.

Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun & bank hols 9am-10.30pm. Full disabled access throughout. Private hire - call for info.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

JIMMY’S WORLD GRILL 6 Dorchester St, BA1 1SS Tel: 01225 426802, web: www.jimmysworldgrill.co.uk ■ Eighth in an ever-expanding national chain bringing together the flavours of Thailand, China, India, Mexico, Italy and Japan on an array of

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Restaurants GLOBAL/GREEK & TURKISH hotplates and woks, with a huge salad bar and Willy Wonka-style dessert buffet supplementing the lot.

Price Serve yourself, all you can eat. Lunch: MonFri £7.99, Sat-Sun & bank hols £10.99. Dinner: Mon-Wed Early Bird £9.99 (till 7pm), then £12.99, Thur-Sat £14.99. Sun carvery £10.99. Under-10s half-price Wine list HW from £14 btl, £3.80 gls. Wide range of lagers, beers, cocktails, shooters, etc Open Daily 12noon-10.30pm (last food orders 10pm).

Full disabled access throughout. Parties/private hire welcome - call in adv.

Greek & Turkish Bristol ENTELIA 50 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NH Tel: 0117 946 6793, web: www.entelia.co.uk ■ A bit of a favourite for the romantically inclined, what with the candles on simple wooden tables and plenty of room to lose yourself in. The flowers on the pavement-side terrace tables are a nice touch, too.

Greece-themed photos and clay friezes give the nod that, food-wise, we’re talking contemporary Greek taverna serving up Mediterranean flavours. Expect recipes and cooking methods passed down through generations, all made with seasonal produce and followed by an indulgence of homemade desserts.

Price ALC: £3.20-£6.35/£12.35-£17.35/£4.90. Early diner offer (3-6pm): £9.99 for meze or main inc gls house wine. Set mezze (min 2 sharing): £19.95£23.50pp Wine list Extensive, inc lots of Greek mainland & island wines. HW £13.50 btl, £4.25 gls. Two-for-one cocktails 4-7pm daily Open Daily 12noon-late. Disabled access possible - call in adv.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

OZ 4 Triangle South, Clifton, BS8 1EY Tel: 0117 927 3097, web: www.ozrestaurant.co.uk ■ Expecting a ‘down under’-themed emporium?

Can’t blame you, but you’d be wrong: it’s pronounced ‘urz’, and named after a south-east Turkish dish of gently stewed lamb with smoked aubergine puree.

Equally, we’d note that it’s owned by a chap called Ahmet Özdemir. Main thing is, you’re about to be welcomed into a smart, unpretentious Turkish restaurant with a range of set meals and decidedly tasty mezzes - welcoming and down to earth when set against some of its Triangular competition. Price ALC: £3.95-£4.65/£8.45-£15.95/£3.45-£4.55 Wine list HW £13.50 btl, £3.75 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6pm-late, Sun 6-10pm. Good disabled access. Private parties welcome.

Bath MARMARIS 4-5 Grand Parade, BA2 4AN Tel: 01225 461946 ■ Certain Bath restaurants remain totally unaffected by trends or seasonal fluctuation, this long-standing Turkish taverna being a case in point. Prices are low(ish), and the grub (Mediterranean-themed ‘classics’ on a mezze/moussaka theme) are as familiar as fish & chips, but still ‘exotic’ enough to offer a staycation experience. Even when it’s packed (and it can get very, very packed: at Marmaris, 30 diners making free with the mezze is considered to Global all the way Giraffe

EZO 6 The Promenade, Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AL Tel: 0117 944 2005, web: www.ezo.org.uk ■ ‘Bellydancing upon request…’? Yep, we’re talking unremittingly upbeat and colourful here, with lanterns adding to the atmosphere. Extensive menu with nice vegetarian options alongside more obvious traditional dishes - including plentiful supplies of halal meat - and many making great use of the charcoal grill. A great place to while away the hours, with coffee and light bites all day, and a small alfresco area out front. Price ALC: £3.95-£7.95/£8.95£14.95/£3.70-£4.50. SD: 3 £18.95 Wine list HW £12.90 btl, £3.30 gls Open Daily 12noon-11pm (FriSat till 11.30pm). Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - call in adv.

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Restaurants HOTELS be a quiet shift), the waistcoated waiters treat you like a superstar, dispensing extra chilli sauce, filling wine glasses and plonking unbidden complimentary fruit salad, sticky liqueur and Turkish delight on your table at meal’s end. House wine comes in a carafe, and the bill never seems to go much above £35 for two, even if you’ve been sitting there stuffing your face for hours. Little wonder that on Saturday nights the queue stretches almost to the weir and back.

Massive takeaway section, too. Price ALC: £7/£9£14/£5-£6 Wine list HW from £13 ltr Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, takeaway till 1am. Limited disabled access - call ahead for advice. Parties by adv booking only.

OPA 14 North Parade, BA2 4AJ Tel: 01225 317900, web: www.opabath.com ■ Contempo-glam Greek cafe-bar and restaurant offering a vast range of sociable mezze dishes and heartier fare to accompany the vast bar selection and all-round good-cheer vibe, supplemented by a fabulous alfresco area directly overlooking the river.

There’s live music every Sunday eve, and food, like the regulars, is loud, proud and sexy. Price Mezze £3.90£6.95, main £10.35-£16.35 Wine list Extensive. HW from £13 btl. Champagnes, lagers & beers, spirits, cocktails Open Sun-Wed 12noon-12midnight (food till 10pm), Thur-Sat 12noon-2am (food till 10.30pm).

Disabled access can be arranged - call in adv. Parties, functions, events welcome - call in adv.

HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO ■ See European & Mediterranean.

MARRIOTT ROYAL

■ See European & Mediterranean.

MERCURE BRIGSTOW: ELLIPSE

■ See English

RAMADA BRISTOL CITY: KILN

■ See European & Mediterranean.

RODNEY HOTEL: NO.4

■ See European & Mediterranean.

Bath ABBEY HOTEL: ALLIUM BRASSERIE ■ See English.

BATH PRIORY HOTEL & RESTAURANT

■ See English.

BATH SPA: ALFRESCO & VELLORE

■ See English.

FRANCIS HOTEL: BRASSERIE BLANC

■ See French.

QUEENSBERRY HOTEL: OLIVE TREE

■ See English.

ROYAL CRESCENT: DOWER HOUSE

Hotels

■ See English.

Bristol

■ See English.

BERWICK LODGE ■ See European & Mediterranean.

BRISTOL HOTEL: RIVER GRILLE ■ See English.

CLIFTON HOTEL: RACKS

■ See English.

FILINI AT RADISSON BLU

■ See Italian.

GRAND HOTEL: TYRELLS

■ See European & Mediterranean.

HILTON GARDEN INN: CITY CAFE

■ See European & Mediterranean.

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ROYAL HOTEL: BRUNEL’S

Indian & Nepalese Bristol 4500 MILES FROM DELHI 8-10 Colston Ave, BS1 4ST Tel: 0117 929 2224, web: www.4500miles.co.uk ■ Celebrates its second anniversary in June 2013, having made quite a splash on the local scene. Having settled into La Tasca’s old site, link number three in a new chain (which began in Leamington Spa, Oxford second) ‘combines classical “colonial” touches with

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE smart modernism, the space nicely broken up so that you’re hardly aware of the scale of what is, actually, a 200-cover business,’ said our reviewer. ‘Linen napkins are tied with red ribbons, cutlery is stylish and furniture unshowily smart and comfortable, and from the greeting at the door onwards, the service is unfailingly attentive and efficient. The menu is a nicely balanced mix of the familiar - chicken tikka masala, natch - with more interesting discoveries including a generous vegetarian choice available as main or side dishes. The first mouthful makes it clear that we’re in for rich eating.’ Come meal’s end, he remarked on the ‘reasonable price for such richly flavoured, quality eating in commodious surroundings - and with plenty left to explore on the menu, a further visit could well be on the cards’. Price ALC: £4.95-£7.95/£9.95-£18.50/£3.95-£4.95. Executive banquet (min 2) £24.95pp. Imperial banquet (min 2) £29.95pp Wine list Good range evenly split between old & new world. HW £14.50 btl, £3.95 gls. Good cocktail selection Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm, MonThur 5.30-11pm, Fri-Sat 5-11.30pm, Sun 5-10.30pm.

Parties welcome.

AHMED’S CURRY CAFE 1e Chandos Rd, Redland, BS6 6PG Tel: 0117 946 6466, web: www.ahmedscurrycafe.co.uk ■ A decade to the good - with over 20 years’ experience, all told - this place is rightly renowned for its culinary brilliance, particularly when it comes to their haandi (‘big pot’) dishes. Let’s be honest, you’ve got to be pretty darn good to last this long in such a competitive restaurant market as Chandos Road. It’s a vastly extensive menu, but if you’re a regular looking to try something new, the shahi paneer looks rather fine: cubes of paneer (Indian cheese) cooked in a sauce of pureed tomatoes and fresh cream and a blend of fresh coriander and green chillies. Likewise, the tenga fish: lightly spiced tilapia fillets with a touch of garlic, chopped green chillies, fresh coriander and lots of chopped tomatoes. It’s fully licensed, so there’s an extensive wine list alongside the usual Indian beers.

Price ALC: £2.50-£4.40/£4.50-£9.95/£1.95-£3.50.

SD: two options, one veggie and one meat, each £24.20 Wine list Extensive, plus Indian beers. HW approx £10 btl Open Sun-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12midnight. Disabled access - call in adv. Home delivery service & takeaway 6-11pm.

AL’S TIKKA GRILL 33 Ashton Rd, Ashton, BS3 2EG Tel: 0117 985 3016, web: www.alstikkagrill.com ■ An Ashton favourite for 15 years now, this chameleon place operates as working man’s cafe by day (technically known as Hungry Bite when in its cafe incarnation - see listing under Cafes - but

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mostly known as Al’s) before transforming into cosy, candlelit Indian BYO bistro by night, and always a real discovery for the previously unaware. The vibe is delightfully community cafe, and the food is very good, although modest in scope, with tandoori, korma, balti, jalfrezis, etc. Unusual selection of side dishes. Very busy at weekends, when booking is advised. Price ALC dinner: £1.85-£3.60/£5.50£12.95/£3.25-£3.65. SD: 2 (for 2 people to share) £26.95 Wine list Unlicensed, but welcome to BYO (£1.85 corkage per table) Open Daily 5.30-11pm.

Disabled access but not to toilet. Takeaway. Parties 20+ welcome.

BOMBAY SPICE 10 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4DR Tel: 0117 970 6066 ■ A spaciously airy place, and a firm favourite with Clifton diners, with individual booths meaning you can still eat as intimately as you like. An extensive menu celebrates the regional diversity of Indian cooking with a modern touch, as well as taking in more broadly regional traditions such as Bangladeshi options. Price ALC: starter £3.50-£6.95/main £6.95£14.95. SL: 3 £6.95 Wine list HW £16.95 btl, £4.95 gls. Some Indian beers Open Mon-Thur 12noon-2pm & 6-11.30pm, Fri 6pm-12midnight, Sat 12noon-2pm & 6pm-12midnight, Sun 6-11.30pm. Disabled access call for details. Private bookings, up to 54. Parties 20+ welcome. Takeaway.

BRISTOL RAJ 36 Alma Vale Rd, Clifton, BS8 2HS Tel: 0117 973 1414/923 7969, web: www.bristolraj.co.uk ■ Reassuringly old-school surrounds in this Indian diner, all burgundy tablecloths, white napkins and red-hued walls and carpets. Expect stylishly updated versions of Indian subcontinent classics at walletfriendly prices. New dishes regularly introduced - see website for details or to order online. Price ALC: starter £2.95-£4.50/main £6.95-£12.95 Wine list BYO (free corkage) Open Sun-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12midnight. Disabled access, but not to toilets.

Takeaway discount 20% on £10+ orders. Student eat-in discount 15%. Free home delivery within 3-mile radius.

Available for private hire (weekdays), up to 60. Parties 20+ welcome (group discount).

BRUNEL RAJ 6-7 Waterloo St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BT Tel: 0117 973 2641, web: www.brunelraj.co.uk ■ Hugely popular, thanks in no small part to the fact that four formerly-in-catering brothers - Saleh, Musleh, Muflay and Tufayel Ahmed - have been honing multi-award-winning restaurant-running

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Jim

Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE talent since 1997. Twice listed as one of the Top UK Restaurants by Harden’s, and even its customer reviews board is close to peerless: “Absolutely brilliant and out of this world!” - Keith Deller, 1983 World Professional Darts Champion. Price ALC: starter £3.50£7.50/main £6.60-£17.50. SD: 3 + sides £42.50 for 2 people Wine list Mainly European. HW £12.50 btl, £3 gls. Cobra & Bangla beers Open Daily 12noon-2pm & Sun-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12midnight.

Disabled access but no toilet. Takeaway discount 20%.

Private hire Sun-Thur, up to 48. Parties 20+ welcome.

CURRY HOUSE 393 Bath Rd, Brislington, BS4 3EU Tel: 0117 977 9090, web: www.curryhouse-bristol.co.uk ■ A big year for the Curry House, as they celebrate 30 years of offering sterling foodular service, and in environs altogether lighter and airier than you might associate with Indian restaurants. ‘The food is mostly Indian, while occasional Bangladeshi influences are noticed in the assured and simple cooking at Curry House,’ said Restaurant Guide. ‘An excellent buffet menu may be chosen over a no less attractive a la carte that includes the likes of minced lamb mixed with fresh herbs and barbecued in a clay oven and king prawns, slightly crisped, coated in breadcrumbs and fried in oil. Among the speciality dishes, cubes of chicken or lamb tikka cooked in cream, butter beans and almonds, in the chef’s own unique recipe, never fail to receive compliments from patrons.’ Price ALC: £2.15-£4.95/£6.95-£12.95/£2-£2.95 Wine list Thoughtful, well-chosen. HW £10.95 btl, £2.80 gls. Cocktails, lagers, beers Open Daily 12noon-3pm (reservations only), Sun-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12midnight. Disabled access possible, but call for advice. Takeaway & home delivery within south Bristol, free delivery on £15+ orders.

DEV’S KERALA 180 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8NU Tel: 0117 924 5555, web: www.devskerala.co.uk ■ Once upon a time this place was known as the Curry Hut. Nowadays it’s Dev’s place, specialising in beautifully turned-out cuisine: ‘A proper taste of south India and a bargain to boot,’ summarised our Food editor when he dropped by. ‘Here’s a serving suggestion,’ he offered, helpfully. ‘First, round up three chums with a taste for Indian food. Second, head off to your preferred drinks emporium and stock up on the necessary beer or wine to help you enjoy said cuisine. Third, head off for Dev’s and order the South Indian Set Meal for Four. The waiter will obligingly provide you with a bottle opener and glasses, and after a short wait (because they obviously cook things freshly), a veritable feast will begin to arrive at your table in five courses. First up,

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vadai, spicy lentil flour doughnuts straight from the fryer with a good earthy sambar (vegetable stew), quickly followed by fat mutton rolls full of juicy shredded meat redolent with fenugreek and chilli and accompanied by a tart tomato sauce. Pause for a moment, if you can, before the arrival of the masala dosa, smooth and crisp rolled pancakes stuffed with savoury potato and happy to be united with the leftover sambar as well as a treacly tamarind gravy.

Once they’re despatched, the poppadoms arrive, with a good selection of apparently homemade chutney, and then, finally, a spread of curries. Two meat, one fish and one vegetable, with parathas and rice. But make sure you’ve got some of that booze left by the end because there’s a big shock coming with the bill.

This feast will cost you £45. That’s not for each, that’s for all, and BYO for booze makes it an economical night out - but the amazing (and important) thing is that it doesn’t feel remotely cheap.’ Try the lunch box (12noon-3pm) for £4.50, including rice, chapatti, curry and a salad. Price ALC: £2.95-£6.95/£3.99£10.50. Set meal for 4: £44.99 Wine list BYO Open Wed-Mon 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm. Disabled access.

Parties welcome. Takeaway 10% discount. Delivery available.

EASTERN SPICE 269 Two Mile Hill Rd, Kingswood, BS15 1AX Tel: 0117 935 2335, web: www.easternspice.co.uk ■ Brilliantly inexpensive curry house, serving its neighbourhood with distinction for the past 16 years.

Extensive menu with all the favourites, plus a fair few dishes you’ll struggle to find elsewhere, and also including the opportunity - should you need it - to opt for a wide old variety of omelettes. Chef’s specials come highly recommended. Price ALC: starter £2.20£4.90/main £4.20-£10.50. Two set meals: £10.90pp & £11.50pp Wine list Small, European. HW approx £11 btl. Indian beers Open Mon-Thur 5.30-11.30pm, FriSat 5.30pm-12midnight, Sun 5.30-11pm (open bank hols). Parties welcome. Takeaway 10% discount.

EASTERN TASTE 94 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH Tel: 0117 952 0718, web: www.easterntaste.co.uk ■ Ready to head out to a place that’ll make you feel warmly content even before the first course has arrived?

Then welcome to this homely old favourite, with a warm community vibe and bargain-basement prices for some seriously top-notch fare. Splendid Bangladeshi homecooking is served in plentiful quantities by charming staff, either in the refurbished restaurant or as a takeaway. BYO. Price ALC: £1.90-£3.50/£5.65£8.50/£2.50. Thali £9.50-£11.50. SM (min 2 people): £20.90-£24.90 Wine list BYO. Indian sweet/salty/ mango lassi Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-11pm

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE (11.30pm Fri-Sat). Disabled access, but not to toilets.

Parties 20+ welcome weekdays. Takeaway 10% discount.

GANESHA 54-56 Bedminster Parade, BS3 4HS Tel: 0117 953 3990, web: www.ganeshaindiancuisine.com ■ A rightly popular indie south of the river, specialising in recipes from Goa, Kerala and Maharashtra, the latter being the home state of the owners and chef. Our Food editor was certainly keen when he last popped by: ‘The range of smells and colours was tempting enough, and the flavours proved to have variety and subtlety with an admirable absence of greasiness or stodge. An enjoyably balanced meal, served with careful (but unobtrusive) attention - and while they “doggy-bagged” the leftovers, we enjoyed sharing a not-too-sticky gulab jamun with pistachio ice-cream. Final verdict? Perfect neighbourhood Indian place with a touch of class.’

Lunchtime thalis (£5.95-£8.95) are served with free beer or glass of wine 12noon-2pm, while Happy Hour (9-11pm) offers a free drink with a choice of meals.

Price ALC: £2.95-£5.95/£7.95-£13.95/£3.95-£4.45 Wine list HW £11.50 btl, £3.15 gls Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2pm, Tue-Sun 6-11.30pm. Takeaway 10% discount. Online ordering. Free home delivery (3-mile radius, min £15).

GANGES 368 Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8TP Tel: 0117 924 5234, web: www.gangesbristol.co.uk ■ It was back in 1981 that the three Chowdhury brothers - Mahmood, Ahmed and Shohir - opened up Ganges on Gloucester Road, and they’ve been pouring forth classic Indian/Tibetan/Bangladeshi fare ever since. The displaying of Les Routiers and Egon Ronay awards and certificates tells you all you need to know about the food quality, but just have a quick nose behind the bar as well: Laphroaig, Macallan and Talisker in the whisky selection, plus a choice of a couple of ports, five cognacs… and so it continues.

Price ALC: starter £2.95-£5.95/main £4.98-£11.15.

SD £16.25-£19.50 Wine list HW £14 btl. Kingfisher & Cobra beers on draft Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm (12midnight Fri-Sat). Disabled access.

Separate dining room for groups, 25-30 max. Takeaway 10% discount.

particularly, are rather keen on fine fare at quite extraordinarily cheap prices - then book yourself in now. Dead friendly, too, as illustrated by the fact that, though they’re not licensed, they’ll happily let you BYO. Excellent veggie options and fabulous specials alongside a familiar (and not-so-familiar) range of curries, sides, etc. A pillar of its local community, and well worth the trip from wherever yours might be. Price ALC: £2.95-£4/£7-£11/£2-£3 Wine list BYO Open Daily 5-11pm (12midnight Fri-Sat). Takeaway 10% discount, free home delivery (min order £10).

Student discount 10%. Outside catering service.

Parties/large groups welcome - call for details.

KATHMANDU Colston Tower, Colston St, BS1 4XN Tel: 0117 929 4455, web: www.kathmandu-curry.com ■ Carol Vorderman, Bill Bailey, lots of Griff Rhys Jones - the splendid guest montage on Kathmandu’s website speaks eloquently of changed circumstances in the decade since they closed up their hugely popular old Easton takeaway and headed for the plush surrounds opposite the Colston Hall they so effortlessly wear today. Only the quantity - most certainly not the quality - of fare on offer has changed. Familyrun, spices are imported from their home village (Bhajungle, next to Kritipur in Nepal), giving their fresh, light cuisine a unique flavour, with traditional seafood dishes (inc lobster) a speciality alongside excellent vegetarian and vegan options. There’s enough on the menu to please curry-house regulars, but venture into Nepalese territory if you want to get the full flavour of what’s on offer. As our Food editor noted, “The field may be more crowded these days but there’s no doubt that Kathmandu is very much still in the running.” Price ALC: £3.95-£5.95/£7.50£15.05/£3.95-£4.95. SM £15.50-£19.95 Wine list HW £15.95 btl Open Daily: lunch 12noon-2pm; dinner

Delivering value-for-money feasts Dev's Kerala

KASHMIR 15 High St, Easton, BS5 6DX Tel: 0117 952 0004 ■ If it’s fancy decor you’re after, it’s fair to say that you’re in the wrong place. But if you’re happy with simplicity over chintz and don’t mind MTV Indian being projected against the window - and, more

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE Mon-Fri 6-11pm, Sat 6-11.30pm, Sun 6-10.30pm.

Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - call in adv. Home delivery. Takeaway 25% discount.

KOHI NOOR 211 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XS Tel: 0117 973 3823, web: www.kohinoorofbristol.co.uk ■ When you’ve got the likes of Jay Rayner and Charles Campion blowing air into your sails, the seven seas of the food world are your oyster. All of which brutally twisted metaphor is to say that Nazir Ahmed and Nur Moni were the pair behind London’s hugely rated Kasturi establishment, before heading west to pitch up on Whiteladies Road with Kohi Noor. And a fine addition to the local scene they’ve been, all chic white walls and stained floorboards, with a menu shifting around Indian and Rajasthani specialities, from dried fruits, spices and yoghurt to lamb pasanda and pahari kebabs. Price ALC: starter £3.50-£7.50/main £7.95£12.95 Wine list HW £11.50 btl, £3.50 gls. Indian beers Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm (11pm Sun) Disabled access possible - call in adv. Takeaway discount 15%. Parties 20+ welcome - call in adv.

KRISHNA’S INN 4 Byron Place, The Triangle, Clifton, BS8 1JT Tel: 0117 927 6864, web: www.keralagroup.co.uk ■ Part of an eight-strong chain, Krishna’s Inn brings forth the deliciously healthy cuisine associated with the Kerala region, the spice capital of India.

Expect jolly reasonable prices and distinctive dishes (check out the Kerala mutton curry and ginger chicken). Our was certainly impressed. And, given the expertise of his chosen dining partners, most likely relieved: ‘These were the very niceties my guests had enjoyed on holiday in the very same Kerala, and each mouthful, it seemed, brought back a memory, whether crisp uppama, doughy vadai or mouthfuls of ginger-rich chicken in gravy. A consistently delightful meal in such smartly congenial surroundings.’

Price ALC: starter £2.95-£7.95/main £5.95-£10.95 Wine list HW £11.95 btl, £3 gls. Small but perfectly formed bar selection, inc Indian beers Open Lunch: daily 12noon-3pm. Dinner: Fri-Sat 6-11.30pm, Sun 6-10.30pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - call in adv.

LAL JOMI 2 Harcourt Rd (off Coldharbour Rd), Redland, BS6 7RG Tel: 0117 942 1640, web: www.laljomi.yellsites.co.uk ■ Blimey, but we do well for Indian dining in Bristol!

Here’s another venerable institution, serving us food fine enough to be recommended by the Good Curry Guide for a quarter-century. It isn’t just the food that engenders such loyalty among its patrons, though -

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it’s the intimate booths, the tent-like canopy ceilings lending an exotic air, and the waiting staff who have long learned how to strike the perfect balance between attentiveness and leaving you in peace. Price ALC: £2.50-£5.50/£7.90-£12/£2.15. SD £28-£35 (min 2 people) Wine list Extensive, international. HW £11.50 btl, £3 gls. Indian beers Open Daily 12noon2pm & 6-11.30pm (12midnight Fri-Sat). Disabled access. Parties welcome. Takeaway, up to 20% discount.

MADRAS EXPRESS 223 North St, BS3 1JJ Tel: 0117 966 9008, web: www.madras-express.co.uk ■ Intimate setting - 37 seats - for the intimate sharing of knowledge. Because though the food draws influence from across the Indian subcontinent, the highlight is somewhat closer to home: the mixed masala spice blend is unique to this restaurant, thanks to a recipe passed down through the family for more than 90 years. Expect a warm welcome and hearty portions. Price ALC: £1.75-£4.99/£6.50£12.95/£3.20. SD £26.95-£28.95 (for 2 people) Wine list HW £10.95 btl, £2.75 gls. Full range of wines, beers, spirits Open Mon-Sat 5.30-11pm. Disabled access. Groups welcome. Delivery & takeaway 10% discount off £20+ orders.

MASALA CAFE 2 Jacobs Wells Rd, BS8 1EA Tel: 0117 930 4194, web: www.ahmedsmasalacafe.co.uk ■ From the team that brought you Ahmed’s Curry Cafe (see previous listing) comes a meeting of new and old India in the building that, back in the day, was home to Bollywood Spice. Best tip: check out the haleem range (stew composed of meat and pounded wheat, blended into a thick paste). Nicely spacious, this is another loyalty-engendering gem. Price ALC: £2.60£4.40/£4.75-£14.95/£1.95. SD for 2 people: £24.20 Open Daily 6-11.30pm (12midnight Fri-Sat). Disabled access. Parties welcome. Home delivery & takeaway.

MYRISTICA 51 Welsh Back, BS1 4AN Tel: 0117 927 2277, web: www.myristica.co.uk ■ Welcome to pliers of delicious dishes from traditional street food/beach snacks to full-on Raj cuisine, all cooked up by a full brigade of chefs with impeccable credentials and each specialising in their own area of expertise (curry, tandooris, sauces, vegetarian dishes, desserts). ‘The first mouthful of chicken from the pista murg was blissful - how often is it that the quality and flavour of the meat is what makes the first impression in Indian cooking?’ wondered aloud our resident curryphile. Mind you,

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE there’s plenty that sets Myristica apart. There’s the cookery school, for example, wherein students get to cook - and eat! - Indian dishes under the watchful eye and expertly guiding hand of head chef Bhaskar Pillai. And there are some genuinely fine one-off events, too - heck, they’ve even got a marriage licence. Price ALC: £4.95-£6.95/£5.45£14.95/£2.95-£3.95. Set menus: £19.95 & £24.95 Check out the new tiffin takeaway for a fiver, too Wine list Extensive. HW £12.95 btl, £3.25 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm. Disabled access - call for advice. Parties, celebrations & corporate events welcome. Private dining up to 30, whole restaurant can be hired for weddings, etc - call for details. Home delivery (min order £20).

OH! CALCUTTA! INDIAN KITCHEN 216 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QU Tel: 0117 924 0458, web: www.ohcalcutta.co.uk ■ In a field of one when it comes to being named after a notorious, endlessly-cited-by-The-TwoRonnies theatre production, and not far off similar singularity when it comes to substance, either. A big screen silently projects Bollywood classics while you dine, but the clearest sign of a place wearing its chic-ness on its sleeve - informal canteen-style dining in modernist surrounds - owes a lot more to the Wagamamas and Budokans of this world than traditional Indian restaurants. Expect top-notch Indian subcontinent food, with an emphasis on fresh ingredients, ranging from the traditional to the exotic, a seasonal specials board with goodies you won’t find anywhere else in Bristol, and fish well represented. Great reviews in recent years by the big boys: Times, Guardian and yours truly. Excellent vegetarian and side dishes, and the mango lassi is a particular favourite. Price ALC: starter £2.90-£4.50/ main £8.50-£11.50 Wine list HW £11.95 btl, £3 gls.

Beers (inc Indian) Open Daily 6-11.30pm. Disabled access, but call ahead for advice. Parties welcome - call for details. Takeaway & home delivery.

OLD INDIA 34 St Nicholas St, BS1 1TG Tel: 0117 922 1136, web: www.oldindia.co.uk ■ Raj-tastic splendour here, from the towering classical architecture outside - huge columns, high-falutin frieze (it is, after all, a grade II listed Georgian-era stock exchange building) - to stunning mahogany panelling indoors. On the menu, you’ll find contemporary-style Indian fare. Price ALC: £3.25-£3.95/£6.50-£14/£2.50-£4.50 Wine list HW £12 btl, £3 gls Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 6pm-12midnight. Disabled access to restaurant but no toilets (downstairs). Parties 20+ welcome - book in adv.

Takeaway.

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RAJ BARI 183 Hotwell Rd, BS8 4SA Tel: 0117 922 7617, web: www.rajbaribristol.co.uk ■ Gareth Chilcott. Tony Robinson. Eddie Large…

Traditional Indian restaurants aren’t just about food from the old country, but pictures of Celebrity Squareslevel slebs on the premises and offering big you’remy-besht-mate hugs to the proprietor. As such, this place is a classic. Rather more substantively, it’s also endorsed by the Good Food Guide, thanks in no small part to a wealth of experience: Mostaque Ahmed opened this place 22 years ago, having served a long London apprenticeship in his dad’s place (which, in turn, first opened back in the 1950s). Price ALC: £2.95-£5.95/£6.45-£15.95/£2-£4 Wine list HW approx £12 btl. Indian lagers Open Daily 5.3011.30pm. Lunchtimes available to pre-booked parties 10+. Takeaway discount 20% on £10+ orders.

RAJ TANDOORI King St, BS1 4DZ Tel: 0117 929 1132, web: www.raj-bristol.co.uk ■ Another King Street institution, now well into its fourth decade. Feroze Ahmed set up here in 1981, after giving Bristol its first-ever Indian restaurant - the Taj Mahal on Stokes Croft - in 1958. Today it’s his son Hasan who’s taken on the role of offering traditional/contemporary Indian food from the basement of a lovely grade II listed building. Price ALC: £3.75-£7/£6.40-£14/£2.50-£4.50. Early bird SM (daily 5.30-7.30pm, all day Sun) £14.95 Wine list HW £14.50 btl, £3.50 gls. Lagers, beers, spirits Open MonSat 6pm-12midnight, Sun 6-11pm. No disabled access.

Takeaway discount 25%. Party bookings welcome (special party room seats up to 30).

RAJPOOT 52 Upper Belgrave Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XP Tel: 0117 973 3515, web: www.rajpootrestaurant.co.uk ■ Dead smart location overlooking the Downs.

The Georgian surrounds suit, too, with a splendid front terrace leading you down to a room festooned with crisp-pressed white linen tablecloths, and an altogether fetching combination of mustard yellow walls and deep blue carpets. Vivid as the food, in short. Price ALC: £4.95-£6.50/£9.95-£12.95/£2.95£4.95 Wine list Extensive. HW £13.95 btl, £3.95 gls.

Draught Indian beers, full range of spirits & nonalcoholic Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm.

No disabled access. Takeaway. Private parties for up to 80.

ROSHNI 63 High St, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 3ED Tel: 0117 985 9999, web: www.roshnibristol.co.uk ■ The stick of rock on the Indian eating scene: long,

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE narrow, split colour scheme all the way through, and a timeless favourite in its local community.

Expect Indian subcontinent classics (traditional and contemporary) freshly cooked and easily adaptable for heat addicts and cool customers alike. Price ALC: £3.20-£6.40/£5.90-£12.90/£2-£3.20. SL: 2 £7.95 Wine list Indian beers, globally sourced wines. HW £12.95 btl, £3.45 gls Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm (12midnight Fri-Sun). Disabled access/ group bookings - call in adv. Takeaway 10% discount, free home delivery on orders over £12.95.

SHEESH MAHAL 13a Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AA Tel: 0117 942 2942, web: www.sheeshmahalbristol.com ■ 1979. Margaret Thatcher elected Prime Minister.

Nottingham Forest win the European Cup. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy first published, Sheesh Mahal open on Gloucester Road. Now that’s longevity. Clearly, this is an eatery not for turning, giving no truck to new-fangled canteen-style Indian dining and instead holding fast to a spectacular assemblage of pinks, purples, golds and blues. It’s old-school friendly, too: when one of our writers ordered a vindaloo over his usual (excellent) prawn dansak, the owner came over to check that there hadn’t been a mistake. Price ALC: starter £2.60£6.60/main £5.90-£12.90 Wine list HW £14.60 btl, £2.90 gls Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm.

Good disabled access & toilet. Available for private hire (lunchtime only), up to 65. Parties 20+ welcome.

Takeaway.

SPICE OF INDIA 13 Small St, BS1 1DE Tel: 0117 929 9222, web: www.spice-india.co.uk ■ Central favourite helmed by the safe hands of Meladur Chowdhury, and - as Indian food should be, of course - altogether spice fixated (check out their comprehensive detailing on the website).

Simple, comfortable restaurant with an extensive menu concentrating on dishes from Bangladesh and other parts of the Indian subcontinent. Price ALC: starter £2.90-£5.80/main £5.90-£12.95. SD: 2 (for 2 to share) £29 Wine list HW £11.95 btl, £2.90 gls.

Indian btld beers (Kingfisher, Cobra) Open Mon-Sat 6pm-12midnight, Sun 6-11pm (lunch parties by prior arrangement). Disabled access - call in adv. 10% off takeaway.

THALI CAFE 1 William St, Totterdown, BS3 4TU Tel: 0117 933 2955 64-66 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH Tel: 0117 951 4979

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12 York Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5QE Tel: 0117 942 6687 1 Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HW Tel: 0117 974 3793 NEW Tobacco Factory, Southville, BS3 1TF Tel: 07851 700215, web: www.thethalicafe.co.uk ■ There are few Bristol food purveyors with a higherprofile national reputation - and not just among the festival-goers to whom their thali meals were originally served (and still are). Much acclaim has accompanied their settling down into permanent premises across the city: an Observer Food Monthly Award here, a Soil Association Silver Mark for ‘climate-friendly food’ there, profiles on Radio 4’s Food Programme, and so forth. A fifth outlet has just opened in Southville (on the site of Teohs), and there are rumours that they’re thinking of “changing our menu around to give you more choice of smaller plates to share”. Our Food editor dropped by the Montpelier outlet: ‘It feels airily spacious thanks to well-spaced tables and nice big windows, but the scattering of mannequins, standard lamps and ancient colonial photographs in battered frames keeps the friendly TC atmosphere, as does the easy warmth of the welcome.

The menu is a little more complicated than back in the day, but five choices of thali instead of the one, with meat, fish and dairy-free options, hardly taxes the mind for long. The Thali Cafe chutneys have always been a source of contention because of the price: when a full thali plate of three curries with rice, salad and raita costs a mere £8, how come chutneys (which usually come free) cost £3.50? The answer, as far as I’m concerned anyway, is: “Because they’re worth it.” You don’t get four tablespoons straight out of a jar; you get four homemade delicacies full of unusual flavour. When the thali plates arrive, I warn my brother about the chilli-burn issue (ie there won’t be one) - fans of searing Anglicised versions of Indian food had best give the Thali Cafe a wide berth. What they offer is food that’s spiced with a full range of flavours, matched to the ingredients and true to their Indian origins.’ Anything else? Well, if you live within range of one, you have just about the finest take-out option in the area on your doorstep: stop by for a one-off purchase of the beautiful stacking stainless-steel thali set, and then as often as you like for top ups (£24.95 first purchase, refills from £8.50).

Winner of Radio 4 Food Award for Best Takeaway, naturally. Price Breakfast (where applicable) £3.50£6.95. Lunch (where applicable) £4.25-£8.25.

Evening thalis: £7.95-£10.50 Wine list All organic.

HW £13.95 btl, £3.95 gls Open Totterdown: daily 6pm-close. Disabled access. Montpelier: Mon-Fri 6pm-close, Sat-Sun 10am-close. Disabled access

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE (except for toilets). Easton: daily 10am-close.

Disabled access. Clifton: daily 12noon-close.

Disabled access. Chq & cash only. Parties 20+ welcome - call in adv.

TIKKA FLAME South Building, Anchor Square, Canons Rd, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 316 9393, web: www.tikkaflame.co.uk ■ Dead smart plate-glass frontage and slate grey surrounds pick this out as a modern Indian/Pakistani eatery. It’s not without a wealth of experience behind the scenes, though: Shirley and Sohail Elahi are into their second decade of restaurateuring now, scooping multiple ‘Healthy Eating’ Awards along the way. Expect vibrant surroundings (with bigscreen Bollywood classics) and plenty of mix‘n’match flavours to keep small or large parties happy. Our reviewer enjoyed ‘a high standard of cooking, giving a satisfying meal in comfortably smart surroundings’.

Check website for special offers, currently £10 off when you spend £40 or more. Price ALC: £3-£7.50/£9.95-£14.95/£3.95. SL: 2 £9.50, 3 £11.50.

Express lunch £11.50 Wine list HW £13 btl, £3.30 gls Open Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 6-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm (inc bank hols). Disabled access. Parties 20+ welcome - book in adv. Mezzanine floor for private hire/functions. Outside catering for parties, weddings, etc.

TURMERIC 775 Fishponds Rd, BS16 3BS Tel: 0117 965 0022, web: www.turmericbristol.co.uk ■ A 40-seater restaurant with red brick frontage giving way to red-clothed tables and white walls within. Simple, but stylish. Expect all the usual favourites plus specials like naga chilli chicken.

Take it as a very good sign indeed that its swiftly established local following means that potential visitors from across the city are strongly advised to book ahead on weekends. Special student curry night every Mon. Price ALC: £2.65-£8.95/£5.95£15.45/£3.50-£3.95. SD: 3 (for 2 people) £39.95 Wine list HW £11.50 btl, £2.80 gls Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 5.30-11.30pm (closed Fri lunch).

Disabled access - call in adv. Takeaway 10% discount on orders over £10.

Bath BENGAL BRASSERIE 32 Milsom St, BA1 1DG Tel: 01225 447906, web: www.bengalbrasseriebath.com ■ Popular restaurant offering an extensive trip through classic curry-house flavours at reasonable prices, and in pleasant surroundings. Set menus are

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worth exploring for those who prefer a more exotic spice route. Price ALC: approx £3-£5.50/approx £7-£9/sundries (rice, bread, etc) £2-£3. SM from £15 Wine list HW £11.95 btl. Indian lagers Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm (12midnight Fri-Sat).

Limited disabled access - call ahead for advice. 10% discount for students/takeaway. Group bookings welcome - call in adv.

BOOJON TANDOORI 28 Charles St, BA1 1HU Tel: 01225 429429/429529, web: www.boojontandoori.com ■ Contemporary Indian diner offering a big family welcome. ‘The staff here are fun, friendly and knowledgeable and, right from the off, you get a literal taste of what’s to come: poppadoms are crispy and grease-free, the pickles that accompany them glossy and fresh. Just don’t go too mad, OK? Portions go large here,’ said EOW’s own little onion bhaji. ‘Pathias strike the perfect sweet/sour balance, paneers are dreamily, smoothly soporific, and if the jalfrezis don’t give your taste-buds a thorough workout, nothing will.’ But such quality doesn’t come at a high price, and this is a BYO, no-corkage-charge affair. Price ALC: approx £3.60-£5/approx £8-£11/ side from £1.95 Wine list BYO (no corkage charge) Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm (last orders). Disabled access. Discounted takeaway menu.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

CURRY MAHAL 31 Belvedere, Lansdown Rd, BA1 5HR Tel: 01225 789666/789501, web: www.currymahal.net ■ Popular, friendly traditional neighbourhood curry house with a longstanding reputation for upper-crust grub (including fabulous vegetarian options - the vegetarian thali comes highly recommended) and a generous sprinkling of regional dishes (lamb badami, lobster masala, mass-er-salan/jhol) against a more familiar backdrop of tandooris, tikkas, dansaks, baltis, etc. Price ALC: approx £3-£5.50/approx £6.50-£13.95 Wine list HW from £11 btl. Btld beers. BYO option Open Daily 12noon2pm & 6-11.30pm. Disabled access possible - call in adv.

Discounted takeaway menu. Free home delivery on £15+ orders within 3-mile radius. Parties up to 30 welcome private dining room downstairs, but must be booked in adv.

DESH 10 Chelsea Rd, BA1 3DU Tel: 01225 314413/463388 ■ Busy, popular, friendly, inexpensive neighbourhood Indian eatery. BYO policy (no corkage charge).

Baltis, tandooris and jalfrezis highly recommended.

Price ALC: approx £3/approx £7 Wine list BYO

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE

Round the Clock Cosy Club

SouthGate, Bath • Crowd-pleasing, flexible menus from sunrise to well beyond sunset.

Rocotillos

Triangle South, Clifton, Bristol • American diner-style flourishes, American diner attitude to food: round-the-clock satisfaction guaranteed.

Watershed Cafe-Bar

Canons Rd, Harbourside, Bristol • Flexible breakfasts, lavish lunches, hearty suppertime treats and a ‘Late Night Light Bite’ selection, all from locally sourced, seasonal ingredients.

(no corkage charge) Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 5.30pm-12midnight. Disabled access possible but call ahead for advice. Discounted takeaway menu. Nurses/ students 10% discount.

EASTERN EYE 8a Quiet St, BA1 2JS Tel: 01225 422323/466401,web: www.easterneye.co.uk ■ In a former Georgian townhouse (domed-ceiling dining room, walls painted with elaborate Indian murals) and boasting a plethora of glistening gongs from all manner of food guides (Les Routiers, Fodor’s, British Curry Awards) alongside some impressive celebrity endorsements. The staff treat you like royalty, and menus (which helpfully flag up every dish with highlighters denoting heat, sugar, nut, wheat, dairy content) are as bling-laden as such a build-up suggests: a vast selection of bhajis, kebabs, tikkas, dosha, purees and soups leads the way to a gourmet playground of tandooris, baltis, dhansaks, kormas, dopiazas, biryanis, masalas, rogan josh and unique chef’s specials (including excellent seafood options), all of which led our resident curry queen to litter a recent review with superlatives like ‘delectable’, ‘really tasty’ and ‘highly recommended’ before concluding thus: ‘a genteel, stylish Indian treat served with a flourish that totally belies the prosaic prices’. Price ALC: starter £3.95-£7.50/main from £6.95/sundries & desserts from £1.95. SM: from £19.95 Wine list Extensive choice of wines, beers, spirits, etc Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11.30pm. No disabled access.

Takeaway. Parties up to 170 welcome.

JAMUNA 9-10 High St (entrance in Cheap St), BA1 5AQ Tel: 01225 464631, web: www.jamuna-cuisine.com ■ Old-school Indian restaurant with no pretensions towards anything else, offering splendid views of Bath Abbey. A fairly compact menu trusts that we understand the meaning of tandooris and biryanis, but knows that we still need the masalas, tikkas, kormas, bhunas, etc to be arranged into mild, medium and hot categories. A slightly more adventurous ‘chef’s special’ selection ensures that all bases are covered. Price ALC: £2.75-£3.60/£7.40-£14.50. SL: 3 £6.95 Wine list HW £14.95 btl. Indian lager Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6pm-12midnight. No disabled access. Whole restaurant available for private hire.

Parties 20+ welcome. Takeaway discount.

MINT ROOM Longmead Gospel Hall, Lower Bristol Rd, BA2 3EB Tel: 01225 446656, web: www.themintroom.co.uk ■ All credit to the MR’s head honchos for turning what’s ostensibly a breeze-block box into a subtly chic, welcoming haven of upper-crust foodie fabulousness far

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Restaurants INDIAN & NEPALESE removed from your typical curry-house experience. Yes, there are Indian ‘classics’ on the menu (jalfrezis, boonas et al), but it’s the lesser-spotted regional delights and fresh inspirations (king prawn balchao, lal maas, masala dosa) that really get tongues wagging. ‘This smart little exotic gastro hotspot brings contemporary fine Indian dining to Bath and is undoubtedly heading for massive acclaim,’ said one EOW bhajee after a feast of ‘complex, fresh flavours presented with Michelin-standard flourish: competent, confident and audaciously inspirational’. Doubly remarkable considering the down-to-earth prices. Price ALC: from £4.50/from approx £9 Wine list BYO Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm (Fri-Sat 11.30pm). Disabled access - call in adv. Discounted takeaway menu. Parties/groups welcome, preferably booked in adv.

MOUCHUCK 136 Wells Rd, BA2 3AH Tel: 01225 333449, web: www.cityofbath.co.uk/mouchuck ■ Straightforward, unfussy, recently scrubbed-up neighbourhood BYO curry canteen offering a solid range of very reasonably priced tandoori, masala, jalfrezi, korma, biryani, madras, rogan josh, etc, alongside chef specials (achari, pandi, tawa), side dishes and good vegetarian options. All-you-can-eat, serve-yourself buffet Tue eves. Price ALC: starter £2-£3.25/main £3.95-£7.95/sundries approx £2.

Tue buffet £6.95pp (under-12s £5.95) Wine list BYO Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 5.30-11pm. Disabled access throughout. Discounted takeaway menu. Parties/ groups welcome, preferably booked in adv.

and the latest last-order time in Bath. Price ALC: starter £3-£5.95/main £6.95-£10/sundries £3 Wine list HW approx £12 btl. Indian lager Open Sun-Thur 6pm-1.30am, Fri-Sat 6pm-2am. Disabled access, but not to toilets. Discounted takeaway menu. Pre-booked parties welcome, but call for capacity details.

RAJPOOT 4 Argyle St, BA2 4BA Tel: 01225 466833/464758, web: www.rajpoot.com ■ If you like your curry served with a side-order of trad-Raj style, the Rajpoot - recipient of (among many other accolades) the British Curry Awards’ Best Indian Restaurant in the South West gong (and deemed to be one of the 10 Best in Britain) - is the hotspot for you. While several curry houses around the Heritage City offer authentic, upper-crust grub, only at the Rajpoot are diners greeted by a smartly dressed doorman in full Raj regalia whose sole purpose is to usher you down the stairs to a sumptuous, sensual, subterranean haven where several ornately decorated spaces include two cosy, intimate bars, a cheerful, barrel-vaulted cave and plenty of romantic tables for two. An EOW critic recently declared her Rajpoot feast to be ‘grub that an empire could be built on’, singling out ‘a mellow, velvety mulligatawny soup’,

A haven of upper-crust foodie fabulousness Mint Room

PANAHAR 8 Moorland Rd, Oldfield Park, BA2 3PL Tel: 01225 471999/471899, web: www.panaharbath.co.uk ■ Lively, popular Indian eatery at the heart of the Moorland Road shopping village, with a no-corkagecharge BYO policy (and a really good off-licence just over the road) adding to the appeal. ‘Incredibly friendly, massively flavoursome and refreshingly cheap,’ said EOW’s curry queen. ‘As good as the genre gets.’ Downhome, traditional Indian food, competently cooked - so it’s a good idea to book in advance on weekend eves. Price ALC: starter £2-£3/main £4.95£6.95/sundries £2 Wine list BYO (no corkage charge) Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 5.30-11.30pm. Disabled access. Discounted takeaway menu. Pre-booked parties welcome, but call for capacity details.

PREMIER 4a Argyle St, BA2 4BA Tel: 01225 462323/442955,web: www.premiercurry.com ■ Balti/curry favourites, decent value for money

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Restaurants ITALIAN ‘tender, yielding lamb rezala subtly illuminated with a kicking blend of fresh chillies’ and ‘murgh tandoori fit for a queen’ for particular praise. Chef’s signature dishes include the festive shahi murg mussalam, and fish lovers can dive happily into the jhol mach tarkari, while classy versions of more familiar dishes provide a nicely maintained, well-beaten track for the less adventurous. That exotically dressed doorman, meanwhile, is a local landmark in his own right. Price ALC: starter £3.85-£6.95/main £8-£16/sundries approx £3 Wine list Comprehensive, inc Indian selection. HW £15.50 btl Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm (11.30pm Fri-Sat). Limited disabled access.

Discounted takeaway menu. Private hire, up to 28.

Parties 20+ welcome.

YAK YETI YAK 12 Pierrepont St, BA1 1LA Tel: 01225 442299, web: www.yakyetiyak.co.uk ■ Laidback, authentic Nepalese restaurant in a cosy subterranean location. Food is flavoursome and funky, the veggie options are fabulous, everything from fresh stocks to the grinding of spices is done on the premises, and if your knees/back/lack of selfconsciousness are up to it, you can dine Nepalesestyle on floor cushions. Longstanding menu superstars include pork momos, chicken jhol, lamb tamar and ‘Freak Street Apples’. Well-priced set meals cover all bases, and children are thoughtfully catered for and entertained. Price ALC: £4.60-£5.50/£7.30£8.90/£4.30-£4.60. SL/SD (12noon-2.30pm & 5-6.30pm): 3 £10.50. SM (choice of main, with rice, dahl, aloo channa, poppadom, fresh stone-ground chutney): from £11 Wine list HW approx £12 btl.

Lagers inc Nepalese varieties, interesting cocktails/ punches Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 5-10pm (10.30pm Fri-Sat). Disabled access/facility details - call in adv. Discounted takeaway menu. Pre-booked parties welcome (party menus) - call/see website for details.

Italian Bristol AQUA ITALIA RESTAURANT & BAR Welsh Back, BS1 4RR Tel: 0117 915 6060 153 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2RF Tel: 0117 973 3314, web: www.aqua-restaurant.com ■ The Whiteladies branch is the one to head for Romerecalling elegance - just check out that beautifully transformed, grade II listed building. For sheer ‘could only be Bristol’-ness, the sister establishment sprawls lazily across Welsh Back in highly relaxed style, affording splendid views of passing traffic on both

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pavement and harbour. The menu matches the bright, light and airy environs with some highly tempting fare, as we discovered for ourselves: ‘The mid-priced menu is classic Italian, with wide-ranging choices of antipasti, risotto, pasta and pizza as well as meat and fish dishes. It was all nicely Italian, served up with amiable efficiency and satisfyingly filling.’ Huge portions of locally sourced and organic (where possible) produce, good-value Sunday roasts and a dedicated kids’ menu all add to Aqua’s enduring all-things-to-all-people appeal. See website for current offers and specials.

Price ALC: £4.25-£8.75/£7.50-£35.95/£5.50-£7.95. SL (12noon-7pm): 2 £10.95, 3 £12.95. Sun roast £10.95 Wine list Extensive. HW £14.95 btl, £2.85 gls. Superb cocktails, beers Open Welsh Back: Restaurant daily 11am-10pm (10.30pm Fri-Sat, last food orders 15 mins before closing). Bar daily 11.30am-11pm (12midnight Fri-Sat). Good disabled access. Party bookings up to 150, late licence available. Clifton: Daily 9am-10pm (Fri-Sat 10.30pm). Good disabled access. Party bookings welcome, private functions catered for.

BELLA ITALIA 8-10 Baldwin St, BS1 1SA Tel: 0117 929 3278 The Venue Leisure Complex, Merlin Rd, Cribbs Causeway, BS10 7SR Tel: 0117 959 0982 Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 927 7230, web: www.bellaitalia.co.uk ■ You’re ahead of us here, aren’t you? Open kitchens serve familiar Italian food in the guise of pizza, pasta and oven-baked dishes, plus ice-cream and puddings. All dishes containing nuts or other allergenic ingredients are clearly marked, including a ‘buonissimo’ selection of dishes for the glutenintolerant. Lots of fish, vegetarian dishes and house specials. Separate breakfast and kids’ menus. See website for offers and online booking. Price ALC: £3.95-£5.95/£6.50-£13.50/£3.95-£7.50. SL (MonFri 11am-5pm): 1 £6.95, 2 £8.95. SD (Sun-Thur from 5pm): 2 £9.95 Wine list HW £13.75 btl, £3.85 gls Open Baldwin St: daily 9am-11pm (11.30pm Fri-Sat).

Cabot: Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10.30pm.

Venue Leisure Complex: Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 11am-10.30pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome.

BOTTELINO’S 6 St Peter’s Court, Bedminster, BS3 4AQ Tel: 0117 966 6676, web: www.bottelinos.net ■ West Country franchise, and a jolly good one, too - in 2010 they were awarded Independent Italian Restaurant Chain of the Year. The Bemmie branch is a particularly interesting one, set as it is in an old police station: stores and fridges take up the old cells, with the old stone courtyard now given over to a lovely

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Restaurants ITALIAN imported-from-the-mother-country bar. Expect fine value-for-money lunch deals and robust vegetarian options, in a lovely, lively atmosphere. Look for over 30 years of experience via the online shop, too: www. bottelinosdeli.com. Price ALC: £4.35-£7.95/£8.95£21.95/£4-£6. Lunch/early eve: £5.95 any pasta/ pizza Wine list Classic Italian & European. HW £15.95 btl, £3.25 gls Open Daily. Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-9pm. Disabled access - call ahead for specific details & advice. Parties 20+ welcome. Home delivery & takeaway - call for details.

CARLUCCIO’S 11 Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BU Tel: 0117 933 8538 The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, BS34 5DG Tel: 0117 950 8760, web: www.carluccios.com ■ Originally founded in 1991 by sleb chef Antonio Carluccio and his family. We went to the Quakers Friars establishment and found a place ‘breezier than your average restaurant. On a good day, diners can eat outside underneath royal blue umbrellas. Inside, it’s well-lit and airy, and although the majority of the chairs bear a faint resemblance to those you’d find in a school canteen, the cosy booths with their leather seats are very luxurious (and consequently very in demand).

Top service and a filling three-course meal for less than 20 quid? Bellissimo.’ Price ALC: £4.65-£6.75/£7.95£14.95/£3.95-£6.50. SM: 2 £9.95, 3 £12.45. Wide breakfast options: £3.25-£7.65 Wine list HW £13.95 btl, £4 gls Open Cribbs: Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 10am-6pm. Disabled access. Quakers Friars: Mon-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm. Disabled access.

Super Sundays Bristol Fashion Beefeater

The Haymarket/Emersons Green, Bristol ■ Rollickin’ roasts from £9.99pp.

Kilted Chef (pictured)

Kingsmead Square, Bath ■ Fabulous brunches segue into fabulous Sunday lunches in a super-civilised manner at one of Bath’s loveliest restaurants.

Star & Dove

St Luke’s Rd, Totterdown, Bristol ■ Their properly huge, properly sourced, properly fabulous Sunday roasts are the stuff of local foodie legend.

CASAMIA 38 High St, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3DZ Tel: 0117 959 2884, web: www.casamiarestaurant.co.uk ■ One of our very finest restaurants, Italian or otherwise. Gordon Ramsay once pitched up here to badger the young Sanchez-Iglesias brothers to eventual triumph in his Ramsay’s Best Restaurant show - an accolade worth even more than the Michelin star they continue to hold, apparently. Should you need further convincing, see also three AA rosettes, a placing in the top 100 at the National Restaurant Awards, The Times rating it one of the UK’s top 10 Italians, and a Which? Good Food Guide listing. We were there before all these other gastronomes-comelately, of course: ‘You’d have to go a long way to find food as fascinating and extraordinary as the dishes that Jonray and Peter Sanchez-Iglesias are serving up at Casamia right now: major recognition from the Michelin man is surely only a matter of time,’ we quoth. So, expect spectacularly tastesome, seasonfixated (“We want you to embrace the amazing

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Restaurants ITALIAN changes in the earth and celebrate what they bring”), cutting-edge cuisine - a la Heston Blumenthal, with a nod to the Italian classics - with the brothers curing their own meats, baking their own bread, desserts, ice-creams and petits-fours, and creating dishes and menus dictated by availability from local markets and suppliers. For maximum immersion, check out the eight- and 11-course tasting menus. Price Lunch: Tue-Sat £38/£68. Dinner: Tue-Thur £68, Fri-Sat £88.

Chef’s table menu also available Wine list Extensive.

Wine flight Tue-Sat £60 Open Lunch Tue-Sat 12noon2pm. Dinner Tue-Sat 6-9.30pm. Disabled access possible, but call in adv. Parties - call in adv.

CIAO ITALIA 149 East St, Bedminster, BS3 4EJ Tel: 0117 963 3544, web: www.ciaoitaliabristol.co.uk ■ Alex Russo has opened Ciao Italia as a handsome community restaurant, all white walls, dark wood chairs and exterior the colours of the Italian flag. After your first visit you can pick up a Privilege Card, entitling a table (minimum four people) to a free bottle of house wine per visit. Price Daily lunchtime eat-as-much-asyou-can buffet £4.95. Sun roast eat-as-much-as-you-can buffet £9.95. ALC: starter £4-£6/main £6-£12 Wine list HW £12.95 btl Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm. Disabled access - possible but call in adv. Takeaway.

CIBO RISTORANTE 289 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8NY Tel: 0117 942 9475, web: www.cibo.co.uk ■ ‘Satisfying stuff - a mix of flavours tasting freshly cooked, in a smart place with a homely warmth,’ said our Food editor last time he was in situ. Formerly a very fine Italian deli, Cibo offer everything from wholesale online shopping to a great neighbourhood restaurant, deli and espresso bar. Earlier in the day, lunch options include light breakfasts, tapas, pasta dishes, etc. Price ALC: £3.95-£7.85/£5.95-£19.95/£4.85. SL: 2 £6.99 Wine list Italian. HW £12.95 btl, £3.60 gls Open Lunch: Mon-Sat 10.30am-3pm. Dinner: Mon-Thur 6-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 6-11pm. Sun: 12noon-9pm. Disabled access. Takeaway.

Parties of 20+ welcome - book in adv.

FILINI AT RADISSON BLU Radisson Blu Hotel, Broad Quay, Bristol BS1 4BY Tel: 0117 945 8605, web: www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-bristol ■ Contemporary restaurant specialising in Italian and Sardinian cuisine, as researched by the head chef on twice-yearly trips to Milan. Waterfront views and a relaxing atmosphere make it an ideal venue for either a quiet dinner for two or for larger parties. The Rapido menu from 5.30pm is ideal for pre-theatre dining, while the friendly, informative service complements the

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winning mix of signature dishes, traditional classics and an impressive selection of wines. Price ALC £4-£9/£7£19/from £4 Wine list Mostly Italian, HW from £18 btl Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 5.30-10pm GIUSEPPE’S 59 Baldwin St, BS1 1QZ Tel: 0117 926 4869, web: www.giuseppesitalianrestaurant.co.uk ■ Formerly known as Marco’s, now bearing the name of one of the original owner’s protégés. Fish-focused Italian with up to 15 different catches on the daily board, and Anglo-Gallic touches alongside trattoria classics.

Romantic feel, though not quite as intimate as it appears from outside - there’s room for 85 people in here, with the combination of size and location making the place a big favourite with the business community. Price ALC: £4.50-£8.95/£8.90-£20.95/£4.75-£5. SL: pasta/ pizza £6.50 inc gls wine/soft drink. SD (till 7pm): 2 £11.95 Wine list International. HW £14.95 btl, £3.75 gls Open Mon-Tue 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm, Wed-Sun 12noon-11pm. Disabled access - call for advice. Function room for private hire, up to 35. Parties 20+ welcome.

Takeaway.

JAMIE’S ITALIAN 87-89 Park St, BS1 5PW Tel: 0117 370 0265, web: www.jamieoliver.com ■ Like Ms Minogue and Ms Ciccone, Mr Oliver has become so well known that he can dispense with a surname altogether. That level of fame, of course, means that this place could probably trade on name alone, regardless of the food quality. As our Food editor was happy to discover - though the place was as popular as expected - the menu offerings more than justified the demand: Each dish has been given a Day-Glo energy as brash as its author. It could be wearing, but somehow it isn’t - it makes you want to try the rest of the menu.’ Besides the restaurant, the three floors hold an antipasti counter, fresh pasta machine and ‘bread station’, ground-floor deli area selling Italian food, plus - naturally - JO’s cookbooks and kitchen products. Price ALC: £3.50-£6.85/£10.95-£19.50/£4.50-£4.95 Wine list All Italian. HW £15.95 btl, £4.45 gls Open Daily 12noon11pm (10.30pm Sun). Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - call in adv. Takeaway.

LA CAMPAGNUOLA 9 Zetland Rd, Redland, BS6 7AG Tel: 0117 924 8102, web: www.lacampagnuola.co.uk ■ A bustling old place on the weekends, this split-level restaurant and pizzeria has built up a brilliantly loyal family among the local community, as well drawing in those in the know from across the city. Such are the results of providing, for more than three decades,

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Restaurants ITALIAN food inspired by founder Filippo’s Sicilian upbringing (these days it’s his children, Vincenzo and Marlangela, who supply the management). Expect deliciously fresh ingredients across delightful pastas, generous pizzas, seafood, veal, poultry and steaks. A real Italian charmer.

Price ALC: £4.95-£7.95/£7.95-£11.95/£4.50-£6.95 Wine list Extensive, plus cocktails, beers/lagers, Italian liqueurs. HW £13.95 btl, £3.25 gls Open Sun-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12.30am. Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - call in adv. Takeaway.

from father Giuseppe to son and daughter Matteo and Dora, this is a charmingly old-school Italian: red-andwhite-check tablecloths, photos of the national football team on the wall, the works. Lots of nooks and crannies for romantic dinners for two, as well as room for bigger groups. Price ALC: £3.25-£6.80/£8.40-£18/£3.30£4.30 Wine list HW £11.80 ltr, £2.30 gls Open MonThur 6pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6pm-12midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm. Disabled access (two steps, but staff can assist) but toilets in basement.

LA GROTTA 9 Union St, BS1 2DD Tel: 0117 929 0466, web: www.lagrottabristol.co.uk ■ Over a quarter-century to the good, this family-run trattoria makes very good indeed on the Italian kitchen’s reputation for offering selflessly generous portions.

Highly cosy food that’s homecooked using fresh ingredients - when you consider its location opposite an entrance to the Galleries (and the consequent slew of fast-food chains in the vicinity), it’s an awfully welcome place. Price ALC: £4.75-£6.95/£7.95-£19.95/£4.50.

SL: 1 £5.75 Wine list HW £13.95 btl, £2.95 gls Open Mon-Tue & Thur-Fri 11.30am-2pm & 5pm-late. Wed & Sat 11.30am-late. Sun 11.30am-5pm. Disabled access. Parties up to 150.

MARCO’S OLIVE BRANCH 76 Victoria St, Redcliffe, BS1 6DF Tel: 0117 922 6688, web: www.marcosolivebranch.co.uk ■ Aka chef Marco Olivieri, plying everything from what we know of as traditional Italian fare - pizzas, breads, etc - to lesser-spotted delights. Thus, dishes such as the authentic Sardinian variation on suckling pig.

Things look a little different since this building’s days as Dolce Vita, with more of that Sardinian atmosphere throughout, and a newly air-conditioned upstairs.

You’ll find an all-day selection of homecooked treats: fresh salads, light bites, sturdier offerings (steaks, fresh fish), a daily changing special, and thoroughly recommended sweet treats such as white chocolate roulade. Bright, fresh dining room upstairs, open fire downstairs, and nice little alfresco area. Very studentfriendly. Price ALC: £2.95-£4.75/£6.15-£20.95/£2.95£4.65. Express buffet lunch £8.25 Wine list Big on Sardinian, naturally. HW £11.95 btl, £3.75 gls Open Mon-Fri 11am-3pm & 5-11pm, Sat 5-11pm. Disabled access & toilet. Parties welcome - call in adv. Takeaway.

NUS discount 10%.

LA TAVERNA DELL’ARTISTA 33 King St, BS1 4DZ Tel: 0117 929 7712 ■ This place really does have legendary local status: the delicious made-to-order pizzas, the ace range of bottled booze, the one room festooned with vintage theatre posters for (predominantly) the Old Vic next door, the other crammed with pics (of variable cheesiness) of them what played there. Most of all the atmosphere, the someone taking an ad-hoc turn on the piano, the wondering which thesp might pop in after the curtain falls, the genuinely family atmosphere of a place that shuts up for a month or so in summer so that a group visit to the mother country can be made, and the sheer bloody relief of finding somewhere in the middle of town where you can go after hours and… wait, we’re going to spoil the place for ourselves, aren’t we? Forget we ever said anything. Upstairs at Renato’s is available for private hire: ideal for weddings, book launches and the like. Price Pizzas from £8.50/dessert from £3.95 Wine list Extensive wine list, continental beers, HW £14.50 btl Open Tue-Sat: 5.30pm-2am; private parties upstairs bookings Mon-Sun. Disabled access to downstairs bar area, where they’re happy to serve meals. Private hire, up to about 100.Parties 20+ welcome.

PICCOLINO 1 Narrow Weir, Cabot Circus, BS1 3DU Tel: 0117 929 3255, web: www.piccolinorestaurants.co.uk ■ Split over two floors and dominated by a striking bar - not to mention the cocktails concocted therein - this Italian chain also boats an open kitchen, wood-fired pizza oven and all those other niceties designed to push your ‘Oooh, this must really be authentic’ buttons. In the words of our reviewer, it’s ‘darkly decorated with neat, dark furniture, a glass cabinet dangling with fresh pasta and an “al forno” woodstone oven roaring away at the back’. Everything - pasta, bread, ice-cream - is freshly prepared on the premises. Price ALC: £3.50£5.95/£6.75-£21.95/£3.50-£7.25 Wine list HW £16.95 btl, £4.50 gls Open Daily 11.30am-11.30pm (10.30pm Sun). Good disabled access. Private dining & parties catered for.

MAMMA MIA 10a Park Row, BS1 5LJ Tel: 0117 926 8891,web: www.mammamiabristol.co.uk ■ Trading here since 1985, and handed down the family

PIZZA HUT Several branches across Bristol: see website web: www. pizzahut.co.uk ■ ‘Pizza Hut buys enough Pepsi in a year to fill nine

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Restaurants ITALIAN Olympic-size swimming pools!’ the chain announces, proudly. Hence, all that a child could want in an eatery.

But if you’re an adult getting excited at the prospect of heading to Pizza Hut - an adult in the middle of one of the most fabulously variedly catered-for cities in the country - we might just wonder how you found yourself flicking through a comprehensive eating-out guide.

Price Pizza £6.75-£14.95. Bargain-priced seasonal deals - see website Wine list Italian & French. HW £9.95 btl, £3.10 gls Open See website for branch details. Disabled access & toilets in most branches. Large-print menu.

Takeaway. Parties 20+ welcome - notify in adv.

PIZZA PROVENCALE 29 Regent St, Clifton, BS8 4HR Tel: 0117 974 1175, web: www.pizzaprovencale.co.uk ■ Your correspondent recalls the first time he ate one of PP’s Four Seasons pizzas - ‘Jardin, Roquefort, Neptune and Charcuterie’ - and had his eyes opened as to just how distinctively tasty a big old slice of oven-baked dough could be. Roquefort? On a pizza?

Of course! Massively popular (booking is advised on all but the very rainiest of Monday nights), this long-established place makes dough fresh on the premises, sharing is heartily recommended (they come in up to 16-inch varieties), and all in all this properly charming neighbourhood bistro has become a city-wide institution. Splendidly idiosyncratic and candlelit decor with church pews, lovely old bar, snugly laid-out tables, and so forth - if you’ve not pizza’d here yet, your checklist of local must-do’s isn’t finished just yet. Price ALC: £3.95-£5.30/£7.15£17.95/£3.50-£4.65. SL: 2 slices of pizza + mixed salad £3.95 Wine list French. HW £12.75 btl, £3.30 gls Open Sun-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon12midnight (lunch menu Mon-Fri 12noon-4pm).

Disabled access possible, but not to toilet. Student discount 10%. Takeaway. Private hire, up to 30.

Parties 20+ welcome.

PIZZA EXPRESS Unit 1, Building 8, Harbourside, BS1 5TY Tel: 0117 927 3622 35 Corn St, BS1 1HT Tel: 0117 930 0239 2-10 Regent St, Clifton, BS8 4HG Tel: 0117 974 4259 31 Berkeley Square, Clifton, BS8 1HP Tel: 0117 926 0300, web: www.pizzaexpress.com ■ There was a time, kids, when this place was seen as the height of sophistication. I know, I know, changed times. Still, as fast food goes, it’s still pretty much up there. Lots of pizzas, pastas, salads and… wait, you know all this, don’t you? The ambience breaks down thus… Regent Street: vast emporium on two

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floors - the region’s biggest branch. Berkeley Square: light, bright and buzzy, with big sofas in reception area. Corn Street: city-centre branch with bright, comfortable interior. Harbourside: huge 190-seat restaurant with alfresco dining for up to 80. Price ALC: £2.95-£5.25/£7.20-£12.50/£3.50-£5.25 Wine list Italian (inc organic) & liqueurs. HW £13.95 btl, £3.95 gls Open Berkeley Sq: daily 11.30am-11pm.

Harbourside: daily 11.30am-11pm (10pm Sun).

Regent St & Corn St: daily 11.30am-11pm (10.30pm Sun). Good disabled access all locations (Berkeley Sq & Corn St, with staff assistance for front step), toilets accessible. Regent St: large parties, up to 50. Berkeley Sq: parties 20+ welcome. Harbourside: large parties welcome. Corn St: parties up to 25.

PLANET PIZZA 187 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG Tel: 0117 944 4717 32 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LA Tel: 0117 907 7112, web: www.planetpizza.co.uk ■ A couple of splendid independent eateries in our orbit (Cotham Hill replacing the Whiteladies Road outlet in the last year), bringing forth flavoursome pizza with toppings including splendour such as halloumi, sundried tomatoes & roasted red peppers with red onions. It’s never a bad plan to get down to whichever PP is closest to your galaxy and enjoy the local art on the walls, generous salads, sweetas-sweet things and - one day, surely - spy a break in the weather that means a chance to sit out in the frontal alfresco area and down an all-day coffee while watching the world cruise by. Or, seeing as it’s daytime, taking the deal that gives you any 9-inch pizza for a fiver, plus £2 additions of mini-salad and/or mini-chips (Mon-Fri). Price ALC: £2.95£4.25/£4.95-£13.95/£3.95. Two-for-one 12-inch pizza all day Mon & Tue Wine list HW £12.50 btl, £3.40 gls. Lots of draught/btld beers Open Daily 11am-11pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Takeaway 10% discount. Private hire, both branches, up to 65.

Parties welcome - fixed price menus start from £10pp.

PROSECCO 25 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG Tel: 0117 973 4499, web: www.proseccoclifton.com ■ The Food editor was impressed: ‘There’s a neat, smart simplicity to the decor at this compact, family-run Clifton restaurant, which matches the food philosophy of Italian chef/owner Diego Da Re. Trained in fine dining in top restaurants across Europe, he’s ultimately inspired by the approaches of his grandmother and father, who conjured delicious food from the simple, seasonal ingredients available to them. Completely free of unnecessary exotica, the Prosecco a la carte menu fits neatly onto one

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Restaurants ITALIAN side of A4, using straightforward descriptions like “potted smoked trout with summer pickles”.’ Come meal’s end, he continues, ‘the man himself appears, chatting with the remaining diners like old friends he’s welcoming into his home. Asked about the food, he’s happy to share his secrets and, inevitably, “simplicity” turns out to be the result of meticulous, painstaking cookery combined with a serious understanding of ingredients. The meal has come to £90 (including drinks), but that’s what happens if you push the gondola out at one of Gordon’s Best Local Restaurants. The guarantee of such quality eating seems well worth the investment.’ Note that a six-course tasting menu is now available for MonThur eves and Thur-Sat lunches. Price ALC: £5.25£9.50/£11.95-£19.50/£4.50-£7.50. SL: 1 £6.95, 2 £9.50, 3 £11.50 Wine list Extensive, superb. HW £15.75 btl, £3.95 gls Open Lunch: Thur-Sat 12noon2.30pm. Dinner: Mon-Sat 6-11pm. Disabled access.

Parties - call in adv.

RENATO’S NUMERO UNO 203 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XT Tel: 0117 974 4484 ■ Long-standing favourite at the Blackboy Hill end of Whiteladies Road, with everything made on the premises: pasta sauces, soups, pizza dough and puds. So far, so Italian, as it should be. Where it goes beyond the expected is in the generous provision of fresh seafood (often including sea bass and Dover sole), and the occasional outbreak of the spectacular, with special dishes flambéed at your table. And do save room for authentic puds like tiramisu and pavlova. Price ALC: £2.95-£6.95/£6.25-£23.75/£4£5.50. SL: £5.95/£7.95 Wine list Mainly Italian, but reasonably varied, plus Italian btld beers. HW £15.75 btl, £3.95 gls, BYO (£2 corkage) Open MonSat 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm (11.30pm Fri-Sat), Sun 6-11pm. Disabled access, but no toilet. Student discount 10%. Parties 20+ welcome. Takeaway 20% discount.

SALVATORE’S KITCHEN 239 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 924 5879, web: www.salvatoreskitchen.com ■ This place came close to winning our hearts when it opened last year, simply because it confirmed the exit of that bafflingly popular plier of blanditude down the decades, Amici. We’ve rather stronger hopes for this place: Sicily-raised owner-chef Salvatore Corsentino has worked in professional kitchens since the age of 15, and he’s got a cornucopia of handed-downthrough-the-generations recipes to spoon onto our expectant plates. All the range of pizzas and pastas you’d expect, plus distinct fare like portofino - green shell mussels, scallops, shrimp and calamari in a

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marinara wine sauce - and piccata: chicken breast or pork loin sauteed in a white wine, garlic & lemon sauce. Splendidly broad lunchtime menu available, too. Price ALC: £3.90-£7.50/£7.50-£19.50/£3.25£4.95 Wine list Italian, rangey. HW £15.50 btl Open Mon-Thur 5pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 12noon-11.30pm. Takeaway.

SAN CARLO 44 Corn St, BS1 1HQ Tel: 0117 922 6586, web: www.sancarlo.co.uk ■ Second-opened link in the altogether popular Italian chain, and a splendidly lively open-plan place festooned with lots of foliage, glass, mirrors and professional pizzazz. The kind of place considered sophisticated by the type who’d consider Katherine Jenkins a classical singer. It isn’t, of course, but it is bloody good fun and - thanks to some seriously tasty food - we’re big fans. Huge ALC menu and extensive daily specials, all jollied together by native chefs who deliver the genuine article, from pizza and pasta to great fish dishes, seafood and superb steaks.

Price ALC: £5.95-£9.95/£8.95-£24/£4.95 Wine list Specialises in Italian. HW £15 btl, £4.20 gls Open Daily 12noon-11pm. Disabled access (small step into restaurant - staff can assist) & facilities. Private parties by arrangement, up to 70.

SERGIO’S 1-3 Frogmore St, BS1 5NA Tel: 0117 929 1413, web: www.sergios.co.uk ■ Properly cosy Italian restaurant, tucked snugly against the steps leading down from Park Street above, and a renowned treat of a place since 1989.

Chefs variously hail from Sardinia, Genoa, Naples and Sicily, so it’s utterly faultless in authenticity.

Expect a vast, daily changing menu based around fresh produce, plus a strong selection of fish dishes, good wine list and BYO option. Price ALC: £3-£6/£4.95-£18.95/£4-£5. SL (Mon-Fri): 2 £8.75 Wine list HW £15.95 btl, BYO (corkage £2.50) Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm, Mon-Sat 5.30-11pm.

Disabled access. Private room for up to 30, entire restaurant can be booked for up to 80 (set menus for parties of 10+).

STRADA 24 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BT Tel: 0117 923 7224, web: www.strada.co.uk ■ ‘Before you’ve even eaten a mouthful of food, you can understand a large part of Strada’s appeal,’ said our chap with the notebook. ‘It simply feels good to be here.’ Thus, one of the food world’s more becoming chains, not least for managing to strike a note of individuality into each of their locations.

Sharp and stylish, Strada excels at dishing up well-

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Restaurants ITALIAN priced, high-end Italian trattoria classics. Staff are fast and efficient while remaining friendly, and the whole place buzzes with good vibes and happy chatter. Price ALC: £3.95-£6.95/£7.75£16.95/£3.95-£6.25. SD: 1 £7.95, 2 £9.95 Wine list HW £14.25 btl. Italian beers Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-11pm, Sun 11.30am-10.30pm. Disabled access. Parties - call in adv. Takeaway.

selection (be aware: weekends are often booked up three weeks in advance). Check website for offers currently, any pizza or pasta dish with your choice of a glass of wine, beer (bottle) or soft drink for £9.50 (Mon-Tue). Price ALC: £4.95-£8.50/£8.95-£16.95/£3£5. SL: 2 £7.95 Wine list HW £12.95 btl, £4.20 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.15pm & 6-10.45pm. Disabled access & toilet. Parties 20+ welcome.

TRATTORIA DA RENATO 19 King St, BS1 4EF Tel: 0117 929 8291 ■ Sister to the just-across-the-road La Taverna Dell’Artista and sharing the same parentage, this place is well into its fourth decade of serving up quality Italian fare. Price ALC: 2 £9.50-£13.50, 3 £15£20 Wine list Big range of classic and unusual Italian regional wines. HW approx £12.50 btl Open Tue-Sat 6-11.30pm, closes later on weekends. Disabled access possible with assistance - no disabled toilet, but normal toilets accessible. Parties 20+ welcome.

VINCENZO’S PIZZA HOUSE 71 Park St, BS1 5PB Tel: 0117 926 0908 ■ Enduring classic on Park Street, evergreen in popularity thanks to some good old-fashioned restaurant values: polite and attentive service, and excellent value for money. For instance, the chef is known to customise or cook up dishes not already on the already extensive menu. Should summer hang around long enough, check out the upper-deck open-air eating area for plenty of Park Street walk-by action. They serve a simple, wellprepared menu of Italian favourites - pizzas are a speciality, and the calzones are pretty good, too.

Price ALC: £2.20-£9/£7.50-£16/£3.80. Pizza/pasta or omelette with chips & salad £4.95. SD: 2 £10 inc free gls wine Wine list HW £12.50 btl, £2.50 gls Open Daily 11am-12midnight (sometimes later at weekends). Disabled access. Takeaway. Parties welcome - call in adv.

VALENTINO 124 Stoke Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3RJ Tel: 0117 962 3222, web: www. valentinosrestaurantbristol.co.uk ■ Another Italian eatery boasting a wealth of experience - owner and chef Antonio, who came to England from the Puglia region of Italy, has spent more than 40 years producing splendid Italian dishes.

Expect proper-job traditional Italian hospitality, with hordes drawn by knowledge of a fantastic fresh fish

A cornucopia of traditional recipes Salvatore's Kitchen

ZIO 96a Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2QX Tel: 0117 923 8105, web: www.ziorestaurant.co.uk ■ Don’t know what it is about Bristol that inspires quite so many Italian expats to set up restaurants here, but we’re not complaining! Papa Adolfo Rizzello was born and raised in the tiny southern Italian village of Cocumola, worked the land on the family farm, and arrives here via a fleet of exclusive eateries across Europe. Son Gianluca tends the bar, while daughter Gabriella is the dessert specialist. Expect trad decor, warm atmosphere and the company of plenty of regulars drawn in part by the spectacle of chefs throwing pizza dough around in time-honoured fashion. Look for some fine family recipes listed up on the website blog, too. Price ALC: £4.95-£8.25/£7.50£15.95/£3.75-£4.95. SL: 2 £10 (Fri-Sat till 7pm, MonThur all day) Wine list HW £13.95 btl, £3.75 gls Open Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-11pm, Sat-Sun 12noon11pm. Disabled access. Can seat groups of up to 20.

ZIZZI Unit SU84B, Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 929 1066 29-33 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BX Tel: 0117 317 9842

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Restaurants ITALIAN 7-8 Triangle South, Clifton, BS8 1EY Tel: 0117 929 8700, web: www.zizzi.co.uk ■ Crowd-pleasing, as you’d expect a chain franchise to be, and altogether smart with it. The Clifton Village branch is decked out with trad pizza oven, sparkling olive vats, a bustling open kitchen and wood-fired oven. Good-quality ingredients go into traditional and with-a-twist dishes based on simple, regional Italian cooking, with regular menu updates. Pasta and pizza, lots of interesting antipasti and good salads. Plenty of offers - see website for details and to book online.

Price ALC: £2.75-£6.95/£8.65-£14.95/£5 Wine list Almost exclusively Italian. HW £13.95 btl, £3.95 gls Open Daily 12noon-11pm (10.30pm Sun). Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

Bath AIO 7 Edgar Buildings, George St, BA1 2EE Tel: 01225 443900, web: www.aiorestaurant.co.uk ■ Two softly lit, inviting dining rooms, pavement tables and a dinky alfresco patio outback ensure that Aió (Sardinian for ‘come and join us’) lives up to its name. Menus concentrate more on chargrilled protein and interesting carbs (fregola sarda: think couscous with a plumper, softer personality) than prosaic pasta. Fish/meaty grills/excellent veggie options go large. Price ALC: from approx £6/from approx £9/ approx £7 Wine list HW from £14 btl Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm, Sat 12noon-10.30pm, Sun 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

AQUA ITALIA 86 Walcot St, BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 471371, web: www.aqua-restaurant.com ■ From the outside, the Bath incarnation of Aqua looks like a stone-fronted chapel. Inside, it’s more of a cathedral: cool, chic and candlelit, with subtle chandeliers adding to the understated sense of drama - choose from centre-stage tables or a cosy booth.

Downstairs is perfect for big parties (private-dining option available) and there’s a pretty little courtyard out back. Bargain-price, dolce vita-themed treats on the popular Aqua Classico selection are reliably good.

Price/Wine list See Bristol listing for Aqua Open Restaurant: daily 11am-10pm (10.30pm Fri-Sat). Bar: daily 11.30am-11pm (12midnight Fri-Sat). Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv ASK ITALIAN Broad St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 789997, web: www.askrestaurants.com ■ Theo Randall-affiliated pizzeria chain that does

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things as you’d expect: generous portions, attractive to party-goers. Check website for changing offers - at the time of writing it’s two mains for £12.95. Price ALC: £4.95-£6.95/£7.45-£12.95/£4.95-£5.40. SD: 2 £10.95, 3 £13.95 Wine list HW £14.75 btl, £3.95 gls Open Daily 11.30am-11pm (10pm Sun). Disabled access & toilet. Available for private hire. Parties 20+ welcome - book in adv.

CARLUCCIO’S 3-7 Milsom Place, BA1 1BZ Tel: 01225 312604, web: www.carluccios.com ■ Another link in a massive global chain, with the Bath branch flaunting a lively NY-meets-Milan mash-up vibe: think brazenly bright colour schemes balanced by low, subtle lighting. Casually friendly staff and a busy food shop and bar area add texture and bustle to several open-plan dining areas, including a heated alfresco patio. Opens early for breakfast. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Sat 8am-11pm, Sun 9am-10pm. Disabled access.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

JAMIE’S ITALIAN 10 Milsom Place, BA1 1BZ Tel: 01225 432340, web: www.jamieoliver.com/italian/bath ■ The Bath link in a national chain in the heart of chic shopping complex Milsom Place. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Daily 10am-11pm (10.30pm Sun). Call ahead for disabled access. Large groups welcome, book in adv.

JOYA 6 Newmarket Row, BA2 4AN Tel: 01225 460240, web: www.joyarestaurant.co.uk ■ Sophisticated Italian-themed bar with a great little kitchen attached (excellent antipasti, authentic pizzas), from the lovely folk behind the Real Italian Pizza Co and Real Italian Ice Cream Co. Standards from style (contemporary but cosy, with a distinctly pink/purple theme) to the quality of the kitchen and bar fare - are exceptionally high. ‘The Joya experience is an eminently - well, joyous one: properly cheerful, and effortlessly charming in a refreshingly spontaneous way,’ said our own little dolce vita queen in a recent review. ‘The menu is an easygoing experience offering broad appeal without getting all confuso about the “modern Italian” idiom, relying on a blend of really good Italian imports and the best of British sourcing to present clean, fresh dishes packed with flavour - which is, after all, what decent Italian food is all about.’ Price ALC: from approx £6/from approx £9/approx £6 Wine list HW approx £14.85 btl, superb cocktails Open Daily 12noon-11pm (Sun 10.30pm). Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

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Restaurants ITALIAN

Party On! Byzantium

Portwall Lane, Bristol ■ Legendary around these parts for being the most atmospheric party venue in Bristol.

Gascoyne Place

Sawclose, Bath ■ Split-level merrymaking complex offering a choice between atmospheric subterranean/mezzanine lounges, cosy snug or first-floor private dining rooms.

Goldbrick House (pictured) Park St, Bristol ■ Multi-faceted, fully flexible spaces combine to create a bespoke, chic party hotspot.

MARTINI 8-9 George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 460818, web: www.martinirestaurantbath.com ■ Longstanding Bath institution, popular with families, tourists and large groups of merrymakers. Huge portions of Italian and Mediterranean specialities served in convivial surroundings, buoyed along by a large wine selection and welcoming hosts, all within a collection of atmospheric spaces, each offering an intimacy that belies the fact that Martini is actually a bit of a Tardis.

Continental brasserie-style decor uses dark wood, gold handrails and artfully distressed paintwork to their best advantage. Menus revolve around pasta, pizzas, risotto, fish, vegetarian options, salads and frequently changing specials. Price ALC: antipasti £5.50-£8.95/£8.25£17.95/£6. Party menus/SL/SD: see website Wine list HW (Italian classics) £11.50 btl Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm, Sat 12noon-10.30pm, Sun 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm. Call ahead for disabled access. Parties 20+ welcome - call in adv.

NEW NONNA’S CUCINA ITALIANA 39 Gay St, BA1 2NT Tel: 01225 427919, web: www.nonnasitalianrestaurant.co.uk ■ Named after the Italian word for grandmother (in homage to the classic, homecooked southern Italian food that the restaurant’s owners Laura and Angelo were reared on), this sparkly, chic but welcoming contemporary Italian eatery is a welcome addition to the Bath scene. ‘I could taste chef Angelo’s history from the moment the homemade caponata and breadsticks arrived at our beautifully laid table for two,’ said EOW’s own version of Sophia Loren, who tucked into ‘shimmering slabs of seductively creamy buffalo mozzarella, seductive Sicilian arancini, sumptuous seafood risotto and perfect pollo siciliana’. What’s more: ‘Angelo’s homemade pasta is an otherworldly experience too, while even a vehement pizza-avoider wouldn’t find fault with his quattro formaggi.’ Price ALC: from approx £5.50/from £7.95/from £4.95. SM: 2 £9.95, 3 £11.95 (daily 12noon-6pm) Wine list HW approx £17 btl, extensive bar Open Mon-Thur 12noon2.30pm & 6-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-10.30pm, Sun 12noon-10pm.

Disabled access/parties - call in adv.

PIZZA HUT 1-3 Westgate Buildings, BA1 1EB, Tel: 01225 448586, web: www.pizzahut.co.uk ■ Chain restaurant offering pizza, pasta, salads, valuefor-money deals and takeaway/delivery. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Thur 11.30am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm. Disabled

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Restaurants ITALIAN access & toilets. Large-print menu. Takeaway. Parties 20+ welcome - notify in adv.

PIZZA EXPRESS 1-3 Barton St, BA1 1HG Tel: 01225 420119 8 SouthGate Place, BA1 1AP Tel: 01225 442111, web: www.pizzaexpress.com ■ Popular Italian-themed chain, with pavement seating at both branches. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Call branch direct for details. Disabled access at both branches. Parties welcome - call in adv.

REAL ITALIAN PIZZA CO 16 York St, BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 330121, web: therealitalianpizzacompany.weebly.com ■ Friendly and popular local pizzeria serving authentic pizzas and pasta. Also offers pizza-making and cupcakedecorating parties for children. Open Daily 11am-11pm.

RIVER CANTEEN Spring Gardens Rd, BA2 6PW Tel: 01225 424800 ■ Former boathouse, now home to a stylish modern Italian trattoria. Price ALC: from approx £4.95/from £8.25/£4.10 Wine list HW approx £14 btl Open MonFri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm, Sat 12noon-11pm.

Open for all Bath Rugby home fixtures and by prior arrangement. Disabled access/parties - call in adv.

RUSTICO BISTRO ITALIANO 2 Margarets Buildings, BA1 2LP Tel: 01225 310064, web: www.rusticobistroitaliano.co.uk ■ Utterly gorgeous, welcoming Italian bistro overseen

by Bergamo-born brothers Darix and Franco Cinesi.

Small but perfectly formed menu infuses fully authentic, freshly prepared, classic Italian dishes with an up-tothe-minute zeitgeist based around intelligent sourcing and contemporary flair. Pavement seating on pretty traffic-free lane out front. Price Starters/light bites from £6.25/main £7.95-£18.25 Wine list Small but carefully considered. HW from approx £14 btl Open Daily 12noon2.30pm & 6-10.30pm. Disabled access, but not to toilet.

Room for private hire, up to 24. Parties 20+ welcome.

SOLO PIZZA 2 Milsom Place, BA1 1BZ Tel: 01225 444439, web: www.solorestaurant.co.uk ■ A table on the lively alfresco courtyard to the front of this contemporary Italian pizzeria at the heart of the chic Milsom Place complex is the best place to enjoy excellent coffee and Italian pastries at breakfast/ teatime and properly authentic pizzas, fresh salads and the like as the day rolls on. Price Antipasti/salads/light

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bites from £4/main £6.95-£12.95. Regular 2-for-1 pizza deals/SL offers Wine list HW approx £13 btl Open Daily 10am-10.30pm. Disabled access. Takeaway.

SOTTO SOTTO 10 North Parade, BA2 4AL Tel: 01225 330236, web: www.sottosotto.co.uk ■ Sparkling modern Italian experience set in an evocative, barrel-vaulted subterranean tavern, resulting in a seductively tasteful, glamorous experience. From start to finish, expect a stunning simplicity to the full range of freshly prepared, impeccably sourced dishes. Seafood and steaks are highly recommended.

Lovely. Price ALC: from approx £6/approx £9-£18/ from £4.95 Wine list HW from £14 btl Open Daily 11.30am-10.30pm (11.30pm Fri-Sat). Disabled access/ parties - call in adv.

STRADA Beau Nash House, Sawclose, BA1 1EU Tel: 01225 337753, web: www.strada.co.uk ■ Set in rather grand surroundings, this contemporary Italian trattoria (with alfresco) has a modern-day, intimate atmosphere that belies the fact that it’s actually part of a small national franchise group. See also Bristol listing. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Daily 11.30am-11pm (10.30pm Sun). Disabled access. Parties - call in adv.

Japanese Bristol COSMO 30 Triangle West, BS8 1ET Tel: 0117 934 0999, web: www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk ■ See Chinese.

MASA 42-46 Baldwin St, BS1 1PN Tel: 0117 929 3888/930 0600, web: www.masajapaneserestaurant.com ■ Time was, conveyor-belt eating sounded like the very worst of pre-prepared culinary sloppery.

That was before we came to love modern Japanese restaurants, of course, and to understand that, far from production-line dining, the sushi serving is the very definition of a handpicked meal. Teppanyakistyle, meanwhile, entails guests surrounding a large hot plate, where theatrical Japanese chefs whirl, twirl, juggle, flip and flame raw ingredients into delectable meals. Price ALC: starter £2.30-£8.50/main £6.50£15.80. SM: £21.95 & £29.95 Wine list HW £12.95

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Restaurants JAPANESE btl, £2.80 gls Open Mon-Fri 12noon-11.30pm, Sat 12noon-10pm. Disabled access - call in adv. Parties welcome - call for details.

NOA 12-13 Waterloo St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BT Tel: 0117 973 2881, web: www.noajapanese.co.uk ■ ‘When I think of things Japanese,’ pondered our Food editor, ‘something simultaneously ancient and modern comes to mind: centuries of calm zen and Confucius overlaid with a glitzy high-tech jabber.

There’s something of both about Noa Japanese, with its crisp decor and contemporary style.’ And real lightness in the menu, from traditional miso to wakame (seaweed) salad, one of many healthy harvests of the ocean. Our man found ‘meticulous quality and top ingredients brought together with proper care for detail: one of the finest Japanese dining experiences for many a mile’. Price ALC: £3.50-£6/£8.50-£15/£3.50 Wine list HW £15.50, btl £3.90 gls Open Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm, Sun 6-11pm. Disabled access - two small steps, staff will assist. Takeaway.

OBENTO 67 Baldwin St, BS1 1QZ Tel: 0117 929 7392, web: www.obento-bristol.co.uk ■ Flaunts a vast selection of delights including teppenaki and kare (Japanese curry dishes) alongside the standard offerings, all to eat in or take away, courtesy of the same - decidedly generous, frankly - family also bringing you Dynasty and Zen. Our reviewer enjoyed a ‘fine, filling meal of contrasting tastes and textures’ amid the sushi, salads, soups, sashimi, teriyakis and three types of noodle (soba, ramen, udon). ‘Well prepared and well presented,’ said our man of his sakura banquet.

‘A thoroughly good experience.’ Sign up via the website for special offers. Price ALC: sushi, sashimi £1.80-£9/main £9-£11. SL: bento box £6.80-£7.80.

SD: set menus from £17pp Wine list Good range, plus beers, lagers, etc. HW £16 btl Open Mon-Fri 12noon3pm & 5.30-11pm, Sat 12.30-4pm & 5.30-11pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome (karaoke room available) - call for details. Takeaway.

TAMPOPO Unit SU84A, Glass House (Level 3), Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 927 7008, web: www.tampopo.co.uk ■ Manchester-based mini-chain, named after the magnificently food-sensual film of the same name. ‘Surrounded by the blaring signage of the competition up in the Cabot Circus stratosphere, there’s something reassuringly discreet about Tampopo’s presentation,’ said our Mr Food. ‘That

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favourable impression is supported once you’re inside the restaurant, too, with its combination of hushed ambient music, soft orange lighting, neat plain furniture and a village shop-style shelf displaying noodles, sauces and beers.’ Come meal’s end, he was declaring that ‘the fresh flavours, relaxed atmosphere and tempting menu mean that we’ll certainly return’. Whereupon he’ll once again choose from street food and signature dishes from across eastern Asia, including steaming noodles, slow-cooked curries and sizzling stirfries. Just like in kitchens across eastern Asia, they make their sauces and stocks in house every day from the freshest market produce. Price ALC: £2.20-£5.60/£6.50£9.50/£3.60-£4.95. Express menu: main + side £8.95 (daily 12noon-5pm) Wine list HW £13.95 btl, £2.95 gls Open Daily 12noon-11pm (10pm Sun).

Disabled access (lift to food court). Takeaway. Parties welcome - call for details.

TEOHS 28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, BS2 9NP Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net ■ See Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean & Indonesian.

WAGAMAMA 63 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QL Tel: 0117 922 1188, web: www.wagamama.com ■ See Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean & Indonesian.

YO! SUSHI Glass Walk, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BQ Tel: 0117 321 3161 The Avenue, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway, BS34 5DG Tel: 0117 321 3170, web: www.yosushi.com ■ Big, brash, vivid chain, as brimming with selfconfidence as the name suggests, and not without good reason - this is one smart, smooth operation.

As our reviewer discovered, ‘Tables are neat modules with dispensers of chopsticks, soy sauce, wasabi, sliced ginger and filtered water on tap, plus a button to alert staff when you need something else - hot food, miso soup, human contact. The food was all good and some things particularly so: harusame aubergine, tuna loin sashimi and eel dragon roll topped the cold selection; spicy pepper squid, chicken yakitori and salmon & asparagus yakitori were the hot favourites.’ Sign up to the Yo! Love Club via the website for special offers and discounts.

Price All dishes £1.80-£6. Set menus (or ‘bundles’) £9.50-£12.50 Wine list Small, exclusive. HW £14.60 btl, £4 gls. Japanese beers, sake Open Cabot Circus: Mon-Sat 11.30am-10pm, Sun 11.30am-8pm. Cribbs Causeway: Mon-Fri 11.30am-9pm, Sat 11.30am-8pm, Sun 11.30am-5pm. Disabled access at both locations.

Parties welcome - call for details. Takeaway.

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Restaurants JAPANESE NEW YUME KITCHEN 9 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6LD Tel: 0117 200 2888, web: www.yumekitchen.co.uk ■ Fast, fresh food, and seriously good value - this atmospheric Japanese restaurant has earned itself a fine reputation since opening up where once stood the Friary Cafe. A splendid range of staple expectations - sushi, miso soup, etc - is augmented with lesser-spotted authentic fare such as oyakodon (rice topped with marinated chicken and egg) and, for afters, matcha mousse with cream and strawberries.

Price Most dishes £2-£9. Outsize sushi lunch platters for large gatherings from £40 for 60 pieces. Bento boxes: £25 for initial purchase, refills from £8 Wine list No alcohol licence as yet Open Mon-Sat 12noon10pm (last orders 9pm), Sun 12noon-5pm (last orders 4pm). Takeaway.

Bath WAGAMAMA 1 York Buildings, George St, BA1 2EB Tel: 01225 337314, web: www.wagamama.com ■ See Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean & Indonesian.

YEN SUSHI 11-12 Bartlett St, BA1 2QZ Tel: 01225 333313, web: www.yensushi.co.uk ■ A ringside seat at the conveyor belt in this cheery but cosy, unfussy Japanese canteen must be the hottest seat in town for the inquisitive gourmet.

Dozens of brightly coloured saucers flaunt tantalising toppings right under your nose, from the familiar (California rolls, tempura, edamame beans, sashimi) to every variation on the full-on authentic makizushi theme, while a jolly sushi chef chops, dices and rolls everything together before your eyes (and is happy to talk you through your choices). A separate kitchen deals with the hot stuff: soup, teriyaki, noodle-based dishes to order, bento (rice-based) boxes and ramen (noodles in soup). Price Conveyor belt/hot dish £1.80-£4.30, bento box/ramen from £7.10 Wine list HW approx £13 btl. Japanese & continental beers & lagers, plum wine, sake Open Daily 12noon-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm. Disabled access. Group bookings - call in adv. Takeaway (excl ramen).

belt) presentation has made a lively home for itself in a semi-subterranean corner of the chic Milsom Place complex. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Daily 11.30am-9pm (10pm Sat. Disabled access.

Parties welcome - call for details. Takeaway.

Mexican & South American Bristol CASA MEXICANA 29-31 Zetland Rd, BS6 7AH Tel: 0117 924 3901, web: www.casamexicana.co.uk ■ The smells in this place made our Food editor come over like an empty-bellied Proust last time he visited.

‘There’s a homecoming feel about Casa Mexicana that bespeaks the fact that, 20-something years on, it’s seemingly always been there,’ he reflected. ‘As the longest-established Mexican restaurant in Bristol [since 1986 - EOW ed], it was the place where I first learned about enchiladas and chimichangas and tasted the bracing zap of coriander and lime juice in a proper salsa. The hospitable vibe also reflects the generosity of the meals I’ve had there. Is there a Mexican equivalent of that stereotypical Jewish

A feast of Asian flavours Teohs

YO! SUSHI 29 Milsom Place, BA1 1BZ Tel: 01225 562250, web: www.yosushi.com ■ This international chain credited with introducing British diners to Japanese kaiten-zushi (conveyor-

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Restaurants MEXICAN & S.AMERICAN mother urging you to eat up and grow strong? If there is, then she has heaped many a hearty plateful for me over the years.’ And who in the know wouldn’t keep returning to a place rated as one of the top five Mexican restaurants in the country by The Guardian?

Enjoy a warren of linked, laidback dining areas (leather sofas, fresh flowers, New Mexico colours, wall-wash lights) combined with a bar area at the front, smashing tapas menu, alfresco dining and seriously excellent cocktails. Price ALC: £4.50£9.95/£12.95-£26.95/£4.95. Set party menus for 12+ Wine list Extensive, many individually sourced from small growers in Spain, Mexico & South America, many organic. HW £13.95 btl, £3.85 gls. Excellent cocktails, Mexican beers Open Daily 6.30-10pm (last food orders). Good disabled access (ramp at front), but no toilet. Separate rooms for private hire for parties.

LAS IGUANAS Anchor Square, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 927 6233 113 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PB Tel: 0117 973 0730, web: www.iguanas.co.uk ■ ‘Find us!’ screams the website. ‘We’re closer than you think!’ At which point a part of you feels affronted - “Of course I know that. I’m from Bristol,” you want to say - and another part feels local pride at the fact

Lively Tex-Mex canteen Mission Burrito

that what started out here as a single eatery in 1991 has grown to become a multi-million-pound chain linking 28 branches. And we shouldn’t fret too much: that original fun, funkiness and passion is still much in evidence, combining cachacaria bar (cachaca is Brazil’s national spirit, and these guys distil their own brand), with the finest South American food (a fusion of Latin, African and Portuguese flavours). ‘There’s a good, well-balanced mix of humanity here,’ said our visitor, ‘and a good-time feel as a party venue that you can sample in spades, even if there are only two of you.’ Enjoy fine cocktails, excellent tapas, good fish and vegetarian options, and excellent separate mini-iguanas and gluten-free menus. Price ALC: £4.70-£6.40/£7.90-£16.50/£4.90-£5.90. Lunch £6 till 6pm Mon-Fri Wine list Extensive. HW £16.80 btl, £3.70 gls. Excellent cocktails & beers Open Mon-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11.30pm (Harbourside till 12midnight), Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Disabled access, but call individual branch for advice. Private hire, up to 70. Parties welcome - and encouraged!

MISSION BURRITO 62 Park St, BS1 5JN Tel: 0117 927 3339, web: www.missionburritos.co.uk ■ Welcome to the home of the 77ft burrito! Well, for one February night last year, anyway, as Bristol Uni students raised funds for local charities during RAG week. Not that Mission necessarily need eye-catching stunts to aid their profile in the city: having arrived as the fourth link in a chain beginning in Oxford, their San Fran-inspired approach to dishing out Mexican food - fast, fresh and healthy - has proved hugely popular. Find fillings include chicken, steak, carnitas (slow-roasted pork) and vegetarian options, with everything made spankingly fresh on the premises.

Have them served in a soft-shell burrito, individual tacos, even a salad bowl. And, if you dare, ask for the addition of extra hot salsa - just be aware that it’s made from Dorset Naga’s chillies, necessitating the chef wearing a mask... Price Dishes £5.45-£5.95 Wine list Mexican btld beers from £3.30 Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm. Disabled access.

Takeaway & online ordering.

MY BURRITO 7 Broad Quay, BS1 4DA Tel: 0117 929 7239, web: www.myburrito.co.uk ■ “We’re not Mexicans,” admit the MB team. “Not even Californians. We’re a mish-mash of nationalities with one thing in common - a love, a passion, for putting something really tasty and fresh in front of you.” And very grateful we are to look on slatheringly as it’s assembled, for this is fine fare. If inspiration comes from distant shores, the ingredients do anything but: meat from farms around Nailsea,

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Restaurants N.AFRICAN & M. EASTERN Yatton and Kingston Seymour, and the rest from Devon. Quoth our reviewer: ‘The food is both tasty and healthy - a rare combination in a takeaway and one that, with the price tag, makes My Burrito stand head and shoulders above the competition.’

Breakfasts include coffee and churros (made-to-order hot doughnuts served with Valor hot chocolate).

Homemade salsas and guacamole to take home.

Price Small £6.35, regular £7.50, plus extras Wine list HW £12 btl. Mexican btld beers from £3.50 Open Mon 9am-8pm, Tue-Thur 9am-9pm, Fri 9am-9.30pm, Sat 10am-9.30pm, Sun 10am-6pm. Disabled access.

Outside catering for all sizes of event, up to and inc student balls.

Bath NEW CHIMICHANGA Bluecoat House, Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 317462, web: www.chimichanga.co.uk ■ Slick, chic branch of an ever-expanding Latin American/Tex-Mex chain, situated in a gorgeous grade II listed building. Cheerful children’s menus; free Wi-Fi. See website for regularly updated deals/ offers. Price ALC: from approx £4.50/from approx £8.95/from approx £4.95 Wine list HW approx £15 btl, extensive bar Open Sun-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11.30pm. Full disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv.

LAS IGUANAS 12 Seven Dials, Sawclose, BA1 1EN Tel: 01225 336666, web: www.iguanas.co.uk ■ Festive Latin American-themed food and a party-on atmosphere from the Bristol-based specialists in the genre, offering a lively blend of striking decor, cool sounds and classy food in a strikingly pretty location next to the Theatre Royal, with chic but friendly Pulp bar downstairs. Interesting tapas, excellent children’s menus, and gorgeous alfresco courtyard. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11.30pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm. Pulp: Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 12noon-10pm. Disabled access. Parties 20+ catered for (max 12 on Sat).

MISSION BURRITO 4 New St, Kingsmead Square, BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 442599, web: www.missionburritos.co.uk ■ Freshly prepared, bespoke burritos alongside a range of classic Tex-Mex-inspired delights (tacos, salads, etc) to take away or enjoy in a lively canteen environment. Price Dishes from £5.45 Wine list Not licensed to serve alcohol Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm. Disabled access.

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North African & Middle Eastern Bristol AFENDI RESTAURANT & CAFE 217 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 924 8927, web: www.afendirestaurantcafe.co.uk ■ Delightfully attentive family-run restaurant serving Mediterranean and Arabic cuisine, from hot and cold mezze and grills to Middle Eastern dishes like falafel, taboulleh, kebabs, kibbeh and many vegetarian options. Ultra-stylish in a minimalist kind of way, all unfussy straight-backed chairs, smooth-as-granite tabletops and white walls. Check the mixed mezze of fol medamas, falafel, baba ghanoush, hummus, kibeh trabolsia, sambosa and the Afendi pickle mix, while specialities include minced lamb with parsley and onions in tomato sauce on a pizza-like base baked in their stone oven. And leave plenty of room - we’re talking seriously generous portions across the board - for desserts including mahalabi (a rosewaterflavoured milk pudding), baklava (filo pastry, nuts, topped with sweet syrup) and warmed semolina cake.

Price ALC: £2.50-£6.99/£6-£17.99/£3-£4.50 Wine list BYO anything - no corkage fee, and they’ll even pop your cold ones in the fridge Open Daily 12noon2pm & 6-11pm. Disabled access & toilet. Takeaway.

MAZATI LEBANESE CUISINE Basement, 13a Small St, BS1 1DE Tel: 0117 927 7937, web: www.mazati.co.uk ■ A quietly spectacular place, set in a subterranean cellar - thus, crescent-shaped ceiling the full length of the single room. So, though there’s plenty of space down here, it never feels less than delightfully intimate. Expect hale and hearty Lebanese food, with an emphasis on high value. Don’t allow yourself to leave before enjoying a dinky cup of utterly delicious Lebanese tea, served in one of the most beautiful teapots known to man. Price ALC: £3.90-£5.70/£9.75£15.20/£3-£3.50 Mezze platter £10.95 daily before 7pm Wine list HW £13.99 btl, £3.99 gls Open Daily 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm. No disabled access. Takeaway 10% discount. Parties catered for - call in adv.

SHIRAZ 275 Hotwell Rd, BS8 4SF Tel: 0117 925 5668, web: www. shirazpersianrestaurantbristol.com ■ ‘Persian culture lives on in Shiraz,’ said our Food editor, ‘embodying the famous tradition of warm hospitality as well as serving meltingly spicy marinated kebabs resting on aromatic rice, with

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Restaurants SPANISH & PORTUGUESE herb-rich salads and sweet-scented frozen rosewater desserts to die for.’ By turns nicely understated and thrillingly lively: check variously for belly dancers, live music and shisha. Expect fare such as fillet of lamb, juicy steaks and fresh fish served with rice and fresh salads, with many ingredients locally sourced.

Back to our man for his summary: ‘A gem of a place, where quality, distinctiveness and value for money miraculously coexist.’ Price ALC: £2.95-£4.25/£7.95£13.50/£3.60-£4.10 Wine list Good selection of reds & whites. HW £14.95 btl, £3.65 gls Open Mon-Thur 6.30-10pm, Fri-Sat 6.30-10.30pm, Sun 4-10pm.

No disabled access. Takeaway 10% discount. Parties catered for - call in adv.

stallholders use fresh, locally grown ingredients to cook up a feast of dishes from dawn to dusk, filling the air with the aroma of citrus and spices. Which, of course, is precisely the ethos taken up here. Menus feature mezze, posh kebabs and traditional sides (hummus, baba ganoush, falafel), plus Moroccan-type fare (tagines) and weekend breakfasts. Call or pop in for current offers. Price ALC: £2.30-£5.95/£10.50£13.95/£14.50. Brunch £4.10-£7.50 Wine list Good global selection. HW £14.50 btl, £3.90 gls. Beers, lagers, etc (inc Moroccan) Open Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sat 10am-3pm & 6-10pm, Sun 10am-3pm & 6-9pm. Disabled access. Parties up to 20 welcome.

SOUK KITCHEN 277 North St, Southville, BS3 1JP Tel: 0117 966 6880, web: www.soukkitchen.co.uk ■ Voted the best new restaurant in the city when they launched three years back, and they’ve been making good on their promise ever since. Expect adroitly cooked and vibrant Middle Eastern dishes packed with interesting flavours and ingredients, such as lamb chops and pomegranate molasses served alongside three Moroccan salads, or chargrilled Cornish sardines, fried potatoes, tomato, pomegranate molasses and sumac dressing. The name refers to the commercial centre in Arab/Berber cities where

Bath

Splendid Spanish tapas El Rincon

CAFE DU GLOBE 1a North Parade, BA1 1LF Tel: 01225 466437, web: www.cafeduglobe.co.uk ■ This cheery little caff (with pavement seating out front) morphs into a candlelit Moroccan bistro come evening. Daytime menus bring coffee, light lunches, afternoon tea and mainly shoppers’ fare (pizza, pasta, omelettes, wraps, big salads, toasted sandwiches).

Evenings are largely given over to Moroccan classics (mezze, tagines, couscous), reflecting the owner’s Casablanca roots. Kids get their own set menu, and the basement bazaar gives you the opportunity to create your own Arabian Nights film-set at home.

Price ALC: approx £5-£8/approx £10.50-£16/approx £4.85-£5.25. SL (11.30am-3.30pm): 2 £10.95.

SD: 2 (Mon-Fri 5-6.30pm) £15.50 inc gls wine, 2 (6.30pm-close, excl Sat) £19.95 Wine list HW approx £15 btl Open Daily 10am-10.30pm. Disabled access.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

Spanish & Portuguese Bristol EL PUERTO 57 Prince St, BS1 4QH Tel: 0117 925 6014, web: www.el-puerto.co.uk ■ Rather a singular establishment. Generally, when places are this lively, the food quality tends to be a little on the - how can we put this nicely? - indistinct side. Not here. This stylish tapas bar offers food of genuine top quality, constructed with flair and imagination. As our Food - and, indeed, Jazz/World - editor noted: ‘While honing my critical palate all over town, I return time and again, bringing other subsequently grateful friends to share the lively

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Restaurants SPANISH & PORTUGUESE Spanish ambience and great food. With a cool jazz trio playing live to the nearly full restaurant, we discovered that £50 covered the food bill for three.

How good is that? Bloody brilliant, I’d say.’ Top tip: come in a group of four people and max out on tapas - for £17.50 each, you can share every dish on the menu. Price Tapas £2.95-£6.50, ALC main £11.15£15.50 Wine list Lengthy, excellent, Spanish. HW £13 btl, £3.25 gls Open Daily 12noon-12midnight.

Disabled access. Parties/groups welcome - call in adv.

EL RINCON 298 North St, Southville, BS3 1JU Tel: 0117 939 3457, web: www.elrincon.moonfruit.com ■ Small but perfectly formed, this Spanish tapas supplier is one of the warmest, tastiest places in town.

Truly, 10 minutes in here and you could believe you were tucked just off a Barcelona side-street - it’s not just a food thing (though that’s certainly part of it), but a feel. ‘The ambience is casual, like a friendly dinner party, unpretentious and comfy, with recycled chairs and tables,’ said our reviewer, wisely choosing to come here for their birthday. “Bullfight posters are scattered around the brightly painted walls, with a view into the garden revealing cushions on the steps welcoming smokers. What a spread it turned out to be, covering the table with colour and filling the air with delicious smells. Perfecto!’ Splendid local sourcing adds to the feelgood factor: “We buy from Mark’s Bread, Ashton Fruit Shop, Rare and DR Butt’s, fish from the Tobacco Factory market and lightbulbs from the Lion Stores.” This is a family-friendly and seemingly endless homage to nibbling delights - book ahead, particularly on Fri and Sun, when there’s free live music - jazz, world, acoustic, never less than immaculately programmed by Pete ‘Get the Blessing’ Judge. Also Spanish film and book clubs, language lessons - seriously, what more could you ask for? Price Tapas £4-£9, bar snacks from £2.50. SM for 4: £20pp Wine list Extensive, Spanish selection. HW £13 btl, £3.50 gls Open Mon-Sat 6-10pm, Sun 11am-2pm (may stay open longer, informally, for music). Disabled access - a few steps and no ramp, but staff happy to assist. Parties welcome - call in adv. Cash only.

LA TASCA Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0845 129 7623, web: www.latasca.co.uk ■ Big on salsa DJs and student parties, this 60-plus strong chain offers Spanish food and themes in vividly brash fashion, with a strong accent on tapas. Price Tapas £2.95-£5.45. Desserts £3.65-£5.95 Wine list Good range of wine, sangria, Euro-beers. HW £13.95 btl, £3.85 gls Open Daily 12noon-11pm (10.30pm Sun). Good disabled access. Parties 20+ welcome.

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NANDO’S Glass House, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BX Tel: 0117 3763 876 49 Park St, BS1 5NT Tel: 0117 929 9263 Aspects Leisure Park, Longwell Green, BS15 9LA Tel: 0117 967 2631 Unit 208, Cribbs Causeway, BS34 5UR Tel: 0117 959 0146, web: www.nandos.co.uk ■ Increasingly ubiquitous chain specialising in flamegrilled, peri-peri-sauced chicken. Expect to find openplan kitchens serving burgers, pitta, salads, steaks and platters to share, especially those comprising their trademark chicken. Takeaway service, and you can buy sauces to try at home. Price ALC: £2.95£3.35/£4.05-£19.30/£2.95-£3.95. Party menus, two-for-one deals, etc - call or see website for updates Wine list HW £13.20 btl, £2.60 gls Open Aspects: Sun-Thur 12noon-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm.

Cabot: Sun-Tue 12noon-10pm, Wed-Sat 12noon11pm. Park St: daily 11.30am-10.30pm (11pm FriSat). Cribbs: Mon-Fri 11am-9pm, Sat 11am-8pm, Sun 11am-5pm. Disabled access to Aspects & Cabot Circus via lift. Parties welcome.

NEW ROOSTERS PIRI PIRI 39 Park St, BS1 5NH Tel: 0117 369 1000, web: www.roosterspiripiri.com ■ Second West Country location for the chicken chain, and a spacious-feeling 65-seater comprising swishly clean lines and - let’s say distinctive - lime green booths. Plenty more options on the menu than you might expect. Alongside the 24-hour-marinated chicken that gives the place its name, you’ll find strips of seasoned beef, spicy lamb kebabs, grilled halloumi, falafel, gourmet burgers and so forth. Price No ALC menu, as such. Instead, options range from snack-worthy satays (£1.89) to table-bending platters (£31.99) Open Mon-Sun 11am-12midnight. Takeaway.

Bath LA PERLA 12a North Parade, BA2 4AL Tel: 01225 463626, web: www.la-perla.co.uk ■ Gorgeous, glamorous Spanish restaurant and tapas bar in an intimate yet bright and breezy caved-vault environment where award-winning chefs produce genuinely authentic Spanish fare (top tapas, Valencian/mariscos paellas, superb desserts) in an open kitchen. ‘La Perla is to Bath what the top-grade Iberian charcuterie on the menu here is to “chorizostyle” processed meat: a world’s-apart, authentic modern Spanish experience,’ said EOW’s own little

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Restaurants THAI, MALAYSIAN... portion of paella. ‘Each dish is as beautiful to behold as it is to digest, and extremely fairly priced for a gourmet experience of such high quality. Regular trips to this all-round sensual Spanish sanctuary are set to become a tradición contemporánea. Menu changes daily; cookery school attached. Price Tapas from £4.50, paella/main from £9 Wine list Extensive, strong Spanish focus. HW from £14 btl Open Tue-Sun 12noon-12midnight (last food orders 10pm). Limited disabled access. Parties - call in adv.

NEW PREMISES LA TASCA KITCHEN The Empire, Grand Parade, BA2 4DF Tel: 01225 466477,web: www.latasca.com/bath ■ Funky, popular Spanish-style tapas bar and restaurant, recently relocated to a stylish new home, where a spacious dining room and cosy bar area offer gorgeous views across Pulteney Bridge and the weir from huge windows. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Mon-Wed 11am-11pm, Thur-Sat 12noon11pm, Sun 12noon-10pm. Disabled access - call in adv.

Parties welcome, pref call in adv.

NANDO’S Kingsmead Leisure Development, 5-10 James St West, BA1 2DT Tel: 01225 789901 NEW 5 Brunel Square, BA1 1SX Tel: 01225 312256, web: www.nandos.co.uk ■ Home to Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri chicken

Popular pan-Asian noted for noodles Wagamama

alongside lots of other upmarket family-friendly goodies. This new Bath branch is in the Vaults complex in a fascinatingly unique interior - very classy. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Both branches: Sun-Thur 12noon-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm. Disabled access with lift & toilet at both branches. Parties 20+ welcome.

PORTVCALE LOUNGE 43 St James Parade, BA1 1UQ Tel: 01225 424321, web: www.portvcalelounge.co.uk ■ Warm, welcoming family-run Portuguese restaurant and bar with smart booth seating at street level and cosy vaulted bar downstairs. ‘Portvcale is slowly, quietly but very distinctively earning itself a welldeserved reputation for being one of the most unique watering holes in Bath,’ said one EOW detective recently. ‘It’s a rustic, cheerful, authentic Portuguese adventure.’ The fabulous tapas dishes are highly recommended, as are the continental cocktails and red/white sangria. Olé party every Tue; downstairs bar available for private hire. Price Tapas £3.75-£5.25.

Cataplana (for 2 to share) £25.50/£34.95 Wine list Small but perfectly formed. HW from approx £14 btl Open Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-9pm (except Tue: 5pm-late). Disabled access/parties - call in adv.

Thai, Malaysian, Singaporean & Indonesian Bristol BAUHINIA 5a Boyces Ave, Clifton Village, BS8 4AA Tel: 0117 973 3138, web: www.bauhinia-bar.co.uk ■ Orchid-named pan-Asian diner/cafe-bar with a laidback atmosphere and no little flair. Check, for instance, an unusual drinks range including draught lagers from Hong Kong and Japan, pan-Asian bottled beers, Asian-influenced cocktails and green teas. ‘A chance to enjoy a reasonably priced, well-executed eclectic south-Asian meal in nicely restrained, stylish surroundings,’ said our reviewer. Their avowed mission is “to serve well-made, well-sourced and tasty food to locals at midweek prices” - thus, the two-course special for £8.90, daily till 7pm. Price ALC: £4-£8/£8.50-£14.50/£4.90. SL (daily till 7pm): 2 £8.90. Party menu (groups of 10+): 2 £10.90 Wine list HW £13 btl, £3.50 gls Open Mon-Thur 5-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight. Disabled access on ground floor.

Takeaway discount on food (10%) & alcohol (25%).

Parties/large groups welcome - call for details.

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Restaurants THAI, MALAYSIAN...

COSMO RESTAURANT 30 Triangle West, Bristol, BS8 1ET Tel: 0117 934 0999, web: www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk ■ See Chinese.

SIAM HARBOURSIDE 129 Hotwell Rd, BS8 4RU Tel: 0117 330 6476, web: www.siam-harbourside.co.uk ■ Occupying a glorious waterside setting, this is a long-established Thai restaurant. When our Food editor last popped in, he said: ‘It’s good to note a nicely diverse section of starters and mains for vegetarians as well as the copious meat and seafood choices and some intriguing “specialities”. Two spoonfuls into our po tak samui soup, and we catch each other’s eye-watering glance - it’s amazing, a pungent stock infused with green chilli bubbling with fat tiger prawns and strips of supple squid topped with massive Pacific mussels in their shells.

It’s a sharing dish, served in a nifty candle-powered heated tureen, and one of the brightest tastes I’ve sampled for a long time.’ And so it carried on, our man concluding: ‘It leaves us feeling satisfied, which is the best kind of full, and apart from a mild dispute about which was the tastiest sauce, the whole thing has been exceedingly agreeable.’ Price ALC: £4.95£6.95/£6.95-£13.95/£2.75-£4.95. SL: 3 £7.95. Look also for Quick & Business options Wine list Extensive, inc Thai wines & beers. HW £11.95 btl, £3.20 gls Open Lunch: Tue-Sun 12noon-2.30pm. Dinner: Tue-Wed 6-10.30pm, Thur-Sat 6-11.30pm, Sun 6-10.30pm.

Disabled access. Takeaway discount 10% on £20+ orders. Can seat up to 35 at one table.

TEOHS 28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, BS2 9NP Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net ■ Before Wagamamas and their (allegedly) trendsetting ilk rolled into town, there was Teohs. So thanks, so-called tastemakers, but we’ve actually had utilitarian canteen-style serving of delicious panAsian fare in the city for donkey’s years. Over half of the tens of main courses are available in vegetarian or vegan versions, part of a menu still living up to its ‘Highly Recommended’ placing in the value-formoney section of the Observer Food Monthly’s 2006 Food Awards. The Southville branch has now changed hands (see Thali Cafe, Indian & Nepalese), but St Agnes continues to deliver varied, tasty menus, a buzzing atmosphere and hard-to-beat prices. Other strings to the Teohs bow are regular cookery schools and outstanding outside catering, and an excellent Far Eastern supermarket, with inspiring recipes on the website. Price ALC: main £7.50/side £4.50/extra £2/ dessert £2.95 Wine list HW £14 ltr, £7 half-carafe,

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£3.50 gls. Sake, oriental liqueurs (inc Thai whisky) & lots of Thai/Asian btld beers Open Mon-Sat 12noon2.30pm & 6-10.30pm. Disabled toilets & wheelchair access. Set menu for large parties. Takeaway.

THAI CLASSIC 87 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT Tel: 0117 973 8930, web: www.thaiclassic.co.uk ■ Has it yet become established enough in this country for us to talk of ‘old-school Thai restaurants’?

Because if it has, here’s a beauty: decor of vivid pinks, blues, greens and yellows, Thai art and fans hung from the walls, and waiting staff clad altogether beautifully in national dress. The food is the real thing, too, conjured up by a chef who spent many years working in a top hotel in Bangkok. Want a little modernity? How about bagging a Best Thai Restaurant in Bristol gong from something as newfangled as the Ethical Good Food Awards? Malaysian and Singaporean menus, too. Price ALC: £4.10-£4.95/£6£12.10/£3-£5. Plenty of set menus to choose from, too Wine list Good selection of old & new world. HW £19.95 btl, £3.50 gls. Thai beers Open Daily 12noon2.30pm & 6-11pm. Takeaway discount 10%. Private hire, up to 40.

THAI EDGE Unit 4, Broad Quay, BS1 4DA Tel: 0117 927 6088, web: www.thaiedge.co.uk ■ Part of a foursome - there are outlets in Leeds, Cardiff and an AA rosette hanging in Birmingham - and offering up typically friendly Thai dining. As our reviewer related, ‘The attentive welcome of the Thai staff as you settle at your table and the discreet traditional music all maintained the promise of a

Generous portions, strong flavours Thai Edge

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Restaurants THAI, MALAYSIAN... wonderfully stress-free experience. Each generously portioned dish had strong flavours, waftings of garlic, lemongrass and ginger underpinned with coconut smoothness. The food lived up to the decor - smart and satisfying - showing that the experience gained from Thai Edge’s other restaurants has been distilled into a winning formula.’ Price ALC: £5-£8.99/£7.90£15.80/£4.50. Several set menus - check website Wine list HW £10.95 btl, £3.95 gls. Thai beers Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm (last orders 2pm) & Mon-Sun 5.30-11pm (11.30pm Fri-Sun). Disabled access - call in adv. Private parties - call in adv.

venture (another link in a small chain) opened its doors just as we were going to press, but has already garnered much acclaim for fresh, tasteful, tasty, wellpriced, tantalising Thai delights in contempo-cool surroundings. Price Tapas from £4.95. Thai curries/ stirfries/noodle dishes, etc from £7.95 Wine list HW from £14.95 btl. Cocktails, beers, etc Open Food served Mon 5.30-10pm, Tue-Wed & Sun 12.30-3pm & 5.30-10pm, Thur 12.30-3pm & 5.30-10.15pm, Fri-Sat 12.30-3pm & 5.30-10.30pm. Disabled access possible, but call ahead for advice. Takeaway & home delivery.

Parties welcome - call in adv.

THAI KITCHEN The Old Fish Market, 59-63 Baldwin St, BS1 1QZ Tel: 0117 921 1515, web: www.oldfishmarket.co.uk ■ Generous servings of modern Thai gastro-dishes served up in an old-school pub replete with a ream of real ales. A fine-sounding combination, no? Small courtyard for warmer months, and great views along the dockside, too. Price ALC: £2-£7.20/£8.50£13.80/£3.50. SD (Mon-Sat 5-9pm): bento box (starter/main/side) £10.50 Wine list HW £12.30 btl, £2.95 gls Open Mon-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome.

MAI THAI 6 Pierrepont St, BA2 4AA Tel: 01225 445557, web: www.maithai.co.uk ■ This longstanding, sparkly little haven of accessible exotica is, according to EOW’s own little pork dumpling, ‘neither extravagant nor flashy, and very good value for money’. Menus run the whole gamut of Thai classics, while fish and seafood dishes are particularly agreeable, and the traditional green/red curries are always a reliable option. Price ALC: starter £4.95-£8.25/main £7-£8.50/sundries (rice, etc) from £3. SL: 2 £7.50 (inc coffee/jasmine tea) Wine list International, good choice of about 30 varieties. HW from £11 btl Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 6-10.30pm (11.30pm Fri-Sat). Disabled access, but not to toilets.

Credit cards £10 min. Takeaway discount 10%. Parties up to 35.

WAGAMAMA 63 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QL Tel: 0117 922 1188, web: www.wagamama.com ■ Having gestated for such a long old time in its original home with seemingly no desire but to sit there as a must-visit when passing through Soho, it came as something of a surprise when Wagamama suddenly exploded across the world as a big old chain. Not hard to see why they’ve been so successful in their 11 years in Bristol, of course. That huge, diverse selection of pan-Asian dishes is as tasty as it is healthy, and the clean, simple decor and functionality entirely fit our non-flash times. Price ALC: £1.50£6.40/£7.10-£12.35/£1.70-£5.05 Wine list HW £14.25 btl, £3.30 gls. Fresh juices, sake, Asian beers, new Asian-themed cocktails Open Mon-Fri 12noon11pm, Sat 11.30am-11pm, Sun 11.30am-10pm.

Disabled access: ramp at main entrance, disabled toilet, 3 removable benches. Takeaway.

Bath NEW KOH THAI TAPAS 36 Broad St, BA1 5LP Tel: 01225 311232, web: www.koh-thai.co.uk ■ Thai tapas? You’ve got it! Alongside a sturdy range of more substantial dishes, too. This fab’n’funky

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PANASIA ORIENTAL 2 George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 481001, web: www.panasiathai.co.uk ■ While Panasia may not, as the name suggests, represent the food culture of an area that covers almost a tenth of the Earth’s surface, it does an admirable job of covering several far-flung bases - with added bling. Seated in ‘a dining room decorated with enough spangles and sequins to dress the Strictly Come Dancing set’, our reviewer perused a menu that travelled from sushi to traditional Szechuan by way of soups, noodles and rice dishes before her choices were served to her by ‘a chorus of polite, friendly waitresses dressed in beautiful gowns fashioned from jewel-coloured silks’. She declared the ensuing feast ‘supremely satisfying, hugely flavoursome and very good value for money’, having scoffed mixed sushi, tom yum goong, miso soup and fresh kimchi, Korean pork and roast duck. We suspect she made free with the magnificent cocktail menu, too. Price ALC: £6-£9/£7.95-£14.95/from £6 Wine list HW £14 btl.

Sake, sublime cocktails Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm. No disabled access. Parties/private hire welcome - call for details.

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Restaurants THAI, MALAYSIAN...

SALATHAI 8 Pierrepont Place, BA1 1JX Tel: 01225 484663, web: www.salathai-bath.co.uk ■ Street level at this pristine Thai diner is contemporary and spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows, with more traditional nooks and crannies downstairs. ‘Our Salathai feast had the whole Far Eastern Odyssey thing going on,’ said EOW’s own little noodle doodle. ‘Hot, sour, sweet, bitter and fresh, fresh, fresh all the way, with all those distinctive aromatics (garlic, lemongrass, ginger, lime, chillies, coriander, tamarind, palm sugar, soy and fish sauce, etc, etc) all coming through loud and clear.’ The Thai curries hit the soft/sharp flavour balance so perfectly that it would be criminal not to indulge. Price ALC: starter £4.50-£7.50/main £5.95-£13.95/sundries (rice, etc) from £3. SL: 1 £5.95, 2 £8.95 (inc coffee/ tea). SM from £16.95pp (min 2 people) Wine list HW from £13 btl Open Daily (inc bank hols) 12noon-2pm & 6-11pm (10.30pm Sun). Disabled access. Takeaway discount. Parties catered for - call in adv.

THAI BALCONY 1 Seven Dials, Sawclose, BA1 1EN Tel: 01225 444450, web: www.thai-balcony.com ■ Amid palatial decor that could have been borrowed from the neighbouring Theatre Royal, gracious staff wearing traditional garb and beautifully decorated tables set the scene for elegant, classic dishes, including sumptuous banquets and a green curry that one EOW reviewer declared to be ‘a perfectly executed amalgamation of classic Thai flavours in perfect harmony’. Tamarind duck, prawn penang curry and steamed whole sea bass are all highly recommended, as is the dim sum selection. Fancy doing it yourself?

The restaurant’s own Mini Mart (just below the Balcony itself) stocks everything you need. Price ALC: starter £5-£7.50/main £7-£15 Wine list HW from £14.95 btl Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm. Disabled access. Takeaway discount 10%. Party bookings welcome.

THAI BY THE WEIR 16 Argyle St, BA2 4BQ Tel: 01225 444834, web: www.thaibytheweir.co.uk ■ Explore a menu stuffed with contemporary and traditional Thai delights (and a handful of panAsian fusion dishes), including tempura, gyoza and hand rolls, wonton and tom yum soup, noodles both wok-fried and in soup (ramen), and saucy specials including Malaysian beef/fish curries and plenty of phriks, pheds and krapaos, all in a lovely location right on Bath’s prettiest bridge, with glorious weir views from the rear. Price ALC: £3-£5.50/£6.50£8.95/£4 Wine list HW from £12 btl Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10.30pm. Disabled access.

Takeaway. Parties/group bookings - call in adv.

WAGAMAMA 1 York Buildings, George St, BA1 2EB Tel: 01225 337314, web: www.wagamama.com ■ Canteen-style pan-Asian dining chain, famous for its rapid-noodle formula. See Bristol listing for details. Price/Wine list See Bristol listing Open Daily 12noon-11pm (10pm Sun). Disabled access. Plenty of space for large groups - adv booking only.

YUM YUM THAI 17 Kingsmead Square, BA1 2AE Tel: 01225 445253, web: www.yumyumthai.com ■ Despite its relatively fuss-free countenance (there

Healthy, flavoursome, budget-friendly Yum Yum Thai

THAI BASIL 90a Walcot St, BA1 5BG Tel: 01225 462463, web: www.thaibasilbath.com ■ Lively, authentic Thai cuisine in surroundings to match. Food is as fresh and pretty as the decor and runs the whole Thai gamut from dumplings, fishcakes and tom yum soup to excellent Thai curries and sparklingly fresh stirfries, with fresh fish and vegetarian options proving particularly popular. Price ALC: starter £4.75-£5.50/main £7.50-£14.50. See website for set menu/free home delivery deals Wine list HW approx £12 btl Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10.30pm. Disabled access. Takeaway discount.

Free home delivery from 5.30pm. Parties up to 40 welcome - adv booking only.

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Restaurants VEGETARIAN be no gold-braided dragon-related paraphernalia in this cheerful contemporary diner), still offering solace and succour to those in dire need of a lifeaffirming blast of healthy, uncomplicated but highly flavoursome food at budget-friendly prices. Classic Thai mains are mostly £9.95 (including rice or noodles), with dishes in the ‘specialities’ selection costing a couple of quid more. You can supplement your choice with a side-order from a 15-strong cast list (around £5). The restaurant’s mission statement is equally straightforward: organic and free-range produce pushed to the fore, MSG banned from the premises, and the meat in most dishes effortlessly replaced with tofu to create a veggie version. ‘If a green curry is the benchmark by which all Thai restaurants should be judged, the YYT’s rendition of this familiar favourite can only be called exemplary,’ declared one of EOW’s spiciest little chilli flakes. Price ALC: main £9.50-£9.95 (special £11.95)/side £5.20£6.90/dessert £4.50-£5.50 Wine list HW from £12.90 btl Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & daily 6-11pm.

Disabled access. Credit cards min £10. Takeaway discount. Discount of 10% for nurses, students & Bath Theatre Royal/Little Theatre/Komedia ticket-holders (excl Fri/Sat eves).

Thoughtful, imaginative vegetarian food Demuths

Vegetarian Bristol MAITREYA SOCIAL 89 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6HY Tel: 0117 951 0100, web: www.cafemaitreya.co.uk ■ Open mics, art exhibitions, friendly community vibe. You’d want to be coming here even it wasn’t renowned as the Vegetarian Society’s Best UK Vegetarian Restaurant, and heartily recommended in Which? Good Food Guide and Observer Food Monthly Awards. ‘Even meat-eaters who enjoy good food would be crazy to pass up the delights of Maitreya,’ said our Food editor. Seasonal menu changes regularly to use top-quality, locally sourced ingredients, often organic. Gluten/wheat/dairy-free and vegan options clearly marked. Breakfast served 10am-12noon - see boards. Booking essential in evenings. Price Lunch (12noon-4pm) £4.95-£7.95. ALC: £4.95-£5.95/£9.95£10.95/£5.95 Wine list Excellent, extensive, thoughtful, mainly organic wines (inc some fabulous sparklies) & beers. HW £13.95 btl, £3.10 gls Open Tue-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm. Disabled access. Private hire room for parties.

Bath DEMUTHS 2 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX Tel: 01225 446059, web: www.demuths.co.uk ■ This nationally acclaimed gourmet veggie/vegan bistro has been serving up the finest in elegant food to the good citizens of Bath and beyond for over two decades, and continues to go from strength to strength. EOW reviewers have waxed lyrical about head chef Richard Buckley’s thoughtful, imaginative, inspirational ways with face-free ingredients for many a long year, holding his sparklingly fresh, innovative selection in very high regard. Goodness?

You’ve got it: organics, wheat-free and vegan options abound, while cookery school classes (www. vegetariancookeryschool.com) are very popular. Open all day long for excellent breakfasts, super lunches and afternoon tea before supper proper kicks in. Price ALC: from approx £7.25/from approx £14.50/from approx £5.95. SD: 2 £15.95, 3 £18.95. See website for regularly updated offers and tasting menu events Wine list Excellent organic wine, champagne & beers, inc hemp lager. HW from £17.35 btl Open Daily 10am-10pm. No disabled access. No under-6s after 7.30pm. Parties up to 12.

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Cafes BRISTOL

Cafes Bristol A CAPPELLA 184c Wells Rd, Totterdown, BS4 2AL Tel: 0117 971 3377, web: www.acappellas.co.uk ■ Voted Bristol’s Best Budget Italian 2011 by The Guardian - a ringing endorsement for co-owners Jennifer Moore and Paul Stewart, managers Bonnie and Joe and their unfailingly engaging staff. The couple were part of the premises’ previous incarnation, Bocacina. So what about the name, then? “It means ‘unaccompanied’,” they told our man. “We believe in our ability to perform well alone. We’re a small independent business but we sing out loud!” Continental cafe by day, cosy BYO pizzeria by night, with a community, family feel and local artworks depicting nearby scenes. Homemade desserts, tapas, all-day breakfasts, lunches and fine coffee. Traditionally prepared stonebaked pizzas arrive when the sun goes down at an establishment offering something for every demographic: “Early evenings, it’s families and kids eating before home to bed. Later, it’s young couples and small groups aged 20-40 here before the cinema and gangs of mums with the night off!” says Jennifer. Very child-friendly (toys for little ones). free Wi-Fi, good disabled access and alfresco dining. Fills up quickly, so booking essential. “Letting people BYO means that couples can dine out and not get ripped off for wine.” Open Tue-Thur 9am-10pm, Fri-Sat 9am-10.30pm ALMOUROL 54 Filton Rd, Horfield, BS7 0PB Tel: 0117 951 2093/07768 439775 ■ Cafe within the South West’s only Portuguese and Brazilian mini-market. Enjoy snacks and sweet things with your drink, then stock up on groceries everything you need at barato prices. Open Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-4pm ARNOLFINI CAFE-BAR 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA Tel: 0117 917 2305, web: www.arnolfini.org.uk ■ An ice-cream machine churning up some seriously funky flavours is now in full swing - try the rhubarb & custard with a shot of local sloe gin. Extract coffee, and famously good cakes (including gluten free) made on site: recent faves include lemon, almond & polenta, pear & frangipane and banana & white chocolate.

Italian-inspired food uses the best local produce in daily changing salads, tarts, etc. Specials can include porcini & chestnut soup, spaghetti with ricotta, chilli and rocket, and great little handmade pizzas.

Open Daily from 10am

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ARTS HOUSE CAFE 108a Stokes Croft, BS1 3RU Tel: 0117 923 2858, web: www.theartshouse.org, Facebook TheArtsHouseBristol, Twitter @the_ArtsHouse ■ Fully licensed cafe offering bacon butties and coffees to those heading to work, through to scrumptious Gold Award-winning pies with mash and salad till 11pm.

Unpretentiously blends cafe, bar, gallery and event space with street-level bench-to-ceiling windows. Basement (available for private hire) has been put to wonderfully diverse use: film showings, open mics, life drawing, poetry slams, talks, live music. Full range of international and local beers, ciders, ales and wine, plus big selection of black and herbal teas and cakes. All food locally sourced, organic and Fairtrade where possible. Free Wi-Fi. Open Daily 8am-11pm ASHTON COURT COURTYARD CAFE Ashton Ct Estate, Long Ashton, BS41 9JN ■ When you’ve worked up an appetite across Ashton Court’s 850 acres of woodland and grassland, mosey on over to its recently reopened cafe for some affordable, filling food: the jacket potatoes (with beans, cheese, chilli, tuna, coleslaw) won’t break the bank. Everything from bacon baps, all-day breakfasts and chilli with crusty bread to quiche, soup of the day, panini and pasties. Kids get their own choices, and cakes start at bargain prices. Open Daily 9am-5pm (hours change Nov-Mar) ATOMIC BURGER 189 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG Tel: 0117 942 8600, web: www.atomicburger.co.uk ■ Burger names here pay homage to American cultural icons from film, cartoon, comedy, music and sport. Like any Hollywood production, there’s a host of extras - breakfast alone brings eggs benedict, pancakes and a bowl of Lucky Charms. Drinks include butterscotch milkshake, Sam Adams beer (from Boston), wine, margaritas and their own take on a bloody mary. An absolute no-brainer for birthday parties is the Fallout challenge - for ages 18+ (wearing protective gloves) after signing a legally binding waiver. Doubtless a large percentage of many a student loan will deservedly find its way here. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-10.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10.30pm (breakfast 10am-12noon) ATRIUM CAFE Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bath Rd, BS4 3EW Tel: 0117 377 2576, web: www.whisk-uk.com ■ Serving up coffee, cakes, brunch, classic sandwiches, panini and seasonal lunch specials amid some of Bristol’s most tranquil surroundings. From a building featuring much steel and glass, look out onto trees and wildlife, whether you’re indoors or on the sunny terrace. It’s a civilised (table service) oasis where you can savour a cream tea or down Bristol Beer Factory ale or Thatchers cider. A striking counter, offset by a gleaming espresso machine, displays homemade cakes, brownies and scones. Open Daily 10am-4pm

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Cafes BRISTOL BAR CHOCOLAT 19 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG Tel: 0117 974 7000, web: www.barchocolatclifton.co.uk ■ Stylish homage to all things choccy. Menu includes quiche, panini, baguettes, sandwiches, soups, salads, cakes and, well, chocolates. Chilled ambience, friendly and efficient, and an alcohol licence. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milkshakes, Marshfield Organic ice-cream, renowned lemon cheesecake, and a Mississippi mud pie fast making a name for itself. Art exhibitions, Wi-Fi, and the possibility of evening openings in summer - phone to check. Open MonSat 9am-6pm, Sun 9.30am-6.30pm BARISTAS COFFEE COLLECTIVE 29 Victoria St, BS1 6AA Tel: 0117 922 7111, web: www.baristas.co.uk ■ Top-notch coffee collective serving sandwiches and cake to accompany the caffeine hit. Open Mon-Thur 6.30am-6.30pm, Fri 6.30am-3.30pm, Sat 9am-3pm NEW BEARPIT SOCIAL St James Barton Underpass, Container 1, BS1 web: Facebook page ■ Opened in January 2013 and housed in a shipping container, this wilfully funky café serves Brian Wogan coffees, pastries, soup and toast. The Facebook page is testimony to a loyal clientele. Open Mon-Fri 6.45am-5.30pm, Sat 10.30am-5pm NEW BEATROOT CAFE 20-21 Lower Park Row, BS1 5BN Tel: 0117 376 3714, web: www.beatroot.org ■ Conscientious, not-for-profit community space serving homemade soups, platters, salads and snacks plus Brian Wogan coffee. Combines cafe by day with evening activities including art, discussions and (expert) foolish improv going by the rather brilliant name of Squeaker’s Corner. Room hire available. Open Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-4pm BEESES BAR & TEA GARDENS Wyndham Crescent, BS4 4SX Tel: 0117 977 7412, web: www.beeses.co.uk, Twitter @beeses ■ This - ‘Bristol’s best-kept secret, bar none’, according to our man - might date back 167 years but the ace husband-and-wife team here are coolly on-trend in the kitchen. Bristol has yet to embrace fully the gourmet hotdog concept, but Beeses’ Butcombe version will be at the comfort-food cutting edge this summer. Similar sublimity comes via the Pa burger in a range also featuring Mediterranean, Mexican and Spanish variations. Other grill offerings include chicken breast (plus a Portuguese version) and a steak baguette, with vegetarian options equally flavoursome - top work, Lindy and Phil. Jacket

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potatoes, salads, sharing options and a kick-ass kids’ menu ensure all bases are covered admirably at a Bristol institution in an utterly beguiling riverside garden setting.

Perfect for families - the nature reserve next door boasts ducks, swans and herons - and the ankle biters will be amazed by the arrival of Sybil the cow since last year’s guide. See also Bars. Open/Food See Beeses listing in Bars BETTER FOOD COMPANY CAFE Proving House, Sevier St, St Werburghs, BS2 9QS Tel: 0117 935 1725, web: www.betterfood.co.uk ■ Their seasonal, mostly organic and locally grown offerings have been recognised in a Food for Life Gold catering award. Salads, soups and mezze, and special diets (wheat-free, vegan, etc) catered for. Breakfast served daily until 3pm, lunches 12noon-3pm. Big remit to reduce, reuse, recycle and consider carbon emissions.

Food available to take away. Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm Food Mon-Sat 9am-5pm (hot food till 3pm), Sun 10am-3pm BIG BANANA JUICE BAR Units 21-22, Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ Tel: 0117 927 3274 ■ A dozen juices plus smoothies (with ice-cream versions) and organic ice-cream shakes, with Brazilian superfood acai providing an alternative to caffeine-based quaffing.

Try the Iron Booster (beetroot, watercress, apple, carrot) or Very Veg (carrot, cucumber, celery, parsley). Shot boards bring savings. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm NEW BIRDCAGE 28 Clare St, BS1 1YE Tel: 0117 929 1130, web: www.birdcagebristol.com ■ Zeitgeist-defining (and winning) combination of yesterday’s clothing, today’s coffee and tomorrow’s music served up amid arty charm and chic Britishness in a spacious Corn Street setting. Extensive coffee and even more extensive tea range, plus hot chocolate with indulgent extras like syrups and liqueurs. Smoothies, frappes, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages with which to toast the success of your latest fashion collection/record deal, etc. Food is seasonal, locally sourced and constantly changing, but expect the likes of toasties, sandwiches, cakes, pastries and cupcakes. Eclectic events include live music, open mics, cinema and book slams. Open Mon-Tue & Thur 8am-10pm, Wed & Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 11am-7pm BLUE JUICE 39 Cotham Hill, BS6 6JY Tel: 0117 973 4800 ■ Vast range of juices and smoothies includes their popular acai (full of vitamins and minerals), carrot, apple & ginger cocktail, and enduring favourite the

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Cafes BRISTOL five-a-day special juice (fruit and vegetable varieties).

Salad and soup deal £5.50. Mostly vegetarian mains (try lentil & vegetable shepherd’s pie or cheese, leek & potato pie), with vegan and gluten-free choices, and chicken & bacon for carnivores. Burritos, too, plus raw chocolate brownies. Beautiful deck with canopy. All food available to take away. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-4pm, Sat 10am-4pm BORDEAUX QUAY BRASSERIE V-Shed, Canons Way, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 943 1200, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk ■ Smart, spacious brasserie with bar within the Bordeaux Quay temple to all things scrumptious and sustainable. Food is modern European; menus change daily and with the seasons, with staple ingredients sourced from organic suppliers, growers and producers around the West Country. Try parma ham with baby ruby chard, peashoots and parmesan, followed by 30-day-aged 8oz sirloin steak with handcut chips, portobello mushroom and peppercorn sauce, finishing with chocolate & hazelnut caramel tart with creme fraiche. Check website for regular events. Open MonFri 8am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-9pm Food Mon-Sat 8am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-9pm

More than just a Cuppa Arts House

Stokes Croft ■ Monday and Tuesday film nights (plus table service) in the cosy lounge downstairs.

Galley

Hotwell Rd ■ Breathtaking cake-making! In a VW campervan: Cuban ashtray, treasure chest, lifebelt style…

Windmill Hill City Farm

Philip St, Bedminster ■ Check out their courses - they’ll teach you how to make your own pizza oven.

BOSTON TEA PARTY 75 Park St, BS1 5PF Tel: 0117 929 8601, web: www.bostonteaparty.co.uk ■ Praised by both The Guardian and The Times, and boasting a huge selection of juices, loose-leaf teas, Fairtrade coffee. Very impressive sandwiches, plus breakfasts, lunches, burgers and more enjoyed over seating on two floors and a terraced garden. Open Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 9am-7pm BRIGSTOW CAFE 9 Clare St, BS1 1XH Tel: 0117 929 3876 ■ Floor-to-ceiling windows look out from the Centre to Corn Street. Find breakfasts (including a breakfast wrap, bacon/sausage bap, eggs benedict), toasted wraps, jackets, salads, smoothies. Milkshakes come in cookie dough, chocolate, honeycomb and strawberry cream flavours, or order wines, beers and ciders. The coffee (from Clifton Coffee, which also supplies the hot chocolate) comes highly recommended, with Sweetbird syrup adding sublime flavouring. Eat in or take away. Student card-holders get a 10% discount.

Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm BRISTOL GUILD CAFE 68-70 Park St, BS1 5JY Tel: 0117 929 1874, web: www.bristolguild.co.uk ■ The renovation work at this long-established,

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much-loved cafe within one of Bristol’s flagship stores is now complete. The result is a more spacious, airy feel, with some seating open to the sky. Drop in for trademark soups, salads, quiches (stilton & mushroom, broccoli & ginger), pastries, cakes, cookies, scones, flapjacks, tea, coffee and cold drinks. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm REOPENED BRISTOLIAN CAFE 2 Picton St, Montpelier, BS6 5QA Tel: 0117 919 2808, web: www.thebristolian.co.uk ■ Recently reopened, with a cobalt exterior bringing a new, smart look to accompany the breakfasts for which it’s been long (20 years) known, as well as zingy salads, baguettes and stylish cakes. Drop in later to savour tapas and daily specials. Wine, Peroni, etc, too.

Open Tue-Sat 8am-10.30pm, Sun-Mon 8am-5pm

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Cafes BRISTOL BRUNEL BUTTERY Wapping Wharf, BS1 6DS Tel: 0117 929 1696 ■ Bacon butties, sausage sarnies, cakes, cold drinks, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and the like. Eat on tables outdoors or take away. Open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, SatSun 8am-5pm NEW NAME CAFE 59 59 Apsley Rd, Clifton, BS8 2SW Tel: 0117 973 4892 ■ The latest incarnation of a family-run business (formerly Bacchus and Rucola) that has stood here for 23 years. The most significant development has been the granting of permission to serve beyond 9pm, ensuring an evening ambience at a spot that’s long been renowned for its fine all-day breakfasts (blackstone eggs and compote-augmented French toast a particular treat), lunches and early suppers.

Mains such as lamb’s liver and piri-piri chicken accompany Italian wines. Open Mon-Sat 9am-10pm (last orders 8.30pm), Sun 9am-7pm CAFE BRITALIA 111 Wick Rd, Brislington, BS4 4HE Tel: 07554 941604, web: www.cafebritalia.co.uk, Facebook ■ Clean, fresh, modern surroundings in which a varied clientele enjoy coffee, breakfasts, panini, sandwiches, jacket potatoes, pasta, salads, cake.

Open Mon-Sat 8am-4pm (food served until 3pm) CAFE COSMOPOLITAN 147 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2QT Tel: 0117 317 9078 ■ Breakfasts, panini, sandwiches, baguettes, etc, plus excellent coffee. Alfresco seating from which to watch Whiteladies Road bustle by.

CAFE CREATE Create Centre, Smeaton Rd, Cumberland Basin, BS1 6XN Tel: 0117 903 1201 ■ Conscientious cuisine bagging a Green Tourism Gold award in recent years in recognition of their use of free-range eggs and chicken. Extract Coffee is sourced directly; cheese comes from Cheddar’s Alvis Brothers. Top soups (£3.50, as are jacket potatoes) and wholesome food cooked from scratch in dishes such as handcarved Wiltshire free-range ham, or butternut squash, puy lentil & feta cheese pasties, both served with half a baked potato, salad and homemade pickled chutney for £5.50. Very child friendly, and fab riverside views. Open Mon-Fri 9am-3pm

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NEW CAFE CULTURE 61 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AD Tel: 0117 904 0040 ■ Formerly Spice Route. Friendly cafe serving a neat range of sandwiches, smoothies, panini, etc, to eat indoors or in the rear garden space, or to take away.

Open Mon-Sat 9am-4.30pm CAFE DU JOUR 72 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2QA Tel: 0117 973 1563, web: www.cafe-dujour.co.uk ■ Swish cafe with a smart, modern look, large front windows, decked rear area, French radio coming through the speakers and a Bordelais presence in the kitchen. Baguettes, croques, salads, quiches and assiettes of charcuterie, cheese or both, and a particularly sublime breakfast: smoked Scottish salmon, spinach & gruyere cheese toasted sandwich with steamed scrambled eggs. Specials, homemade cakes, coffees, teas, juices and smoothies. Open MonFri 7am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8am-5.30pm CAFE KINO 108 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RU Tel: 0117 924 9200, web: www.cafe-kino.com ■ Linger over a latte or enjoy the simple but imaginative vegan menu at this artistic-, creativityand community-led not-for-profit co-op going from strength to strength. Punters come from far and wide for soups, salads, burgers, falafel and cakes enjoyed with teas, coffees (in which you can have organic milk), Cube cola and bottled Suma drinks. Smaller dishes £2-£4; larger mains £6.50-£7. Space is offered to promote DIY grass roots activism events, and a varied calendar brings music, screenings, Scrabble, book club and even the odd clothes sale. Open Daily 10am-10.30pm Food Daily 10am-9.30pm (kitchen closed to new orders 3-5pm) CAFE RETREAT 45 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2LS Tel: 0117 973 2842, web: www.caferetreat.co.uk ■ Sky-blue frontage, stylish sundeck and a cheery feel. Food, prepared daily on site, takes in breakfasts, sandwiches, jackets, mains and specials. Cakes, cookies and biscuits, too, and some lovely decking out front on which to enjoy it all. Open Daily 8am-4pm (extended hours possible - check with cafe) CAFE RETREAT (THE DOWNS) Stoke Rd, nr water tower, Durdham Down, BS9 1FG Tel: 0117 923 8186, web: www.caferetreat.co.uk ■ Once a Victorian gents’ toilet. Now you can drop in for breakfasts, omelettes, salads, jackets, soups, wraps, fish & chips, chilli, baguettes, burgers, ice-

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Cafes BRISTOL creams and a children’s menu. Extensive hot beverage selection includes Darjeeling, Ceylon, Assam, Earl Grey. It’s available for private hire (min 20 people), the parking is easy, and the kids can run around. Open Daily: winter 8.30am-5pm, summer 8am-6pm CAFE ROUGE 85 Park St, BS1 5PJ Tel: 0117 929 2571 Cabot Circus, BS1 3BD Tel: 0117 954 4808 Unit R4, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway BS10 7TG Tel: 0117 950 8730, web: www.caferouge.co.uk ■ Friendly French cafe-bar/brasserie/restaurant serving Gallic food in convivial surroundings. See Restaurants, French.

CAFFE CLIFTON The Clifton, St Paul’s Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LX Tel: 0117 973 6882, web: www.cliftonhotels.com ■ This swish spot located above the legend that is Racks now stages a monthly English/Spanish language swap.

For those who like to read as well as talk, CC’s book club promises sparkling company. Bespoke suppliers include Bar Cake, Clifton Coffee Co, Bellevue Bakery cakes, Attic Tea and Charles Saunders. Try the jasmine tea-ball green tea - an elegant, jasmine-flavoured, honey-coloured infusion. Home to Stitch’n’Bitch gatherings. Open MonFri 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun 8am-6pm CAFFE EXCHANGE Corn St, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 922 4013 ■ Tea, coffee and snacks. Open Mon-Sat 7.30am-4.30pm

CLEAN BEAN LAUNDERETTE & INTERNET CAFE 274 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8PB Tel: 0117 924 1002, web: www.thecleanbean.co.uk ■ Continuing Gloucester Road’s proud tradition of independence and innovation, this is Bristol’s first eco-launderette and internet cafe, where even the lowwattage computers are kind to the environment. Instead of the washing being a chore and bore, you can now sip a latte, check Facebook (free Wi-Fi), watch TV or chill in the pretty garden. Serves quality coffee from a local independent roastery, and tasty but inexpensive treats and wholesome toasties.

COFFEE#1 157 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BA Tel: 0117 942 9909 33 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BU Tel: 0117 923 8021 4 Canford Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3DH Tel: 0117 959 1749, web: www.coffee1.co.uk ■ Smoothies, excellent panini, wraps, sandwiches, baguettes, focaccia and cakes.

CORDIAL & GRACE 9 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4DP Tel: 0117 970 6259, web: www.cordial-and-grace.co.uk ■ Drink tea, eat cake and sew - or any combination of all three - at this modern tearooms and sewing cafe.

Packed workshop calendar covers everything from sewing

Lunch out beside Brunel’s ss Great Britain Dockyard Café - Bar

CAFFE GUSTO 54 Prince St, BS1 4QH Tel: 0117 376 3682, web: www.caffegusto.com ■ All-day breakfasts include scrambled eggs on bagels.

Impressive sandwich and cake choices, smoothies and a fine coffee range, using a blend from Clifton Coffee Co. See Sandwich Shops for details of other branches. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8.30am-5pm NEW CHERRY TREE CAFE 30-32 Upper Maudlin St, BS2 8DJ Tel: 0117 930 0776, web: www.cherrypickedcatering. co.uk ■ Award-winning chefs conjure up soups, panini, baguettes, jackets, homemade cakes and tarts to eat in or take away. All-day breakfasts, deli and salad counters. Hot and cold drinks, plus alcohol licence.

Continuous news coverage, Wi-Fi, outside seating, kids welcome. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-7pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4.30pm

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Cafes BRISTOL skills to knitting. Brunch includes yoghurt and granola, blueberry pancakes, cauliflower, parmesan & fennel seed fritters, and black pudding & cherry tomato potato cakes, with sandwiches, rarebit crumpets and soup for lovely light bites. Four kinds of afternoon tea, and prosecco, too. Daily cake selection, toasted teacakes and toast.

Open Tue-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm NEW CUPP Philadelphia St, BS1 3BZ (opp Apple Store) Web: www.cuppteabar.co.uk ■ Opened in March 2013 bringing Taiwanese ‘bubble tea’ to Cabot Circus – by way of a converted shipping container. The delightful, yet attractive, simplicity continues via tea crates bringing alfresco seating. Open Mon-Fri 10am-6.30pm, Sat 10am-7pm NEW DIDN’T YOU DO WELL 20 Park Row, BS1 5LJ Web: Facebook page, Twitter ■ Opened in March 2013, this independent coffee shop run by Ally and Will offers delicious coffee made in a Seattle Slayer coffee machine. They’re very approachable if you like talking through your choice, with teas and Lovely soft drinks for those yet to be converted. Hart’s Bakery pastries also served. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-4pm DOCKYARD CAFE-BAR Great Western Dockyard (alongside Brunel’s ss Great Britain), Harbourside, BS1 6TY Tel: 0117 926 0680, web: www.ssgreatbritain.org ■ Cafe-bar beside Brunel’s iconic ss Great Britain, serving cakes (baked aboard ship), jacket potatoes, soups, panini, salads, daily specials and afternoon tea. Open Daily: winter 9.30am-4.30pm, summer 9.30am-5.30pm FALAFEL KING 6 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LF Tel: 0117 329 4476 ■ Dishes (all vegetarian) include poached eggs in tomato sauce, hummus plates and mezze plates. Live music, including Middle Eastern acoustic, every week or so. Also do event and festival catering. Open Mon-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-8pm FOLK HOUSE CAFE & BAR 40a Park St, BS1 5JG Tel: 0117 908 5035, web: www.folkhousecafe.co.uk, Facebook ■ Recipient of an Observer Food Monthly runnerup award in 2010, this is an institution within an institution. Customers old and new drop in for the fabulous calendar of entertainment and courses,

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and high-quality food at down-to-earth prices, cooked freshly each day from ingredients that are mostly organic, local and seasonal. Large, beautiful, courtyard garden is great for cold beers in summer.

Breakfast, cakes, lunches and suppers, with utterly beguiling themed food/music nights. Available for private hire; free Wi-Fi. Open Mon 9am-11pm, Tue-Thur 9am-8.30pm, Fri-Sat 9am-4pm (& eves for scheduled events). Hours change according to term, holidays and events - call ahead to check FRISKA 36 Victoria St, BS1 6BY Tel: 0117 929 8971 Bath Road Studios, Bath Rd, BS4 3HG Tel: 0117 941 8508SPark One, Bristol & Bath Science Park, Dirac Crescent, Emersons Green, BS16 7AJ Tel: 0117 370 7705 NEW Rise Records, Queens Rd, BS8 1QU Tel: 0117 930 0989, web: www.friskafood.com ■ A fourth outlet has been doing the business within Rise Records’ extensive Queens Road premises for a few months now, bringing weekend brunch and its own dinner menu (complete with licence), plus gig and quiz nights. Across all outlets you’ll find freshly prepared, healthy and interesting fast food - breakfasts, salads, wraps, soups and hot main courses are served in lunch boxes to go or to eat in. Business catering also offered.

Open Victoria St: Mon-Fri 7am-4.30pm. Emersons Green: Mon-Fri 7.30am-4pm. Bath Rd Studios: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm. Rise Records: Mon-Wed 7.30am-9pm, ThurFri 7.30am-10pm, Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 9am-7pm GALLEY 133 Hotwell Rd, BS8 4RU Tel: 0117 329 1606, web: www.thegalleybristol.co.uk ■ Charity (Chaz to her friends) conjures up tasty food with immense care and attention in the Galley’s kitchen.

Her burger-making prowess wowed them at Clifton’s Lansdown back in the day, and quality is writ large in everything from bespoke cakes, high teas and butternut squash salad to locally sourced roast sirloin on Sundays and lamb chops starring in fine-dining evenings. Open Tue-Sun 9am-5pm (private hire available eves) NEW GUERRILLA BURGER 48-52 Baldwin St, Bristol, BS1 1QB Tel: 07528 521151, web: www.facebook.com/ guerrillaburger ■ Recently opened funky burger bar serving ‘sliders’ gourmet mini burgers. Order as many as you like from a range featuring classic royale, royale with cheese, blue cheese, Spanish, panko chicken and falafel varieties or check the specials board for more options. Starters

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Cafes BRISTOL include cheesy potato croquettes, tender calamari fritti and coconut sesame prawns. Sweetness comes by way of gelato, sorbets and frozen yoghurt gelato. Drinks list features 11 cocktails, six mocktails, plus cider, beer, wine and soft options. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-9/10pm, Sat 5-10pm HAVANA COFFEE 37a Cotham Hill, BS6 6JY Tel: 0117 973 3020 NEW 6 Clifton Down Rd, BS8 4AD Tel: 0117 329 0212, web: www.havanacoffee.co.uk ■ Both branches offer a relaxed atmosphere, appetising light bites, excellent coffees and traditional/herbal teas (30 in total) and juices. Find global favourites (chicken enchiladas, salmon and sardine dishes, chilli, panini, jackets, burgers) and nine varieties of English breakfast (several vegetarian). Food is organic wherever possible.

Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm HEARTFELT 32 Alma Vale Rd, Clifton, BS8 2HY Tel: 0117 904 2898 ■ Admirable multi-tasking boutique offering pre-loved and vintage clothing, cafe, florist and treatment room.

Founder Mandy brings her lifetime of experience in the world of vintage and fashion to a cherished (and growing) clientele. Heartfelt’s Velvet Club stages weekly events.

Open Tue-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm HERMANOS 55 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QQ Tel: 0117 929 4323, web: www.hermanos.co.uk ■ Contemporary cafe-bar offering amazing teas, coffees, all-day brunch benedicts, soup, sandwiches and everchanging small plates. Renowned for its later-on cocktailbar feel (30-strong cocktail list), with DJs Fri-Sat. Open Mon-Fri 11am-2am, Sat 3pm-2am, Sun 3-11pm Food Mon-Fri 11am-3pm HOOPER HOUSE CAFE 113 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RW Tel: 0117 329 0256, web: www.hooperhouse.co.uk ■ Enjoy breakfasts, salads, soups and specials alongside ciabatta, panini and baguettes (also available to take away). Venue hire available. Open Mon-Fri 8am-6.30pm, Sat 10am-6.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm HUNGRY BITE CAFE 33 Ashton Rd, Ashton, BS3 2EG Tel: 0117 985 3016/953 5950 ■ Premises leading a double life. By night, Al’s Tikka Grill (see Restaurants, Indian & Nepalese) but, come morning, they turn back into a working man’s caff. Open Mon-Sat 7am-2pm, Sun 8am-12noon

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NEW THE KITCHEN The Station, Silver St, BS1 2AG Tel: 0117 929 2975, web: www.thestationkitchen.co.uk ■ Opened in November 2012, it offers breakfasts, burgers, tarts, baked potatoes, soup, sarnies and toasties plus snacks and hot and cold drinks all at prices to make your bank manager smile. It’s part of the YMCA and has introduced an ‘open kitchen’ initiative whereby customers can buy an extra drink or food which can be redeemed later by someone in need. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat opening due soon LA CASBAH 96 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JD Tel: 0117 939 8804, web: www.la-casbah.co.uk ■ Long-established BYO community cafe with a Moroccan feel where the cuisine comes full of Mediterranean and Moroccan flavours. Specials change every couple of weeks.

Inventive menu includes Moroccan lamb, couscous dishes and char-grilled swordfish in cream and spinach sauce.

Admirable veggie choices. Mint tea from 95p. Sweets and homemade cakes. Open Daily 5pm-late LA RUCA 89 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AS Tel: 0117 944 6810, web: www.laruca.co.uk ■ A wonderful a manifestation of Bristol’s melting-pot dynamic, this friendly, much-loved gem (cafe, shop, all-round community space) is at the heart of Gloucester Road’s buzz. Enjoy dishes from around the world, including Moroccan and Vietnamese daily specials. Vegetarians and vegans are looked after with tortillas, chimichangas, splendid bean enchiladas and flavour-packed falafels; carnivores enjoy the lovely Patricia’s speciality Chilean corn pie. Lorena’s picnic baskets are perfect for afternoons in nearby St Andrews Park. Patricia tells us there are exciting pop-up events on the horizon. Open Mon 9am-8pm, TueSat 9am-5.30pm NEW LILLY AND BOO’S CUPCAKERY 2 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LF ■ Bristol’s first cupcake specialist, bringing a dozen-strong range of the sassy sweet treats. Varieties include the moo moo (Oreo cookie,) blondie (caramel,) mr big (New York cheesecake), rocky road (marshmallow) and kiss (white chocolate). Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm LOCKSIDE 1 Brunel Lock Rd, Cumberland Basin, BS1 6XS Tel: 0117 925 5800, web: www.lockside.net ■ An Edward Hopper diner in the shadow of the Create Centre, with decked terrace and stunning waterside views, serving breakfast, lunch and Fri-Sat dinner.

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Cafes BRISTOL Quality ingredients, fresh produce and excellent value.

See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Open Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 9am-4pm MARCO’S OLIVE BRANCH 76 Victoria St, Redcliffe, BS1 6DF Tel: 0117 922 6688, web: www.marcosolivebranch.co.uk ■ Eating with a Sardinian slant - including that region’s take on suckling pig. Buffet offer, takeaway menu, pizzas and pastas, fantastic coffee. Very student-friendly (10% discount). See Restaurants, Italian. Open Mon-Fri 11am-3pm, Mon-Sat 5-11pm NEW MARK’S CAFE 291 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JR Tel: 0117 953 7997, web: www.marksbread.co.uk ■ Nifty cafe operation that opened in October 2012 at the site of Mark’s Bread (see Specialist Shops, Bristol).

Find daily soups made using seasonal produce, Welsh rarebit, croques, quiche lorraine, sausage rolls, pork pies and the like, with off-sales available for when you’d rather munch your lunch in the attractive park down the road. Pizza on Thur. Extract Coffee, Canton Tea, Bristol Beer Factory ales. A lovely spot for breakfast, daytime dining or pre-theatre nibbles and drinks. Open Tue-Sat 8.30am-5pm & pre-theatre

Eating with a Sardinian slant Marco's Olive Branch

MELANIE’S KITCHEN 2 Downend Rd, Downend, BS16 5UJ Tel: 0117 957 2662, web: www.melanieskitchen.co.uk , Facebook MelaniesKitchenDownend ■ Ace cafe within an ace deli. Peter and the eponymous Melanie spent several years producing fabulous cakes and savoury items to sell at farmers’ markets. Drop in for soup, platters, quiche, hummus dips, ploughmans, toasted sandwiches, etc. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm MISSION BURRITO 62 Park St, BS1 5JN Tel: 0117 927 3339, web: www.missionburrito.co.uk ■ Hand-prepared burritos washed down with Corona, Modelo or the rarely spotted Pacifico Clara. Kids (and non-drinkers) get their own spotter’s-badge beverage, with uber-rare Jarittos cola. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm MRS BROWN’S CAFE Victoria Park (by lodge, nr Nutgrove Ave & Somerset Terrace entrances), Bedminster, BS3 4QF Web: Facebook, Twitter @mrsbrownscafe ■ Lovely outdoor cafe in Victoria Park, at the heart of the Windmill Hill community. Caters equally to dog walkers and families, plus anyone who enjoys lemon drizzle cake, good coffee, relaxing with a paper or simply watching the world go by. Good array of toasties and baps, exciting homemade cakes, loose-leaf teas, Fairtrade coffees and ice-cream, plus beautiful park surroundings, nearby play area and plenty of friendly faces. Cafe plays a key role at community events such as Carols in the Park and the outdoor cinema, with picnic blankets and deckchairs to borrow, and occasional late-night opening for certain events. For up to date info, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Open Daily 9am-5pm (10am Sat-Sun) MUD DOCK 40 The Grove, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 934 9734, web: www.mud-dock.com ■ Inspired, industrial decor and gastro treats at this cool, hugely popular Bristol institution in a former dockside warehouse, with great views across the water from the sundeck. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean.

NEW MUD DOCK DELI Cumberland Rd, BS1 6DS Tel: 0117 929 2141, web: www.mud-dock.com ■ Cafe-cum-deli serving pizza, sandwiches, salads, falafel, freshly baked cakes and the like, with San Miguel and wine, too. Cycling film nights first Thur monthly. Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm (likely to open weekend eves, too)

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Cafes BRISTOL NUMBER 10 10 Zetland Rd, Redland, BS6 7AD Tel: 0117 924 1301,web: www.number10restaurant.co.uk ■ A globe-spanning menu at this chilled spot: breakfasts, lunches, starters, mains and puddings. Decor is all willowy houseplants and wicker furniture, with MOR tunes piped at conversation-friendly levels. Expect mains like king prawn risotto, goulash, sweet glazed chicken breast, sirloin steak, Persian salmon stew, mild lamb stew with parsley and kidney beans, and good veggie choices, too. Desserts include the indulgent Gold Digger’s Crunch: chocolate pastry layered with chocolate, toffee, honeycomb pieces, chocolate mousse and butterscotch with a crunchy almond & vanilla fudge centre. Alfresco seating. Open Daily 10am-10.30pm PAPADELI 84 Alma Rd, Clifton, BS8 2DJ Tel: 0117 973 6569, web: www.papadeli.co.uk ■ Stylish, friendly deli, cafe and cookery school, voted Best Independent Retailer in the South West by Observer Food Monthly readers in 2012. They’re passionate about the food served and sold here, and its locally sourced, Fairtrade, organic credentials. Inspirations come from the Med, and signature dish the Papadeli Plate is a celebration of charcuterie and artisan cheeses. The odd pavement seat for alfresco refuellers. Open Cafe: Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm.

Deli: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm PAPADELI AT THE RWA Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1PX Tel: 0117 329 5859, web: www.rwa.org.uk ■ Serving charcuterie and cheese plates, Papadeli salads, sandwiches, homemade cakes, loose-leaf teas and Fairtrade coffee. Fully licensed. Beautiful balcony and terrace available for cafe customers. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm PEAR CAFE Coach House, 2 Upper York St, BS2 8QN Tel: 0117 942 8392, web: www.thepearcafe.com, Twitter @pearcafe ■ This may be one of Bristol’s tiniest cafes (there’s one table; otherwise, it’s takeaway) but there’s an extensive menu of delicious food, handmade on the premises.

Breakfast and lunch, plus drinks and snacks all day. Freerange pork and veggie sausages on bloomer from 9am.

Fantastic sandwiches and salads (made to order, with Herberts bread), soup and cakes (must-try butterscotch and plain chocolate brownies). Open Mon-Fri 8am-3.30pm Food Breakfast till 10am, lunch 11.45am-2.45pm, snacks all day PEPE NERO 22 Bond St, BS1 3LU Tel: 0117 926 8057, web: Facebook, Twitter ■ Opened at the end of 2011 to immediate acclaim from

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vegans, veggies and carnivores for its authentic, southern Italian cuisine in a fast-food setting. Thirty pizzas - vegans get mozzarella-style Cheezly, tomato, spinach and rocket, while veggie pizzas include vegetariana, margherita and spinaci, and lovers of meat and fish enjoy plentiful options. All bread and dough made and baked in house; pizza bases, tomato sauce and all vegetables are organic, with gluten-free food planned. Quite fantastically, pizzas are available with up to four different toppings by the metre. Sandwiches, calzone, panini and cakes, too. Eat onsite, take away or have it delivered. Open Mon-Fri 10am-9.30pm, Sat 10.30am-10pm, Sun 11am-6pm (Easter, summer & Christmas period to end of Jan) PIEMINISTER 24 Stokes Croft, BS1 3PR Tel: 0117 942 9372 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, Corn St, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 302 0070, web: www.pieminister.co.uk ■ Legendary pies with a legion of adoring fans. All the pies are award winners, made with 100% British beef, free-range chicken and outdoor-reared British pork (plus growing vegetarian pie range). Available in numerous local outlets, as well as the recently relaunched Stokes Croft HQ and a bijou offshoot at St Nick’s Market. Eat on site or take away. Regular varieties like the moo pie (100% British beef and cracked black pepper, slow-cooked in Bristol Beer Factory Ale) and the Heidi (Somerset goat’s cheese, sweet potato, spinach, red onion, roast garlic) are joined by the pietanic (MSCcertified salmon, pollock and smoked haddock in creamy parsley sauce) and Vegetarian Society-approved big cheese (cheddar, potatoes and buttered onions around a garlicky, herby cream-cheese middle) and free ranger (free-range British chicken, outdoor-reared British ham hock, leeks, West Country cheddar). Beyond pies, you’ll find sides including buttery mash, gravy, minty mushy peas and much, much more. Holders of Compassion in World Farming Good Egg and Good Chicken awards, plus numerous Great Taste Awards and Best in Class in the 2012 British Pie Awards. Open See website PIRI PIRI CORNER 11-12 Triangle South, Clifton, BS8 1EY Tel: 0117 929 7777, web: www.piripiricorner.co.uk ■ Smart, slick, fast-food restaurant and takeaway offering the eponymous chicken plus burgers, icecreams, coffees, teas. Attractive black, red, yellow and green colour scheme adds to the stylish vibe brought by some light background music. Free delivery. Open MonFri 11.30-4am, Sat 12noon-5am, Sun 12noon-2am PRIMROSE CAFE & BISTRO Boyces Ave, Clifton Village, BS8 4AA Tel: 0117 946 6577, web: www.primrosecafe.co.uk ■ Happy 20th birthday to this lovely spot, which

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Cafes BRISTOL completed its second decade in March 2013. This excellent eatery is a sunny alfresco cafe by day and intimate bistro by night. Daytime brings local fresh produce in legendary breakfasts, salads, sandwiches, wraps, burgers and light bites. Tapas menu brings the daily changing likes of scallops wrapped in pancetta, lemon sole goujons and seared duck liver with Pedro Ximenez sherry vinegar on sourdough toast. Evening ALC uses ingredients free from artificial fertilisers or growth promoters and is distinctly above the cafe average, with a modern European flavour: pan-fried hake, chargrilled veal loin steak, skewered poussin, roast monkfish, twicebaked ricotta & gorgonzola souffle. A big emphasis on provenance - the Primrose raise their own pigs, which go on to star as fresh cuts or in bacon, ham and sausages.

Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 9.30am-3pm, Tue-Fri 6-8pm (tapas) & 8pm-1am (ALC), Sat 7pm-1am PURE PASTA, SOUP & SANDWICH 35-39 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ Tel: 07899 862403 ■ Food with forza served up at this little slice of Italy in bustling St Nicks Market: tortellini with pesto, cream and white wine, lasagne (plus veggie option), pizza, soup, sandwiches, summer salads (including rice salad), tiramisu.

The pasta’s ready at noon, with coffee and cake to get you through the morning. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm

A little slice of Italy in St Nicks Pure Pasta, Soup & Sandwich

RAINBOW CAFE 10 Waterloo St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BT Tel: 0117 973 8937 ■ Combining cafe, secondhand bookshop, changing art exhibition and innovative events. Monthly music nights reflect the owners’ love of the local gig scene, Needles & Nosh nights find diners bringing in their UFOs (unfinished knitted objects) for group encouragement and support. In an EOW first, a ‘rant night’ gave customers three minutes atop a soapbox to vent spleen on traffic wardens, smoking, etc. Book nights planned.

Homecooked cakes, sandwiches, soups, mains and desserts; vegetarian and gluten-free requirements catered for. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-3pm RIVERSIDE GARDEN CENTRE Clift House Rd, Southville, BS3 1RX Tel: 0117 966 7535, web: www.riversidegardencentre.com ■ Delightfully cheery spot (and laidback suntrap), with bistro-style alfresco furniture. The completely vegetarian menu is organic, locally sourced where possible, and made on the premises. Summer mezze (olives, vine leaves, hummus), soups, poached eggs, jacket spuds, salads, daily specials and Fairtrade speciality coffees.

Kids’ play area; windows overlooking the garden centre.

Open Winter: Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm.

Summer: Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm, Sat 10am-4.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm Food Brunch till 11.30am, lunch 12noon-2.30pm ROYCE ROLLS WHOLEFOOD CAFE Corn Exchange, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 07967 211870 ■ Venerable veggie institution that’s been going for more than 30 years and now takes the Bristol Pound. Specific dietary requirements (gluten-free, vegan) catered for.

Loads of rolls, “millions of flapjacks”, pasties, savouries, jacket potatoes, soups, samosas. Astonishing herbal tea array, alongside their own blend of coffee and tea. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm RUBICON CAFE & CHOCOLATIER 26 Chandos Rd, BS6 6PF Tel: 0117 329 4408, web: www.rubiconlounge.co.uk ■ Friendly little cafe that packs a great deal in, and has now expanded with a second site (see below). There’s a most convivial mood at this delightful eatery tucked away in Redland - due, not least, to the triumvirate in charge. Owner Umut spent time as a chef at Bristol’s Colley’s Supper Rooms (and you’ll find him an engaging conversationalist if you’re dropping in alone), sexagenarian chef Yves is from Normandy, and Lara is from Padua. Chocolate is a speciality: homemade truffles, hot chocolate, James Chocolates gift boxes. Expect breakfasts, panini, ciabattas, omelettes, soup, tarts and

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Cafes BRISTOL homemade specials. Drinks list includes red, white, cider, Bath Ales, Peroni. Photography and art exhibitions change monthly, there’s a neat rear garden, and the place is available for private parties. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm, Sun 9am-6pm NEW RUBICON TOO 22 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LA Web: www.rubiconlounge.co.uk ■ The ace people at Rubicon (see above) open a second outlet on Cotham Hill, boasting plentiful seating out front. Expect similar food offerings (breakfasts, omelettes, panini) to the original Redland incarnation.

Available for hire for private evening parties. Open Daily 8am-6.30pm SAVANA COFFEE 273 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JN Tel: 0117 966 0088 ■ Community cafe serving Spanish, Mexican and Greek dishes, plus panini, pasta, pizzas. Fifteen kinds of breakfast till 5pm, plus omelettes, jackets, salads. Open Mon-Tue & Thur-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm, Wed 8.30am-4pm, Sun 9am-4pm SOUK KITCHEN 277 North St, Southville, BS3 1JP Tel: 0117 966 6880, web: www.soukkitchen.co.uk ■ Formerly Cafe Ceiturica. Drop in for Middle Eastern delights: tagines, skewers, hot and cold mezze specials.

See Restaurants, North African & Middle Eastern.

SOURCE 1-3 Exchange Ave, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JW Tel: 0117 927 2998, web: www.source-food.co.uk ■ Enjoy modern British dinner (aged organic Dexter steak, salt cod ravioli) on three nights of the week at this cafe with onsite food hall. A relaxing rustic setting (English oak, leather, steel) for breakfast, soup of the day, tea, Extract coffee, freshly made snacks (free-range pork pies, sausage rolls, cakes, brownies and pastries) and specials (Cornish gurnard, roast Devon duck breast with lyonnaise potatoes). Open Mon-Sat 8am-4.30pm, Thur-Sat 6pm-late, first Sun of month 9am-3pm. Food hall: daily 9am-6pm SOUTHVILLE CENTRE CAFE Southville Centre, Beauley Rd, Southville, BS3 1QG Tel: 0117 923 1039, web: www.southvillecentre.org.uk ■ Did you know that the Southville Centre also stages weddings and civil partnerships? The cafe here conjures up the catering for such events, but even if you’re not getting spliced, drop in for a daily changing menu offering soups, salads, jackets and homemade specials in a light, airy setting. Excellent place for meeting

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friends over coffee and homemade cakes. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm NEW SPICER & COLE 1 Queen Square Ave, BS1 4JA Tel: 0117 922 0513, web: www.spicerandcole.co.uk ■ Formerly Avenue Cafe. This lot take admirable care and attention in providing good coffee and the best possible everyday food in a clean, uncluttered space, with their ethos clearly (and deliciously) apparent across pastries, bagels, breakfast baps, weekend brunches, lunchtime baguettes, ciabattas, soups, salads and cakes.

Eat in or take away. Office catering, too. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm SPIKE ISLAND CAFE 133 Cumberland Rd, BS1 6UX Tel: 0117 934 9077, web: www.spikeisland.org.uk/cafe ■ Neat cafe/canteen in a centre of contemporary art and design. Coffee is Rainforest Alliance; grub is wholesome, homemade and affordable for even the most struggling of artists. Sandwiches, soups, jackets, burgers, pies, chilli, daily specials, cakes, bottled ales, lagers and wines, plus Origin coffee. Cheerful, colourful handpainted chairs; available for evening functions. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat-Sun 11am-5pm ST STEPHEN’S CAFE Off St Stephen’s St, BS1 1EQ Tel: 0117 929 4984, web: www.saint-stephens.com/cafe ■ Good vegetarian food, freshly made. Homemade mezze plates, soups, wraps and other hot/cold meals highly in demand, particularly in the peaceful garden on summer days. Shakshuka is a favourite speciality - eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce. Originally a Tunisian recipe, the Israeli version is cooked here, with pitta bread dipped into it. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-3pm, occasional Sats ST WERBURGHS CITY FARM CAFE St Werburghs City Farm, Watercress Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9YJ Tel: 0117 908 0798, web: www.swcityfarm.co.uk ■ Long renowned for its child-friendliness: onsite garden and green play project, complete with under-seating play tunnel. The wonderful Leona Williamson presides over a building resembling a Hobbit’s treehouse (as designed

by Gaudi), with some decking built since last year’s guide. Food has bagged an Observer Food Monthly Best Ethical Contribution award. Seasonally changing menu with an emphasis on organic, Fairtrade, local and cyclical ingredients, with vegan, vegetarian and carnivorous offerings: spicy beef burrito, smoked mackerel, nut burger. Homemade cakes, impressive tea choices. ‘Tasty tales’ (storytelling with seasonal food) set to resume shortly after we went to press; previous happenings have

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Cafes BRISTOL

Characterful Cafes Bea’s Vintage Tea Rooms Saville Row ■ Stylish vintage retro a go-go!

Colonna & Small’s

Princes St ■ You know those amazing wine lists that you find in really good restaurants?

Well, like that - but all about coffee.

Hansel & Gretel

Margarets Buildings ■ Cute, kitsch, and the best strudel in town.

included child-naming ceremonies and charity concerts.

Food Daily 10am-5pm (4pm winter) TAKE FIVE CAFE 72 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY Tel: 0117 907 7502, web: www.take5cafe.co.uk ■ The emphasis is on staging evening private parties of up to 100 and outside catering at this intimate dining spot. Food includes lunchtime curry deals and weekend breakfasts. Wi-Fi. Open Tue-Fri 12noon-late, Sat-Sun 12noon-10pm (4am licence - later closing possible) NEW OWNERSHIP TART CAFE & FOOD STORE 16 The Promenade, Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AE Tel: 0117 924 7628, web: www.lovelytart.com ■ Cafe, shop and private dining/function room under new ownership since August 2012. Muesli, fruit and cooked

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breakfasts lead on to lunches (salad bowls, savoury tarts, specials), and the afternoon tea (with a contemporary twist) is something special. Fri-Sat evening dining introduced as we went to press, with a supper club on the month’s last Thur. Private room for swish shindigs or business meetings with a touch of class. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-5.30pm, Fri-Sat eves, supper club last Thur monthly THALI CAFE 1 William St, Totterdown, BS3 4TU Tel: 0117 933 2955 64-66 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH Tel: 0117 951 4979 12 York Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5QE Tel: 0117 942 6687 1 Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HW Tel: 0117 974 3793 NEW Old Tobacco Factory, North St, Southville, BS3 1TF Tel: 07851 700215, web: www.thethalicafe.co.uk ■ Community cafes where commitments to seasonality, sustainability and local produce are writ large. Southville operation - the largest by far - opened in spring 2013 and features a 100-seat restaurant on the site of the former Teohs. Easton’s breakfast offerings include Indian omelettes and coconut pancakes. Indian light lunch menu brings Goan fish curry and masala dosa stuffed pancakes. Fairtrade coffees, freshly made chai, homemade cakes and set meals of curry, dhal and rice at great-value prices. Live music, cosy sofas, Wi-Fi, tiffin service. See Restaurants, Indian & Nepalese.

TIFFINS 151 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DB Tel: 0117 973 4834, web: www.tiffinsbristol.com ■ The wonderful husband-and-wife team here were Radio 4 Food & Farming Award finalists in 2010. Nick and Jay Jethwa cook with no frills, no fuss, just excellent ingredients. All dishes, freshly prepared each day, are cooked in sunflower oil only, using more nutritional spices than most Indian food. Food (seven regularly changing vegetarian, two permanent meat dishes, pizzas) is cooked and displayed cold in front of you, to take home to reheat/freeze or eat here with a beer, wine or soft drink - all at prices belying its quality. There’s always something stunning, funky or life-affirming covering the walls here, be it photography of places such as Kerala, graffiti artwork by the world-renowned Nick Walker or letters of thanks in recognition of Nick and Jay’s charity work. Outside catering, takeaways. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 4.30-9pm TOBACCO FACTORY CAFE-BAR Raleigh Rd, Southville, BS3 1TF Tel: 0117 902 0060, web: www.tobaccofactory.com ■ Mediterranean touches in the good-value seasonal food.

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Cafes BRISTOL/BATH Kids’ menu, sunny yard, terrace, warehouse-chic bar and lots going on at this popular arts hotspot.See Bars.

TUBE DINER Paintworks, Bath Rd, BS4 3EH Web: www.thetubediner.co.uk, Twitter @thetubediner ■ Housed in an Airstream trailer and serving up a friendly splash of Stateside dash. Breakfasts, lunch items, pancakes, smoothies, shakes, freshly made sandwiches, salads and daily specials. Open Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm, Sat-Sun 11am-4pm URBAN WOOD 90 Colston St, BS1 5BB Tel: 0117 929 3627, web: www.theurbanwood.com ■ All-day, all-comers cafe, bar and evening dining destination with a comfy, laidback appeal. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Open Mon-Wed 11am-11pm, Thur-Fri 11am-late, Sat 12noon-late VILLAGE POTTERY 70 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4DD Tel: 0117 973 4343, web: www.thevillagepottery.co.uk, Twitter @villagepotter ■ The mosaic in the dinky garden of this cutie of a cafe features ‘gone-wrong pottery’ from the usually reliable hands of ace onsite potter Jen Hamilton. However, if you watched BBC2’s Great British Menu back in February 2013, you’d have seen some tableware that Jen got spectacularly right – as used by Casamia chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias. If you’re lucky, the mint in your tea and the strawberries on your cake will have been grown at this wonderful family enterprise where mum bakes the cakes (including gluten-free) and dad does the dishes.

Bristling guestbook notes comments from far and wide - the carrot & pineapple has a hardcore following from North Wales. Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm WARREN’S GOURMET BURGER COMPANY Unit 8, Wootton Rd, St Annes, BS4 4AL Tel: 0117 977 0864, web: www.warrensgourmetburger.co.uk ■ Seriously impressive range of handmade gourmet burgers to eat in, take away or have delivered. Options include 14 beefburgers - the True Brit has stilton and crispy bacon, the Special boasts crispy bacon, black pudding and onions, and the Irish brings Guinness potato pieces, tangy onions and smoked cheese. Three lamb, seven chicken, four pork and two vegetarian choices. Breakfasts, plus ace milkshakes.Open Daily 9am-10pm NEW WILD AT HEART 51 Broad St, BS1 2EP Tel: 0117 239 1613, www.wildatheartemporium.co.uk ■ Cafe with onsite hair and beauty salon - and shoe-

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shining service! Whether stopping and savouring or grabbing and going, enjoy sandwiches and cakes but don’t leave without sampling something from the choice coffee range - very much their USP. The look is vintage/ shabby chic. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm (later opening due) WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM Philip St, Bedminster, BS3 4EA Tel: 0117 963 3252, web: www.windmillhillcityfarm.org.uk ■ A shop has arrived here since last year’s guide.

Showcasing the region’s producers, Bristol Farm Shop sells bread, milk, charcuterie, cider, beer and more, with regular beer tastings staged. Few places beat this one for seasonality. Bags of mixed salad leaves and chicken and duck eggs (featuring in the onsite dining) are routinely for sale. Ethically sound dishes, all made on the premises, with organic and Fairtrade ingredients found across breakfasts, soups, stews, quiches, frittatas and daily specials, plus Marshfield ice-cream. Light, airy setting amid the sights, sounds and smells of a city farm. Painting exhibitions add to the wide appeal; courses offered amid a packed events programme. Open Tue-Sat 9am-4pm, Sun 10am-3pm WORKHOUSE CAFE 19-20 Perry Rd, BS1 5BJ Tel: 0117 329 0889, web: www.workhousecafe.co.uk ■ Cooked breakfasts plus further brunch menu available at weekends. Lunch consists of specials plus nine seasonal salads. Weekly panini menu, five variations on the jacket potato menu, wide selection of handcut sandwiches and baguettes, homebaked cakes daily, and plenty of gluten-free options. Around 20 loose leaf teas, full barista service, freshly squeezed juices and seasonal smoothies. Open Mon-Fri 8am-5.30pm (9am Sat) ZULU 27 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AA Tel: 07580 363756, web: www.zulurestaurants.co.uk ■ Burgers, steaks, sarnies and more, with wilfully exotic flavours and more than 25 meats (crocodile, zebra, bison, kangaroo, eland, blesbok, ostrich, buffalo, kudu, etc).

Breakfasts also available in distinctly-more-British bacon & egg varieties. Onsite shop. Open Tue-Thur 9am-3pm, Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm

Bath ADVENTURE CAFE 5 Princes Buildings, George St, BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 462038, web: www.adventure.000space.com ■ Popular cafe-bar where menus cover all eventualities at all times of day, including breakfast till noon. Lunch

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Cafes BATH (gourmet sandwiches, panini, melts, salads, light bites) gives way to sturdier options and sharing platters postsunset. Pavement tables at front, suntrap patio at rear, fully licensed. Open Daily 10am-12midnight BATH BAKERY CAFE 37 Moorland Rd, BA2 3PN Tel 01225 481477, web: www.bathbakery.co.uk ■ Baked goods (eat in or take away), Illy coffee, panini, homemade soup, sarnies, cakes and possibly the best sausage rolls in Bath. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm BATH BUN 2 Abbey Green, BA1 1NW Tel: 01225 463928, web: www.thebathbun.com ■ Over 18 varieties of tea and associated genteel Brittrad refreshments from breakfast to high tea-time, with a strong focus on the legendary Bath Bun. Somerset cream teas a speciality, takeaway available. Open SunMon 11am-5pm, Tue-Sat 9.30am-5pm BEA’S VINTAGE TEA ROOMS 68 Saville Row, BA1 2QP Tel: 01225 464552,web: www.beasvintagetearooms.com ■ Travel back to 1940s Britain - and the music, decor and stylings that went with it. Menus are authentically retro, though contemporary options abound for the modern miss. Events like knitting classes, poetry readings and 1940s make-up lessons are in the pipeline.

Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm BEN’S COOKIES 21 Union Passage, BA1 1RD Tel: 01225 460983, web: www.benscookies.com ■ Dinky little cookie bakery specialising in funky,

A little slice of Italy in St Nicks Pure Pasta, Soup & Sandwich

chunky, freshly baked cookies (priced by the kilo) to take away or enjoy at a table on the traffic-free lane out front. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm BERTINET BAKERY CAFE 6 New Bond St Place, BA1 1BH Tel: 01225 445531, web: www.thebertinetkitchen.com ■ Bakery shop and cafe courtesy of awardwinning doughboy Richard Bertinet and his team, specialising in their acclaimed bread-related treats alongside amazing pastries, sandwiches, cakes etc, supplemented by Illy coffee, leaf teas etc. In a hurry?

Dash along to the Bertinet takeaway in the Vaults complex, SouthGate (see Takeaways, Bath). Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm NEW BILL’S 7-8 Cheap St, BA1 1NE Tel 01225 424262, web: www.bills-website.co.uk ■ Round-the-clock refreshment against a kitschyquirky backdrop. See Restaurants, English. Open Mon-Sat 8am-10.30pm, Sun 9am-10.30pm BONGHY-BO’S 2-3 Barton Court, Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RZ Tel: 01225 462276, web: www.bonghy-bo.co.uk ■ Split-level alfresco courtyard, and a friendly, funky licensed refectory within. Excellent coffee, thoughtful teas, scrumptious cakes and classy quiche/jacket spuds/salad selection, plus Asianthemed crowd pleasers and wallet-friendly noodle/ rice amalgamations. Open Daily 9am-6pm (hours vary with seasons and local events - call for updates) BOSTON TEA PARTY Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AE Tel: 01225 313901, web: www.bostonteaparty.co.uk ■ Much-loved Bath cafe-society hotspot, with a strong emphasis on ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility. Cool in summer (big shaded terrace out front), snugly cosy in winter (hot chocolate, wholesome cakes). Real tea in real china pots, real coffee in all sizes, and real food (healthy, hearty, largely wholemeal) at very reasonable prices.

Breakfasts are particularly splendid. Open Mon-Wed 8am-6pm, Thur-Sat 8am-9pm BRIDGE COFFEE SHOP Pulteney Bridge, BA2 4AY Tel: 01225 483339 ■ Breakfast specials, baguettes, panini, sweet treats and baked-on-the-premises pasties, sausage rolls, pies etc, at non-scary prices. Open Sun-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-6pm

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Cafes BATH CAFE AU LAIT 7 Pulteney Bridge, BA2 4AX Tel: 01225 338007 12 Dorchester St, BA1 1SS Tel: 01225 571808 ■ Cakes, gateaux, pastries, quiches, jacket potatoes, salads, sandwiches, baguettes, excellent coffee and a wide range of comforting liquid refreshment.

Dorchester St branch particularly convenient for commuters on-the-move. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-5.30pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 8.30am-5pm CAFE DU GLOBE 1a North Parade, BA1 1LF Tel: 01225 466437, web: www.cafeduglobe.co.uk ■ This cheerfully eclectic cafe segues into a candlelit Moroccan-themed bistro by night, but classic tourist/ shopper fare (breakfast, pizza, pasta, omelettes, wraps, salads, toasted sandwiches, afternoon tea) constitutes the order of the day till 6pm. Alfresco seating on traffic-free lane. Exotic bazaar (bizarrely enough) in the basement. Open Daily 10am-10.30pm CAFE LUCCA The Loft, 1 Bartlett St, BA1 2QZ ■ As you’d expect from Richard (Firehouse Rotisserie, Hudson Bar & Grill) Fenton, refreshments at his Tuscan-themed venture (part of a stylish shopping hub) are fresh, fabulous and properly authentic, from salads, panini and antipasti to cakes, tarts pastries and proper Italian coffee. Licensed. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm CAFE RETRO 18 York St, BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 339347, web: www.caferetro.co.uk ■ Easygoing independent cafe-restaurant serving boisterous breakfasts, pastas, sandwiches and plenty of vegetarian options at wallet-friendly prices in characterful surroundings. Abbey views from first floor; fully licensed. Retro to Go (next door) sells baguettes, panini and smoothies. Open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-5pm (plus selected eves - see website) CAFE ROUGE 15 Milsom St, BA1 1DE Tel: 01225 462368, web: www.caferouge.co.uk ■ French-themed cafe-bar/brasserie/restaurant serving franglais food in convivial surroundings. See Restaurants, French.

CAFE SHOON 14 Old Bond St, BA1 1BP Tel: 01225 445309, web: www.cafeshoon.co.uk ■ Well-heeled cosmopolitan cafe above a chic urban

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outfitter’s, offering splendid views across the Heritage City’s rooftops. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm CAFFE NERO 11 Old Bond St, BA1 1BP Tel: 01225 470390 21 High St, BA1 5AJ Tel: 01225 462504 6 Dorchester St, Southgate, BA1 1SS Tel: 01225 427913, web: www.caffenero.com ■ More European coffee house than high-street chain in ambience. Seriously good coffee (including Fairtrade) and Italian-influenced ciabattas, panini, salads, fresh soups, biscotti and sweet stuff. Lots of drinks (hot/cold, smoothies) and fresh croissants/ continental pastries. Takeaway, Wi-Fi, and small pavement patio at Bond St/Dorchester St branches.

Open Hours vary across branches - see website CAKE CAFE 5 SouthGate, BA1 1AQ Tel: 01225 789010 ■ This lively independent venture (owned by the Bridge Coffee Shop team) keeps shoppers fortified with splendid homemade cakes, baguettes, panini, soup, quiche, salads and afternoon teas. Pavement seating. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-6pm, Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 10am-5.30pm CAVENDISH COOKS 8 St James St, BA1 6RS Tel: 01225 312805, web: www.cavendishcooks.co.uk ■ Part takeaway, part tiny daytime restaurant, totally gorgeous: two Cordon Bleu-trained chefs lovingly cooking and preparing fresh food in their open kitchen to take away, pre-order for parties and events, take home and keep in the freezer or enjoy there and then in the cute little dining area - lamb tagines, vegetable gratins etc, served with salad/crusty bread for around £9. Bargain! Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm CHANDOS DELI 12 George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 314418, web: www.chandosdeli.com ■ Award-winning deli-cafe drawing classy foodie inspirations from around the world. Superb sandwiches, salads, soups and gorgeous antipasti, based around fresh, seasonal ingredients. See also Egg Cafe. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm CHAPEL ARTS CENTRE CAFE Lower Borough Walls, BA1 1QR Tel: 01225 461700, web: www.chapelarts.org ■ Bright, breezy vegetarian cafe beneath community arts mecca the Chapel Arts Centre. Flatbreads with various toppings a speciality; scrumptious cakes

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Cafes BATH (including gluten-, egg- and fat-free) also worthy of a standalone mention. Takeaway options. Open MonSat 11am-6pm (plus occasional events - see website) CIRCUS CAFE & RESTAURANT 34 Brock St, BA1 2LN Tel: 01225 466020, web: www. thecircuscafeandrestaurant.co.uk ■ Stylish contemporary cafe/bistro. See Restaurants, English.

COFFEE@CAMDEN 2 Claremont Terrace, BA1 6EH ■ Friendly and child-friendly, serving superb homemade cakes, a vibrantly fresh lunch selection, sandwiches, salads etc. Lovely garden outback, regular cupcake classes/workshops, bespoke cupcakes made to order. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 10am-4pm COLONNA & SMALL’S ESPRESSO ROOM 12a Princes St, BA1 1HL Tel: 01225 446362, web: www.colonnaandsmalls.co.uk ■ These guys are serious about coffee: a regularly changing house blend of espresso is complemented by at least two guest espressos, all made with exquisite care and brewing methods to match each bean. Chic cakes, stylish sweet treats, savoury nibbles. Ultralaidback San-Francisco-style vibe. Open Mon-Sat 8am-5pm CORAL QUAY CAFE 8-9 New Bond St Place, BA1 1BH Tel: 01225 446362, web: www.coralquay.co.uk ■ Fairtrade coffees, teas and homemade cakes, gluten-free treats, vegetarian options and lunches, all served above an eclectic gift shop. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm

featuring gourmet sandwiches and salads. Open MonFri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-5pm EGG CAFE St John’s Place, BA1 1ET Tel: 01225 823408, web: www.chandosdeli.com ■ Cheerful Chandos Deli refreshment pitstop attached to one of the UK’s most prestigious young people’s theatre projects. Smashing sarnies, freshly baked cookies, sumptuous cakes, sticky flapjacks, sugar mice, organic chocolate and fashionably retro jelly beans.

Excellent coffee; tables on traffic-free street outside.

Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun during performances FINE CHEESE CO 29-31 Walcot St, BA1 5BN Tel: 01225 483407, web: www.finecheese.co.uk ■ Menus at this gorgeous, upmarket deli/cafe (winner of an Observer Food Monthly award) flaunt a delectable array that usually includes their legendary homemade sausage rolls alongside sarnies, salads and stylish light bites (tarts, antipasti). Daily changing sandwiches, baguettes and picnic foods, plus excellent coffee and superb cakes made by local experts. Eat in or take away. Friendly staff. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-5.30pm GARDEN CAFE AT THE HOLBURNE MUSEUM Great Pulteney St, BA2 4BD Tel: 01225 388569, web: www.holburne.org ■ Chic oasis of gorgeousness on the ground floor of the recently renovated Holburne, making full use of the light, airy, contemporary building and the Sydney Gardens location with alfresco tables and picnics in the museum grounds. Beautiful salads, locally sourced meat and cheese platters, and more substantial stylish but sturdy Mediterranean-themed hot dishes and terrific sweet treats. Open Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm (summer Fri-Sat till 8pm), Sun & bank hols 11am-4.30pm

DARLING DELI Isabella House, The Avenue, Combe Down, BA2 5EH Tel: 01225 835118, web: www.darlingdeli.co.uk ■ Homemade savouries and cakes (including glutenfree/vegetarian), hot breakfast rolls (all day), gourmet sandwiches, hot ciabattas, wholesome soup, freshly made pasta, Fairtrade tea and coffee, tapas and salad bar and plenty of healthy options, in delightfully vibrant surroundings. Cookery classes, catering service.

Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-3.30pm, Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat 8.30am-1.30pm

GOURMET SCOFFS 9 Terrace Walk, BA1 1LN Tel: 01225 471137 ■ Freshly cooked, downhome goodies and treats all day, from full English breakfast to sandwiches, sausage rolls, scotch eggs, fishcakes, chunky chips, homemade cakes and pastries. Open Mon-Sat 8am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm

EAT5STAR 14 Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AD Tel: 01225 330555, web: www.eat5star.com ■ Upper-crust, casual-but-tasty hotspot offering takeaway and corporate catering options. Brilliant breakfasts, perfect espresso and lavish lunch menu

NEW GREEN ROCKET CAFE 1 Pierrepont St, BA1 1LB Tel: 01225 420084 ■ Stylish, welcoming, vibrant vegetarian/vegan haven - the new face of face-free fabulosity. Open Mon-Sat

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Cafes BATH 9am-5pm GREEN ROOM AT THE MISSION THEATRE 32 Corn St, BA1 1UF Tel: 01225 428600, web: www.missiontheatre.co.uk ■ Characterful, totally vegetarian, licensed theatrecafe, open for elevenses and lunch (and eves in line with selected performances - see website). Food (cakes, soup, salads, sandwiches, tagines) is freshly prepared on the premises. Takeaway options/Call and Collect service available. Open Tue-Fri 10.30am-2.30pm GUILDHALL MARKET CAFE Guildhall, High St, BA1 5AW Tel: 01225 461593 ■ Down-to-earth, wallet-friendly market caff specialising in full English breakfasts, not-too-greasy greasy-spoon delights and heavenly chip butties at the epicentre of an increasingly foodie market. Open MonSat 9am-4pm HANDS TEAROOM & COFFEE LOUNGE 1 Abbey St, BA1 1NN Tel: 01225 463928, web: www.handstearoom.co.uk ■ Traditional tearoom and contemporary coffee shop under one (historic Georgian townhouse) roof. Snacks and light bites (breakfasts, ploughman’s, quiches, pies, baguettes) served all day. Clotted cream teas a speciality, when freshly baked scones, cutesy cupcakes and the famous Bath Bun play a starring role. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm HANSEL & GRETEL SHOP & STRUDEL BAR 9 Margarets Buildings, Brock St, BA1 2LP Tel: 01225 464677, web: www.hanselundgretel.com ■ Discover the best strudel (among other coffee-shop delights) in Bath below a street-level shop packed with Tyrol/Alpine-related knick-knackery: gently kitsch, quietly camp, properly cosy. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm INDULGENCE CAFE 31 Bathwick St, BA2 6NZ Tel: 01225 316265, www.indulgence-cafe.co.uk ■ Homemade daily specials include stews, pies and casseroles alongside a fabulous deli counter and salad bar, hampers-to-go, jams, chutneys and cakes made to order at this thoroughly modern foodie venture. Brunch on Sat (10am-2pm), supper club in the pipeline. Private hire for groups of up to 20; fully licensed. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm JACOB’S COFFEE HOUSE 6 Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY Tel: 01225 758132 ■ Sit upstairs, downstairs or on the covered patio with Abbey Churchyard and Pump Room views. Fresh,

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wholesome grub (including Pieminister pies) with an emphasis on local, organic and free-range. Excellent coffee. Open Daily 8.30am-5pm (10.30am Sun) NEW JAVA COFFEE HOUSE 3 New St, Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 480779, Web: www.javacoffeehouse.co.uk ■ Independent venture specialising in top-notch coffee and fabulously fresh homemade fare from breakfast until tea-time. Outside catering service; free Wi-Fi. Open Mon-Thur 7.30am-5pm, Fri 7.30am-4pm, Sat 8.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm JAZZ CAFE Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AA Tel: 01225 329002, web: www.bathjazzcafe.co.uk ■ Independent cafe-bistro specialising in big breakfasts and modern Med/global flavours, including sarnies, wraps, salads. Specials board throws up daily seasonal treats. Licensed. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm JIKA JIKA COFFEE HOUSE & CANTEEN 4a Princes Buildings, George St, BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 429903, web: www.jikajika.co.uk ■ This lively venture offers fresh coffee, leaf teas and a simple, straightforward menu driven by locally sourced inspirations. Substantial breakfasts, hearty sandwiches/ wraps/flatbreads, real pizza, a unique ‘weigh bar’ and interesting Medi-themed specials. Recently extended opening hours; licensed. Also has a takeaway branch in the Vaults complex, SouthGate (see Takeways, Bath).

Open Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 8.30am-11pm, Sun 9am-5pm KINDLING 9a Claverton Buildings, BA2 4LD Tel: 01225 442125, web: www.kindlingcoffee.co.uk ■ Ace breakfasts, scrumptious sarnies, homemade sweet and savoury pastries (including veggie options) and cakes alongside local, organic, homemade and fairly traded food and drink. Warm, welcoming atmosphere, free Wi-Fi, toys for the kids, takeaway, lunchtime delivery and catering service. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-4.30pm, Sat-Sun from 10am KOMEDIA ARTS CAFE 22-23 Westgate St, BA1 1EP Tel: 01225 471578, web: www.komedia.co.uk/bath/arts-cafe ■ Opens daily alongside the new Cinema screen (run in conjunction with The Little Cinema Theatre), displaying local artists’ work in partnership with Artolo. The ktichen works to a strong ethical approach (menus have become the first in Bath to attain the Soil Association

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Cafes BATH Gold standard); expect freshly prepared, seasonal, locally sourced delights every day, and fabulous Sunday roasts, inc good vegetarian options (10% discounts for Komedia/Little Theatre cinema customers). Open TueFri 11am-4pm, Sat 10am-4pm, Sun 11am-3pm LA CROISSANTERIE 14 Northumberland Place, BA1 5AR Tel: 01225 469641 ■ Good-quality, reasonably priced eat-in or takeaway sandwiches, baguettes, pastries, soups and coffees, particularly popular with tourists; pavement seating.

Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm, Sun 9am-5pm LE PARISIEN Shires Yard, BA1 1BX Tel: 01225 447147, web: www.leparisien.co.uk ■ A little corner of France at the heart of Milsom Place.

Very busy at weekends and when it’s sunny, but plenty of alfresco seating (with heaters for winter) in the pretty courtyard. Full-on brasserie experience indoors, including varied breakfast menu, French-themed classics (croque monsieur, moules-frites, proper patisserie) and lively specials, plus generously filled baguettes/wraps.

Licensed. Open Mon-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 9am-5pm NEW MA CUISINE 4 St Saviour’s Rd, Larkhall BA1 6RT Tel: 01225 312959, web: www.macuisine.co.uk ■ Cute, chic patisserie/cafe specialising in topquality, French-inspired lunchtime classics, antipasti, charcuterie, quiches, salads, sweet treats, afternoon teas

Modern Med and global flavours Jazz Café

and more courtesy of French Master of the Art Christophe Lacroix. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm MAD HATTERS TEA PARTY 5 Orange Grove, BA1 1LP Tel: 01225 466733, web: www.madhattersteaparty.co.uk ■ Quirky, sweet little cafe offering a solid range of quality fare including excellent breakfasts, sturdy lunches, splendid cakes, full-on afternoon teas and an imaginative children’s menu. Open Mon-Thur 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm MADE BY BEN 100 Walcot St, BA1 5BG Tel: 01225 319999, web: www.madebyben.com ■ Cosy seating area with cookbooks to inspire, for those who like to linger long in vibrant, welcoming surroundings to enjoy exceptionally good sandwiches, salads, pies, quiches, tarts, cakes, treats etc, largely made from locally sourced, seasonal produce. Bespoke catering service. Ben also delivers to/cooks at the Bell Inn - see Pubs, Bath. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm MANGIA BENE 5-6 St James St, BA1 2TW Tel: 01225 336106 ■ Charming Mediterranean deli in gorgeous surroundings with a small cafe attached, serving classy breakfasts, lunches and teatime treats. Great coffee, takeaway sandwiches, superb outside catering.

Famous homemade cakes and renowned charcuterie.

Alfresco, too. Open Cafe: Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Sat 8.30am-4.30pm. Deli: Mon-Sat till 5pm METROPOLITAN CAFE 15 New Bond St, BA1 1BA Tel: 01225 482680, web: www.bloomsburystore.com ■ Gorgeous little cafe above the gorgeous Bloomsbury gift shop. Locally sourced, largely organic and totally vegetarian: all-day breakfasts, ciabatta, bruschetta, sarnies, tarts, salads, soups and fabulous cakes. Illy coffee, organic and herbal teas, nice juices and indulgent hot chocolate.

Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm MISSION BURRITO 4 New St, Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 442599, web: www.missionburritos.co.uk ■ Freshly prepared burritos and classic Tex-Mex-inspired delights to take away or enjoy in a lively canteen environment. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm MOLES MUSIC CAFE 14 George St, BA1 2EN Tel: 01225 404405, web: www.moles.co.uk ■ Lovely, lively, laidback cafe (and fully licensed bar)

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Cafes BATH specialising in sociable tapas sharing platters Open Daily from 11am, closing hours vary depending on club nights/ gigs PATISSERIE VALERIE 20 High St, BA1 5AJ Tel: 01225 444826, web: www.patisserie-valerie.co.uk ■ A bustling cafe to the rear of a cake counter flaunting an exquisite range of gateaux, tarts etc, Afternoon teas a speciality. Open Sun-Thur 8am-7.30pm, Fri-Sat 8am-8pm PRESTO 7 Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY Tel: 01225 338803, web: www.pastypresto.com ■ Sandwiches, salads, soups, pastries, pasties and savouries freshly baked on the premises each day, plus Fairtrade coffee. Pavement seating with excellent Abbey views and live street entertainment opposite the Pump Room. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm PRET A MANGER 2 Stall St, BA1 1QL Tel: 020 7932 5370, web: www.pret.com ■ Popular chain specialising in additive/preservativefree fast food: gourmet sandwiches, fresh soups/salads, falafel wraps, healthy snacks, sweet treats, fruit juices, smoothies. Gluten/wheat/GM/dairy-free options proliferate. Coffee is Fairtrade and organic. Open MonSat 8am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm PUMP ROOM Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LZ Tel: 01225 477782, web: www.romanbaths.co.uk ■ In the elegant environs of the Roman Baths complex, uniformed staff, live classical music and a butler dispensing complimentary glasses of spa water turn this neo-classical salon into one of Bath’s most civilised, traditional afternoon-tea experiences (from 2.30pm daily). Lunch is classic, upper-crust, trad-Brit fare. Open Daily 9.30am-5pm REAL ITALIAN ICE CREAM COMPANY 17 York St, BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 330121, web: www. therealitalianicecreamcompany.weebly.com ■ Massive selection at the counter, by the cone or tub, alongside fresh crepes and an extensive drinks menu, to eat in or take away. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (Sundays in summer) REGENCY TEA ROOMS 40 Gay St, Queen Sq, BA1 2NT Tel: 01225 443000, web: www.janeausten.co.uk ■ Regency-style afternoon delights at this Jane Austenthemed tearoom above a shrine - sorry, visitor centre entirely dedicated to the Great Woman herself, complete

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with top-hatted doorman. Open Daily 9.45am-5.30pm Apr-Sept (July-Aug till 7pm), 11am-4.30pm Nov-Mar RIVERSIDE CAFE 17 Argyle St (below Pulteney Bridge), BA2 4BQ Tel: 01225 480532, web: www.riversidecafebath.co.uk ■ Gem of a cafe-bar close by Pulteney Weir. Fabulous breakfasts, homecooked lunches and thoughtfully eclectic modern British/Med/global suppers, all wrought from impeccably sourced ingredients. Alfresco seating, fully licensed. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm (Mar-Oct till 10pm) ROMAN BATHS KITCHEN 11 Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY Tel: 01225 477877, web: www.romanbaths.co.uk ■ Part of a major B&NES/Roman Baths complex redevelopment. Deli, cafe and gorgeous terrace on the ground floor and a bright, breezy contemporary bistro upstairs, all offering stunning views of Bath’s most iconic square. Open Daily. Cafe/deli 7.30am-6pm, bistro 9am-10pm ROSCOFF DELI 18 Northumberland Place, BA1 5AR Tel: 01225 469590, web: www.roscoff.co.uk ■ Sicily meets the West Country at this funky, flairpacked, dolce-vita experience serving good-value, top-quality breakfasts, lunches, teas and snacks plus goodies to take away alongside larder fare (Italian cured meats, olives, pastas). Open Daily 10am-5pm ROYAL PAVILION CAFE Royal Victoria Park, BA1 2NR Tel: 01225 448860 ■ Swiss mountain chalet meets traditional British tearoom at this parklife hotspot, with spiffing views across the city from the alfresco balcony and tables under the trees outfront. Sarnies, sausage rolls, homemade cakes and proper potted tea at very reasonable prices, plus sturdy lunchtime specials. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (winter), Mon-Sun 9.30am-5.30pm (summer) SALLY LUNN’S 4 North Parade Passage, BA1 1NX Tel: 01225 461634, web: www.sallylunns.co.uk ■ Quintessentially English afternoon teas (if you can cope with the queues), and dinner later on.

SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT 7a Princes Buildings, Bartlett St, BA1 2ED Tel: 01225 466856, web: www.same-same.co.uk ■ Cafe-bar/bistro hybrid on a traffic-free cobbled lane offering sturdily furnished lounging opportunities all

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Cafes BATH day and pavement tables for smokers and sunseekers.

Daytime menus of hearty Mediterranean-themed snacks, platters, salads etc, alongside lovely cakes and pastries, segueing into sturdier goodies (tapas platters a speciality) later on, Thur to Sat. Fully licensed.

Open Mon-Wed 8am-6pm, Thur-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-5pm SAM’S KITCHEN 61 Walcot St, BA1 5BN Tel: 01225 481159, web: www.samskitchendeli.co.uk ■ Thoroughly modern foodie flamboyance at this lively, well-priced gourmet hotspot. Daily changing breakfast and lunch menus with a strong emphasis on locally sourced, seasonal ingredients: roasts, salads, filled croissants/sandwiches, soups and sweet treats all day, served in artfully eclectic surroundings or to take away. See website for evening events, supper clubs, etc. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm (Fri fortnightly till 10pm, see website) SECRET GARDEN CAFE AT PRIOR PARK GARDEN CENTRE Prior Park Rd, BA2 4NF Tel: 01225 427175, web: www.priorparkgardencentre.co.uk ■ Bright, breezy cafe (with alfresco seating) at the heart of a lively garden centre. Freshly baked pastries and cakes, homecooked light-bite lunches, cream teas etc, with ingredients locally sourced from the producers who supply the garden centre’s farm shop.

Lovely. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm (summer 6pm), Sun 10.30am-4.30pm SOCIETY CAFE 4-5 Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AB Tel: 01225 519074, web: www.society-cafe.com ■ Sociable, stylish, sassy venture specialising in excellent coffee, upper-crust grub and a vivacious vibe. Spacious alfresco terrace. Open Mon-Sat 7.30am-6.30pm, Sun 9am-6.30pm SPRINGS CAFE & RESTAURANT Thermae Bath Spa, Hot Bath St, BA1 1SJ Tel: 01225 331234, web: www.thermaebathspa.com ■ Airy cafe/restaurant for the exclusive use of those using the Thermae Spa facilities. Healthy, locally sourced options abound. As we went to press, the Twilight Package included a three-hour spa session plus main course and drink at Springs for £42; see website for regularly updated offers.

ST MICHAEL’S CAFE Broad St, BA1 5LJ Tel: 01225 447103, web: www.stmichaelsbath.org.uk ■ Cheerful, unique fundraising venture downstairs

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at the characterful, historic St Michael’s Without church. Coffee, tea, cakes, light bites etc, also available for private hire. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm TEA TIME 12 Dorchester St, BA1 1SS Tel: 01225 444990 ■ Charming contempo-trad cafe offering welcome respite to SouthGate centre shoppers and travellers using Bath Spa Railway Station (just across the road). Sandwiches and plenty of sweet treats (cute cupcakes, sticky buns) all day. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm TEAHOUSE EMPORIUM 22a New Bond St, BA1 1BA Tel: 01225 334402, web: www.teahouseemporium. co.uk ■ Tranquil teahouse in an atmospheric 18th century cellar. Vast selection of expertly brewed traditional and specialist teas, tisanes and infusions, and freshly ground coffee. Highly trained staff can talk you through the brews. Open Sun-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-6pm TIME OUT Guildhall Market, BA2 4AW ■ American diner/milk-bar-themed cafe at the heart of the Guildhall market. High counter stools focus on a bustling kitchen serving sandwiches, filled bagels, cakes and tea-time treats all day long. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm WILD CAFE 10a Queen St, BA1 1HE Tel: 01225 448673, web: www.wildcafe.co.uk ■ Lively, cheerful cafe using local, seasonal, sustainable produce to rustle up satisfying breakfasts, lunches and downhome tea-time treats, mostly cooked before your eyes in an open kitchen.

Highlights include the flexible brunch menu, powerpacked salads, brilliant burgers and sustainable fish with proper homemade chips. Open Mon-Sat 8am-5pm YMCA International House, Broad St Place, BA1 5LH Tel: 01225 325900, web: www.bathymca.co.uk ■ One of Bath’s best-kept secrets, tucked away behind a courtyard reached via a quaint little alleyway or ancient stone steps. Homecooked favourites at extremely wallet-friendly prices, including continental/full English breakfasts and lunchtime specials. Alfresco courtyard seating. Open Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7am-9am, Sat-Sun 8am-10am.

Lunch: Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm

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Bars BRISTOL

Bars Bristol ALL BAR ONE 47 Corn St, BS1 1HT Tel: 0117 930 4762, web: www.allbarone.co.uk ■ Enduring Corn Street fave where the menu brings pad thai with grilled chicken, king prawns or sirloin steak,a selection of homemade burgers, fish & chips or many seasonal fresh salads. Excellent veggie options too. All-encompassing drink choices include a dozen continental beers, 40 wines (£13.95-£40), most available by the glass). Part of a chain, but without the feel: roomy and uncluttered with wood flooring, long utilitarian tables, old church furniture, comfy chairs.

Equally good for daytime chats and buzzing Sat nights.

Over-21s only. Open Mon-Wed 11.30am-11pm, ThurSat 11.30am-midnight Food Mon-Sat 12noon-9pm AMOEBA 10 Kings Rd (off Boyces Ave), Clifton Village, BS8 4AB Tel: 0117 946 6461, web: www.amoebaclifton.co.uk ■ Getting a name for its private parties of 30-100 people celebrating 30ths, anniversaries and engagements. For a 50-strong shindig, each person could try a different beer or cider from around the globe, from Iceland’s Bock Lager, American steam beers and African stouts to Belgian fruit beers and Germanstyle Hefe beer from Bristol. About 50 cocktails made using top-notch spirits - rums, whiskies and gins in particular - from a wide range. Events include weekly resident DJs, cocktail masterclasses, spirits/beers seminars and tastings, and bank holiday garden parties.

Two of the same cocktails from a selected list for £9.50 until 9pm daily. An eclectic, laidback, friendly local bar specialising in the art of drink-making to an upbeat, quirky background.

ANTIX 44 Park St, BS1 5JG Tel: 0117 925 1139/07973 304227, web: www.attixloungebar.com ■ Admirable base-covering (eating, drinking and dancing in one venue) is reflected deliciously by the eight-strong sharing platter line-up within an extensive menu. Find steaks, sea bass and roast chicken alongside burgers, sandwiches, sides and sweets. The strong first impression made by owner Laz Lazarides (and his white chocolate profiteroles) when our man dropped in is clearly being maintained.

Strong cocktail selection, wide draught lager range (Staropramen, Budweiser), bottles and fine wines, and Attix champagne bar upstairs. Flo Rida’s Low may get spun here later but Antix’s standards are always high.

Open Sun-Thur 11am-4am, Fri-Sat 11am-6am Food Sun-Thur 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm

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ARNOLFINI CAFE-BAR 16 Narrow Quay, BS1 4QA Tel: 0117 917 2305, web: www.arnolfini.org.uk ■ ‘Fine cooking blessed with the art of imagination,’ according to our reviewer. ‘A relaxed and spacious diner.’ His companion was won over by her linguine, followed by slow-roasted belly pork with radicchio and balsamic dressing. His ‘deliciously nutmegged’ pizzetta (a larger than expected plateful of pizza, Fiorentina style) was followed by ‘perfect’ squid and dark red English prawns, whose deep flavour persuaded him ‘never to touch any other kind again’.

Legendary bar flying the flag for local producers and suppliers: current faves are Cheddar Ales, Zerodegrees, Dawkins, Bristol Ciderworks and Lovely Drinks. The all-Italian wine list is available by the glass and there’s a seasonally changing cocktail list. Bar food brings spuntini (Italian tapas) from 11am (parmesan & parsley fritters, pecorino toast, arancini, pickled baby turnips) and brunch is served throughout the week.

Open daily from 10am ATOMIC BURGER 189 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG Tel: 0117 942 8600, web: www.atomicburger.co.uk ■ See Cafes, Bristol.

BANCO LOUNGE 107 Wells Rd, Knowle, BS4 2BS Tel: 0117 908 6010, web: www.thelounges.co.uk ■ Formerly a bank (the original vault and safe door remain), serves a wide selection of meat, fish and veggie options alongside brekkies, burgers, tapas, panini and frequently changing specials. Menu changes seasonally but retains a distinct flavour: New York-style steak sandwich or sweet potato, butternut squash, puy lentil & spinach curry. Yummy Monday and Tapas Tuesday start the week in a wallet-friendly manner; quiz Sun. Togaman, Dark Side, Stella 4, Beck’s Vier, Estrella Damm and Stowford Press. Open Daily 9am-11pm Food Daily 9am-10pm BANK OF STOKES CROFT 84 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY Tel: 0117 923 2565, web: www.thebankofstokescroft.com ■ ‘This latest offering from the city’s social scene stalwarts Dave Smeaton and James Savage (of Big Chill and Spotted Cow fame) gives them a presence north of Bristol’s centre, filling a void created by the closure of Gloucester Road’s much-missed North,’ wrote our chap. Find minimalist, warehouse-style decor (the snug was once a bank vault and still has its door) and a massive Motorboy artwork, which is, according to Dave, ‘a representation of house music’, though lots of musical styles are represented in an eclectic (but never mainstream) entertainment programme. Rustic

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Bars BRISTOL

Choice Cuts Big Chill

Small St ■ Superstar DJ! The great Don Letts manned the decks in May.

Graze Bar, Brasserie & Chophouse (pictured)

Queen Square ■ Inspired by London and New York’s chophouses and bars, with meat cookery central to its dining.

No.51 Stokes Croft

Stokes Croft ■ Wednesday open deck night recently launched.

welcoming vibe playing chilled music to attract a stylish crowd. A new menu sees great deals on traditional handmade pizzas along with homemade bar food to eat in the inside seating area or al fresco on the front sun terrace. More than 20 well-chosen wines by the glass, and great classic cocktails. Open Daily 12noon-late Food Daily 12noon-9pm BAY BAR & KITCHEN 4-6 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1HT Tel: 0117 953 1446 ■ Comfy furniture amid a blue colour scheme evoking the beach make for leisurely loafing, whether catching Sky on the screens, playing pool or tucking into filled breads, lasagne, salads, grills and curries. Favourites include homemade steak & ale pie, fish & chips, chilli, gammon & egg, ultimate burger, half roast chicken. Thur quiz, Fri and Sat DJs, summer BBQs in suntrap rear garden, roasts on Sun. Open Mon-Wed 4pm-12midnight, Thur 12noon-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-1.30am, Sun 11am-11pm Food Mon-Wed 5-9pm, Thur-Sun until 9pm BEERD 157-159 St Michael’s Hill, Cotham, BS2 8DB Tel: 0117 974 3567, web: www.bathales.co.uk ■ Formerly Rustic Vine, Bristol’s first craft beer and pizza bar is the brainchild of those lovely Bath Ales people. Sublime sups from around the world come in keg, cask and bottle, and four glass sizes, from onethird pint to pint. Expect brews such as Old Scratch from the USA’s Flying Dog Brewery and Belgian Brugse Zot amid a treasure-trove of tipples, including cider.

Freshly made pizzas, cured meat platters and bar dough, sausage and warm nuts accompany the booze wonderfully. Decor brings exposed brickwork and mismatched seating; staff are quirky-T-shirt-clad.

Food Daily 12noon onwards

food includes sides, wilfully flavoursome pizzas, and horseradish dumplings accompanying the beef & Bath Ale stew. Brunch daily; full English and bloody mary proving popular. The bar itself is a metaphorical melting pot, with artists invited to display their work.

Rightly recognised in Venue’s 2010 Top Bananas. Food Daily till 10pm BAR HUMBUG 89 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT Tel: 0117 904 0061, web: www.barhumbug.co.uk ■ A Whiteladies Rd stalwart, with its relaxed and

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BEESES BAR & TEA GARDENS Wyndham Crescent, BS4 4SX Tel: 0117 977 7412, web: www.beeses.co.uk, Twitter @beeses ■ Withnail might have memorably threatened to buy the Penrith Tea Rooms and get an, ahem, blooming juke box in to liven up its stiffs but this tea room needs no such spur to full-on partying.

Venue’s none-more-black, loud-guitar-based-music critic witnessed a ‘Raucous redneck rock band’ play ‘Bristol’s most bizarre gig in many a year’ at Beeses in 2012, thanks to some seriously canny scheduling by its ‘commendably rockin’ management’ (that’ll be Phil and Lindy, then). Expect more of the same - from cool blues to cidered-up nutters - on Fridays twice monthly in 2013. In total contrast, the North Somerset Community Brass Band will be taking tunes

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Bars BRISTOL in a more Penrithian direction on occasional Sunday afternoons - Miss Blennerhassett would approve wholeheartedly (then settle down for a delightful cream tea). Professor Beese poses the puzzles in quizzes on the month’s second and fourth Thursdays, while Beeses’ seventh beer festival in Sept 2013 features five bands, eight ciders and 18 real ales which might find you the morning after proclaiming, ‘There must and shall be aspirin!’ Whenever you visit, expect a well-kept drop of wine, too, even if it isn’t quite the finest available to humanity… Open Until 2 Oct: Thur 4-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun & bank hols 12noon-7pm Food Thur 4-9pm, Fri 12noon-9pm, Sat 12noon-4pm & 6-9pm, Sun & bank hols 12noon-5pm BIG CHILL 15 Small St, BS1 1DE Tel: 0117 930 4217, web: www.bigchill.net/bristol ■ ‘There’s a year-round festival feel at Bristol’s Big Chill bar,’ wrote our man, who returned at Christmas just gone with colleagues for a sweet shindig complete with some seriously delish dining. Thanks, Big Chill! Mercifully, for other Big Chillers that night, the mayhem was largely contained in a seriously orange, your-mum-chic, 1970s-style Formica-filled kitchen/diner which is, natch, available for private parties. As we go to press Mi Casa chef Alexis was set to draw on inspiration and experience from her North American roots to create a menu focused on the mighty US-style sandwich during a residency in the kitchen here. Alexis was born in Canada, but spent much of her time travelling through the East coast and Southern states of the US. Visiting family and friends, this is where she discovered her love of the American deli/diner phenomenon. She’s set to still be around by the time you read this, so expect Katz deli NYC, Pickney Cafe & Espresso (Charleston, South Carolina), Memphis BBQ and Austin Tex-Mex. Our man ate one of his tastiest burgers ever here, his, ‘portobello beauty towers like a Scooby Snack… the camembert provides a hit so intense it ought to be illegal’. Regular offers. ‘Brings a weekend onsite to the city, with no wellies required,’ concluded our man (though there is a garden). Draughts include Amstel, Budvar, Sagres, Estrella, Gem. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-9pm NEW BILL’S 67 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QL Web: www.bills-website.co.uk ■ Set to open after we went to press (but before you read this), bringing the eponymous William’s take on breakfast, daytime and evening dining already being enjoyed in Bath.

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BOCABAR Paintworks, Bath Rd, BS4 3EH Tel: 0117 972 8838, web: www.bocabar.co.uk ■ Confirmation of Bocabar’s multigenerational appeal came via a Netmums award in 2011, with a Taste of the West bronze in 2012 endorsing the cuisine’s calibre.

This cafe/bar/music venue boasts a New York loft look while its extensive decking is made for summer-evening chilling. A monthly pizza special (in carnivore and noncarnivore versions) has been launched since last year’s guide, with the Beeffy Pyro and Chico Beet doing the business as we went to press. Indeed, their pizzas are among Bristol’s best while their cocktails are similarly classy. Other dining includes the renowned Bocaburger, paninis, sandwiches, salads, tapas, weekend breakfasts and rotating specials. Regular live music and DJs, sixweekly art exhibitions. Open Sun-Thur 10am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10-1am Food Daily until 10pm BORDEAUX QUAY BAR V-Shed, Canons Way, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 943 1200, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk ■ Modern, airy bar serving extensive, impressive beer and wine range (quality local ales, cider, speciality beers, lagers, classic cocktails) plus nibbles within the environmentally responsible and multi-faceted BQ operation. See also Cafes, and Restaurants: European & Mediterranean. Open Bar: Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-9pm BOTANIST BRISTOL Berkeley Square, Triangle, Clifton, BS8 1HP Tel: 0117 927 7333, web: www.thebotanistbristol.co.uk ■ ‘A welcoming combination of fish and friendliness,’ said our man. ‘The bar’s lively ambience recedes nicely and the smartly decorated room with well-spaced tables feels like quite another place.’ Menu is modern English with a Mediterranean twist: seafood figures prominently, and both our fella and filly went for the sea’s booty for mains. Her pan-fried mahi mahi (a sustainable species) came in caper butter: a ‘succulent steak matched well with buttery broad beans’. His crisp sea bass steaks perched on spinach provided ‘a nicely balanced set of flavours, with the fresh fish ruling supreme’. The citrus zing of his homemade lemon tart ‘was just the job, as was the properly dark and dusty espresso that followed’. Extensive wine list features more than 70 choices, and two real ales are always on. Open Sun-Thur 10am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10am-12midnight Food Mon-Fri 12noon-10pm, Sat 12noon-10.30pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm BRACE & BROWNS 43 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2LS Tel: 0117 973 7800, web: Twitter @braceandbrowns ■ ‘Friendly smartness and carefully prepared, unfussy

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Bars BRISTOL food makes for great smart-casual dining,’ commented our chief foodie, his guest and he choosing from an eclectic tapas selection of some 30 plates ranging from Spain to India via Italy and England. Tapas options as we go to press include smoked chicken breast, miniature steak burger, glazed goats cheese tartlet, smoked mackerel parfait and chilli marinated squid rings. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 5.30-9.30/10pm, Sun 12.30-3.30pm (approx) BROWNS 38 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1RE Tel: 0117 930 4777, web: www.browns-restaurants.com ■ ‘When it shines, Browns is golden,’ wrote our man.

It’s the place to be, whether chilling alfresco or dining within. ‘Ceiling fans spin above singularly classy surroundings as Ella Fitzgerald drifts through the air… quadrant booths and circular tables bring liquid lines… greenery dotted throughout creates a colonial, timeless mood.’ Mediterranean/English/European food offers salmon & smoked haddock fishcakes, steak, mushroom & Guinness pie, fish & chips, steak-frites, and meat, fish and vegetarian platters.

Fixed-price menus bring savings, Sundays bring roasts, afternoons are always time for tea. Extensive drink options include about 60 wines, five draught, continental lagers, ale, cider, bottled beers. See also Restaurants, English. Open Mon-Wed 9am-11pm, Thur-Sat 9am-12midnight, Sun 10am-10.30pm Food Mon-Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm

Year-round festival feel Big Chill

BRUNEL WINE BAR 38 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4DS Tel: 0117 973 4443 ■ The refurb referred to in last year’s guide duly arrived, bringing a rhubarb exterior beside pavement tables and chairs offering excellent people-watching (and Range Rover/Porsche-watching) opportunities as the Mall’s characters pass by. Solid food range takes in tapas, sandwiches, chargrilled mains - pork chops, rib eye steak, piri piri chicken and more. Two real ales likely to include the likes of Wickwar Bob, Cotswold Way or Crowning Glory alongside Stella, Peroni and Guinness. Four reds by the glass, and as many whites, with more wines by the bottle. Food Mon-Sat 12noon3.30pm & 6.30-9.30pm, Sun 12.30-4.30pm BURGER JOINT 83 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NT Tel: 0117 329 0887, web: www.theburgerjoint.co.uk ■ Quality is writ large across this slick operation conjuring up cut-above burgers, including venison.

Carefully chosen, locally sourced ingredients (prime beef, Welsh lamb) go into freshly prepared and cooked burgers; even the chips are hand cut. Drinks include Peroni, Corona, Stella, Thatchers Gold (served in frozen glasses.) Ale aficionados’ choice has been extended since last year’s guide, with Bristol No7 joined by other Bristol Beer Factory brews plus American beers in a craft beer section; wine lovers enjoy an eight-strong list. Smoothies and regular milkshake choices supplemented by a milkshake-ofthe-week (usually with a chocolate-bar flavour). Take away, or eat in the restaurant with its laidback mood and contemporary feel. Open Sun-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11.30pm BYZANTIUM BAR & RESTAURANT 2 Portwall Lane, BS1 6NB Tel: 0117 922 1883, web: www.byzantium.co.uk ■ Housed in a 19th-century brick warehouse, with its bar and lounge area making for a unique drinking/ dining experience. Spacious room features elegant pillars and luxurious couches with an opulent Middle Eastern feel. A relaunch is in the offing here as we go to press, bringing a cafe vibe from 10am accompanying dining that’s due to be contemporary British with global influences. Entertainment includes live music and comedians. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Food Tue-Sat 12noon-10pm CAFE ROUGE 85 Park St, BS1 5PJ Tel: 0117 929 2571 Cabot Circus, BS1 3BD Tel: 0117 954 4808 Unit R4, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway, BS10 7TG

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Bars BRISTOL Tel: 0117 950 8730, web: www.caferouge.co.uk ■ Friendly, authentic French cafe-bar/brasserie/ restaurant serving high-quality food in convivial surroundings. See Restaurants, French.

CANTEEN Hamilton House, 80 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QY Tel: 0117 923 2017, web: www.canteenbristol.co.uk ■ Food/drink/art/music/enterprise and innovation venture that opened in 2009 in a former office building in Stokes Croft. Live music nightly and Sun afternoon, and top-value, locally sourced, seasonal food enjoyed by a diverse crowd: lemon sole in smoked salmon & cream sauce, stilton & broccoli tart, both rice and couscous salads, and rocket with marinated roast onion, veggie dishes from around £6.50, meat ones £7-£8. Drinks include Bristol Beer Factory ales, Freedom lager and Orchard Pig and Ashton Press ciders. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-10pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-3pm & 5-9pm CELLAR Rummer Hotel, All Saints Lane, BS1 1JH Tel: 0117 929 0111, www.therummer.net ■ Enhancing the Rummer’s reputation as one of the region’s foremost bars, this late-night cocktail lounge takes your drinking experience up a notch or two.

Doesn’t serve food. For food in the upstairs Rummer, see Pubs. Open Fri-Sat 10pm-late CHANNINGS HOTEL 20 Pembroke Rd, Clifton, BS8 3BB Tel: 0117 973 3970 ■ ‘When the sun shines, the clinking of glasses fills the air as sunglasses are worn atop heads as the smart set mingle,’ wrote our man of this Clifton institution, where the garden is the place to be, come summer.

Stylish surroundings indoors make this a winner yearround. Food means fish & chips, bangers & mash, lamb tagine, vegetable moussaka, spicy beanburgers.

Entertainment can include comedy; drinks include up to three draught real ales and about 25 wines. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-6pm NEW CHERRY DUCK BISTRO 3 Welsh Back, BS1 4SL Tel: 0117 930 4034, web: www.cherryduckbistro.co.uk ■ Che’s Cafe-Bar gave way to Cherry Duck Bistro on Welsh Back at the end of 2012. Very much a dual incarnation sees breakfasts and lunches by day with an evening menu featuring the likes of confit leg with breast of duck, pork belly and pan-roasted hake.

Whenever you’re eating you can do so assured of Cherry Duck’s ethical sourcing, and if you’re drinking later, expect to witness some amazing mixology.

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Despite being open only a short while, this Duck is getting along swimmingly. Open Mon-Tue 8am-3pm, Wed-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-4pm CHIMP HOUSE 232 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8NZ Tel: 0117 944 3092, web: www.thechimphouse.co.uk, Facebook ■ Wine bar and lounge which specialises in operating as a party venue, ‘like’ them on Facebook to keep abreast of opening times and how this particular Chimp rolls.

CITY CAFE Hilton Garden Inn, Temple Way, BS1 6BF Tel: 0117 925 1001, web: http://hiltongardeninn3. hilton.com ■ Smart urban hotel serving Market Menu, ALC, breakfasts, great roasts etc. Heated alfresco terrace overlooking gardens. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean.

CLIFTON WINE BAR 4 Richmond Terrace, Clifton, BS8 1AB Tel: 0117 973 2069, web: www.cliftonwinebar.co.uk ■ Young professionals enjoy the lounge/bar atmosphere; heaters/shelters in the garden out back (a smokers’ fave) prolong alfresco chilling. Homemade pub classics include homemade steak & Wadworth ale pie, fish & chips, chilli and scampi, with a snacks range, too. Impressive draught range: San Miguel, Moretti, Heineken and Amstel lagers; three real ales at any time (Wadworth’s 6X, Horizon, plus guest); eight ciders across taps and bottles. Above-average wine offerings. Eleven screens (fed by two boxes) show Sky Sports. Food Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm, Fri 12noon-9pm, Sat 12noon-8pm, Sun 12noon-5pm COSIES 34 Portland Sq, BS2 8RG Tel: 0117 942 4110, web: www.cosies.co.uk ■ While Cosies doesn’t officially have a garden, the food here can be served in takeaway from so you can carry it over to Portland Square’s small-but-perfectlyformed park. You can even get your pint/wine to go for a chilled lunch hour. Still doing what it does best: underground vibe by night (basement beats, old-skool reggae, cutting-edge dubstep, hip-hop and funk delivered with a big fat smile), informal, cosy bar by day, welcoming everyone for great homecooked food.

Summer menu brings lighter delights (fish finger sandwich) and seeded panini; mains include Welsh lamb burger with chilli & mint tzatziki and chips, Moroccan sweet potato & chickpea stew, open prime steak sandwich with mustard mayo, rocket and chips.

A lovely, ever-changing wine menu, and draughts

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Bars BRISTOL include Beck’s Vier, Stella, Red Stripe, Ashton Press, Thatchers Katy and guest ales. Available for private dining. ‘What I love about Cosies is what everyone else loves,’ says boss/chef Jo. ‘It may have changed a little over the years but still has its roots firmly in the soul of Bristol.’ Food Mon-Fri 11am-2pm COTE BRASSERIE 27 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG Tel: 0117 970 6779, web: www.cote-restaurants.co.uk ■ Freshly prepared French classics and great-value prices, with regularly changing seasonal specials, at this authentic French bistro. See Restaurants, French.

COWSHED 46 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2NH Tel: 0117 973 3550, web: www.thecowshedbristol.com ■ Modern British steakhouse, recipient of nine out of 10 stars from Venue’s reviewer. Starters include mussels, duo of salmon, chicken, tarragon and wild mushroom terrine and walnut crumbled stilton & watercress parfait. Mains offer sumptuous meat options like slow-cooked stuffed belly of pork, panroasted duck breast and roasted lamb rump. Daily fresh fish - ask for the day’s catch! Impressive wine list, too. Just a tenner for an early-evening steak/ burger & chips plus drink (Mon-Thur 6-7pm). See also

Modern British steakhouse Cowshed

Restaurants, English. Food Mon-Sat: lunch 12noon6pm (last orders 2.45pm), dinner 6pm-12midnight (last orders Mon-Thur 9.45pm, Fri-Sat 10.15pm). Sun: roast 12noon-3.30pm (last orders 3.15pm), ALC 6.309.30pm OPENING SUMMER 2013 CROFTERS RIGHTS 117-119 Stokes Croft, BS1 3RW ■ The Croft is dead, long live the Crofters Rights.

Word reached us just before we went to press of the closure of the Croft, so that its people can concentrate on the Exchange, their operation in Old Market. In its place will emerge the Crofters Rights, a craft beer bar to be run by the people from The Lanes. Details are sketchy, although it’s reported that there will also be keg, cask and cider on offer, and that one craft beer will be admirably priced at under £3. Expect wine and a modest spirit range but no food. While there’s no talk of bowling alleys, an appeal has just been made to anyone with the skills to construct a 15m ‘brewer’s table’ to come forward. Open Daily 12noon12midnight (tbc) DECO LOUNGE 50 Cotham Hill, BS6 6JX Tel: 0117 373 2688, web: www.thelounges.co.uk ■ Enjoy the Lounge group’s trademark easygoing yet stylish grub in easygoing yet stylish surroundings.

Specials change monthly: as we go to press they include balsamic-glazed gammon with bubble & squeak, fried egg and parsley sauce, and chicken chorizo & butterbean stew with basmati rice, with rhubarb & elderflower crumble a dessert. Quiz packs them in on Mon. Food Daily 9am-11pm EL PUERTO 57 Prince St, BS1 4QH Tel: 0117 925 6014, web: www.el-puerto.co.uk ■ Award-winning selection of about 30 Spanish wines accompanies some of the tastiest dining this side of Madrid, with live music Wed plus live music and flamenco dancing on the month’s first Sunday.

Fabulous cocktails (with signature mojito), plus jugs of sangria and cava and bottled beers fuelling the fiesta.

Big range of simple, perfect tapas: meat, seafood, vegetarian. Mains include fillet steak, sea bass, skewered chicken, paella (with vegetarian version,) mixed meat grill, fish grill. See Restaurants, Spanish & Portuguese. Open Daily 12noon-1am Food Mon-Thur 11am-3pm & 5.30-11pm, Fri-Sun 12noon-11pm EL RINCON 298 North St, Southville, BS3 1JU Tel: 0117 939 3457, web: www.elrincon.moonfruit.com ■ Authentic tapas nook in Southville, established in

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Bars BRISTOL 2006. Offering the best Spanish classes, live music and fresh food. And they could rustle up anything from friendship-affirming tapas (razor clams, gambas ajillo, chorizo al vino) to authentic wines and cerveza . This cosy, atmospheric spot stages Spanish lessons, wine tastings, but its fluffiest loveliness is undoubtedly the Basque shepherd dog Noa, who’s been known to make an appearance. Almost as rare is the Cruzcampo beer hailing from Seville. Estrella on draught, live music on Fri evenings and ticketed gigs on Sunday afternoons. See Restaurants, Spanish & Portuguese. Open Mon-Sat 6-10pm, Sun 11am-2pm

GOLDBRICK HOUSE 69 Park St, BS1 5PD Tel: 0117 945 1950, web: www.goldbrickhouse.co.uk ■ Much-loved, multi-dimensional venue with two AA rosettes that lets you eat like a king without spending a king’s ransom. Cafe-bar serves British tapas: Somerset brie, mini lamb brochettes, honey & mustard pork belly bites - perfect for sharing. More substantial dining includes glorious breakfasts (potato pancake with scrambled egg and bacon), cut-above sarnies (try the triple-decker classic club), salads, burgers, bangers & mash, fish & chips, pasta. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Food Mon-Sat 9am-10pm

ELBOW ROOM 64 Park St, BS1 5JN Tel: 0117 930 0242, web: www.theelbowroom.co.uk ■ Trendy, friendly, always-free-entry, laidback pool bar featuring classic rock, hip-hop, drum & bass, indie and reggae. Student deals available at all times with a valid NUS card Selected bottles of beer and cocktails are 2-4-1, 5-8pm daily. Buy two glasses of wine and get the bottle free. 2-4-1 cocktails all night Sun and Thur. Hourly deals on a Friday and Saturday night commencing at 9pm until 3am. Jagerbombs six for £15. Venue hire for private parties ‘This place remains ahead of the pack when it comes to a lounging vibe,’ said our reviewer. ‘There’s an air of living large brought by the cocktails and spirits savoured by the young professionals chilling earlier and dancing later through nights when DJs spin.’ For such an undoubtedly cool place, staff and punters are refreshingly down to earth, and the bagel menu doesn’t take itself too seriously, either. Open SunThur till 2am, Fri-Sat

GRAIN BARGE Mardyke Wharf, Hotwells, BS8 4RU Tel: 0117 929 9347, web: www.grainbarge.com ■ Former winner of Venue’s Best Bristol Bar, with regularly changing menu. Fresh produce and locally sourced/Fairtrade ingredients go into sirloin steak (cooked differently every day), roasted duck breast with beetroot, creme fraiche, cumin & coriander salad with creme de cassis dressing, and asparagus & broad bean risotto. Wed is homemade pie & pint night (beer from Bristol Beer Factory), Thur is £10 steak night, Fri brings live music, Sunday the roast. Funky happenings include monthly art exhibitions, mural paintings, poetry nights and slow-food dating for single foodlovers. Four ales always on include a weekly guest; look out for winter beer festival. Food Mon-Fri 12noon3pm, Mon-Wed 6-9pm, Thur-Fri 6-10pm, Sat 12noon10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm & 6-9pm

GALLIMAUFRY 26-28 The Promenade, Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AE Tel: 0117 942 7319, web: www.thegallimaufry.co.uk ■ There’s an element of Emily’s shop from Bagpuss at this ‘home cooking and curios bar’ that opened recently where for decades had stood the Prom. The name means ‘jumble’ or ‘hodgepodge’, and the aim is to provide affordable, wholesome English food and a comfortable drinking environment. An impressive evening menu as went to press included London particular soup, jellied ham terrine, beef brisket, lamb burger and parmesan gnocchi with toasted rice pudding with pear among the desserts. The Galli’s USP is that everything you see inside the building is for sale, a kind of marketplace for art and artefacts, with prices at the bar for furniture and other items.

Mon open mic, live music every Thur and every other Wed. Open Daily 10am-1am Food Brunch MonSat 10am-3pm, dinner Wed-Sat 6-10pm, Sun roast 12noon-5pm (approx)

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GRAZE BAR & CHOPHOUSE 63 Queen Square, BS1 4JZ Tel: 0117 927 6706, web: www.bathales.co.uk ■ ‘Here was a rare thing,’ said Venue’s reviewer. ‘A smart and pleasant place to grab a drink, slap in the centre of town.’ A classic British menu at this bar and chophouse, which opened in late 2009 (with arresting cow standing Damien Hirst-esque above the door).

Starters and mains take in potted pork with pickles and chutney, charcuterie plates, hot smoked mackerel and calves’ liver with bacon, shepherd’s pie, 12oz ribeye. Everything except the seafood is sourced within 40 miles, and there are Bath Ales brews, a dozen reds and as many whites. Our reviewer’s beef was ‘possibly the best in Bristol’ and the ‘bone-free and juicily moist pheasant breast was equally pleasing’.

Food Mon-Thur 12noon-10pm, Fri 12noon-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 9am-10pm GRECIAN KEBAB HOUSE LOUNGE 2 Cromwell Rd, St Andrews, BS6 5AA Tel: 0117 942 3456 ■ Grecian Kebab House boss Ali, one of Bristol’s most

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Bars BRISTOL genuine guys, presides over an ace late-night lounge, meaning that, when Gloucester Road’s pubs close, upstairs at Ali’s is where the chilling-out carries on (no need to get taxis into town). A mood as laidback as the man himself comes via fat sofas, subdued lighting and DJs spinning a reggae soundtrack. CCTV shows punters upstairs what’s going on downstairs and vice versa. A choice tapas/platter range (tzatziki, hummus, shish kebabs, stuffed jalapenos, mozzarella sticks) makes for sociable dining whether you’re eating afternoon, evening or wee small hours (lounge is open the same hours as the takeaway downstairs). Beers include Heineken, Stella, Kronie, Beck’s, Gaymers and the rarely-spotted Mythos lager from Greece. It’s quite the place for a private party (buffets and set menus available). A new Nicosia mural has arrived since last year’s guide, evincing the continuous improvement here. Just as delicious as the food is the finding of this lounge in the first place: on first impression there’s little to suggest that such a mellow meeting place awaits upstairs. Once discovered, prepare to be a devotee. Takeaways, too.

Open Lounge/takeaway: Mon-Thur 5pm-2am, Fri-Sat 5pm-4am, Sun 2pm-1am H BAR Colston Hall Foyer, 13 Colston St, BS1 5AR Tel: 0117 204 7131 (cafe) 204 7130 (restaurant,) web: www.thehbar.co.uk ■ The launch of the foyer in which H Bar is housed was Venue’s Event of the Year 2009. Praiseworthy dining includes breakfast (from toast to the works), lunch (pasta, risotto, bruschetta, burgers, salads, soups, specials), sandwiches, panini, tapas. More formal dining in the groundfloor bistro with beautiful glass walls and garden terrace views. Starters include pan-fried lamb kidneys, and potted shrimps & shallots tarte tatin. Mains feature braised lamb shoulder, roast skate wing, and vegetarian dishes like penne rigate.

Organic wines, excellent cocktails. Food Bar: Mon-Sat 9am-3pm & 5pm-late, Sun varies. Bistro: times vary with performances HALO 141 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BA Tel: 0117 944 2504, web: www.halobristol.com ■ Staged a Venue Christmas party a few years back but survived to remain a Bishopston community fave where breakfasts feature freshly squeezed orange juice (in summer) and evenings feature some of the freshest moves you’re ever likely to see. Diverse food options take in tapas, burgers, open sandwiches, wraps, salads. Evening brings starters (soup, goat’s cheese tart), mains (the tandoori chicken is fantastic) and great desserts, followed by a swish cocktails/bar-like feel once the kitchen’s closed.

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Sun roasts; busy calendar includes tango, choir, acoustic nights. Draughts: three ales, two lagers, two ciders. Open Mon-Thur 11am-11.30/12midnight, Fri 11am-12midnight, Sat-Sun 9.30am-12midnight (later if function staged) HARVEY NICHOLS Second Floor, Harvey Nichols, Philadelphia St, Quakers Friars, BS1 3BZ Tel 0117 916 8898, web: www.harveynichols.com ■ Affordable luxury amid a stylish atmosphere in Cabot Circus’s flagship store. The second-floor bar offers starters, sides, mains, desserts, mostly buyable for a tenner. Nibbles to share include homemade bread, HN Italian olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Mains include fish & chips, Inverawe smoked salmon with caper berries and lemon, homemade bread, and the HN burger. Sweets include brownies, ginger cake, scones etc. Food Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-5pm HAUSBAR 52 Upper Belgrave Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XP Tel: 0117 946 6081, web: www.hausbar.co.uk ■ ‘You could bring a girl here on a first date,’ genial owner Auri Braunbarth told our man. ‘The only problem would be that subsequent venues would disappoint - and it never does to peak too early…’ He continued: ‘Time goes backwards at Hausbar. Dark decor decants decades of decadence into sublime sophistication with a smile on its face.’ Auri, who’s worked in Berlin and Munich, has based Hausbar on the German concept of homely cellar bars, but this chic, stylish one-off is more special than that, being runner-up UK Classic Bar according to Class Bar’s 2010 awards. The intimate, civilised space is unpretentious, friendly, and air-conditioned for late-night chilling.

Spectacular spirit range, 150-strong cocktail list. No draught beers, but Erdinger and Budvar in bottles.

Seventh birthday coming up. Open Daily 8pm-2am HILL 31-35 Cotham Hill, BS6 6JY Tel: 0117 973 3793, web: www.pizzakitchenbars.co.uk ■ It’s billed as a ‘pizza kitchen and bar’, and the ovens are put to good use: freshly baked pizzas, quesadillas and flatbreads in varieties like crispy duck and hoisin. The garlic & herb dough balls come in servings of six or 12 (we know a grateful taker if any of yours go uneaten); freshly baked dough strips accompany the tomato & mozzarella fondue. There’s even basil, pesto & roast garlic spiral dough served with Italian cheese and sunblaze tomato mayonnaise, alongside burgers, chilli and salads. Lunchtime pizza and cocktail offers bring bargains. Draughts include San Miguel, Peroni, Budweiser, Doom Bar, Guinness.

Screens show sport. Food Daily 12noon-10pm

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Bars BRISTOL HUSH HUSH 233 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 942 2700, Facebook ■ Funky bar with clubby vibe reflecting the background of its manager, semi-pro skateboarder Tom Gibbs. With a board mounted on the wall (and graffiti artwork), it draws the sk8r boys and girls to chill with draught Foster’s, Kronie, Heineken, Sagres, Strongbow and Symonds, with bottles including Corona, Desperado, Pedigree, Red Stripe, Polish lagers, WKD, Bath Ales beer. Cocktails 2-4-1 all evening Wed and Thur. Fine garden out back with heaters and cover. Available for private hire - call for details. DJs spin Thur-Sat. Sofas as fat as the bassline add a dash of decadence - put your hands up for adroit turntablism! Open Wed-Sat 7pm-2am HYDE & CO 2 The Basement, Berkeley Crescent, BS8 1JY Tel: 0117 929 7007, web: www.hydeandcobristol.com ■ Older (but smaller) brother of Milk Thistle, toting a glamorous vibe with cocktails a speciality.

Nibbles include pork scratchings, nuts, olives and crisps. Open Tue-Thur 7pm-1am last orders, Fri-Sat 7pm-3am, Sun 7pm-1am KINGS ARMS 168 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2XZ Tel: 0117 973 5922, web: www.kingsarmsbristol.com ■ Expansive restaurant/bar/cafe spread over two floors. The look is grand but you’re as welcome to drop in to play ping-pong as you are to dine.

Entertainment is similarly eclectic: magic shows, DJs, sport, poker. Own cakes and chutney made, Tue-Fri 12noon-5pm 2-4-1 burger offer, other offerings include steak burger, ham, egg & chips, daily doorstep sandwich, slow-roasted pork belly with purple-sprouting broccoli, and salmon & smoked haddock fishcakes. Open Mon 5-11.30pm, Tue-Sat 11am-12.30am, Sun 11am-10.30pm

warm tones, neat blackboard explaining the eponymous Valencian festival’s origins, Seville poster, wall-mounted flamenco guitar. Savour some Mahou (Staropramen also on draught) and suddenly Park Street looks like Las Ramblas. About 15 wines accompany the sharing plates. Look out for summertime pavement paella. Open/Food Mon-Sat 10am-11.30pm (Sun opening due for summer) LAS IGUANAS Anchor Sq, Harbourside, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 927 6233 113 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2PB Tel: 0117 973 0730, web: www.lasiguanas.co.uk ■ Authentic South American bars popular with those after a party feel. Great food, superb cocktails, excellent tapas and good fish/vegetarian/salad options. Set lunch and happy hour deals always good value.

See Restaurants, Mexican & South American. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11.30pm (Harbourside till 12midnight), Sun 12noon-10.30pm LIVING ROOM Building 11, Canons Way, Harbourside, BS1 5TY Tel: 0117 925 3993, web: www.thelivingroom.co.uk ■ Stylish and comfortable bar, licensed till 2am at weekends, with a fabulous cocktail list. Fri and

Affordable luxury Harvey Nichols

KOBE KARAOKE 2nd Floor, Nelson House, Nelson St, BS1 2JT Tel: 07901 888882, web: www.bristolkaraoke.co.uk ■ Modern takes on traditional Chinese dishes from expert chefs, with karaoke for afters. See Restaurants, Chinese.

LA TOMATINA 2-4 Park St, BS1 5HS Tel: 0117 302 0008 ■ Eatery bringing coffees, sandwiches, tapas and more within a loungey vibe. Grab a cappuccino on the way to the office, lunch alfresco with colleagues, refuel during a shopping spree or head here for evening dining (with flamenco dancing on Wednesdays). There’s Spanish élan throughout:

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Bars BRISTOL Sat feature musicians or DJs while Sunday lunch is enhanced by a pianist and magician. Great selection of light meals and small plates - enjoy food in the bar, relaxing on the sofa or at one of the bar tables. See also Restaurants, European & Mediterranean.

LOUNGE 227-231 North St, Bedminster, BS3 6JJ Tel: 0117 963 7340, web: www.thelounges.co.uk ■ This is where the now 20-strong Lounge chain first presented its easygoing dining and drinking combination. Steaks, burgers, panini, ciabattas, veggie dishes and monthly changing specials: Beck’s lager-battered cod & chips, teriyaki fillet of beef salad.

Legendary chocolate brownies, rollover quiz on Mon (plus burger offer), Tue tapas. Draughts include Toga Man ale, Stella, Stowford Press, Dark Side, Estrella Damm. Outside seating. Open Daily 9am-11pm Food Daily 9am-10pm MILK THISTLE Quay Head House, Colston Ave, BS1 1EB Tel 0117 929 4429, web: www.milkthistlebristol.com ■ Milk thistle is believed to repair the liver, an organ in jocular jeopardy given the fine drinking on offer here. In an 18th-century building (formerly Merchant Venturers HQ), its atmospherically lit vault, parlour,

On a mission to deliver quality Mission Burrito

lounge and attic feature pelts, paintings, taxidermy, stained-glass windows and Chesterfields. Cocktails, spirits, wines, bottled beers, stout, porter and cider plus a nine-strong champagne list - get elegantly refreshed over four floors. Doesn’t function as a restaurant, but private-hire banquets can be staged, with the regular menu offering charcuterie, cheese boards etc. Got a new boss, some mates, prospective in-laws to impress? Thistle do nicely... Open Mon-Fri 5pm-1.30am, Sat 6pm-3am MISSION BURRITO 62 Park St, BS1 5JN Tel: 0117 927 3339, web: www.missionburritos.com ■ Hand-selected and hand-prepared burritos washed down with Corona, Modelo or the rarely spotted Pacifico Clara. Kids (and non-drinkers) get their own spotter’s-badge beverage, with uber-rare Jarittos cola.

Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm MR WOLF’S 33 St Stephens St, BS1 1JX Tel: 0117 927 3221, web: www.mrwolfs.com ■ Effortlessly cool vibe and wilfully eclectic musical/ artistic offerings, with something going on most nights: live bands, solo artists, open mics, DJs. Food is noodles, in big flavours and even bigger portions: chicken & broccoli, beef & pepper, pork & pineapple, tofu & spinach, prepared to order in an open kitchen.

Eat in or take away. Save money via Sun-Wed twofor-one offer and Fri lunchtime half-price offer. Open Mon-Sat 6pm-close, Sun 7pm-late, Fri 12noon-2pm Food Mon-Sat 6-10pm, Sun 7-10pm, Fri 12noon-2pm MUD DOCK 40 The Grove, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 934 9734, web: www.mud-dock.com ■ Uber-cool combination of bike emporium and chilled cafe-bar gastro hangout, with great watery views from the sundeck. Well-stocked bar. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean.

NO.1 HARBOURSIDE 1 Canons Rd, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 929 1100, web: www.no1harbourside.co.uk ■ Admirably diverse bar and cafe home to both a vintage cycle hire service (Cycle the City) and cake stall (La Dame Gateau.) ‘With its links to Bristol’s cultural quarter and waterside setting, there’s a feel of Stokes Croft-on-Sea,’ wrote our chap of this coolyet-inclusive eatery housed in a former transit shed for spices, tea and coffee. Locally sourced, seasonal, British square meals bring meat, fish and vegetarian options (with free soup and bread): beef & stout stew with dumplings, pan-fried Cornish sardines, Cornish mussels, savoury goat’s cheese bread &

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Bars BRISTOL butter pudding. One of the region’s very few eateries boasting an oyster bar. Music nights Wed-Sat cover jazz, folk, reggae, world beats. Fat sofas and attractive lanterns under complete cover make smokers feel welcome. Draughts and bottles include Arbor Ales. Open Mon-Wed 10am-12midnight, Thur-Sat 10am-1pm, Sun 10am-11pm Food Mon-Fri 12noon3pm & 5-9pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-4pm & 5-9pm

PARK STREET CAFE 9 Park St, BS1 5NF Tel: 0117 929 9351, web: www.parkstreetcafe.co.uk ■ Opened its doors just before Christmas 2010 and has been doing its stuff stylishly ever since. Open from 8am weekdays (11am Sat) for breakfasts, specials, sandwiches made from Herberts Bread, soups, cakes.

Open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm

NO.51 STOKES CROFT 51 Stokes Croft, BS1 3QP Tel 0117 914 8048, web: www.51stokescroft.com ■ Friendly, funky bar-cum-music venue.

Entertainment comes via live music, DJs, afterwork parties, quizzes, Stitch ‘n’ Bitch gatherings.

Food is starters like salad, soup, ham, olives, bread, followed by pizzas (from a wood-burning oven) and scrummy puds. Expect the likes of Gem, Young’s and Bombardier beside Kirin, Red Stripe, Stowford Press and Addlestone’s on draught; bottles include Kopparberg, Tiger, Leffe. Partly covered rear garden.

Food Tue-Sun 12noon-10pm

PITCHER & PIANO Waterfront, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 929 9652, web: www.pitcherandpiano.com ■ Biggest outlet in the P&P chain. Fascinating decor: fringed lampshades, a potted olive tree bringing the outside indoors, a wall-mounted rocking horse lending quirky humour. Sandwiches, tapas, breakfasts, and a salad selection due to expand come summer, with a £6.50 meal-and-drink offer Mon-Fri. Mains include 10oz steak, lemon chicken, sausage & mash, fish & chips, with 25 wines to drink.

Beck’s Vier, Grolsch Blonde, San Miguel, Sagres, Marston’s Pedigree, Symonds and Rekorderlig. This converted warehouse is perfect for summertime drinks on the waterfront seating area, private parties in the upstairs bar, a big night out, or relaxing on comfortable sofas while grabbing a bite to eat. Covers in smoking area. Food Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm

OLD BOOKSHOP 65 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1ES Tel 0117 373 8907, web: www.theoldbookshop.co.uk, Facebook ■ Tapas cafe/bar and live music venue offering weekly-changing dishes like chicken liver parfait with toast as well as aubergine parmigiana. Housed in a former bookshop, its intimate confines make it an atmospheric spot for Sat-night folk, blues, soul and jazz. Sunday roasts may give way in summer to Sundae Sundays featuring pancakes, ice-cream, milkshakes and five different bloody marys. New Monday night theme sees American food rustled up - expect burgers, hot dogs, jambalaya etc. Eventswise, they’re open to staging craft days and jumble sales in keeping with local demand - Mandy’s Make needle felting workshop staged in March. Granny chic (fringed lampshades, taxidermy) draws a hip crowd.

Heineken, Thatchers and Bristol Beer Factory on draught, with planned Facebook shout out to request future drinks. Food Tue-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sat 11am-3pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm

PORTO LOUNGE 765 Fishponds Rd, BS16 3BS Tel: 0117 902 4567, web: www.thelounges.co.uk ■ Definitely at one time the dinkiest member of the Lounge group, serving rib-eye steak, beer-battered

Big waterfront favourite Pitcher & Piano

PAPAJI’S BAR, KITCHEN & TEASMITHS 109 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PB Tel: 0117 946 6144, web: www.papajis.co.uk ■ Cakes and sandwiches go into the afternoon teas served until 5pm and the made-to-order buffets. Tea lovers are spoilt for choice, with a mighty 89 looseleaf teas stocked. There will even tea-based cocktails in the new cocktail list that was due to arrive shortly after we went to press. Open Tue-Fri 3pm-12midnight, Sat 2pm-12midnight

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Bars BRISTOL

Global Goodies Bank of Stokes Croft

Stokes Croft ■ Pedigree champs - the Stray Dogs gourmet frankfurters go down a treat.

Beerd (pictured)

St Michael’s Hill ■ Bristol’s first craft beer and pizza bar, inspired by those in the US.

El Puerto

Prince St ■ Sundays bring live paella cooking plus flamenco and Spanish guitar.

rotating real ales, Stella Black, Stella 4, Beck’s, Leffe and Bounders. Bottled world beers (13 of them) include Tasmanian James Boag. See also Restaurants, English.

REVOLUTION Old Fish Market, St Nicholas St, BS1 1UA Tel: 0117 930 4335, web: www.revolution-bars.co.uk ■ There’s plenty more than voddy at this barrestaurant set in a former fish market. Menu is largely (but not exclusively) Italian-flavoured: burgers, linguine and pizza, but chicken katsu, a Japanese dish, too. Mega Mondays bring 50% off food; Friday you can enjoy their Friday club promotion between 5-8pm and receive 2-4-1 on pints of Becks, wine and fave cocktails. Massive range of vodkas (about 30), and premium spirits ensuring sublime cocktails.

Draught includes Beck’s Vier, Gem, Stowford Press and more, bottles include Kopparberg and Peroni.

The cocktail list is 20-strong. The mezzanine level with bar is available for private hire; covers and heaters in garden. DJs Fri and Sat play hip-hop, R&B and contemporary tunes. Enjoy their own vodka flavours (toffee-chocolate, chilli) and sparkling staff/ punter banter. Open Mon-Thur 11.30am-1am, Fri 11.30am-1/2am, Sat 11.30am-2am, Sun 12noon-1am Food Daily 11.30am-9pm RIVERSTATION The Grove, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 914 4434, web: www.riverstation.co.uk ■ Classic, high-quality wines by the glass, plus wide range of interesting bottled lagers and beers. Bar/ kitchen serves well-prepared, simple food late into the evening. Extended dockside terrace for warmer months. See Restaurants, European & Mediterranean.

Open Bar/Kitchen: Mon-Wed 9am-11pm, ThurSat 9am-12midnight (last food orders 10pm), Sun 10am-5pm (last food orders 4pm)

fish & chips, sweet potato curry, tapas, burgers, salads, panini, and a children’s menu, too. Staff are friendly and the house wine eminently quaffable.

Quiz every Sun. Open Daily 9am-11pm Food Daily 9am-10pm RACKS BAR & KITCHEN St Pauls Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LX Tel: 0117 974 1626, web: www.racks-bristol.co.uk ■ Enjoy a pint and steak sandwich with your rugby match, long, late, lazy lunches, excellent food or free room hire for parties or meetings. Monday burger offer and Tuesday wine offer. Twelve screens for sport and, come summer, the terrace isn’t far behind Henley, Wimbledon and Lord’s when it comes to society socialising. Extensive wine list (15 reds, as many whites, seven champagnes), and draughts include three

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SEVERNSHED The Grove, Harbourside, BS1 4RB Tel: 0117 925 1212, web: www.severnshedrestaurant. co.uk ■ Former Venue bronze Top Banana-bagger for ‘consistently making the best cocktails in town’.

Euro-inspired flavours (including excellent tapas) line up beside fresh chargrilled cuisine. The building is believed to be a former Brunel boathouse, with terrace overlooking the water. Boasts bar and restaurant sides with separate identities. At night the bar becomes a chic lounge/cocktail venue serving classic cocktails. DJs Fri and Sat; happy hour cocktails served daily. See also Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Open Sun-Thur 9am-11pm, Fri-Sat 9am-2am Food Sun-Thur 9am-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 9am-11pm

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Bars BRISTOL SLUG & LETTUCE 26-28 St Nicholas St, BS1 1UB Tel: 0117 952 9900, web: www.slugandlettuce.co.uk ■ Modern decor incorporates separate dining and drinking areas. Menu details to be finalised as we go to press - expect burgers, pasta, Thai chicken curry, fish pie, chicken & chorizo salad. Excellent 2-4-1 cocktail offers Thur-Sat. Open Mon-Wed 10am-11pm, Thur 10am-12midnight, Fri-Sat 10am-12.30am (though licensed till 2am), Sun 10am-10.30pm Food Daily till 10pm SOCIAL 130 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5RW Tel: 0117 924 4500, web: www.thesocialbristol.co.uk (domain may change) ■ ‘A comfortable place for a stylish bit of nouveau pub nosh,’ said our man of Social’s breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sun lunch options. Neat touches appear routinely on a regularly changing menu that’s not afraid of progressing beyond British classics. Our man and guest enjoyed ‘cheering’ mains: the wedge of spinach, Somerset brie & courgette tart was ‘really good’, the ‘well-charred free-range chicken joint proved to be excellent meat, properly crisped without reducing to stringiness. Both dishes were propped on top of generous leaf salads with a scattering of roast potatoes - a welcome surprise.’ Draughts and bottles include Bath Ales, Symonds, Ashton Press, Katy, Orchard Pig, Sagres, Tribute, Leffe and Butcombe Blonde. Open Sun-Wed 10am-11pm, Fri-Sat 10am-1pm Food Mon-Sat 10am-10pm, Sun 10am-6pm SQUARE BAR 15 Berkeley Sq, Clifton, BS8 1HB Tel: 0117 921 0455, web: www.thesquareclub.com ■ The Square bar, or ‘Lower Deck’ is part of the Square Club’s members-only section. However, weekly events see the space opened up to all. Guests can enjoy the deep sofas, opulent velvet armchairs, artworks and an elegant terrace hidden behind the building. An extensive wine list includes champagnes, beers, lagers, cocktails, digestifs, aperitifs. Regular events include comedy, jazz, artwork launches.

Food Non-members welcome to dine in the upstairs restaurant the Square Kitchen - call to book

Similarly delightful is the entertainment, with DJs, quizzes and plentiful live music (one of Venue’s finest has rocked here with Big Joan). Open Sun-Thur 12noon-1am, Fri-Sat 12noon-3am Food Daily 12noon10pm TINTO LOUNGE 344 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8TP Tel: 0117 942 0526, web: www.thelounges.co.uk ■ Cool, friendly cafe-bar that, like the others in the Lounge group, offers a Venue Top Banana-winning formula of food, mood and drink. Dishes include fine tapas, burgers, brunch (all day), sweet potato, puy lentil & spinach curry, and fantastic monthly changing specials. Open Daily 9am-11pm Food Daily 9am-10pm TOBACCO FACTORY CAFE-BAR Raleigh Rd, Southville, BS3 1TF Tel: 0117 902 0060, web: www.tobaccofactory.com ■ Popular with everyone from a young, funky crowd and old lags to kids, theatregoers, film-lovers, artists and scientists. Green Room showcases monthly artists, short films, special events, monthly science cafe and Wed quiz night. Live music every Sun, 2.30pm and 8pm. Open kitchen produces good-value locally sourced seasonal food with Mediterranean touches.

Kids’ meals at lunchtime, plus lunch specials weekdays 12noon-3pm. Mains include ethically sourced fish, meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes. Industrial-style interior, designed by local owner/architect/mayor George Ferguson, is enhanced by local artwork.

Atmospheric sound, lighting and candles add to the

Cool, friendly café-bar Tinto Lounge

START THE BUS 7-9 Baldwin St, BS1 1RU Tel: 0117 930 4370, web: www.startthebus.tv, www. myspace.com/startthebus ■ Former Venue Top Banana bagger, where numerous draughts include four real ales, two scrumpies, Blue Moon, Brooklyn and Kozel, with bottles bringing further variety. Classic comfort food takes in burgers, fish & chips, macaroni cheese, pies, sandwiches.

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Bars BRISTOL mood come evening. In the sunny yard and terrace with outside bar, enjoy a Bristol Beer Factory awardwinning ale or organic soft drink. Must-see sweeping tensile canopy provides plentiful seating and cover for smokers. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-midnight, Sun 10am-11pm WATERSHED CAFE-BAR 1 Canons Rd, Harbourside, BS1 5TX Tel: 0117 927 5101, web: www.watershed.co.uk ■ Continental cafe by day, hugely popular bar by night, open early till late for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and late-night bites: fresh, local and ethical. Independent beers and international wines, and three cinemas showing independent films in this arts and media centre.

See also Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Open Mon 10am-11pm, Tue-Fri 9.30am-11pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm Food Daily 10am-9pm WEES LOUNGE BAR 72 Park St, BS1 5JX Tel: 0117 929 1166 ■ Our man wasted no time after its opening last year checking Wees’ chilled mood: fat leather sofas, premium spirits, cool tunes, killer cocktail list. It’s spacious and relaxed - you’re equally as comfortable basing your night out here as you are taking advantage of free entry to carry on the partying into the wee small ones. Groups and reservations welcome to savour 35 cocktails, Italian wines, champagnes and bottled beers, with bar snacks and a shisha bar out back. Happy hour 5-9pm; loyalty cards bring great offers. Open Sun-Wed 5pm-2am, Thur 5pm-3am, Fri 5pm-4am, Sat 5pm-5am WHITE LION BAR & TERRACE Avon Gorge Hotel, Sion Hill, Clifton Village, BS8 4LD Tel: 0117 973 8955, web: www.theavongorge.com ■ Hugely popular bar attached to the Avon Gorge Hotel, with massive terrace overlooking the suspension bridge and Somerset’s hills beyond. Around 10 mains (burgers, chicken florentine, penne pasta, pies, scampi), plus lighter choices (soup, nachos, salads, sandwiches, baked brie) were on a menu set to change as we went to press. Wine list of around a dozen strong, and a brace of real ales. Screens show Sky Sports. Open Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-11pm Food Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-10pm THE WOODS 1 Park St Ave, BS1 5LQ Tel: 0117 925 0890, web: Facebook TheWoodsBristol ■ The Woods serves around 100 whiskies amid a gentlemen’s club ambience and ace garden with heating and cover. Eclectic beer offerings (changing every three to six months) include Blue Moon,

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Brooklyn East Pale Ale, Delirium Tremens, Nocturnum.

Regularly enhanced spirit range, three reds, three whites, champagne and around 30 cocktails: 2-4-1 all day Sun, and nightly 5-8pm. And a monthly whisky club! Draughts (Grolsch, Grolsch Blonde, Aspall’s, Stowford Press) served in half-pint glasses and two-/ three-/four-pint pitchers. Open Mon-Thur 5pm-2am, Fri 5pm-4am, Sat 5pm-6am, Sun 7pm-2am ZERODEGREES 53 Colston St, BS1 5BA Tel: 0117 925 2706, web: www.zerodegrees.co.uk ■ Pioneering drinking and dining concept combining bar, restaurant and onsite brewery (no artificial colouring, preservatives or sweeteners). Sleek industrial interior (sports shown) plus alfresco dining balconies. European-influenced dishes include pizza, pasta, salad, mussels, risotto. See also Restaurants, European & Mediterranean. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-12 midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm ZEST CAFE, LOUNGE & BAR 408 Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8TR Tel: 0117 949 0142 ■ Upbeat look via pastel shades of orange, red, green and lime. Authentic Mediterranean food: homemade falafel and marinated black tiger prawns, traditional chicken tagine, herb-crusted salmon, tasty mezze, homemade baklava and creme brulée. Two courses £10 daily, three for £14. Old Speckled Hen in bottles, with the rarely seen Turkish Efes beer in bottles. Three or four whites, and as many reds, one rose. Open Mon-Fri 6pm-late, Sat 10am-late, Sun 10am-9pm

Bath ALL BAR ONE High St, BA1 5AQ Tel: 01225 324021, web: www.all-bar-one.co.uk ■ Popular branch of the booming high-street franchise, offering an exceedingly well-stocked bar, extensive wine list, continental beers and coffee, tea etc, all day long. Sturdy but stylish standards (brunch, hot/cold sandwiches, light lunches, modern British classics, well-considered tapas/antipasti selection) abound, and wallet-friendly offers and deals are regularly updated on the specials board and website. Over-21s only. Open Mon-Thur 10am-11pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12midnight, Sun 10am-10.30pm Food Daily 10am-9pm ALLIUM BRASSERIE AT THE ABBEY HOTEL North Parade, BA1 51LF Tel: 01225 461603, web: www.abbeyhotelbath.co.uk ■ Glossy, chic brasserie and bar featuring a stylish

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Bars BRISTOL/BATH lounge, covered alfresco patio and menus courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Chris Staines. See Restaurants, English.

BELUSHI’S 9 Green St, BA1 2YJ Tel: 01225 481444, web: www.belushis.com/venues/ bath-bars ■ Busy, buzzy bar catering to a young/clubby crowd, serving wallet-friendly, sociable food: light bites, burgers, fish & chips, steaks, all-day breakfasts, salads. See website for offers/deals on food and drink.

Open Mon-Thur 11am-12midnight, Fri-Sat 11am-1am, Sun 11am-11pm Food Daily till 9pm BRASSERIE BLANC Francis Hotel, Queen Square, BA1 2HH Tel: 01225 303860, web: www.brasserieblanc.com ■ Bar and brasserie at the epicentre of the recently refurbished Francis Hotel. See Restaurants, French.

BROWNS Orange Grove, BA1 1LP Tel: 01225 461199, web: www.browns-restaurants. co.uk ■ Big, stylish restaurant, separate bar area (goodvalue cocktail happy hour) and gorgeous terrace. See Restaurants, English.

CAFE ROUGE 15 Milsom St, BA1 1DE Tel: 01225 462368, web: www.caferouge.co.uk ■ French-themed cafe-bar/brasserie/restaurant serving franglais food in convivial surroundings. See Restaurants, French.

CENTRAL BAR 10 Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RG Tel: 01225 333939, web: www.centralbarbath.co.uk ■ Enduringly popular city-centre watering hole with a big, well-stocked bar (wines, beers, spirits, cocktails) and easygoing range of thoughtful, homemade, largely locally sourced grub including superb breakfasts, brilliant burgers and a rollicking Sunday roast. Available for private hire. Open Mon-Thur 9.30am-11.30pm, Fri 9.30am-2am, Sat 8am-2am, Sun 9.30am-4pm Food Mon 9.30am-8.30pm, Tue-Wed 9.30am-4pm, Thur 9.30am-8.30pm, Fri-Sun 9.30am-4pm CIRCO The Halcyon, 2-3 South Parade, BA2 4AA Tel: 01225 444100, web: www.circobar.co.uk ■ Chic subterranean cocktail hotspot featuring a splendid alfresco terrace with deckchairs for lounge lizards to sprawl on. Stylish bar snacks and sharing platters include salads, pizzas, terrific tapas, sweet treats. Open Mon-Thur

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5pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-3am, Sun 12noon12midnight Food Wed-Sun 5-10pm COSY CLUB Unit R4, Southgate, BA1 1TP Tel: 01225 464161, web: www.cosyclub.co.uk ■ Another link in the well-heeled, local Loungers chain, offering wallet-friendly all-day menus (fab tapas), a well-stocked bar (fab cocktails), eclectic funky decor in a spacious, relaxing environment and an upper-level alfresco balcony. See Restaurants, English. Open Sun-Wed 9am-11pm, Thur-Sat 9am-12.30am Food Daily 9am-9.30pm COTE BRASSERIE 27 Milsom Place, BA1 1BZ Tel: 01225 335509, web: www.cote-restaurants.co.uk ■ Freshly prepared French classics and great-value prices, with regularly changing seasonal specials, contemporary Gallic brasserie-style. See Restaurants, French.

GARFUNKEL’S The Empire, Orange Grove, BA1 1LP Tel: 01225 461465, web: www.garfunkels.co.uk ■ Bar with cocktail menu, separate lounge and dining areas at the elegant Bath branch of this chain serving up American-themed grub. Alfresco patio offers Abbey views. See Restaurants, American.

GASCOYNE PLACE Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 445854, web: www.gascoyneplace.co.uk ■ Sparkly, glamorous, exceedingly well-stocked bar at the epicentre of a lively merrymaking bar/ pub/restaurant hybrid. See Pubs, and Restaurants, English.

GRAPPA 3 Belvedere, BA1 5ED Tel: 01225 448890, web: www.grappabar.co.uk ■ A well-stocked bar and effortlessly sophisticated pizzeria/bar menus served in chic but cosy surroundings make this one of Bath’s most stylish and perennially popular drinking dens. ‘Club class, but without the hassle of membership rules,’ is how one of our barflies put it. Menus rely heavily on Little Italy for influence: smartly dressed pizzas, flamboyant antipasti/sharing platters, classic salads. Open MonThur 5-11pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-12midnight Food Mon-Sat 5-10pm HALL & WOODHOUSE 1-3 Old King St, BA1 2JW Tel: 01225 469259, web: www.hall-woodhousebath.co.uk ■ Ambitious, split-level, good-times complex

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Bars BATH

Cocky Cocktails Circo

South Parade ■ Turn the art of mixology into an arthouse event.

Old Q Bar

Queensberry Hotel, Russel St ■ The Bath version of the best backdrops from Sex and the (Heritage) City.

Pulp (pictured) Monmouth St ■ Happy hour cocktails Tue-Sat 12noon-7pm, all day Sun-Mon.

JOYA 6 Newmarket Row, Grand Parade, BA2 4AN Tel: 01225 460240, web: www.joyarestaurant.co.uk ■ Sophisticated Italian-themed bar with a great little kitchen attached, from the lovely folk behind the Real Italian Pizza Co and Real Italian Ice Cream Co. Standards - from style to the quality of the kitchen and bar fare - are exceptionally high. See Restaurants, Italian. Open Daily 12noon-11pm (Sun 10.30pm) Food Daily 12noon-9pm MANDALYN’S 13 Lansdown Rd, BA1 5DX Tel: 01225 425403, web: www.mandalyns.co.uk ■ Recently renovated, Bath’s longest-established gay bar offers a welcoming, party-on vibe – loud, proud and always great fun. Open till 3am Thur-Sun. See website for details of guest DJs, karaoke, cocktail nights and student offers.

MARKET Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 330009, web: www.marketbath.com ■ A well-stocked, well-priced bar complements the upmarket burgers, pizzas and Medi-themed platters at this lively Sawclose social epicentre.See Restaurants, English.

MOLES MUSIC CAFE 14 George St, BA1 2EN Tel: 01225 404405, web: www.moles.co.uk ■ Lovely, lively, laidback cafe (and fully licensed bar) specialising in sociable tapas sharing platters. Open Daily from 11am, closing hours vary depending on club nights/gigs OLD Q BAR Queensberry Hotel, 4-7 Russel St, BA1 2QF Tel: 01225 447928, web: www.thequeensberry.co.uk ■ Plush, uber-glam cocktail hotspot with charming alfresco urban oasis out back, set within the chic, boutique Queensberry Hotel. The bar menu offers sandwiches, a charcuterie platter, steaks etc, at prices from £6-£20. Open Daily 12noon-late

combining pub/bar area, fine-dining restaurant, continental brasserie, spacious alfresco area and rooftop garden - gorgeous. See Restaurants, English.

OPA 14 North Parade, BA2 4AJ Tel: 01225 317900, web: www.opabath.com ■ Sprawling Greek cafe-bar and restaurant with an alfresco area directly overlooking the river. See Restaurants, Greek & Turkish.

HUDSON BAR & GRILL 14 London St, BA1 5BU Tel: 01225 332323, web: www.hudsonbars.co.uk ■ The atmospheric street-level bar at this chic little steakhouse and grill offers great cocktails, interesting ales and a confidently eclectic wine list to match the spiffing grub. See Restaurants, American.

PORTVCALE LOUNGE 43 St James Parade, BA1 1UQ Tel: 01225 424321, web: www.portvcalelounge.co.uk ■ Warm, welcoming family-run Portuguese restaurant and bar with smart booth seating at street level and cosy vaulted bar downstairs. Authentic Portuguese food (including fabulous tapas), continental cocktails and

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Bars BATH red/white sangria (2-4-1 deals on jugs Sun-Thur). See Restaurants, Spanish & Portuguese. Open Mon 12noon1am, Tue 5pm-1am, Wed-Thur 12noon-1am, Fri-Sat 12noon-2am Food Wed-Mon 12noon-9pm PULP Monmouth St, BA1 2AJ Tel: 01225 336666, web: www.iguanas.co.uk ■ Food at this Las Iguanas ancillary (downstairs from the Bath branch, at street level) focuses on walletfriendly tapas and Mexican-styled munchies (nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas) and sturdy sandwiches. Superb cocktails, too - those based around cachaca (the national spirit of Brazil) feature heavily. Happy hour cocktails Tue-Sat 12noon-7pm, all day Sun-Mon. Open Mon-Sun 12noon-11pm (Sun 10.30pm) Food 12noon-9pm REVOLUTION York Buildings, George St, BA1 2EB Tel: 01225 336168, web: www.revolution-bars.co.uk ■ Spacious, hip hangout (part of a huge chain) with a hip, striking bar largely revolving around vodka, cocktails and shooters, with suitably funky menus to match: sharing/nibbling/mezze platters, wraps, sandwiches, salads, gourmet burgers, proper pizzas, sturdy Sunday roasts. See website for crunch-busting offers or get a Revolution Privilege Card for further huge discounts. Regular events, DJs, party nights, drinks promos. Open Daily 12noon-12midnight (10.30pm Sun) Food Daily 12noon-9pm

platter and smaller/larger main course selections.

Also hosts regular wine/whisky tastings. See Restaurants: English.

TRAMSHED Beehive Yard, BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 421200, web: www.thetramshedbath.co.uk ■ Sprawling bar, heated and covered alfresco terrace and dining area serving all-day modern British menus with Mediterranean influences. See Restaurants: English.

VELO LOUNGE 30 Moorland Rd, Oldfield Park, BA2 3PW Tel: 01225 344663, web: www.thelounges.co.uk ■ This welcoming bar-diner oozes bonhomie and brings the genuine ‘neighbourhood bistro’ experience to Bath. Experienced Loungers (the ‘brand’ now boasts small-chain status) enjoy menus that take in breakfast, wrap/panini/light-bite any-timers and tapas plus burgers, steaks and heartier fare starting at around £7.25. Daily specials board keeps things lively, the house wine is excellent, cocktails go large for minimum prices, and coffee is the real McCoy. Board games, daily papers, regular quiz nights. Open Daily 9am-11pm Food Daily 9am-10pm

Oozing bonhomie Velo Lounge

SLUG & LETTUCE 5-6 Edgar Buildings, George St, BA1 2EB Tel: 01225 789050, web: www.slugandlettuce.co.uk ■ Spacious cafe/bar/brasserie/pub/restaurant at the axis of the George St/Milsom St crossroads. Broad breakfast/brunch selection till 12noon every day gives way to panini, wraps, salads, jacket potatoes, burgers and no-nonsense mains (fish & chips, chicken curry) well into the evening. Promotions offer credit-crunch cheer (see website for details). People-watching opportunities from the street tables out front, and an urban oasis in the back garden. Private hire rooms available. Open Daily 10am-12midnight (11pm Sun) Food Daily 10am-9pm TASTING ROOM 6 Green St. BA1 2JY Tel: 01225 483070, web: www.tastingrooms.co.uk ■ Stylish offshoot of expert wine buff Will Baber’s longstanding Larkhall haven of grape-related excellence. Suggested tipples are flagged up alongside the regularly-changing chalk board food specials, staff are confidently knowledgeable and the vibe is as welcoming, laidback and easygoing as the menu, which is thoughtfully divided up into tapas,

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Pubs BRISTOL

Pubs Bristol ADAM & EVE 7 Hope Chapel Hill, Hotwells, BS8 4ND Tel: 0117 329 3515 ■ This attractive pub nestles at the bottom of Hope Chapel Hill. No food served, but live music and/or open mics are dished up four evenings weekly. Five real ales (Gem and Doom Bar plus three rotating guests) plus Addlestone’s Cloudy cider and premium bottled beers.

ALBION Boyces Ave, Clifton Village, BS8 4AA Tel: 0117 973 3522, web: www.thealbionclifton.co.uk ■ ‘Its reputation for excellence is well-deserved,’ wrote our man of a Clifton institution with Michelin and Good Food Guide mentions. Local-produce menu depends entirely on what’s available, but has featured asparagus, poached egg and parmesan, whole crabs and baked duck egg, chorizo and new potatoes. The Bath chap is a must-try; T-bone to share is carved by diners at their table, with the tapas menu bringing more sharing. And their tarte tatin? ‘Worthy of topping any things-to-do-in-Bristol-before-you-die list!’ shouted our man. Similarly nifty is the Albion’s own Zerodegrees-brewed pilsner. Outdoor screen appears for summer sport; carol singers drop in at Christmas.

Food Dinner: daily 7-9.30pm. Brunch: Tue-Sun 11am-3pm. Lunch: Tue-Sun 12noon-3pm. Bar menu: Tue-Fri 3-10pm ALMA TAVERN 18-20 Alma Vale Rd, Clifton, BS8 2HY Tel: 0117 973 5171, web: www.almatavernandtheatre.co.uk ■ The new ownership mentioned in last year’s guide has arrived, upping the food ante at a Clifton pub that was already special, thanks to its having the country’s only pub/theatre west of London. Mains include sustainable fish & chips, the Alma burger, homemade pie of the moment and chickpea & spinach curry, plus handcarved honey-roast ham with fried free-range egg and chunky chips. Evening menu brings the likes of black truffle & wild mushroom arancini, Ashton Court venison steak, whole baked rainbow trout and panfried cod medallions wrapped in bacon on bubble and squeak, as well as tenderloin of pork and Bath chap rillettes. Twenty wines are joined by five real ales, two of which are rotating guests. Food Daily 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm ANCHOR 323 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8PE Tel: 0117 924 1769 ■ Student Central, with a lively atmosphere for

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watching the sport and plenty of drinks offers bringing cheap celebration/commiseration. Weekly quiz winners bag £100 and get their photo on the pub’s Facebook page. Traditional pub grub includes lasagne, all-day breakfasts, sausage & mash, steak & ale pie, chilli, burgers, chicken tikka masala, wraps.

Two outside drinking areas. Live music always worth catching - and hats off to those Dryathlon participants who earned their free drink back in February 2013.

Food Daily 12noon-9pm ANNEXE Nevil Rd, Bishopston, BS7 9EQ Tel: 0117 949 3931, web: www.the-annexe.co.uk ■ Cricket lover’s paradise, housed in a converted skittle alley attached to the Sportsman. Top-notch real ales bring Sharps Doom Bar, St Austell Tribute and Timothy Taylor’s Landlord. Full menu includes salads, wraps, burgers and mains. Pizzas are £6 each or two for a tenner (Mon-Fri 5pm-close, Sat-Sun 4pm-close), with curry or reggae-reggae bases for the adventurous. Sunday roasts bring lamb, pork, chicken and vegetarian options. Three screens of its own, plus an outside biggie in the courtyard, shared with the Sportsman. Popular with visiting fans to matches at the nearby County Ground. Quiz on Mondays.

APPLE Welsh Back, BS1 4SB Tel: 0117 925 3500, web: www.applecider.co.uk ■ ‘Pipes with attractive curvature beside rivets, girders and portholes beneath a cobalt and honey ceiling lend downstairs a funky functionality,’ wrote our man of this boat-based boozer, quite possibly serving more ciders than any other boozer on earth. In 2009 they bagged the prestigious Golden Onion as National Ploughman’s Lunch Champion at the Great British Cheese Festival. Create your own bespoke dish from components including cheddar, Cornish yarg, pork pies, duck pâté and Wiltshire ham, or choose anything from Cheeseroller’s Lunch to Farmhand’s Banquet.

Barrel-tapping staged Wednesdays from 5pm, and if you’re after seeing where the lovely scrumpy comes from check, out their website. Food Daily 12noon-8pm AVON PACKET 185-187 Coronation Rd, Southville, BS3 1RF Tel: 0117 987 2431 ■ Far more on offer here than first meets the eye.

Once past the front bar with side drinking area, you’ll find a back games room and footbridge (over what was once a bear pit) to a sizeable beer garden with ducks - real ducks - splashing merrily. A friendly feel, with dominoes, cribbage, snooker and bar billiards, pool and Sky Sports. Food takes in cottage pie, chilli, beef stroganoff, goulash and beef or chicken curry,

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Pubs BRISTOL washed down with Courage Best and Bass ales, lagers, Guinness and cider. Fascinating toy car and keyring collection; covered and heated smoking area out back.

Food Mon-Sat 11am-10pm BANK TAVERN 8 John St, BS1 2HR Tel: 0117 930 4691, web: www.banktavern.com ■ Modestly sized 255-year-old boozer with William Morris patterns, picture of the Queen and fake khazi door among its decor. Seasonal, traditional British dishes (fish & chips, ham, egg & chips) plus lasagne, wraps, panini, sandwiches. Three meat options (and veggie choice) among the Sunday roasts. Live music staged; recent rugby-themed menu to coincide with the Six Nations. Food Daily 12noon-4pm BARLEY MOW 39 Barton Rd, St Philips, BS2 0LF Tel: 0117 930 4709, web: www.barleymowbristol.com ■ Given that the Dings (a dinky, 600-strong village) was crowned Community of the Year in December 2010

by Axa Insurance, the Dings’ sole boozer, purposebuilt in the 1820s, might have a claim to being the country’s most local local. Homemade soup, pies, chilli, burgers, vegetarian options and baguettes.

Great Sunday lunch, weekday lunch (often curry) for a fiver, and Bristol Beer Factory ales plus guest on draught. See website for festivities throughout the year. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 5-11pm, FriSat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-8pm Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 5-9pm, Sun 12noon-3pm BELL Hillgrove St (off Jamaica St), BS2 8JT Tel: 0117 909 6612, web: www.bell-butcombe.com ■ Loud and proud for at least 222 years - these ace people are too good to you. Classic central Bristol wooden-floored pub in vibrant Stokes Croft. Hidden away off the main strip, with a patio garden with electric heaters (perfect for smokers). Clientele ranges from artists/street artists to musicians, students and local residents. Local DJs (plus those from further afield) 9.30pm-12midnight weekdays (1am weekends). Well-priced Sunday lunch (£6.95): slowroast pork, chicken or beef, nut roast (vegan), spinach & cream cheese lasagne or salmon fillet cooked with ginger and soy sauce. Weekday menu includes baguettes, wraps, burgers, homemade vegetarian burgers, nachos. Food Sun-Fri lunchtimes & 6-8pm, Sat 5-8pm (sometimes 9pm) BISHOPS Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 944 5169 ■ ‘A well-run operation offering something for

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everyone,’ wrote our reviewer of this classy biggie down by the Arches. A cool £100,000 refurb since last year has brought in a shabby-chic look, though there’s nothing shabby about the menu (set to change shortly after we went to press). Plentiful choices take in a varied burger menu, lasagne, and gammon, egg & chips. A wide sides selection and 700-calorie menu ensure all bases are covered. Seven massive screens show sport year-round, but there’s also a femalefriendly mood prevailing. Keep abreast of the world with newspapers and free Wi-Fi. Five real ales always on, four ciders, about 15 reds and whites. Food Daily 11am-9pm BLACKBOY INN 171 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2RY Tel: 0117 973 5233, web: www.blackboy-inn-bristol. co.uk ■ Modern British gastropub serving fresh, seasonal, locally sourced dishes. As we went to press, diners were enjoying starters such as carrot, orange & ginger soup, Capricorn goat’s cheese, spinach & roast tomato tart, classic crayfish & prawn cocktail, and an antipasti platter. Main courses include steak, ale & chestnut mushrooms shortcrust pastry pie, venison sausages with creamy mash, pan-seared calves’ livers, and corn-fed chicken breast, with vegetarians savouring a vegetable tartiflette. Carefully selected wine list. Food Tue-Wed lunchtimes (reservations taken), Thur-Sat 12noon-2pm, Sun 12noon-5pm, Tue-Thur 6-9pm, FriSat 6-9.30pm, Sun eves (reservations taken).

BRIDGE INN 16 Passage St, BS2 0JF Tel: 0117 929 0942, web: Facebook page ■ Members of Bristol’s sizeable (and historic) Polish community will feel particularly at home here, with Agata from Gdansk in charge and her fellow countrywoman Kasia behind the bar, and the Wi-Fi password chosen from their native language. As we went to press, new shelving for the pub’s famed vinyl collection - “Everything from Led Zeppelin to the Wombles” - was due to be installed. There’s clearly still music in the air, though, with February’s antiValentine’s night ‘celebrated’ with pints and cookies.

Attendees wore black and rocked out, eschewing pink fluffiness for something edgier. Food-wise, expect changing mains such as fish & chips and chilli alongside sandwiches and plenty more. Themed dining in honour of Saints Patrick and David will have been enjoyed by the time you read this. Curry of the week served Mon-Sat till 10pm; open mic nights, quiz second Tue of the month (with the winning team’s name on the honours board). Book exchange, board games and friendly punter/staff banter ensure smiles all round at one of Bristol’s dinkiest boozers, while

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Pubs BRISTOL four front tables catch the sunshine. Open MonThur 12noon-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 6-11.30pm BRISTOL CIDER HOUSE 8-9 Surrey St, St Pauls, BS2 8PS Tel: 0117 942 8196, web: www.bristolciderhouse.co.uk ■ A ‘cosy, dinky atmospheric gem’ (according to our chap) - and the opening hours are similarly petite.

This house is open only three evenings weekly, which means plenty of time over the rest of the week to stage parties and their patented cider-tasting gatherings. Around 20 ciders on offer, with rustic dining accompaniment. Smokers enjoy the upstairs balcony under cover brought by some lovely old barrels. Quiz and DJ nights staged. Open Thur-Fri 5pm-12midnight, Sat 12noon-12midnight BRISTOL FLYER 96 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8BN Tel: 0117 944 1658, web: www.theflyerbristol.co.uk ■ There’s bar-snack brilliantness at this former Top Banana bronze winner, location of many a Venue gathering back in the day. When the chef is so taken, he’ll create six delicacies from a 20-strong squad including battered black pudding, quail scotch eggs, chorizo and dipping bread - and all will be gone within the hour. More substantial bites include pork & chorizo burger, ox cheek & red wine pie, wild salmon fishcakes and half a roast Shropshire chicken.

A home from home, with comfy sofas dotted within dark nooks and crannies. Quiz on Mon, 20% wine club discount Tue, books and board games, plus a belter of a garden out back, where smokers can linger comfortably. Stunning drinks selection, with fruit beers among around 20 draughts. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm BRISTOL RAM 32 Park St, BS1 5JA Tel 0117 926 8654, web: www.bristolram.com ■ Traditional pub grub is done particularly well at this lively, welcoming pub with its seasonal, freshly cooked, largely locally sourced menus, alongside plenty of real ales and continental lagers. DJ Wed, cocktails and karaoke Thur, live music on weekends and live sport on big, high-definition screens. Food Tue-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5-9.30pm, Sat 12noon9pm, Sun 12noon-5pm CADBURY HOUSE 68 Richmond Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5EW Tel: 0117 924 7874, web: www.thecadbury.co.uk ■ How about the Cadbury’s Reggae Sundays, when Passion FM’s DJ Beavis spins mellow reggae with your roast? At other times, cop for ham, egg & chips,

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breakfasts, steak sandwiches and sticky toffee pudding here. A friendly vibe is guaranteed from a clientele comprising students, locals and virtual tenants at this legendary Montpelier boozer. DJs spin on Thur and you may well catch more tunes (live or on vinyl, of a dancehall-reggae-funk-soul variety) on Fri and Sat. Three real ales, three ciders on draught.

Large, enclosed rear garden includes table football.

Food Mon-Fri 4-9pm, Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon6pm CAMBRIDGE ARMS Coldharbour Rd, Redland, BS6 7JS Tel: 0117 973 9786, web: www.cambridgearms.co.uk ■ ‘One of Bristol’s grandest boozers, with its bold, imposing facade giving way to an interior where characterful fixtures and fittings - beer pumps shinier than a Buckingham Palace guard’s toecaps - create a classy vibe,’ wrote our man. Traditional food with a modern twist is enhanced by culinary creativity, fresh ingredients and regularly changing specials.

Ace ales from Fuller’s end up in the grub: London Pride in the steak & ale pie’s gravy, Discovery in the batter for a better fish (hake) & chips. Burgers, too. The service? ‘Sharp-as-a-tack barmaid Nina spotted empty glasses like a kestrel spots a vole with a broken leg,’ our man noted. Extensive beer garden (with hog-roast machine awaiting action) out back is an oasis of green; the suncare dispenser at the bar should stop you going too red. Four real ales at any time (London Pride, Discovery, Butcombe and guest), with the sublime Honey Dew, featuring organic South American honey, on draught and in bottles.

Around 20 wines across glasses and bottles. Quiz on Sun. Open Sun-Thur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon11.30pm Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm, Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-8pm CIDER PRESS 86-90 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BN Tel: 0117 989 2471, web: www.screampubs.co.uk/ theciderpressbristol ■ Formerly the Rising Sun (the Cider Press’s first birthday was celebrated in January 2013 with an impressive cake and lively hog roast), but still a student hotspot where they proudly proclaim that ‘eating’s not cheating’. A mains menu packed with many a favourite brings fish & chips, lasagne, steak & ale pie and gammon & egg, with Thai and Mexican flavours adding variety. Admirable innovation in the extensive burger offerings includes a fish & chip burger (complete with mushy peas) plus an allday breakfast burger and a Louisiana variety made from Cumberland pork. Veggies get good choices throughout the kitchen’s output. Expect a cracking atmosphere for sport, be it football, rugby or gridiron

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Pubs BRISTOL that’s getting cheered on. As the name suggests, the cider offerings are as wide as a yokel’s grin, and with plentiful drink (and dining) offers, your bank account will be smiling too. Open Mon-Wed 10am-12midnight, Thur-Sat 10-1am, Sun 12noon12midnight

Hard to Beat Kings Arms

Whiteladies Rd ■ Ace staff, epic macaroni cheese and a smoker made out of an old fridge.

CLIFTON 16 Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HG Tel: 0117 974 1967, web: www.thecliftonbristol.co.uk ■ They’re a delightfully different bunch at the Clifton (check out the wilfully eclectic furniture). Regular dining offers up homemade burgers, ox-cheek pie and wild salmon fishcakes plus lunchtime sandwiches and Sunday roasts, conjured up in an open kitchen.

Enduringly popular weekly quiz (The Clifton Factor), while Wednesdays bring a Grab My Grapes wine promo. Excellent booze options: seven lagers, four ciders, four speciality beers. Food Mon-Sat 12noon10pm, Sun 12noon-9pm

Wellington (pictured)

Gloucester Rd ■ Brilliant beer, excellent food and eight boutique bedrooms to boot.

White Bear

St Michael’s Hill, Kingsdown ■ Damon Albarn and Massive Attack’s 3D took part in last year’s conker fight - fingers crossed for more fun this year.

COLSTON YARD Colston St, BS1 5BD Tel: 0117 376 3232, web: www.colstonyard-butcombe. com ■ Our man is lucky enough to have a 5% NHS discount card-toting mate (cheers, Charity) so has dropped in a few times since last year’s guide on unofficial EOW research. He’s found a city-centre boozer, grill and restaurant with a rural pub’s charm and Camra Cask Marque recognition, boasting a mightily impressive 30-strong world bottled beer selection. An innovative ale pricing strategy during the Six Nations saw competing teams matched to a designated sup (Ireland got Guinness, natch), and when the final whistle blew, ’twas cheaper to toast the victors than drown the sorrows of the vanquished. The magnificent (yet rarely celebrated) fishfinger sandwich is among a range of butties and wraps served lunchtimes daily (except Sun). Mains include burgers, fish & chips, sausage & mash and wild mushroom risotto. Comfy sofas inside; light, stylish seating on pavement outside. Open Mon-Thur 11am-12midnight, Fri-Sat 11-1am, Sun 12noon-11pm

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PIC: SIMON FRY

COACH & HORSES Highland Square, Clifton, BS8 2YB Tel: 0117 974 5176, web: www.coachandhorses-bristol. co.uk ■ There’s an almost continental ‘plaza’ feel to the setting at this neighbourhood pub serving dishes like steak and piri piri chicken (the pub is home to a chilli appreciation society) to a loyal clientele. One deal as we went to press was two steaks and wine for £25 on Thursdays. Weekly quiz. Food Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-3.30pm

CORONATION TAP 8 Sion Pl, BS8 4AX Tel: 0117 973 9617, web: www.thecoronationtap.com ■ Legendary ciderhouse serving, among others, Exhibition cider unavailable elsewhere on Planet Earth (it’s probably not on Mars, either). Live tunes are similarly out of this world, with the Cori (as it’s known to its innumerable friends) bagging a Great British Pub Award in 2011 for being the South West’s best live music pub. August’s CoriFest brings a week of barbecues, hog roasts, cider and music. Open Mon-Fri from 5.30pm, Sat from 7pm, Sun from 2pm

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Pubs BRISTOL COTTAGE INN Baltic Wharf, Cumberland Rd, BS1 6XG Tel: 0117 921 5256, web: www.cottage.butcombe.com ■ The endearing sight of people messing about in boats enhances the homely ambience at this harbourside wonder with its traditional, homecooked food. A full menu and daily changing specials include lasagne, chilli (plus veggie option), scampi, bangers & mash, gammon steak, hunter’s chicken and jacket potatoes, with fish pie an occasional special. Beautiful spot for Sun lunch, either indoors beside the fire or outside. Open Mon-Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 12noon10.30pm CROSS HANDS 1 Staple Hill, Fishponds, BS16 5AA Tel: 0117 965 7759, web: www.thecrosshandsbristol. co.uk ■ ‘Like its sister pub, Horfield’s Royal Oak, the Cross Hands represents all that is good in the modern boozer,’ said our man. ‘High-ceilinged throughout, its various areas provide plenty for everyone… fat leather sofas are made for unwinding and groups can chow down on the long tables, while the incredibly stylish function room has staged 18th, 21st and 60th birthdays, plus post-funeral gatherings, monthly comedy nights, keep fit classes and amateur dramatic performances.’ Food highlights include spiced pumpkin tartlet, salt beef with bubble & squeak, open chicken pie and upside-down fig tart with homemade honey ice-cream. See Royal Oak listing for ales and wine details. Cross Hands draught lagers are Beck’s Vier, Peroni and Budweiser; ciders are Thatchers Gold, Stowford Press, Addlestone’s and Old Rosie. Mon quiz; comedy first Fri monthly is always a sell-out. Front and back gardens made for balmy days. Food MonFri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm DUKE OF YORK 2 Jubilee Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9RS Tel: 0117 941 3677, web: Facebook page ■ At this Camra Bristol and District Pub of the Year 2008, four ales change all the time - expect 16 a month. Eleven ciders include organic and bottled varieties; this was the nation’s first pub to get Lilley’s Bee Sting on draught (Apples & Pears is also here). A magnificent seven draught lagers comprise Amstel, Foster’s, San Miguel, Budweiser, Staropramen, Kronie and Heineken. Bottles bring Bristol Beer Factory ales and Czech Budvar, among others. Great games room upstairs has pool, darts and fussball, and there’s a bona fide skittle alley downstairs, while the beer garden has a retractable sail. No food - just crisps, nuts, pork scratchings. Wed quiz. Open Mon-Thur from 5pm, Fri from 4pm, Sat- Sun from 3pm

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ELDON HOUSE 6 Lower Clifton Hill, BS8 1BT Tel: 0117 922 1271, web: www.theeldonhouse.com ■ Charming little Clifton boozer off the beaten track.

Extensive refurbishments in recent years have brought a modern, glass-roofed conservatory, complete with artworks. Cut-above traditional English food (made in house, sourced locally) plus five real ales (including a strong Bath Ales presence). Other draughts include Bounders, Bee Sting, Kronie and Freedom Organic, while the lovely wine is from Bristol Wine Merchants.

Impressive entertainment includes live music, film and quiz nights. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 5-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 12noon-11pm CURRENTLY CLOSED FAMOUS ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER King St, BS1 4EF ■ Dating back to 1673, with interior, modelled on a ship captain’s cabin. Alas, as we went to press this historic beauty was closed and under offer with a property consultancy.

FARM Hopetoun Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9YJ Tel: 0117 944 2384, web: www.thefarmpub.co.uk ■ Like any bona fide farm, this one has a dog - a lively little puppy who will (inevitably) be a bit bigger by the time you read this. Nestled between the City Farm and St Werburghs allotments, and a short walk from the M32 and Gloucester Road, the Farm boasts a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, spacious garden, mural-covered exterior and cosy interior and welcomes young and old.

Food reflects the clientele - drop in for a filling meal after a hard night’s partying or for Sunday lunch with the in-laws. Traditional dishes (bangers & mash), everpopular mezze platters, homemade ‘St Werburgers’, and renowned Sunday lunches - get there early! All meat and veg is locally sourced where possible; veggies and vegans are well catered for. Three real ales at any time plus good cider choices: Old Rosie, Stowford Press and Thatchers Gold on draught, with Thatchers Pear and Westons Wyld Wood (organic) among the bottles, and warming mulled cider come winter. Lagers include San Miguel and Amstel. Coffee machine, too. Sundays see quizzes and live music alternating. Smokers get converted pigsties and a large canopy under which to spark up. Food MonSat 12noon-7pm, Sun 12noon-sold out FORESTERS ARMS 99 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AT Tel: 0117 940 1848 ■ Not to be confused with the identically named pub further up and off Gloucester Road. You’ll be glad that you found this place: the two pool tables are only 50p a game, and the Taunton Traditional and Blackthorn

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Pubs BRISTOL Sweet only cost £2.30 all day Sun-Thur. Other draughts include Doom Bar, Bass, Kronenbourg, San Miguel, John Smith’s and Guinness; bottles include Newkie Brown, Crabbie’s and Bulmers. Bring in your CDs for a spin. Rolls sometimes served, depending on which staff are on.

FULL MOON & ATTIC BAR 1 North St, Stokes Croft, BS1 3PR Tel: 0117 924 5007, web: www.fmbristol.co.uk ■ Never was the phrase ‘multi-functional operation’ more appropriate. This place is rightly known for its eating, drinking, music (Musical Youth gigged recently), monthly market, events (Howard Marks spoke recently) and backpacker accommodation, but for Venue types it’s also where much-missed legendary food editor the late Marc ‘Doc’ Crewe was seen off in style, and where co-founder/group editor/ publishing director/Gashead/golfer and all-round good guy Dave Higgitt’s career was celebrated amid a sea of swear words. Beer was drunk, pizzas (made in the alfresco Moonshine Bar’s wood-burning oven) were shared with Venue folk past and present, insults were exchanged, and the final Bonio Awards were staged. Props to friend-of-Venue (and alleged DJ tutor to Don Letts) JJ. Freshly made, locally sourced food includes starters (£3.95) such as leek & potato soup, grilled halloumi with bread, chicken caesar salad; mains feature pan-fried sirloin steak with garlic new potatoes and carrots, battered cod fillet with chunky chips and peas, and vegetable crumble with new potatoes and salad (£7.95, £6.95 NUS/backpackers).

Two courses for £10 Mon-Sat (Sun £11.95 with free bloody mary). Four local real ales at any time, from the likes of Wickwar and Box Steam (Piston Broke on tap as we went to press), plus a good lager selection and a cider affectionately known as ‘trampagne’ around here. No home to go to? Seventy onsite beds with eco-friendly organic cotton linen await. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-8.30pm, Sat 11am-8.30pm, Sun 11am-5pm GOLDEN GUINEA 19 Guinea St, Redcliffe, BS1 6SX Tel: 0117 987 2034, web: www.thegoldenguinea.co.uk ■ Tucked-away tavern on several levels. Food is small dishes (pâté, cheeses) and baguettes, with several hot specials always on. Entertainment comes via live graffiti, open mics, comedy and quizzes. Food Daily, all day REOPENED GRAPES 2 Sion Place, Clifton, BS8 2AX Tel: 0117 946 7123, web: www.thegrapesclifton.com ■ That iconic photograph confirms that the great

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IKB was partial to the odd cigar, but it’s also possible that he drank in this very pub while staying at the adjacent hotel during the construction of his Clifton Suspension Bridge (the Grapes is the nearest pub to it). Reckless engineers (and everyone else, for that matter) can today drink Wadworth ales and fine wines here, accompanying food that spans baguettes, snacks, sharing platters, British pub classics, Italian specialities and Sunday roasts. Open Tue-Fri 5-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-7pm Food Fri 6-11pm, Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm GREEN MAN 21 Alfred Place, Kingsdown, BS2 8HD Tel: 0117 930 4824, web: www.dawkins-taverns.co.uk ■ Formerly the Bell. The name reflects its MO, serving only organic and natural drinks where possible.

Menu, food-serving hours and drink details not available at time of going to press - contact pub for more info.

HARE ON THE HILL Dove St, Kingsdown, BS2 8LX Tel: 0117 908 1982, web: www.bathales.com ■ The independent Sky boxes at this hillside beauty boasting bags of charm meant that Man City’s ecstasy and Man United’s agony were being watched at the same time here back in May 2012. And the discerning sports fans here know their stuff, savouring less mainstream delights such as the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. Board games, quizzes and darts accompany beautiful Bath Ales brews and the lesserspotted Sierra Nevada on draught, with humble Heineken doomed to be replaced by “something more interesting” as we went to press. Leffe was also among the bottles, but that may be leaving, too - there are hopes of some Belgian craft ales being introduced. The 17 single malts are staying. Food brings legendary triple-cooked chips and toasties, with roasts (and apple crumble) served Sunday afternoons. Unfailingly top staff and management.

Thur quiz. Food Mon-Sat 12.30-9pm, Sun 12noon4pm & 4.30-9pm HEN & CHICKEN 210 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JF Tel: 0117 966 3143, web: www.henandchicken.com ■ Beaucoup punters ordering drinks in French here means that local language group Alliance Française are staging another of their end-of-term nights at a boozer with a second-floor function space.

January 2012’s show featured teenage tantrums (“Pas juste!”), dodgy driving, Blind Date and Nicolas Sarkozy, while this year’s stellar performance saw Gerard Depardieu on trial. Food details not supplied as we went to press - check with pub.

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Pubs BRISTOL HIGHBURY VAULTS 164 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DE Tel: 0117 973 3203, web: www.highburyvaults.com ■ Uber-lovely Banana Bread beer is among the bottles at this deceptively long boozer much beloved of the varsity crowd. Darkened nooks and crannies lead out into a beauty of a beer garden. Eight real ales always on - usually split 50/50 between permanents and guests, with Young’s, Highbury Gold, Gem and Tribute regularly present. Made the news several years ago when a Nick Walker mural appeared on one of its walls. Depicting a graffiti artist climbing up Rapunzel’s hair, it’s an image not a million miles from how some punters ended up here: this is where condemned prisoners spent their last night before finding themselves on the end of a rope. Food is sausage & mash, pies, chilli, curry, nachos, soup and ploughmans, mostly around £6. Veggies are catered for admirably amid the constantly changing specials. Guaranteed to be rammed come August, when St Michaels Hill stages its annual Party on the Hill. Food Mon-Thur 12noon-2pm & 5.30-8.30pm, Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-8.30pm, Sat 12noon-2.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm HOPE & ANCHOR 38 Jacobs Wells Rd, BS8 1DR Tel: 0117 929 2987, web: www.hopeandanchor.net ■ Tucked away beside Brandon Hill, between Hotwells and Clifton, stands this traditional boozer with its absence of TVs, games machines and pool tables.

Leaded windows, bountiful Worcestershire hops, flags, wooden flooring and British racing green-and-

Stylish side-street boozer Hophouse

cream colour scheme. Eclectic specials and traditional English grub, from pies, pancakes, soups, sarnies and breaded haddock to lasagne, lamb curry, fresh whole trout and organic falafel. Sunday roasts see them queuing before opening. Equally folkloric are the ploughmans, with a tasty trio selected from 36 different potential components. Out back there’s a quirky, friendly-vibe terraced garden with ivy-covered stumps, runaway creepers and a veritable sewingmachine graveyard.

HOPHOUSE 16 Kings Rd, Clifton, BS8 4AB Tel: 0117 923 7390, web: www.hophouseclifton.co.uk ■ Tucked away off a Clifton side-street and frequented by professionals and students, with a locally sourced, monthly changing seasonal menu. More than two dozen wines on the wine list, five South West real ales on rotation, six South West ciders, six lager taps and 50-plus bottled beers from around the world. Stylish surroundings, live music every last Saturday of the month, and sport (not football) occasionally shown. Food Tue-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm, Sat 12noon-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm.

HORTS 49 Broad St, BS1 2EP Tel: 0117 925 2520, web: www.youngs.co.uk ■ This deceptively large pub that seems to go on for ever actually has numerous nooks and crannies for intimate chats and quiet meals. One of the city’s biggest beer ranges sees nine on draught, including Young’s Bitter and London Gold, Wells Bombardier and Waggle Dance plus guests, with bottled ales including Young’s Chocolate and Banana Bread.

Draught ciders are Blackthorn, Thatchers Gold, Addlestone’s, Scrumpy Jack and Thatchers Heritage, with the uber-rare Kirin Ichiban one of five draught lagers alongside Peroni, Kronie and Foster’s varieties.

Non-ale bottles bring everything from Peroni, Sol and Budweiser to Bulmers Pear and Original, Crabbie’s and Rekorderlig. A dozen reds and whites split 50/50. Pub grub includes burgers, bangers & mash, fish & chips.

Smoking area with awning and heaters. Exemplary sport offerings: Sky Sports, plus 3D action! Food MonFri 12noon-4pm & 5-9pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-9pm INN ON THE GREEN 2 Filton Rd, BS7 0PA Tel: 0117 952 1391, web: www.theinnonthegreen.org ■ May 2012 saw 2,000 thirsty punters descend here for an annual beer fest - look out for more in 2013 at this former Camra Bristol and District Pub of the Year. Their community credentials extend to a meat raffle and charity quiz on Sundays. The regularly changing, well-executed menu, influenced by cuisines from across the world, maintains British

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Pubs BRISTOL classics like braised lamb shank, fish pie, sea bass fillet. Our reviewer wrote that the goose ‘comprised thick slices of tender, superbly seared bird nestling against generous dollops of sweet sloe berry jelly’, and that the steak was ‘beautifully cooked and nicely blackened on the outside, with a real depth of flavour’. Veggies get options like beetroot risotto, lunchtimes bring ciabattas, and £20 gets you two steaks and wine on Mon. Thirteen beers and seven ciders always available - something to consider if your team wins the Sunday quiz, as you have a round of drinks to enjoy, people! Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-10pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-10pm JERSEY LILY 193 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2SB Tel: 0117 973 9037 ■ You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ If you do (and you are), you may win the £150 bingo top prize on offer here on a Monday. See if your fortune holds up in Wednesday’s quiz, then come back on Fri and Sat for live music. While you’re here, tuck into some traditional pub grub. Foster’s, Theakston’s and Blackthorn among the taps. Big screen for Sky Sports.

Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 5-9pm, Sun 12noon-8pm KELLAWAY ARMS 138-140 Kellaway Ave, Horfield, BS6 7YQ Tel: 0117 942 6210, web: www.kellawaybristol.co.uk ■ There’s an attractive south-facing garden at this Horfield family favourite, where the nippers can play and the grown-ups can sample something from an extensive wine list (complete with tasting notes) ranging from £12.95-£69 a bottle. All generations will no doubt enjoy the similarly extensive pizza options, from the uncluttered margherita to the indulgent frutti di mare, taking in calzone and quattro formaggi en route. Tapas, burgers and vegetarian choices, too.

Back indoors, the lounge and snug come with roaring fireplaces - just the job if you’ve just been roaring on the rugby team. Intriguingly enough, the knife and fork are depicted as being for left-handers on the pub’s smart new menu - drop in and ask them what that’s all about… Open Mon-Wed 5-11pm, Thur-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-8pm KENSINGTON ARMS 35-37 Stanley Rd, Redland, BS6 6NP Tel: 0117 944 6444, web: www.thekensingtonarms. co.uk ■ Look out for a street party come July at a pub that’s proud of its family feel (and that includes the dog). Chef Charlie arrived here from the Albion in early 2012, illustrating the calibre of cuisine coming out of the Kenny’s (open) kitchen since its tasteful refurbishment and revitalisation a few years back:

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steak & kidney pudding, whole brown crab. Ten reds and as many whites accompany the gourmet grub.

Four real ales likely to include Greene King IPA and Morland Original, with cider lovers getting Stowford Press. The outside terrace is perfect for warmer weather. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sat 10am-3pm & 6-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm KING WILLIAM 20 King St, BS1 4ES Tel: 0117 926 8672 ■ Gloriously characterful and quirky historic beauty rambling through numerous rooms over five floors.

Seating ranges from gentleman’s-club armchairs in loungey areas to wooden booths beside the main bar.

Food takes in pies, lasagne (plus veggie option), fish & chips, chilli, macaroni cheese and caesar salad. Muchloved by punters for its easygoing air - conversation is king. You won’t find TVs, music or multinational branding, but you will find Fairtrade drinks on draught and in bottles, with vegan and vegetarian quaffers well catered for. Organic wheat beer, cherry beer and cola.

Ale starts at an excellent-value £2.50 a pint (lager from £2.25). Dartboard, three pool tables, Fussball, bar billiards. Food Daily 12noon-9pm KINGS ARMS 168 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2XZ Tel: 0117 973 5922, web: www.kingsarmsbristol.com ■ Predominantly British fare at this big pub with interesting interior, spread over several levels. Try beerbattered haddock with chunky triple-cooked chips or free-range belly pork cooked in cider. Great burgers, lighter bites, tapas, salads, etc, homemade from locally sourced ingredients. Roof terrace for enjoying those cask ales in summer. Wi-Fi, too. Open Tue-Wed 12noon11.30pm, Thur 11am-12midnight, Fri 11am-12.30am, Sat 10am-12.30am, Sun 12noon-11pm, closed Mon KINGSDOWN VAULTS 31 Kingsdown Parade, BS6 5UE Tel: 0117 329 2521 ■ Traditional ale house where winter’s welcoming roaring fire can be seen from outside when passing by - look in to see marshmallows getting toasted. Come summer, the landscaped courtyard garden makes for wonderful alfresco drinking. Up to five ales on offer, and a unique take on tapas, plus live country/ blues/jazz/folk every weekend. Open Sun-Thur 4pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 4pm-1am LANSDOWN 8 Clifton Rd, BS8 1AF Tel: 0117 973 4949, web: www.thelansdown.com ■ Enduring charmer steeped in character. Pub food is the order of the day: soups, white bait, handcut

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Pubs BRISTOL chunky chips, bangers & mash, chilli, renowned New Yorker hamburger, lamb burger. Beers from independent local breweries, and popular decking out back - marquee comes and goes with the seasons.

Upstairs function room, Wed quiz in winter, summer BBQs. Food Mon-Thur 5-10pm, Fri 12noon-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12.15-4.30pm & 5-8.30pm LAZY DOG 112 Ashley Down Rd, BS7 9JR Tel: 0117 924 4809, web: www.thelazydogbristol.com ■ Expect black polo necks and Malcolm X specs to be spotted here, thanks to the ‘almost art house’ film club staged on alternate Wednesdays. Beasts of the Southern Wild may have been getting snubbed by the Oscars as we went to press but it no doubt got thumbs-up when shown to the Lazy Dog’s film-loving crowd. The Sun Behind the Clouds, looking at China’s occupation of Tibet, confirms the club as a Fast & Furious-free zone.

Clever-clogs get a quiz every other Tuesday. “Ales and cocktails.” That’s the all-encompassing philosophy behind the Lazy Dog, sister pub to the Pipe and Slippers and the Windmill, our chap was told. He found a boozer with clean, art deco-style surroundings: ‘Massive front windows are perfect for people watching, while intimate booths bring seclusion.’ Snacks, sharing plates and pies, and specials that have included cheeseburger with chorizo, sweet potato & chick pea veggie burger, and chilli sausages, with £4.95 lunches Mon-Fri. Sizeable outdoor area out front, and a covered shelter out back in the extensive garden. Gem and Bristol Beer Factory’s Sunrise plus two revolving guests, good cocktail list, dartboard, big screen showing terrestrial sport, and private-hire space used for neighbourhood meetings and the like.

LION 19 Church Lane, Cliftonwood, BS8 4TX Tel: 0117 926 8492, web: www.thelionclifton.com ■ A good place is hard to find - and this pub is true on both counts, hidden away, as it is, in the delightful depths of Cliftonwood. Once it has been found, however, you’ll be glad you made the effort - your rewards are homemade gastropub dining and a good selection of wines, cask ales and cider on tap. The adjacent children’s park staged an open-air showing of Ghostbusters last year (look out for more during the first weekend of September 2013 - and don’t forget your sleeping bag), and the pub is central to Cliftonwood’s street fair. Open mics staged. Food MonSat 12noon-2.30pm & 6.30-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-5pm LOUISIANA Bathurst Parade, Wapping Rd, BS1 6UA Tel: 0117 926 5978, web: www.thelouisiana.net ■ “If I lived in Bristol, I’d form a band just to be

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able to play the Louisiana,” said Scissor Sister Ana Matronik. Hosting live music for over 100 years now (with landlord Mr Schillace here a mere 26), the Louisiana continues to attract rock royalty: White Stripes, Coldplay, the Strokes, Amy Winehouse… they’ve all gigged in the intimate confines of the upstairs room. Very popular with students (especially at weekends) as well as locals. Downstairs, the environment is hassle-free and welcoming. London Pride on tap, plus Gaymers, Blackthorn, Thatchers Gold, Beck’s and Red Stripe. Balcony, and alfresco seats for chilling. Sunday carvery 12noon-3pm, lunchtime panini Mon-Fri. MASONS ARMS 124 Park Rd, Stapleton, BS16 1DT Tel: 0117 939 3919 ■ ‘An extraordinary rear garden rivalling Babylon’s hanging version’ is to be found here, according to our reviewer. The easily-missed exterior of this mid-terrace marvel promises little, ‘but on entering you find the dinkiest of snugs and a larger main bar complete with natty model motorbikes’. As we went to press, food wasn’t being served, though it may return.

Definitely still on are six real ales, plus Black Rat, Blackthorn and Ashton Press ciders.

MERCHANTS ARMS 5 Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ Tel: 0117 904 0037 ■ ‘Camra have rightly recognised the decor for its bygone beauty, with wooden floors and panelling, subdued lighting and black-and-white photographs creating a cosy, inclusive space,’ wrote our man. ‘A pub as they used to be.’ Bar snacks (Split Tin Bakery pies, filled rolls, pork pies) go gorgeously with the Bath Ales brews - permanents Gem, Barnstormer and Spa plus guest Festivity when we visited. Regulars travelling from Kingswood, Nailsea and Portishead confirm the pub’s quality. Artists’ work displayed, quiz Thur, live music at least once monthly. Open/ Food Mon-Thur 4-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm MINERS ARMS Mina Rd, St Werburghs, BS2 9YQ Tel: 0117 907 9874 ■ Particularly popular with the local climbing club, with many original features and an open fire come winter. Six beer pumps bring the likes of Bath Ales’ Gem, Tribute, Butcombe, Doom Bar, Landlord and Dawkins Ales. Lagers line up as Carlsberg Export, Staropramen, San Miguel, Stella and Foster’s, with Stowford Press and Old Rosie among the ciders. Three whites, as many reds and one rose, plus large whisky and bourbon selection. Open no-mic nights Tue, and

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Pubs BRISTOL Let’s Be Nice night on first Sat of the month, with DJs playing nice tunes from 10pm. Three rooms: quiet and comfy sofa lounge, games room, free-hire upstairs room for parties. Heating and cover in the smokers’ yard. Nearly 30 crisps and snacks varieties sold - a local record?

MOTHER’S RUIN 7-9 St Nicholas St, BS1 1UE Tel: 0117 329 2141, web: Facebook ■ Expect the unexpected at this three-floored madhouse - live music or DJs every night, the stranger the better. Also expect a friendly, safe atmosphere and doormen who’ll hug you a hello as you arrive.

Stages what’s easily one of Bristol’s top quizzes - five rounds themed on general knowledge, films, pictures, special subject and musical intro, with cheap drinks for early arrivers, free curry at half-time and the chance to win £100. As they ask themselves, what more could you want on a Tuesday? Rated by Venue’s resident band member as the place everybody ends up at after gigging. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2am, Sun 6pm-12.30am MOUSE Waters Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 4AA Tel: 0117 940 5554 ■ Congratulations to the lovely people at the Mouse - they’ve been to Ashton Court Mansion since last year’s guide to collect a Bristol in Bloom certificate in recognition of the amazing beer garden here. The food is blooming marvellous too - combos and pub grub include steak & kidney pudding, hunter’s chicken, gammon steak, cumberland sausage. A sport-showing TV set (receiving Sky and ESPN) is sometimes set up in the aforementioned outdoors. Poker Wed, quiz Thur, live music once a month, but the real red-letter day in this pub’s calendar is its annual last-man-standing chilli-tasting competition - not for the faint-hearted.

Permanents Courage Best, Deuchars IPA and Gem are joined by a rotating fourth real ale. Other draughts include Staropramen, Amstel and Thatchers Gold.

Food Mon-Tue 12noon-8pm, Wed-Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-6pm NOVA SCOTIA Nova Scotia Place, Hotwells, BS1 6XJ Tel: 0117 929 7994 ■ Dockside drinking den, providing a cosy bar, great alfresco seating and a warm welcome for all, including families and City fans. Sups include Bass, Courage Best plus two guest ales, Thatchers Traditional, Gold and Dry, Blackthorn, Kronie and Foster’s.

Hearty English pub grub comes in delicious form: chicken breast with stilton and bacon, hot and cold doorstop sarnies, curries, Sunday roasts. Traditional

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interior with original maritime memorabilia - look out for maps and ships’ charts featuring Bristol and Portsmouth harbours that are used as wallpaper. Folk club Mon eve. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6.309pm, Sun 12.30-4pm OLD FISH MARKET 59-63 Baldwin St, BS1 1QZ Tel: 0117 921 1515, web: www.oldfishmarket.co.uk ■ You may have spotted a sizable queue of ale aficionados snaking from this handsome city-centre biggie in January 2013, with hordes of hopefuls lining up for Camra beer festival tickets. As the name suggests, the pub is housed in premises formerly selling the sea’s bounty - a tunnel still leads from its cellar to the river (and a splendid mural depicts a bygone shipside scene). Sports fans watch the action on decent-sized screens, in an atmosphere that’s always passionate but never excessively so. It’s a Fuller’s boozer, so London Pride is among the brews on draught and in bottles. Food options are primarily Thai, with burgers, steaks, fish & chips and garlic tiger prawns among pub grub options. Open MonThur 12noon-11pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10pm Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-7pm OSTRICH INN Lower Guinea St, Redcliffe, BS1 6TJ Tel: 0117 927 3774, web: www.ostrichpub.co.uk ■ Whether stumbled upon or deliberately sought out, this waterside wonder (with extraordinarily extensive seating) brings a sense of discovery. Food here is remarkably inexpensive: two-for-one steak offer Mon, curry & drink £5.95 Wed, with lovers of selected spirits able to double up any time at all for a measly extra £1.25. English pub classics (beer-battered fish & chips, scampi, burgers, gammon), plus veggie options. Marston’s among the real ales, wine list is a baker’s dozen-strong across red, white and rose. Live music and quiz plans in the pipeline. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm PIPE & SLIPPERS 118 Cheltenham Rd, Stokes Croft, BS6 5RW Tel: 0117 942 7711, web: www.thepipeandslippers.com ■ Give full vent to your inner Bob Holness when playing the Blockbusters board game that’s among the pastimes here. Our man dropped in on unofficial research in January (Serbian Christmas Day, as it turns out) and can vouch for a top time to be had by all. Some ace food, too - our chap made short work of the cheeseboard, while the group’s bona fide Serbian polished off both the chicken wings and a Pieminister beauty. If you’re not making your own entertainment, the DJs spinning regularly will do it for you. Drink

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Pubs BRISTOL options in the Pipe and sister boozers Lazy Dog and the Windmill are, famously, ‘everything from real ales to cocktails’, and our man and fellow unofficial researchers can also endorse the wine, lager and cider here. Can I have a ‘P’ please, Bob? Open Mon-Wed 5pm-12midnight, Thur-Fri 5pm-1am, Sat 12noon1am, Sun 12noon-12midnight PORT OF CALL 3 York St, Clifton, BS8 2YE Tel: 0117 973 3600 ■ Nautically themed beauty (as the name may suggest), with fishing nets and lobster pots bringing the coast to Clifton. “Don’t write anything good about the place,” the chap in the Lundy Island sweatshirt told our man. “It’s busy enough as it is.” Renowned for its real ale - a Scottish sup was served recently on Burns Night - and the Sunday roasts have also been making a good name for themselves. A new lunchtime menu was due to be launched shortly after we went to press. Weekly quiz. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm PORTCULLIS 3 Wellington Terrace, Sion Hill, Clifton, BS8 4LE Tel: 0117 908 5536 ■ Mini mid-terrace marvel that was runner-up Camra Bristol Pub of the Year 2010. Up to nine real ales on at any time, with similarly mini end-of-month beer festivals and larger fests four times throughout the year. Food brings platters of cold meats, etc. Open Mon-Fri 4.30-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon10.30pm POST OFFICE TAVERN 17 Westbury Hill, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3AG Tel: 0117 940 1233, web: www.post-office-tavern.co.uk ■ The POT at WoT to its many friends, this traditional local was originally a mail coach house - the old jail across the road is where prisoners were locked up on their way to court as the mail man and his nags got their respective nosebags. Fascinating post office imagery dotted throughout, including an old telephone box within the pub itself. Find pizzas famed citywide (two-for-one Monday), which can also be taken away, plus starters, light bites, classic mains, vegetarian choices and lunchtime sandwiches.

Butcombe, Bass, Doom Bar and Courage Best on draught. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm PRINCE OF WALES 5 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AA Tel: 0117 924 5552, web: www.powbristol.co.uk ■ Time was, Venue’s tribe would regularly claim a Princely corner for convivial team-building purposes, a thought that almost brought a tear to our Head

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Honcho’s otherwise flinty eye when we visited. The Big Cheese enjoyed lemon, pinenut & leek risotto balls stuffed with buffalo mozzarella, served with roast pepper dip. Moving onto mains, Honcho’s fish pie, jostling nuggets of salmon, mackerel and smoked haddock in creamy white wine sauce, quickly gained his approval (and he cooks a mean fish pie himself).

“Rich without cloying,” he pronounced, finding his inner Jay Rayner all of a sudden. “Velvet-smooth sauce.” Enjoy other such rich, nourishing fare, using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, at this boozer formed from two cottages and a former clock shop.

And eat safe in the knowledge that it adheres to the Soil Association’s Food, Service and Catering Code of Practice, requiring it to disclose the origins of anything used in the kitchen. Lunch brings wraps from £3.95, burgers (including veggie) from £7.25, daily specials, nibbles, bowls and tapas, while a core evening menu includes bangers & mash, fish & chips and veggie options. Funky alfresco space to the rear (where smoking provision is among Bristol’s best). Mon quiz. Open Daily 12noon-12midnight Food Mon-Thur 12noon-9.30pm, Fri-Sun 12noon-8pm PRINCE OF WALES Stoke Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3SP Tel: 0117 962 3715, web: www.princeofwalesbutcombe.com ■ Lovers of fascinating memorabilia will love studying the walls at this Westbury on Trym gem - find photos of former heirs, signed cricket bats, even a typewriter.

Lively, friendly local with open fires, where a rugbyloving clientele scrum down for scrummy chow amid an old, classic-style pub mood: fish & chips, burgers, jacket potatoes, ham, egg & chips. Excellent garden with its own TV. A cask beer mecca - even if they say so themselves!

Open Mon-Thur 11am-11pm, Fri 11am-12midnight, Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm PUMP HOUSE Merchants Rd, Hotwells, BS8 4PZ Tel: 0117 927 2229, web: www.the-pumphouse.com ■ Rated by The Guardian, holding two AA rosettes and in the Good Food and Michelin guides, this former Victorian pumping station housing a handsome dockside boozer makes for a top place for eating, drinking and music. Suntrap patio, too. Quite the spot for private functions: the water out front lends itself to beautiful wedding-day snaps. It’s enjoyed great success since Toby Gritten, formerly Albion head chef, began cooking for the upstairs restaurant and downstairs gastropub. Renovation restored original features (brickwork, wooden beams) and brought in Victorian period colours. Good-quality, modern British food - look out for innovative, seasonal dining using foraged ingredients: chanterelle, slippery jack

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Pubs BRISTOL boletes, autumn berries, wild apples. Food ALC: WedFri 7-9.30pm, Sat 12noon-3pm & 7-9.30pm. Brasserie menu (downstairs): Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6.309.30pm, Sun 12noon-3pm & 6.30-9pm

concurrently if required), there’s a quiz on Wed, and live music is planned. The suntrap terrace has been revamped. Open Mon-Thur 4pm-12midnight, Fri 4pm-1am, Sat 12noon-1am, Sun 12noon-11pm

QUADRANT 2 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BP Tel: 0117 974 1025, web: www.quadrantbar.co.uk ■ Long known for its wines, the Quadrant enjoys a good reputation for its tapas dishes (chorizo & pork casserole, spicy meatballs). Bar snacks include nachos, homemade sausage rolls, goat’s cheese.

There’s an upstairs main bar and downstairs cellar, and our man said, ‘The look is classy and smart but the feel sufficiently pub-like for a sole chap to nurse a pint with his novel.’ It might be among Bristol’s smaller pubs, but covers many bases admirably. Its wine-bar credentials are impeccable (30 plonks by the glass, more by the bottle), but you’ll also find real-ale lovers in here regularly. Must-visit wine cellar is perfect for private parties and stages popular tastings. Open/Food Sun-Thur 11am-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12.30am

ROBIN HOOD 56 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8BX Tel: 0117 929 4915, web: www.robinhoodfreehouse.com ■ ‘A clean, cosy pub delivering exactly what the modern, discerning drinker expects of their watering hole,’ was our fellow’s summation a while back.

Food is pub grub done to a good standard, so expect upgraded versions of fish & chips, beefburgers, beef & horseradish sandwiches and roasts on Sunday. Six real ales change all the time (although Moor is a more constant fixture) and there are impressive lager and cider selections. Live music Sat 9-11pm. Food Tue-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm

QUINTON HOUSE 2 Park Place, Clifton, BS8 1JW Tel: 0117 909 3857, web: www.quintonhousebristol.co.uk ■ ‘The living is leisurely, sometimes lively but rarely large at the Quinton House, a little L-shaped lovely,’ wrote our lad, who had a good look at the immaculate cellar. Spotless lines ensure perfect pints of London Pride, Doom Bar, Tribute and guest, with Amstel and Peroni too, and draught cider: Stowford Press, Thatchers Dry, Thatchers Heritage. This former Bristol Boozer Top Banana doesn’t serve food, but you’re free to bring in food from elsewhere (and even carry your drink across the road to the park opposite).

RICHMOND PUBLIC HOUSE & KITCHEN 33-37 Gordon Rd, Clifton, BS8 1AW Tel: 0117 923 7542, web: www.therichmondclifton. co.uk ■ The changes continue to be rung at this lovely oldfashioned boozer. As we went to press the main food being served was a Sunday roast, although Saturday daytime dining is scheduled and, rather charmingly, hotdogs can be rustled up on request. Even more wonderfully, the pub holds menus for local takeaways that can be ordered for onsite delivery (the pub sorts out the plate situation). Interesting real ales choices are likely to include three to six options from the likes of Deuchars IPA, Bombardier, Caledonian Golden XPA, Theakston’s XB and Young’s, while cider suppers get Symonds Founder’s Reserve and Scrumpy Jack, and draught lagers are Foster’s, Amstel and Birra Moretti.

Three screens show Sky Sports (two different events

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ROBIN HOOD’S RETREAT 197 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG Tel: 0117 924 8639, web: www.robinhoodsretreat.co.uk ■ Silver Top Bananas from Venue in 2007 and 2008 at this benchmark-setting gastropub with attractive back garden and daily changing menu. ‘The Shetland Island scallops were spot-on,’ wrote our reviewer, ‘paired with the bloody warmth of black pudding and a tangle of creamed leeks, shoots and cresses.’ For mains, expect crisp pork belly, dry-aged rib-eye steak and fillet of cod served with salmon fishcake at this boozer still offering some of Bristol’s best pub dining, with a tasting menu on Wed. Around eight real ales change on a regular basis, with 20 cocktails and 15 each of rums and whiskies. Fortnightly quiz. Food Daily 12noon-9.30pm ROSE OF DENMARK 6 Dowry Place, Hotwells, BS8 4QL Web: www.theroseofdenmark.com ■ Former Venue Top Banana bagger, bringing a changing, exceptionally good menu of pub food using the finest local ingredients. Expect dishes good enough for royalty: smoky barbecue burger, beef & black olive casserole, turkey & ham pie, half a roast pheasant, salmon, cod & smoked haddock pie, spiced lamb kebabs. Quiz on Mon, curry night Wed, live music Thur.

The downstairs Den Brasserie and Steakhouse opens Thur to Sat. The pub lists its culinary team as God, Ghandi, Florence Nightingale and Peter Pan - that’s one star-studded kitchen. Food Mon-Thur 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-6pm ROYAL OAK 385 Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8TN Tel: 0117 989 2522, web: www.theroyaloakbristol.co.uk ■ Our man was massively impressed when visiting the

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Pubs BRISTOL Royal Oak, an excellent example of how contemporary pubs can cater for all - and earn Venue Top Banana recognition in 2010. There’s a modern mood at this friendly neighbourhood boozer, with chandeliers, inviting leather sofas, punk-evoking Union Jack cushions and multi-functional rear garden making excellent use of a sizeable space and a wood-fired pizza oven. Delicious pizzas (served Fri-Sun eves during summer - but they sell out fast) are yours for a fiver. Find smoked trout & broad bean salad, bubble & squeak, wilted spinach and poached egg, Royal Oak beefburger, and pan-fried Cornish cod fillet with sweet onion puree. Thursday steak deal brings two 8oz beauties, chips, salad and a bottle of house wine for £30. Five real ales include Gem, Doom Bar and two guest ales. House wines start at £14.50 a bottle, £3.90 a glass, for a delicious crisp Chilean macabeo and wonderfully smooth tempranillo. Draught lager includes Peroni, Amstel, Staropramen & San Miguel; ciders include Thatchers Gold, Stowford Press and Thatchers Heritage Cask. Keep an eye out for their annual pork and cider fest. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm ROYAL OAK 50 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG Tel: 0117 973 8846, web: www.royaloakclifton.co.uk ■ A regular fixture in Camra’s beer guide and also listed in the Good Pub Guide, this friendly, 19th century, one-bar pub is an exemplar of a dying breed, where all punters (and their dogs) are welcome.

Homecooked food includes soup, ploughmans, baguettes and specials, with Sunday roasts including a veggie option. Four real ales - currently Courage Best, Doom Bar, Butcombe and Tribute - plus Black Rat flat and fizzy, Cornish Rattler cider, Stella 4% and Amstel on draught, with Peroni, Corona and Tiger among the bottles. Food Daily 12noon-2pm RUMMER HOTEL All Saints Lane, BS1 1JH Tel: 0117 929 0111, web: www.therummer.net ■ An inn has stood on this site since the 1200s so the Rummer is fully entitled to be considered a Bristol institution, if not a legend. Since reopening in 2005, the dear old (now modern, swanky) place has gone from strength to strength, complete with downstairs cocktail lounge, The Cellar, open Fri-Sat eves, serving the spirits, cocktails, wine and beer for which the Rummer is known. Food at the Rummer proper covers brunch, smaller plates and dining later on, in the expert hands of head chef Greg McHugh: pheasant in three guises and pig’s trotter as well as Creedy Carver duck. Breathtakingly broad spirit and bottled-beer selections befit surroundings oozing class from every pore. That said, the mood is

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admirably relaxed - guests have been known to fall asleep on the sofas after making themselves at home.

Private parties catered for; food events including steak nights staged. Open Mon-Thur 10am-11pm, Fri 10am-12midnight, Sat 11am-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm SCOTCHMAN & HIS PACK 20 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DX Tel: 0117 373 0138 ■ Light bites, baguette deals, jackets, panini, dishes of the day, specials, burgers and sides, fish and curry, alongside good ale and cider range. Plenty of entertainment includes pool, darts and Wed quiz.

Lovely balcony, free Wi-Fi. Draughts include two changing real ales plus three ciders. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm SHAKESPEARE TAVERN Prince St, BS1 4QD Tel: 0117 929 7695 ■ Quintessential, grade II listed English pub Bristol’s oldest continually licensed example of such (since 1777). Our man praised its ‘civilised air befitting the beautiful surroundings and grandness’.

Seven cask ales, including two guests, line up beside premium lagers and ciders including Stowford Press.

Food includes fish & chips, beef & ale pie, hunter’s chicken, poached salmon, bangers & mash, Lunch deals, Sunday roasts, and a quiz on Tuesday. Food Daily 11am-9pm SOMERSET HOUSE 11 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BX ■ Characterful Clifton Village charmer with Courage Best, London Pride and Directors on draught alongside Scrumpy Jack, Blackthorn, Symonds and their lager brethren. Currently in-between management, but expect good pub food and Sunday roasts to be joined by regular tasting sessions bringing ostrich, kangaroo and the like. A quiz is likely to be up and running by the time you read this, with live music also due to return.

SPORTSMAN Nevil Rd/Seymour Rd, Bishopston, BS7 9EQ Tel: 0117 942 7525, web: www.the-sportsman.co.uk ■ Free pool on Mondays, and bagging two pizzas for a tenner here is one of Bristol’s simplest yet greatest pleasures. The name kind of says it all: big Victorian pub just a mightily-hit six from the County Ground, and a mecca for sports fans. Hustlers get 13 pool tables and six plasma screens show as many different sports channels at a time, with an outdoor screen where 150 can assemble. Dartboards and a jukebox enhance your entertainment, with the enjoyment

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Pubs BRISTOL ante upped via a mighty cider range including Cornish Rattler Berry, Pear and Apple, Thatchers Dry, Blackthorn and the rarely spotted Copper Press.

Those after ale get Doom Bar, those wanting whisky get 30 choices, and Amstel, Foster’s and Red Stripe are among the lagers. Kitchen details as per Annexe (see listing in this section). Covers and heaters in the courtyard.

SPOTTED COW 139 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1EZ Tel: 0117 963 4433, web: www.thespottedcowbristol. com ■ The roof garden continues to bear fruit: herbs feature in the salsa verde served with the sea bass here, aubergines and tomatoes are incorporated elsewhere in the menu, and the hedgerow salad is made entirely from its bounty. Neat touches include gold-leafed Bath stone, logo-etched frosted windows, eye-catching mirrors and a garden out back. Food changes fortnightly - expect ham hock terrine with fresh bread, West Country lamb hotpot, and butternut squash & blue cheese croquettes. One of few pubs nationally to serve a whole roast suckling pig (first Sun monthly). Quiz Tue, DJs Fri-Sat night and Sun afternoon, and exemplary disabled access. Venue bronze Top Banana winner 2008. Our man concluded: ‘You can trust this gastropub - they know what they’re doing (and they do it so well).’ Food Mon-Thur 12noon-3pm & 5-9pm, Fri-Sun 12noon-9pm STAG & HOUNDS 74 Old Market St, BS2 0EJ Tel: 0117 329 2141, web: Facebook ■ More brilliant leftfield goings-on from the Mother’s Ruin party people at one of Bristol’s oldest boozers.

This place dates from 1483 and was once the location of a court set up to deal with travelling ne’er-dowells falling foul of the law at local markets and fairs – an annual proclamation of this role was read out under the pub’s portico until the 1970s. Plenty of live music and open mics, and quiz night Mon (with free half-time food). Three ales always on, and 10 extraordinarily tasty burgers: beef rendang, chorizo on pork, beef & beer (marinated in Butcombe), pork & cider apple. Cracking rooftop terrace. Food Daily 12noon-8pm STAR & DOVE 75-78 St Luke’s Rd, Totterdown, BS3 4RY Tel: 0117 933 2892, web: www.staranddove.co.uk ■ Serving a ‘peasanty’ style of reinvented 14th-15th century dining, with an indubitable connection to the land. Seasonal and local ingredients are used in dishes made onsite from scratch, following recipes found in books dating back centuries. One of the

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chaps here is reading history at the OU, and some produce is foraged - further proof of the pub’s mission to serve tavern-style eating in the 21st century.

Offerings are considered to have come from garden, sea or farm, with bacon of lamb an example of the last. Lamb belly is cured for 28 days, then served with egg, new potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Nothing appears on the menu unless it has a purpose - the people here consider themselves historians as much as chefs. Current offer: Tue-Fri 12noon-4pm, 2 £10, 3 £12. Six real ales are always on, with 250 different beers served since they reopened in April 2011. Around 15-20 whites and as many reds feature English options, and there’s also English champagne, plus Stowford Press among the cider choices. A firepit has been built for outdoors cooking; music room stages open mics on Tue. Food Mon from 5pm, TueSat 12noon-4pm & 5-10pm, Sun 12noon-4pm THREE SUGAR LOAVES 1 Christmas Steps, BS1 5BS Tel: 0117 329 2523 ■ Housed in an old sugar refinery (dating back, in places, to 1680), this place boasts a whole lot of history and was reopened as an alehouse in 2012 by the inventive people behind Mother’s Ruin, Stag & Hounds, Adam & Eve and Kingsdown Wine Vaults, who got a magician in to wow punters on launch night.

There’s a boho vibe in keeping with its Christmas Steps location, and quirkiness comes by way of the pub being made by knocking three buildings together and by the presence of a (disused) sugar oven.

Embracing the new ale movement, three brews are always on, with plans for a half-dozen in total. Food is the flavoursome burgers going down a treat at the Stag & Hounds. Food Daily 12noon-8pm VICTORIA 2 Southleigh Rd, Clifton, BS8 2BH Tel: 0117 974 5675, web: www.dawkins-taverns.co.uk ■ Tom Waits waits on the wall for mains to arrive at this former Top Banana bagger. Until then, Pieminister sausage rolls and pork pies take the edge off your appetite as you enjoy some amazing innovations brought by top pub duo Dee and Paul Tanner. Their Only Fools and Horses-style home cocktail bar (boasting plastic pineapple and fibreoptic lamp) brought Formica refinement when a Valentine’s soiree was staged one February. Tasteless wallpaper and miniature umbrellas enhance such evenings’ tackiness, with Paul’s 1970s suit upping the cheesy ante. It’s all extremely Abigail’s Party/ fondue night/black forest gateau. Crap-prize bingo brings more naffness on the last Thur of the month, while the second Thur of the month is Play Your Cards Right night, featuring dolly dealer Olivia, who

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Pubs BRISTOL

Top Nights Out Coronation Tap

Sion Place, Clifton Village ■ Cider, live music and Kasabian’s drummer! LSF: lovely scrumpy funhouse.

Hare on the Hill (pictured) Dove St, Kingsdown ■ Old-school boozer with rare and unusual malts plus new menu bringing burgers and bar snacks.

Victoria

Southleigh Rd, Clifton ■ More than 40 of the Belgie blighters - a little corner of Bruges in BS8.

trawls Gloucester Road for dresses and earrings for the part. Petrolheads should be getting Top Gear showings, while all get an insight into the workings of Paul’s mind thanks to a weekly ‘thought bubble’ update. Six real ales always on bring a Dawkins brace to accompany choice guest brews from the country’s top breweries, plus dozens of bottled Belgian beers.

Proper-job Ashridge cider, too. Real fire in winter, and a beer festival promised for Halloween. Open Mon-Fri 4-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm VICTORIA 20 Chock Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3EX Tel: 0117 950 0441, web: www.thevictoriapub.co.uk ■ Boss Rich arrived in early 2012 at this lovely little pub made from rock hewn from nearby slopes. He

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learned his culinary trade in the kitchens of the Kendleshire Golf Club, Loch Fyne and Westbury on Trym’s Valentino and now applies his skills to creating classic pub grub with a modern twist, from homemade pasta and omelettes to sirloins and mixed grills. Our chap considered this pub’s ambience akin to the warmest guesthouse, but clearly there’s nastiness afoot when they stage their murder mystery nights every three months. Community counts around here, with a street party staged for the Jubilee and a golf society, hockey team, scout group, bellringers and allotment keepers using the space for meetings. No piped music or jukebox; dogs allowed. Keep some very decent beers, including Butcombe and Horizon plus guests, and have been awarded a Cask Marque every year for the past 14.

Six reds and as many whites, with tutored wine tastings held. Mon quiz fortnightly. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-3pm VICTORIA PARK PUB & KITCHEN 66 Raymend Rd, Victoria Park, BS3 4QW Tel: 0117 330 6043, web: www.thevictoriapark.co.uk ■ Formerly the Raymend, and one of EOW’s most tucked-away boozers, this opened to immediate acclaim in autumn 2010. It’s a mid-terrace marvel a short stroll from the wonderful Victoria Park, with the seasonally changing menu bringing locally sourced, freshly made pub classics and more contemporary dishes. Drop in to read the papers and enjoy one of three real ales (often from Somerset or breweries such as Butts, Moor Beer Company and Wye Valley). Other draughts include Sagres, Heineken and Stowford Press, with six whites and as many reds. Very much a hub for community groups, with locals gathering for monthly open mics, fortnightly quizzes, book club, sewing group and a mums-with-nippers nursery rhyme singalong. Outside wood-fired oven used to cook pizzas, smokers get covers and heating, and summer brings BBQs. A hidden gem that’s well worth tracking down. Food Daily 12noon-9.30pm (9pm Sun) VITTORIA 57 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2LY Tel: 0117 239 1303 ■ Boozer named after a battle fought almost two centuries ago, that of Vitoria (note the spelling) on 21 June 1813. Located on the edge of the Strip’s cafes and restaurants and providing a real-ale oasis for aficionados. Up to five draughts at any time, with Courage Best a permanent. No live music, but you’ll hear it in the background as you pore over the photos of old Bristol adorning the walls. Food is homemade and traditional: sandwiches, lasagne, chilli, chicken curry and sirloin steak, with vegetarians catered for.

Wed open mic, Thur quiz. Food Sun-Thur 12noon-8pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-6pm

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Pubs BRISTOL/BATH WELLINGTON Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8UR Tel: 0117 951 3022, web: www.bathales.com ■ ‘The living is easy, whatever the season, with impressive port and single malt ranges giving ample excuse to linger after enjoying meals accompanied by wines from around the world,’ said our man. ‘Pint glasses get filled with more locally made beverages, with Bath Ales Warmley brewery (the site of a party that Venue remembers most warmly) conjuring up some sublime sups.’ Our man returned to find the Wellington having added a restaurant and extensive terrace in the intervening years, with a play area also now in situ.

Traditional British dining changes regularly - expect burgers, steaks, homemade pie, fish options, goat’s cheese tart. Alfresco facilities, too: 20 rear tables and more in front. Back indoors, delightful touches include toddler-sized waterproof boots dotted throughout. Five real ales are Gem, Spa, Barnsey and seasonal Bath Ales beer plus guest, with other draughts including Sagres, Budvar, Bounders cider and its flat cousin Bounders Traditional. Our man pondered, ‘How best to take care of a thirst or hunger when next seeking a night out?

Give it some Welly.’ Food Mon-Fri 12noon-10pm, SatSun 9am-10pm WESTBURY PARK TAVERN Northumbria Drive, Henleaze, BS9 4HP Tel: 0117 962 4235 ■ Previously the Cock O’ the North (although most famously the Kebab & Calculator, as frequented by The Young Ones), with a refurb a while back creating the Westbury Park Tavern, although its inherent and almost unique roundness remains. Traditional pub grub, draughts like Staropramen and Beck’s Vier, plus Bombardier, Butcombe and Courage Best alongside around 25 wines. Big and friendly, and handy for the rather wonderful Orpheus cinema. Live music third Thur monthly, pool tournament Sun eve. Food Daily 12noon-8.15pm (last orders) WHITE BEAR 133 St Michael’s Hill, BS2 8BS Tel: 0117 904 9054, web: www.whitebear-bristol.co.uk ■ There’s an admirable commitment to continuous improvement at this St Michael’s Hill star. Last year’s guide reported on a busy first year for its mini-butmighty Wardrobe Theatre where shows are always under a fiver. This 60-capacity setting clearly punches way above its weight, with a recent secret Russell Howard performance charging a measly £3 door tax. The good people here have elevated their traditional pub grub since last year: ham hock terrine with homemade piccalilli, poached salmon & sweet potato fishcake.

They’re still serious about having fun, though, with a pancake-eating contest staged in Feb. ‘A welcome as big as the eponymous Arctic circle-dwelling carnivore

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awaits here, where engaging staff ensure that the customer is king,’ wrote our knave when dropping in. ‘Among Bristol’s five oldest pubs (dating back to 1650), its several rooms sprawl pleasingly and offer a space for all occasions, with tucked-away areas where private shindigs swing unnoticed by those not partying.’

Attractions include a dartboard, pool table (free on Tue), Mon quiz and sometimes DJs spinning soul and house. Doom Bar joined by two rotating guests - one being Cotswold Spring Stunner as we went to press with Thatchers, Aspall, Peroni, Red Stripe and Kozel also on tap. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-5pm WINDMILL 14 Windmill Hill, BS3 4LU Tel: 0117 963 5440, web: www.thewindmillbristol.com ■ Details of the Windmill’s annual moustache-growing competition were still to be confirmed as we went to press, so there may be fellas toting fearsome facial fuzz by the time you read this, all in the aid of a local baby unit - good work, chaps. At this sister pub to the Pipe & Slippers and Lazy Dog, around nine specials can include rolled pork belly, mussel, clam & tiger prawn risotto, and yassa, an African stew. Bangers and pies, too, and kids get their own wide-ranging menu - they’re welcome in the pub till 8pm, and the family room has toys and board games. Rated by the Good Beer Guide. Mondays alternate with a quiz and Stitch ‘n’ Bitch. Wi-Fi, too. Food Daily Mon-Sat 12noon10pm (9.30pm Sun) YE SHAKESPEARE 78 Victoria St, BS1 6DR Tel: 0117 929 4755 ■ New management arrived here in October 2013, bringing stability and a welcome change of fortune at this historic central Bristol boozer. Mains include macaroni cheese with wholemeal bread, pie of the day, sausage & mash (veggie option, too), and cod, spinach & mozzarella fishcakes. Lighter options include sandwiches and toasties, toasted panini, jackets, snacks, soup of the day. A minimum of three real ales on. Pool can no longer be played here, but darts player still throw. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-8.30pm, Sat all day, Sun 12noon-3pm

Bath ASSEMBLY INN 16-17 Alfred St, Lansdown Rd, BA1 2QU Tel: 01225 333639, web: www.abbeyales.co.uk ■ Abbey Ales pub, big on screening live sporting action and high-quality real ales (including Abbey’s flagship brews), continental lagers and well-chosen wines. Uppercrust, wallet-friendly, homecooked delights include scotch eggs and sausage rolls on the bar menu and

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Pubs BATH perfect pies courtesy of Bath-based piemen Lovett Pies for mains. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-9pm, Sat 12noon8pm, Sun 12noon-6pm (or till the roast runs out) BARLEY MOW 32 Bathwick St, BA2 6NZ Tel: 01225 464845 ■ Smart little boozer serving homecooked pub-grub favourites on comfortable sofas around a real fire, in the lovely little separate dining area out back or on a dinky little alfresco patio to the rear. Food Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm BEAR 6-10 Wellsway, BA2 3AQ Tel: 01225 425795, web: www.bearbath.co.uk ■ Upmarket, contemporary neighbourhood pub (recently under new ownership) serving inspired, well-priced grub, including really good breakfasts.

Covered patio is an oasis away from the busy main road. Free Wi-Fi, spiffing bar selection, and plenty to keep kids occupied (including their own menu and a special ‘Kids Tea’ every Fri). Dogs welcome, too. Food Daily from 9am (10am-Sun) BEAU NASH 23 Milsom St, BA1 1DE Tel: 01225 310772, web: www.beaunash.co.uk ■ Spacious, bustling city inn popular with shoppers, pre-club revellers and sports fans (huge plasma screens). Food means wallet-friendly/super-deal doorstep sandwiches and steak/pie/fish with chips.

All portions go large, including the almost impossibly macho Sunday roasts. Food Mon-Thur 12noon-9pm, Fri-Sun 12noon-8pm BELL 103 Walcot St, BA1 5BW Tel: 01225 460426, web: www.thebellinnbath.co.uk ■ This friendly, funky, characterful hostelry is one of Bath’s longest-running merrymaking institutions, currently in the process of becoming owned by local shareholders as the Community Buyout Scheme gathers apace. And there’s more good news: food at the Bell now comes courtesy of the magnificent Made

by Ben (see Cafes/Sandwich Shops, Bath) - seriously, what’s not to love? Food Available for delivery from Made by Ben Mon-Thur. Order from onsite kitchen Wed-Fri 6-9pm, Sat 12noon-8pm, Sun 12noon-7pm BLATHWAYT Lansdown, BA1 9BT Tel: 01225 421995, web: www.blathwaytbath.co.uk ■ Gert big family-oriented boozer (and hotel) next to Bath Racecourse. Food served in the conservatory, on the covered alfresco terrace or in the slightly more

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formal dining room. Menus run the full classic, familyfriendly, pub-grub gamut, from lunchtime sandwiches, salads, jacket spuds and traditional British classics to Thai fishcakes, Quorn lasagne and interesting curry combos. Puds go large, Sunday lunches are reliably good, kids get their own menu. Food Daily 12noon2.30pm & 6-9.30pm (all-day menu Fri-Sat) BOATER Argyle St, BA2 4BQ Tel: 01225 464211 ■ Revamped 18th century pub by the weir, with a large alfresco area making the most of that view. Sturdy menu of hearty, filling, homemade favourites and classics, including a superb Sunday roast. Atmosphere is always lively, and it gets rammed on rugby days.

Food Daily 12noon-3pm, occasional eves (call in adv) BOATHOUSE Newbridge Rd, Newbridge, BA1 3NB Tel: 01225 482584, web: www.boathousebath.com ■ Split-level comfort zones (eat, drink and make merry wherever you fancy) and thoroughly modern, flexible menus offer a bang-up-to-date contempo-pub experience, from medi-themed small plates and sharing platters to substantial modern Brit classics. Multiple verandas and a sprawling manicured lawn rolling all the way down to the river. See Restaurants, English.

CHEQUERS 50 Rivers St, BA1 2QA Tel: 01225 360017, web: www.thechequersbar.com ■ Smart little gastropub flourishing under the illustrious ownership of Joe Cussens and Justin Sleath, head honchos of the award-winning Marlborough Tavern up the road and the glorious Hare and Hounds on Lansdown, with a kitchen led by fledgling superstar chef Leigh Evans. ‘Eating at Chequers is a thoroughly democratic experience,’ EOW’s own little checkmate stated recently. ‘Opt for a burger at the bar or a threecourse, foodie-flamboyant feast at a chunky, funky table by the fire. Dress up, dress down or bring man’s best friend with you (Chequers gets a bonus point for being one of the few Bath pubs that welcomes wellbehaved dogs), and expect to be made to feel right at home. It’s truly heartwarming to find a venture that flips the careworn gastropub idiom on its head entirely: a decent pub that serves glamorous, gastronomic grub in the kind of surroundings that make going home a silly idea.’ Food Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 6.309.30pm, Sun 12noon-6pm COEUR DE LION 17 Northumberland Place (off High St), BA1 5AR Tel: 01225 463568, web: www.coeur-de-lion.co.uk ■ Part of the Abbey Ales mini-empire and officially

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Pubs BATH Bath’s smallest pub, the Coeur doesn’t have to leap on the gastropub bandwagon to secure local legend status. Daytime-only menus push all the right pubgrub buttons (sturdy sarnies, ham & eggs, homemade pies, sausage & mash, enormous fresh salads, perfect Sunday roasts) and flaunt the kind of sourcing details that most other pubs make a stomach-churning screech about. Pavement tables on the traffic-free lane outside. Food Daily 12noon-6pm CORK 11-12 Westgate Buildings, BA1 1EB Tel: 01225 330470, web: www.thecork.co.uk ■ Crowd-pleasing city-centre pub combining traditional Brit-pub elements (pool tables, big-screen sports, theme nights) with a swanky downstairs bar (The Vaults) and spacious covered, heated alfresco patio to the rear. A lively mix of contemporary and traditional fare (including generously filled doorstep sandwiches) uses fresh, largely locally sourced, seasonal produce to create exceedingly wallet-friendly grub, including excellent Sunday roasts and sociable sharing platters. Food Daily 12noon-9.30pm CRYSTAL PALACE Abbey Green, BA1 1NW Tel: 01225 482666, web: www.crystalpalacepub.co.uk ■ Big city-centre pub/restaurant on a pretty cobbled courtyard, with a covered, heated garden out back.

Popular with office workers and tourists alike. Food ranges from sturdy sandwiches and filled jacket spuds to Somerset pork braised in cider, chickpea tagine, slow-cooked lamb shoulder and superb fish & chips.

Food Mon-Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-3pm NEW CURFEW ALE HOUSE & DINING ROOM 11 Cleveland Place West, BA1 5DG Tel: 01225 313747, web: www.www.curfewbath.co.uk ■ Formerly careworn boozer now restored, revamped and thoroughly revitalised to exacting standards, complete with former Michelin-starred chef Rob Pearce in charge of the hob. Food is all about imaginative takes on British classics, with a strong emphasis on seasonality and impeccable sourcing.

Monday Supper Club: 2 £14, 3 £16, and 15% off food every Fri 6-7pm. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-5pm FAIRFIELD ARMS 1 Fairfield Park Rd, BA1 6JN Tel: 01225 445553, web: www.fairfieldarms.com ■ Unique blend of spruced-up, traditional boozer (with beer garden and open fires) and Haldi Tandoori Indian Restaurant and takeaway. Authentic Indian classics abound, or enjoy a pint and a couple of bhajis at the bar.

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Free delivery service (see website). Food Daily 12noon2.30pm & 6-11.30pm GARRICK’S HEAD St Johns Place, BA1 1ET Tel: 01225 318368, web: www.garricksheadpub.com ■ Classy but classless, highly acclaimed gastropub courtesy of the team behind the illustrious King William.

Pavement tables on the traffic-free lane outside, and metro-rustic sensibilities and urbane, urban chic within.

Food is locally sourced, daily changing, top-notch and chef-led. Bar menu features sturdy sandwiches, excellent fish & chips and homemade burgers. Daily changing ALC typically features moules-frites, cheese tarts, fresh fish, perfect steaks and imaginative seasonal delights. Lunch and pre-theatre set menu (12noon-3pm & 5.30-7pm: 2 £14.95, 3 £17.95) is always popular, and Sunday lunches are spectacular, as is the wine list. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5.30-10pm, Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-9pm GASCOYNE PLACE Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 445854, web: www.gascoyneplace.co.uk ■ Tasteful, easygoing cafe-bar/restaurant hybrid combining a lively, sparkly bar at street level (also home to one of the most fascinating, extensive wine lists in the city), a cosy snug to the left, a bright and breezy balcony to the right, two upstairs rooms that are among the most elegant in Bath, and evocative subterranean merrymaking area down below, home to free live jazz every Sunday night (booking recommended). ‘For innovation, style and quality of this standard, GP rightly deserves its reputation as a jewel in the Heritage City’s gastropub crown,’ said our own girl-about-town. Set lunch and early-eve menu (Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm, Mon-Thur 5.30-9pm, Fri-Sat 5.30-7pm): 2 £13.50, 3 £17.

Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm (Fri 10pm), Sat-Sun 12noon-3pm & 6-10.30pm (Sun 10pm) GEORGE INN Mill Lane, Bathampton, BA2 6TR Tel: 01225 425079, web: www.chefandbrewer.com ■ Cask Marque-awarded Chef & Brewer inn with a big, crowd-pleasing menu. Grassy canalside gardens come into their own when the sun’s out. Food Mon-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12noon-9pm GREEN PARK TAVERN Lower Bristol Rd, Twerton, BA2 3BD Tel: 01225 400050, web: www.greenparktavern.com ■ Spacious, multi-ambient pub, popular with students and friendly locals who can’t get enough of the GPT’s reasonably priced, robust food, covered beer garden and regular live music/karaoke/DJ events. Splendid Sunday roast incorporates free-

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Pubs BATH

Local Legends Bell Inn

Walcot St ■ Rescued from the history books by local shareholders as a Community Buyout Scheme - ding dong, indeed!

Old Green Tree (pictured) Green St ■ Ancient, tiny, friendly - and, apparently, haunted.

Star Inn

Vineyards, opp The Paragon ■ Like pubs used to be before modern pubs started trying to be like this one.

or organic, and most produce locally sourced. Food Breakfast: 8am-11am. Lunch, etc: 12noon-6pm (extended food hours currently under review) HARE & HOUNDS Lansdown Rd, BA1 5TJ Tel: 01225 482682, web: www.hareandhoundsbath.com ■ Imposing 18th century alehouse with huge picture windows, large split-level beer garden (with pretty, covered, fairylit area) and swoonsome views across the countryside, flourishing under the illustrious ownership of the team behind the Marlborough Tavern and Chequers. Consultant head chef Rob Clayton has put together a collection of menus and tempting dishes from breakfast all the way through to dinner, all of which revolve around the freshest local ingredients, cooked and presented to perfection.

Children are very welcome, and Sunday lunches are highly recommended. Food Daily: breakfast 8.30am-11.30am, lunch 12noon-3pm (9pm Sun), afternoon tea 3-5.30pm, dinner 5.30-9pm HOP POLE 7 Albion Buildings, Upper Bristol Rd, BA1 3AR Tel: 01225 446327, web: www.bathales.com ■ As you’d expect from a Bath Ales brewery, they pull an excellent pint here. But the restaurant’s locally sourced, imaginative fare-with-flair is what really gets Bathonians excited, with the Hop’s glowing reputation for well-priced, imaginative gastropub grub. A spectacularly lovely garden out back, while inside the going is as cosy as cosy gets. Highly recommended. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm (9.30pm Fri), Sat 10am-9.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm

range meat and excellent vegetarian options, £5 for students with valid NUS card. Food 12noon-9pm GRIFFIN INN Beauford Square, BA1 2AP Tel: 01225 420919, web: www.griffinbath.co.uk ■ A scrubbed-up paean to contempo-pub sensibilities, complete with chunky wooden fixtures and fittings, intelligently well-stocked bar and boutique hotel accommodation upstairs. An excellent full English breakfast (including veggie options) gives way to ploughmans and sturdy sandwiches on weekday lunchtimes, and a more substantial selection (homemade burgers, fishcakes, sausage & mash) at weekends, alongside sharing platters and light bites. All meat and poultry is free-range and/

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KING OF WESSEX James St West, BA1 2BX Tel: 01225 303380, web: www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk ■ Part of the huge Wetherspoon chain, in the heart of Bath’s multi-use Kingsmead leisure complex.

It’s a busy, bustling boozer with wallet-friendly, crowd-pleasing grub. Loud, proud food/beer promos proliferate, but sourcing hasn’t been overlooked in the scrum. Food Daily 9am-9pm KING WILLIAM PUB & DINING ROOMS 36 Thomas St (off London Rd), BA1 5NN Tel: 01225 428096, web: www.kingwilliampub.com ■ Top-notch, award-winning, highly acclaimed gastro grub in a charmingly eclectic environment that belies the prosaic main-road location.

Spectacular daily changing menus are based around local, seasonal produce, all meat and poultry is free-range or organic, and seafood is delivered daily from Cornwall. ‘The King William serves real,

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Pubs BATH seasonal, impeccably sourced food cooked to its very best advantage with a no-quibble tally at the finish,’ our resident food princess recently declared.

Private dining option for up to 25. Open MonTue 5-11pm, Wed-Fri 12noon-3pm & 5-11pm, Sat 12noon-midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-10pm, Sun 12noon-3pm & 6-9pm. Dining Rooms: Wed-Sat eves & Sun lunch MARLBOROUGH TAVERN 35 Marlborough Buildings, BA1 2LY Tel: 01225 423731, web: www.marlborough-tavern.com ■ Despite holding multiple awards (including two well-deserved AA rosettes) and accolades from critics, food guides and Michelin men alike, the MT is most definitely not a high-falutin, posh destination diner. Regulars treat it as a friendly local that serves fab food to be enjoyed wherever you can grab a place to sit and tuck in - faultless modern British food with plenty of twists on classic themes, created with perfect-pedigree ingredients, and at very reasonable prices, considering the quality on offer. ‘The MT represents reliably, unfailingly good food, vibe and welcome,’ said EOW’s resident Tavern trawler. Lovely walled garden out back. Set lunch: 2 £12, 3 £15.

Food Mon-Sat 12.30-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 12.304pm (limited menu) OLD GREEN TREE 12 Green St, BA1 2JZ Tel: 01225 448259 ■ Beams, oak panelling, original fireplaces, ancient wooden floors, six real ales (from microbreweries within a 70-mile radius) and everything from doorstep sarnies to posh Brit-trad classics, all freshly prepared on the premises. Small but perfectly formed, and well worth squeezing yourself into, even on busy days. The Good Pub Guide loves it, too. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm ONE BEAUFORT 1 Beaufort West, BA1 6QB Tel: 01225 334050, web: www.onebeaufort.co.uk ■ Chef Christophe Lacroix has infused upper-crust British gastropub menus at this multi-ambient contemporary pub with Gallic flair and locally sourced, seasonal delights: a stylish, easygoing, supremely tasteful experience away from the tyranny of citycentre stress. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm & 6-11pm, Sat 11.30am-11pm, Sun 11.30am-10.30pm Food MonFri 12noon-2.30pm & 6.30-9.30pm, Sun 12noon-4pm PIG & FIDDLE 2 Saracen St, BA1 5BR Tel: 01225 460868, web: www.thepigandfiddle.co.uk ■ Pretty much an extension of Bath Uni’s Student

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Union bar, this busy boozer appeals largely to a young crowd (and smokers who dominate heated outdoor tables at the junction of a busy traffic island).

Wallet-friendly specials and traditional pub grub, based around largely locally sourced ingredients: Wiltshire ham, egg & chips, chilli con carne, macaroni cheese and seriously good burgers (including beef & spicy bean, water buffalo, springbok, kangaroo).

Sunday roasts go very large here. Food Mon-Fri 11.30am-6.30pm, Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 12noon-6pm PORTER George St, BA1 2EN Tel: 01225 424104, web: www.theporter.co.uk ■ Bath’s only fully vegetarian pub (also a live music venue) offers reliably satisfying fare that perfectly suits the lively but laidback atmosphere. Breakfast (from 11am) is served until a very civilised 1pm, while curries, pies, pastas, burgers, bar snacks (excellent nachos) and pizzas (5-9pm) keep munching urges suppressed at very reasonable prices. Pavement seating. Call/see website for details of free live music/ DJ events. Food Daily 11am-9pm PULTENEY ARMS 37 Daniel St, BA2 6ND Tel: 01225 463923, web: www.thepulteneyarms.co.uk ■ Friendly, traditional boozer with wooden floors, comfortable banquettes, roaring open fires and a very well stocked bar. Generous portions of good, honest, homemade food, including classic Sunday roasts and fantastic fresh fish dishes. Pavement tables for lovely urban pub-lunch picnics. Open Mon-Wed 12noon3pm & 5-11pm, Thur 12noon-3pm & 5pm-12midnight, Fri-Sat 12noon-12midnight, Sun 12noon-10.30pm Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm, Sat 12noon3pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon-3pm RAM 20 Claverton Buildings, Widcombe, BA2 4LD Tel: 01225 460426 ■ Traditional neighbourhood boozer serving traditional neighbourhood boozer grub, including massive breakfasts, homemade pies and Sunday roasts. Real ales, real pub, really good fun. Food MonSat 12noon-9pm (breakfast from 10am), Sun 12noon4pm (food times approx - call to confirm) RAVEN 7 Queen’s St, BA1 1HE Tel: 01225 425045, web: www.theravenofbath.co.uk ■ This small but perfectly formed city-centre oasis (guaranteed free of TV/loud music) offers a warm welcome even when packed to the rafters (a notthat-unusual scenario). Excellent wine/ales list and classic bar selection, at the long street-level bar

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Pubs BATH and in the cosy upstairs supper room. Grub revolves around Pieminister pies, local sausages, excellent ploughmans, elegant pâtés, soups and terrines. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5-8.30pm, Sat 12noon8.30pm, Sun 12.30-6.30pm RING O’BELLS Widcombe Parade, BA2 4JT Tel: 01225 448870, web: www.ringobellswidcombe. co.uk ■ The perennially popular Ringo combines a friendly, polished atmosphere with polished, friendly food - mainly modern British but with contemporary Medi-themed twists. Spectacular Sunday lunches and excellent tapas. Well-stocked bar with a great range of wines, conti-beers, etc. Private hire available. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5-11pm, Sat-Sun 12noon11pm Food 12noon-2.30pm & 6-10pm SALAMANDER 3 John St, BA1 2JL Tel: 01225 428889, web: www.bathales.com ■ No TV, no fruit machines, no fuss - just nice folk, a good atmosphere and a cosy feel… exactly what we’ve come to expect from a Bath Ales pub.

Refreshingly straightforward pub bar at street level and cosy first-floor supper room. Nearly all ingredients in the kitchen are locally sourced. Bar menu features possibly the best homemade burger in Bath (with perfect chips) and incredibly well-stuffed sarnies alongside gloriously Brit-trad snacks. Mains (including classics: fish & chips, pies, hotpots) go satisfyingly large here. Food Mon-Thur 10am-3pm & 6-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-3pm & 6-9.30pm, Sun 10am-5pm SAM WELLERS Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RH Tel: 01225 474910, web: www.samwellersph.co.uk ■ City-centre hotspot specialising in classic pub grub (steaks, fish & chips, pie & mash, all-day breakfasts, Sunday roasts) and a good pint (or three). Food MonSat 12noon-9.30pm approx (5.30pm Sun) SARACEN’S HEAD Broad St, BA1 5LP Tel: 01225 426518, web: www.taylor-walker.co.uk ■ Ancient, historic boozer slightly marred by concessions to tourists, sports fans and stag do’s.

Traditional fare like beef & ale pie and Sunday roasts, with some veggie options. Food Daily 12noon-9pm STAR INN Vineyards (opp The Paragon), BA1 5NA Tel: 01225 425072, web: www.star-inn-bath.co.uk ■ Grade II-listed, Camra-endorsed, fruit machine/ music-free real-ales corker with a history dating back

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to the 16th century, 19th century wooden interiors and a well-stocked bar courtesy of local brewery/ proprietors Abbey Ales. No menu as such, but ample rolls and generous complimentary Saturday bar snacks (from quail’s eggs and sausage rolls to big cheeseboard selections) at this truly original gem.

Open Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11pm, Sat 12noon-11pm, Sun 12noon-10.30pm NEW TRINITY INN James St West, BA1 2DA Tel: 01225 469456, web: www.abbeyales.co.uk ■ Latest addition to the Abbey Ales’ mini-empire (see also Assembly Inn, Coeur de Lion and Star Inn), recently refurbished and offering the best of the brewery’s own range of cask beers alongside local ales, continental lagers, upmarket wines and a massive range of vodkas, many of them Polish.

On the food front, expect classic, well-priced pub classics including AA’s famous Bellringer & steak pie, traditional roasts, fish & chips and a large, good-value range of panini and chunky sandwiches. Alfresco tables. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm, Sat 12noon3pm, Sun 12noon-4pm (call in adv re forthcoming extension of food service hours) VOLUNTEER RIFLEMAN’S ARMS New Bond St Place, BA1 1BA Tel: 01225 425210 ■ Small, welcoming pub offering homecooked traditional pub grub and a good selection of traditional local ales alongside standard bar goodies.

Open Mon-Thur 11am-1am, Fri-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 12noon-11pm (may close early on weeknights, according to demand) Food Daily 12noon-3pm WESTGATE 38 Westgate St, BA1 1EL Tel: 01225 461642, web: www.gkpubs.co.uk ■ Scrubbed-up city-centre pub serving reasonably priced, crowd-pleasing pub classics, from full-on full English breakfasts to snacks/nibbles/light lunches, proper fish & chips, big burgers, macho steaks and Sunday roasts. Food Daily 12noon-10pm WHITE HART Widcombe Parade, BA2 6AA Tel: 01225 338053, web: www.whitehartbath.co.uk ■ Much-loved cornerstone of the Widcombe ‘scene’, where the spacious bar and dining rooms lead through to a gorgeous urban oasis in the courtyard outback. Food is of the unpretentious, modern, Michelin guide-endorsed variety, and the signature rough pesto/hummus is the stuff of local legend.

Food Tue-Sat 12noon-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm

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Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes

Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes ANGELFISH Canal Visitor Centre, Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe, BA2 7JD Tel: 01225 723483 ■ Very handily placed out on the Kennet and Avon Canal, the Angelfish gladdens the heart of cyclists and walkers as well as boat people from the marina - Sunday lunch can be a busy time, especially on a sunny day. Offer a good choice of traditional English and continental fare whether you’re after a light snack or proper hearty grub. Great reputation for generous puddings. Open Mon-Sun 10am-5.30pm APPLE TREE INN West Pennard, Glastonbury, BA6 8ND Tel: 01749 890060, web: www.appletreeglastonbury. co.uk ■ Having established Bath’s Wheatsheaf as a gastronomic destination, chef Lee Evans and partner Ally are doing the same for this lovely refurbished country pub with rooms. With the same commitment to local and seasonal food imaginatively prepared with flair, the Apple Tree is already well-established on the foodie radar, while their dog- and kiddiefriendly attitude (half portions available as well as ‘specials’) have made them friends all round.

Seasonal delights have included cheese fondue for two with dipping asparagus and fruit toast soldiers (£10.95) and guinea fowl & wild garlic kiev with spring veg and cider sauce. Open Tue-Sat 11am-2.30pm & 6-11pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm AT THE SIGN OF THE ANGEL Church St, Lacock, nr Chippenham, SN15 2LB Tel: 01249 730230, web: www.lacock.co.uk ■ Tucked into the heart of the history lesson that is Lacock village, this place is a classic example of olde Englishe done right, with original wood panelling and timbered ceilings complemented by tempting British fare given a contemporary twist. Vital to the fresh flavours is the fact that they grow much of what they cook, with their own hens ranging free out the back and bread fresh from the oven. Day visitors would do well to sample the special lunch menu (2 £13.95, 3 £18.94), with rod-caught homesmoked trout fishcakes or homemade casserole of the day reliably satisfying options. There’s a set dinner, too (2 £17.95, 3 £22.95). Open Daily 12.30-2pm & 7-9pm

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BARLEY WOOD WALLED GARDEN: THE ETHICUREAN Long Lane, Wrington, BS40 5SA Tel: 01934 863713, web: www.walledgarden.co.uk ■ A couple of years ago, the Observer Food Monthly Awards named the Walled Garden’s Ethicurean restaurant as Britain’s best ethical eatery for their ongoing quest to pursue the local, seasonal and sustainable and turn it into planet-preserving deliciousness of the highest order.

Restored by the Bristol Ethicureans to full splendour, the Walled Garden itself produces all the veg and herbs for the restaurant (as well as a box scheme and market stalls) so naturally there are great veggie options as well as locally reared Mendip meat dishes on the ever-changing menu. Sunday lunches are a legend but booking is essential. Open Tue-Thur 10am-4pm, Fri 10am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm BATHAMPTON MILL Mill Lane, Bathampton, BA2 6TS Tel: 01225 469758, web: www.thebathamptonmill.co.uk ■ It’s a short stroll out of Bath but just enough to persuade you that you deserve to sit awhile and enjoy the eating at this popular riverside pub-restaurant, whether it’s a sharing platter of sticky pork ribs with watermelon, chicken satay skewers, lamb koftas, flatbread, tzatziki, radish & sesame salad (15.95) or one of their flame-grilled ‘spit chicken’ choices (£12.95). Sunday lunch (two courses from £12.95) comes, of course, with all the trimmings and more - like newspapers and medicinal bloody marys. In summer there’s the waterside garden, in the winter a choice of roaring fires, and all-year round there’s a friendly welcome. Food Daily 12noon-10pm (10.30pm Fri-Sat, 9pm Sun). ALC: 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9.30pm BRAZZ AT THE CASTLE Castle Green, Taunton, TA1 1NF Tel: 01823 272671, web: www.brazz.co.uk ■ One of Taunton’s hipper wine bars, with a comprehensive selection of well-chosen bottles. Brazz offer a contemporary take on European dining, with a strong leaning towards classical English through the use of well-sourced seasonal produce. Thus steaks are cut from dry-aged ruby-red Devon beef and served with caramelised onions, field mushrooms, tomato confit and dauphinoise potatoes, while veggie options include wild mushroom ‘mac’ and cheese with truffle oil. Open Mon-Fri 10am-11pm, Sat 9am-11pm, Sun 10am-10.30pm CAFE LA STRADA 13 Cheap St, Frome, BA11 1BN Tel: 01373 474374, web: www.cafelastrada.co.uk ■ If the reputation of Jude Kelly’s smart and eclectic cafe is becoming ever more widespread, that’ll be down,

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Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes in large part, to her remarkable homemade ‘senso’ ice-cream. Made from local milk and boasting unusual flavours like grapefruit & peppercorn alongside classic vanilla pod, they are, indeed , a house speciality worth checking, but so too is the rest of the menu, from breakfast onwards. A kaleidoscope of continental tastes and seasonal specialities includes breakfast pancetta, asparagus with saffron and white wine cream, and the delicious Portuguese pastel de nata tarts. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm CALCOT MANOR Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8YJ Tel: 01666 890391, web: www.calcotmanor.co.uk ■ You can take your pick of dining experiences at this imposing manor house hotel, with formal dining in the Conservatory Restaurant offering choices including seared Cornish mackerel with spiced red curry (£21), and Upton smoked duck with french beans, quail eggs, pancetta and artichokes (£16). Over in the Gumstool pub, however, starters come in two sizes - ‘ample’ or ‘generous’, allowing you to pick a lighter main course if classic English mains like slow-braised lamb hotpot seem a little daunting.

CEDARS RESTAURANT AT HOLBROOK HOUSE Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 8BS Tel: 01963 824466, web: www.holbrookhouse.co.uk ■ Boasting two AA rosettes for their fine-dining menu and a big nod of approval from Taste of Somerset judge Michael Eavis himself, their ambitious and imaginative dishes (nage of seafood with scallops and kale; warm cauliflower & nutmeg mousse with wild mushrooms, truffle foam and parmesan crisp) continue to attract Wincanton’s finest to this classic country dining room with splendid countryside views. Sunday lunches are enduringly popular.

CELLAR 36 Hill Rd, Clevedon, BS21 7PJ Tel: 01275 340340, web: www.thecellarclevedon.co.uk ■ As the name suggests they take their wine very seriously in this grade II listed building whose illustrious past includes origins as an apothecary. The wine list is one of the most extensive to be found in these parts, with an excellent selection of beers and lagers also on offer, while food is a mix of salads and tapas platters. Save room for the pudding, and you’ll find some sumptuous ‘specials’ regularly on offer. Open Tue-Thur 10am-9pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm CLAVELSHAY BARN Lower Clavelshay Farm, North Petherton, nr Bridgwater, TA6 6PJ Tel: 01278 662629, web: www.clavelshaybarn.co.uk ■ Awarded the Taste of the West Silver award for three

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years on the trot, Clavelshay’s head chef Guy Horley takes whatever he can find from the rich agriculture of the Quantocks and his own plentiful walled garden to supply his kitchen, creating dishes such as trio of venison or tenderloin of pork wrapped in homecured bacon with scrumpy sauce. Pork, rose veal, rabbit, pigeon and pheasant all come from their farm, and everything bought in is fully traceable, but the important thing is that Guy knows exactly what he’s doing with it. Midweek offer brings dinner for £17.50 (two courses) or £22.50 (three) on Wed and Thur eves.

Open Wed-Sat from 7pm, Sun 12noon-2pm COMBE GROVE MANOR HOTEL Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe, BA2 7HS Tel: 01225 834644, web: www.pumahotels.co.uk ■ Just outside Bath, with a grand view over the Avon valley, Combe Grove offers a choice of dining, with formal evening dining in the Georgian Room on Fri and Sat, and more family-friendly eating every day at lunchtime and evenings in the Eden Brasserie. The latter uses the atmospheric vaulted cellars of the 18th century building, with outside dining for those summer days, and offers classic British fare from the grill. The Georgian Room earns its two AA rosettes with head chef Darren Lewis’s modern European approach to seasonal ingredients. Open Dinner: brasserie & restaurant from 7pm COMBE HOUSE HOTEL & RESTAURANT Gittisham, Honiton, Devon, EX14 3AD Tel: 01404 540400, web: www.combehousedevon.com ■ Head chef Hadleigh Barrett and sous chef Stuart Brown are the two young brains behind the Combe House kitchen and their efforts to source great food to complement the produce from the hotel’s own kitchen garden paid off when the 2011 Good Food Guide applauded the ‘measured pizzazz’ of their creations. They received high praise for their wine list, too, as representing great value and quality. Given the magnificent countryside setting of this Elizabethan manor house, a three-course table d’hote with canapés at £33 seems good value.

FAT FOWL 10 Silver St, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JX Tel: 01225 863111, web: www.fatfowl.com ■ This stylish place in the heart of Bradford on Avon’s atmospheric old town is known for two things - jazz and tapas. With a long-established policy of using local and seasonal produce, the evening menu brings classic tapas dishes (patatas bravas, calamari & chorizo stew) around the £4 mark plus dinner-menu treats such as saddle of rabbit stuffed with black pudding, seared scallops, parsley oil and anchovy cream (£14.75); grilled halloumi with a chickpea cake, poached egg, confit

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Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes cherry tomatoes and tapenade (£11), and roasted lamb rump with grain mustard mash, tarragon-roasted courgettes and madeira red wine glaze (£15.75).

Daytime sees a popular breakfast menu merge into a range of Euroflavours for lunch. Open Daily, all day GARDEN CAFE 16 Stony St, Frome, BA11 1BU Tel: 01373 454178, web: www.gardencafefrome.co.uk ■ Starting with their hearty breakfasts, Frome’s veggie-friendly Garden Cafe offer well-crafted meatless delights - their cashew nut & bean patties and special Thai burger are worth the trip alone - and now that they’ve got a stone-based pizza oven, they’re even more popular. Afternoon cakes taken in the garden itself are a particular treat, and children get their own menu (including organic baby food). Naturally it’s all properly sourced, thanks to their long-established local, Fairtrade and organic philosophy. Open Mon-Thur 8.30am-7pm, Fri-Sat 8.30am-late, Sun 10.30am-5pm HARDWICK Old Raglan Rd, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, South Wales, NP7 9AA Tel: 01873 854220, web: www.thehardwick.co.uk ■ This gourmet gastropub is one of South Wales’ best dining destinations, thanks to chef/proprietor Stephen Terry’s skills and imagination. Deeply committed to using the rich produce from the farms around Abergavenny, Terry can rustle up confit duck hash with local free-range fried egg, wholegrain mustard mayonnaise and watercress salad (£9) or lavish you with meat in the sharing servings (‘A Taste of Local Beef’, £54 for two people). The wine list is correspondingly top-notch.

Open Lunch: Tue-Sun 12noon-3pm. Dinner: Tue-Sun 6.30-10pm HARLEQUIN CAFE Kilver Court, Kilver St, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5NF Tel: 01749 340410, web: www.kilvercourt.com ■ With their well-established farm shop to plunder, the Kilver Court cafe can offer visitors to those beautiful gardens a fine range of fresh, seasonal produce with a local pedigree. The big thing is waffles, made from Sharpham’s own organic spelt and topped with a range of savoury or sweet deliciousness including West Country back bacon drizzled with maple syrup or seasonal fruit compote and Greek-style yoghourt. Open Daily 9am-5pm (10am-4.30pm Sun) JACK’S RESTAURANT Hartham Park, Corsham, SN13 0RP Tel: 01249 700100, web: www.jacksrestaurantandbar.co.uk ■ There’s a fine no-nonsense approach to using

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fresh ingredients inspired by Hartham Park’s feast of homegrown goodies throughout the menu at Jack’s. Chef Jamie Hirst offers Hartham Park porridge and sausages for breakfast, and the treats roll on through elevenses, lunch and afternoon tea.

The dinner menu is more ambitious: baked fillet of turbot, braised bok choi, beetroot couscous, fresh mussels and a light chilli crab foam (£18.95) and ‘deconstructed’ pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon caramel sauce (£7.50). Thursday’s popular early diner offer is great value at £25 (three courses, 6.30-7.30pm), but you need to book in advance.

Open Mon-Wed 8am-6pm, Thur-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 12noon-4pm LIME RESTAURANT AT HOMEWOOD PARK Hinton Charterhouse, nr Bath, BA2 7PT Tel: 01225 809112, web: www.homewoodpark.co.uk ■ The dining opportunity is very important to this luxurious hotel and spa, with head chef Daniel Maudsley keeping up their award-winning standards from the substantial breakfasts onwards. Afternoon tea is very popular, a classic spread of finger sandwiches, homemade cakes and scones (£19.50) taken in the stylishly refurbished dining room, but it’s Dan’s six-course taster menu (£60/£85 with wine pairings) that steals the limelight. Open Lunch 12noon-2pm, afternoon tea 2.30-5.30pm, dinner 7-9pm LORDS OF THE MANOR Upper Slaughter, nr Bourton on the Water, GL54 2JD Tel: 01451 820243, web: www.lordsofthemanor.com ■ You don’t get a Michelin star and three AA rosettes by stinting yourself, and you can be sure of nothing but the best if you visit this restaurant. It’s not cheap, naturally, but the three-course dinner menu (£69) includes awesomely tasty treats like beer brined and braised pork with smoked eel, quail egg, winter salad, chardonnay vinegar and Styrian pumpkinseed oil or pavé of line-caught Cornish sea bass with linguini, mussels, bok choi, Thai-style nage, and the classic Sunday lunch (3 £40) is the real deal. With an enormous cellar on hand, you’ll always find the perfect wine, while the beautiful scenery and stunning 17th century surroundings are a special setting for an indulgent treat.

LUCKNAM PARK HOTEL: THE PARK & THE BRASSERIE Colerne, Chippenham, SN14 8AZ Tel: 01225 742777, web: www.lucknampark.co.uk ■ Firmly ensconced in the Michelin guide thanks to Hywel Jones’ relentless quest for perfection, Lucknam Park has to be the top gourmet dining destination in the Bath area. With dishes such as poached Scottish

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Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes lobster served with potato mousse, osetra caviar and gribiche dressing or loin of Andrew Morgan’s Brecon venison with rolled lasagne of butternut squash and chestnuts and sloe gin sauce, the gourmet menu price tag of £90 (three courses) is hardly surprising. But don’t overlook their AA rosette-winning Brasserie, a much more affordable option, boasting a wood-fired pizza oven and lunch deals (2 £19, 3 £21). Open Dinner Tue-Sat 6.30-10pm (last orders) & Sun lunch.

Brasserie: 7.30am-10pm (lunch 12noon-3pm) MANOR HOUSE HOTEL: BYBROOK RESTAURANT Castle Combe, Wilts, SN14 7HR Tel: 01249 782206, web: www.exclusivehotels.co.uk ■ Happily, all last year’s media attention - including Britain’s Best Dish and Great British Menu - hasn’t stopped Bybrook’s culinary guru Richard Davies from doing what he does best, namely ensuring that the restaurant retains its Michelin star for the careful artistry of the food they prepare. Dinner costs £60 (three courses), with wine matching available thanks to a wine cellar that regularly reaches the finals of the AA Wine Awards. The market lunch menu (2 £25, 3 £30) brings local and seasonal produce turned into elegant dishes. Open Tue-Sat 12.30-2.30pm, SunThur 7-9.30pm, Fri-Sat 7-10pm MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE BAR & GRILL AT CADBURY HOUSE Frost Hill, Congresbury, BS49 5AD Tel: 01934 839019, web: www.mpwsteakhousebristol. co.uk ■ Step past the towering, glowering image of Marco Pierre White, kitchen ninja, and you’ll find yourself in a subtly opulent and retro-stylish recreation of a smart English steakhouse circa 1963. Taking the menu from the highly successful Wheelers of St James as his starting point, there’s a consciously unpretentious menu with fish, pies and grills to pick from, but it’s the 28-day-aged native-breed beef steaks served with chips cooked in beef dripping that dominate. You can wash it down with a pint of his independently brewed Guv’nor ale, too. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-3pm & 6-9.30pm (10.30pm Fri-Sat), Sun 12.30-9pm MASONS AT TRACY PARK Tracy Park Hotel, Bath Rd, Wick, nr Bath, BS30 5RN Tel: 0117 937 1800, web: www.tracypark.co.uk ■ Set in a golf resort and part of an area of outstanding beauty, Masons rises to the challenge of matching the food to the surroundings, thanks to a seasonal menu firmly rooted in British classic style and using the best possible ingredients, while adding imaginative touches in presentation. Open Daily: breakfast 7-10am, dinner 7-9pm, Sun lunch 12.30-2.30pm

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MOODY GOOSE AT THE OLD PRIORY Church Square, Midsomer Norton, BA3 2HX Tel: 01761 410846, web: www.theoldpriory.co.uk ■ A restaurant whose name loomed large on the Bath scene before taking up residence in Midsomer Norton, the Moody Goose offers impressive contemporary British food: seared mackerel, smoked mackerel pate, mackerel tartare, rhubarb and serrano crisp and ‘pork nose to tail’, including pork belly, faggot, cheek, red cabbage, parsnips, black pudding puree and hay sauce.

Lush desserts take in tarte tatin with calvados custard, and rosemary & honey ice-cream. Prices reflect the ingredients at £29.50 (two courses), £37 (three). Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2pm & 7-9.30pm OLD DOWN BISTRO Foxholes Lane, Tockington, South Glos, BS32 4PG Tel: 01454 414958, web: www.olddownbistro.co.uk ■ Situated just outside Thornbury in a bright new barn conversion, the Bistro has nailed its eco-colours to the mast, pledging to source everything possible from within a 20-mile radius. Meat comes 10 miles from Days House Farm; eggs, veg and herbs are all literally on the doorstep, with a Victorian walled garden. Sophisticated dining brings dishes such as cream of pea & ham veloute scented with truffle oil (£5.50) and fillet of sea bream with braised chorizo lentils, ratatouille and tomato & cumin jus (£15). Open Thur-Sat from 7pm PEAR TREE INN: MARCO PIERRE WHITE Whitley, Wilts, SN12 8QX Tel: 01225 709131, web: www.wheelerspeartree.com ■ Another of Marco Pierre White’s excursions, this tastefully refurbished pub with rooms houses one of MPW’s steakhouse grills, offering old-school British cooking that focuses on the quality of ingredients rather than complicated presentations. The charming building sits in a fine orchard garden outside Whitley, offering a perfect location for a summery pint of The Guv’nor, White’s independently brewed ale, before taking advantage of good-value offers including set lunch and dinner (2 £15.50, 3 £18.50) and a twocourse steak dinner for two at £29.50. Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm.

PEPPER POT Lower Wick, nr Dursley, Glos, GL11 6DD Tel: 01453 810259, web: www.thepepperpotrestaurant. co.uk ■ A proper Cotswold pub with stone floors and sturdy wooden furniture, but given a smart update that also hints at what goes on in the kitchen: tip-top contemporary cooking using all the richness of the local produce (including meat from their own farm).

Taste of the West gave them the Gold Award in 2011 but locals needed no persuading of the merits of this

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Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes very popular pub restaurant. Rack of Cotswold lamb (£18) and slow-roasted local pork (£16.50) vie with the enormous Chateaubriand steak (£47.50 for two); excellent veggie options include hazelnut, rice & vegetable roast. Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm, Mon-Thur 6.30-9pm, Fri-Sat 6.30am-9.30pm PONY & TRAP Knowle Hill, Newtown, Chew Magna, BS40 8TQ Tel: 01275 332627, web: www.theponyandtrap.co.uk ■ Thanks to sheer hard work and a brilliant touch in the kitchen, brother-and-sister team Josh and Holly Eggleton rescued this little country pub from dilapidation and turned into a Michelin-starred gastropub. Dishes such as venison faggot, squash purée and gravy (£7.50) and fillet of cod with chicken wing, clams, spring onion and thyme sauce (£16.50) come with vegetables from the neighbouring Community Farm, and desserts such as walnut & Mocha mousse cake with muscovado and date icecream (£6) are well worth saving room for. Advance booking is essential but it’s very worth the wait. Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm, Sun 12noon3.30pm & 7-9.30pm

red cabbage (£15.95). There’s a good range of very real ales in the bar, too. Open Lunch 12noon-3pm, dinner 6-10pm, pizza Mon-Fri 5-10pm & Sat-Sun 12noon-10pm RONNIE’S 11 St Mary St, Thornbury, BS35 2AB Tel: 01454 411 137, web: www.ronnies-restaurant. co.uk ■ Now making waves on the Bristol scene with his Muset restaurant, chef Ronnie Faulkner first came to our attention via this Thornbury diner - not least when the place was declared the Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year in 2009. Once inside the tastefully refurbished and atmospheric old schoolhouse, you’re transported from the shopping precinct outside into a fine-dining experience thanks to chef George Kostka’s faithful continuation of Ronnie’s contemporary cuisine and an award-winning wine list. Set-price menus are available (2 £19, TueThur) and there’s an impressive lunch offer, too (2 £15, 3 £20) as well as the full ALC. Open Tue-Sat 10am-2pm & 6.30-9pm, Sun 12noon-2.30pm

PRINCE OF WALES Dunkerton Hill, Peasedown St John, Bath, BA2 8PF Tel: 0845 201 6036 ■ You get an idea of the family backgrounds of proprietors Graham and Clarissa from a glance at the menu, where pan-fried sea bass in rum, ginger, chillies, garlic soy sauce and sesame oil, served with pan-fried oriental vegetables and rice (£12.50) nestles comfortably next to bangers & mash (Lincolnshire ring sausage cooked in rich onion & red wine gravy, served on a bed of mustard mash and peas, £9). The harmonious mix of British and Philippine cultures makes for an interesting meal choice and contributes a warm, welcoming reception within the Prince of Wales’ splendidly historic stone walls. Open Mon 6-9pm, Tue-Sat 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Sun 12noon10.30pm

SORREL AT STON EASTON PARK HOTEL Ston Easton, nr Bath, BA3 4DF Tel: 01761 241631, web: www.stoneaston.co.uk ■ New head chef Daniel Moon brings a strong sense of the local to his food philosophy. In return, the beautiful setting of Ston Easton Park provides him with a well-tended Victorian walled garden and glasshouses and one of the best-stocked wine cellars around these parts. Awarded two AA rosettes, the Sorrel’s Georgian dining room offers ALC dinner at £49.50 (three courses), featuring opulent plates such as quail galantine, celeriac remoulade, foie gras mousse and beetroot puree or fillet of wild sea bass, white bean puree, bacon cassoulet and monkfish boudin, while desserts include the sumptuous warm prune sponge cake, caramel sauce and honeycomb & armagnac ice-cream. Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 7-9pm

PRIORY INN London Rd, Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8JJ Tel: 01666 50225, web: www.theprioryinn.co.uk ■ Cotswold flatbread might sound a bit implausible, but when you’ve got your own wood-fired oven and you’re slap-bang in the middle of those hills, then why not? They make all their own bread and pizzas that way at the Priory Inn, using ingredients that nearly all originate within a 30-mile radius, with other more English main course dishes including slow-roasted Kelmscott Country pork belly with apple sauce, alsace potatoes and green beans (£14.95) and roasted rump of lamb with ratatouille, fondant potato and braised

TERRY M AT CELTIC MANOR Coldra Woods, Usk Valley, South Wales, NP18 1HQ Tel: 01633 413000, web: www.celtic-manor.com ■ We don’t know who Terry M is (or was) but they must have done something good to have one of Wales’ top diners named after them. With three AA rosettes over the door, the former Crown restaurant team have established fine dining at this golfing resort hotel, with gourmet nights and themed menus for events such as the Tour de France, plus an award-winning gourmet Sunday lunch (2 £23.50, 3 £28.50). There are less imposing choices on site, too, with the Olive Tree’s range of pizza, grills and platters.

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Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes THORNBURY CASTLE Castle St, Thornbury, BS35 1HH Tel: 01454 281182, web: www.thornburycastle.co.uk ■ Chef Mark Veale is the latest helmsman to steer the venerable Thornbury Castle kitchens, but he must be aware of the 500-year history that precedes him. Nods to tradition include an annual celebration of game cooking after the season starts on the ‘Glorious’ Twelfth of August, but that’s only one of the ways in which his menu works with the seasons. The Tudor castle’s own vegetable gardens provide much inspiration, and there’s even a homegrown wine from their own vineyard - though the excellent cellar stocks so wide and well-chosen a range that The Wine Spectator have given it their Award of Excellence. Open Daily 12noon2pm & 7-9.30pm (10pm Fri-Sat) WHATLEY MANOR: THE DINING ROOM & LE MAZOT Easton Grey, Malmesbury, Wilts, SN16 0RB Tel: 01666 822888, web: www.whatleymanor.com ■ In a career that started in Bristol’s Brunel Tech, Martin Burge has notched up many achievements, including a spell at the Manoir au Quat’ Saisons before heading back westwards in 2003 and inaugurating the kitchen at Whatley Manor. Nearly 10 years later, the Dining Room is one of the UK’s Michelin two-star elite, offering a seven-course tasting menu at £99 which could feature loin of venison roasted, dressed with its own sausage, 100% grated bitter chocolate and reduced shiraz wine, alongside prune & orange soufflé served with prune & armagnac ice-cream. Given the status of this place, you can dine for less than you might expect, however, with set lunches in the Swiss chalet-inspired Le Mazot available at £19 (two courses) and £24 (three) and a three-course Sunday lunch for £28. Open Dining Room: Wed-Sun 7-10pm. Le Mazot: daily 12noon-2pm & 7-9.30pm WHEATSHEAF AT COMBE HAY Combe Hay, nr Bath, BA2 7EG Tel: 01225 833504, web: www.wheatsheafcombehay.co.uk ■ This stylish, historic inn in the quintessentially English village of Combe Hay (complete with divine alfresco opportunities) has deservedly earned itself great acclaim around these parts, thanks in no small part to head chef (and Gordon Ramsay/Michael Caines protégé) Eddy Raines, whose seasonally changing, modern British, locally sourced menus are an utter joy to behold. Squidgy fireside sofas, funky art and artfully laid-up tables within make the Wheatsheaf an all-weather paradise. Proprietors Ian and Adele Barton bring combined passions for game, wine and a genuinely warm welcome. EOW’s own country maiden declared it ‘prandial perfection in a pastoral paradise’.

Market Menu (lunch and early dinner) brings Eddy’s

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wares at down-to-earth prices (2 £14, 3 £18), Sun lunch brings a feast (2 £19.50, 3 £24.50) and the fullblown Tasting Menu is £60. Three ALC courses cost about £40, excluding tipples from the fabulous wine list. Food Tue-Sun 12noon-2.30pm (last orders), TueSun 6-9.30pm, Fri-Sat 6-10pm WILD DUCK INN Drakes Island, Ewen, Cirencester, Glos, GL7 6BY Tel: 01285 770310, web: www.thewildduckinn.co.uk ■ They’re keen to please everybody here, with vegetarians getting a real choice and kids their own menu (with dietary needs attended to). Light nibblers can have pan-European tapas (£3/£10 for four), hearty eaters can tuck into dishes such as grilled sea bass fillet, roasted red pepper, feta cheese and guacamole (£16.95) or wild boar & apple sausage cassoulet with beans, tomatoes and garlic (£14.95). Head chef Richard Mann often pops next door to Highgrove for his meat and finds as much local organic produce as possible, which accounts for the fresh-tasting excellence on offer in this fine 16th century inn. Food Mon-Fri 12noon-2pm & from 6.45pm, Sat-Sun all day WOODFORD LODGE Chew Valley Lake, Chew Stoke, nr Bristol, BS40 8XH Tel: 01275 331365 ■ Given the idyllic lakeside setting, it was an inspired decision when Woodford Lodge added an evening meal session for those blissfully calm moments after the day’s hordes of bird watchers, ramblers, fisherfolk and sailors have gone their way. Not that the hordes go hungry - the bar menu offers an interesting selection of dishes for lunchtime and evenings, including a children’s menu, jacket potatoes and main courses such as pan-fried trout fillet with fresh veg and new potatoes(£10.50). But the evening sunset tastes that bit more enjoyable, with the restaurant ALC menu options including Moroccan lamb with apricots and couscous (£9.95) and split pea moussaka (£9.25).

Open Daily 8am-11pm Food Daily 12noon-2.30pm, Wed-Sat 5.30-9pm WOODLANDS COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL Hill Lane, Brent Knoll, Somerset, TA9 4DF Tel: 01278 760232, web: www.woodlands-hotel.co.uk ■ It’s worth finding your way to this ivy-covered country house for the high teas alone - a proper recreation of the glories of cucumber sandwiches, pork pies and smoked salmon, with cream scones to follow (£15.95, under-10s half-price). There’s a similar sense of West Country heritage about the evening ALC menu, too, with reassuringly English inclusions such as garlic mushrooms, sirloin steak and roast breast of wild pheasant alongside the more exotic spanakopita or citrus prawns. Open Daily 12noon-2pm & 5.30-9pm

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Out of Town Pubs

Out of Town Pubs ANCHOR Church Rd, Oldbury-on-Severn, South Glos, BS35 1QA Tel: 01454 413331, web: www.anchorinnoldbury.co.uk ■ An impressive 1,000 runners took part in this village’s annual charity fun run last year - expect more of the same in June 2013, along with a funfair, classic car display, tug-of-war, stalls, live music, candyfloss, barbecues, roasts and treasure hunt. Celebrate your athletic prowess and fundraising over at the Anchor, with draughts including Bass, Butcombe, Otter and weekly changing guest. Traditional English homecooked food (sirloin steak, lamb shank, belly of pork, lamb’s liver, lasagne, fish pie, ploughmans and ham, bubble & squeak) using local produce is served in both dining room and bar. No under-18s in the bar, but they’re welcome in the lovely garden and dining room.

Fourteen boules pistes to the rear.

APPLE TREE Shoscombe, nr Bath, BA2 8LS Tel: 01761 432263, web: www.appletree-inn.co.uk ■ ‘The steaks, from Terry’s of Bath, are so good that one regular won’t eat steak anywhere else. The fish, from Wing of St Mawes, gets here in no time,’ wrote our chap of this homely boozer in a beautiful hamlet. Mark and Mandy preside over a 250-year-old hostelry with a handsome flagstone floor, wheelchair-friendly toilets, impressive smoking area and slider in a sizeable garden.

Baguettes, jackets, steaks, venison, kangaroo, sea bass, five-bean chilli and child-sized meals. There’s Henry’s IPA and Wadworth’s 6X on draught alongside Stella and Foster’s, with the rarely spotted Honey’s Midford among the ciders. Good wine selection. Nearby cycle route links Shoscombe parish with a national cycle network.

APPLE TREE INN West Pennard, Glastonbury, BA6 8ND Tel: 01749 890060, web: www.appletreeglastonbury.co.uk ■ Taken over in 2011 by renowned local chef Lee Evans and partner Ally. Find imaginative, seasonal, locally sourced dining at this pub dating back to 1680, where fireplaces and rustic tables create a warm welcome. See Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes.

BATTLEAXES Bristol Rd, Wraxall, BS48 1LQ Tel: 01275 857473, web: www.flatcappers.co.uk ■ Since last year’s guide, the Shindig private function room has opened up, along with six accommodation rooms. ‘Sprawling over several areas, shiny floorboards

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lend a stately-home air aided by tasteful paintings and taxidermy - you half expect Bertie Wooster (or a ghost carrying its head) to appear,’ wrote our man.

‘Look closer, and you’ll find furniture and menu items echoing the Lounge chain’s style. This may be Deco and Tinto’s posh country cousin, but its manner is relaxed, welcoming and similarly quirky.’ Find steak, fish, chicken breast, burgers, pies and chops plus well-kept ales and jolly lovely wines. The men’s toilets have their charms, too.

BEAR & SWAN 13 South Parade, Chew Magna, BS40 8SL Tel: 01275 331100, web: www.thebearandswan.co.uk ■ ‘You’ll find that lovely London Pride on tap, but the uninspiring exterior gives no indication of the excellence within,’ said our reviewer. ‘Smart surroundings incorporating much reclaimed timber and some neat lighting create a feel as much of a bar as a pub. Indeed, there’s enough sophistication in the air to get you thinking of wine. I’m in a shirazy mood and the fantastically-bodied beauty checks out wonderfully.’

Thirty-strong wine list accompanies mussels, chicken liver parfait, fish & chips, local steaks, passionfruit panna cotta, chocolate fudge brownies. The unusual name allegedly comes from there originally being two pubs on site. ‘True or not, today you’ll find a classy dining side, bustling bar and covered smoking area,’ our man continued. ‘Smokers sit outside and have the window opened to pass their drinks through. I’m told they spend the night there…’ Drinks include London Pride, Butcombe, Heineken, Ashton Press, Symonds Reserve, Aspall’s.

BECKFORD ARMS Hindon Lane, Fonthill Gifford, Wilts, SP3 6PX Tel: 01747 870385, web: www.thebeckfordarms.com ■ Enhancement following an extensive fire in July 2010 (just after the place won a Wiltshire Pub of the Year award) continues apace, with the recent opening of two luxurious lodges, five minutes’ walk away on the Fonthill Estate. The food, praised by the likes of Times Online, is served all day and changes constantly.

Expect salads such as twisty pig cheek, and Torbay crab with jersey royal potatoes. Other light dishes include green pea soup with ham and croutons; mains feature Pythouse lamb, chilli greens, sauteed potatoes and wild garlic, or homemade gnocchi with Dorset mushrooms, butternut squash puree, sage, pinenuts and parmesan. Beyond the aforementioned lodges, find eight bedrooms, with Wi-Fi, digital radios and Bramley bathroom products designed and created especially for the pub (also for sale at the bar). The sitting-room here shows films on Sunday evenings, and if you fancy an elongated pub crawl, you’ll find its sister operation (the Talbot Inn) in Mells, Somerset.

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Out of Town Pubs BELL The Green, Frampton-on-Severn, Glos, GL2 7EP Tel: 01452 740346, web: www.thebellatframpton.co.uk ■ ‘The Bell stands beside the 22 acres of what’s reputedly England’s largest village green. It’s not so much a green as an ocean with grass, and is named after Fair Rosamund, a mistress of Henry II. With a thatched Tudor cottage and mighty oaks adjoining it, it’s only 25 minutes from Bristol but feels centuries away,’ wrote our man, here with research guests Piper and son Logan, who enjoyed the petting opportunities brought by onsite Shetland ponies, pygmy goats and miniature Gloucestershire Old Spots. Kiwi cricketing immortal Sir Richard Hadlee - first to 400 Test wickets - is an honorary life member of the club playing on the green, and the food bowled our man and guests over, too.

Winter brings robust dishes (pork loin, lamb shank), there’s fresh fish, and specials change every week or so.

Draughts as we went to press included Rucking Mole.

Savouring a pint while watching the cricket is a thing of beauty, but dropping in to dine is even better. ‘The freerange chicken is four epic lumps of bird living happily in gravy that’s a meal in itself. Railway sleeper-sized chips join a flavoursome spinach & mushroom lasagne.

Portions are as big as the green.’

BELL AT SAPPERTON Sapperton, nr Cirencester, Glos, GL7 6LE Tel: 01285 760298, web: www.foodatthebell.co.uk ■ Over the years, this pub - near the source of the Thames - has acquired much recognition: Gloucestershire Dining Pub of the Year, and the Good Pub Guide decreeing it one of the UK’s top 10 pubs.

BELL INN 13 Frome Rd, Rode, Somerset, BA11 6PW Tel: 01373 830356 ■ The changes continue to be rung at this Bell, which used to be a Flatcapper operation. Since then, the newly arrived management referred to in last year’s guide have moved on, and the pub was subsequently closed and then reopened in March 2013. There’s been a general cosying-up of the decor, with cushions and candles complementing a roaring fire. Our chap visited a while back, with mum helping with research duty and tucking into ‘a marvellously meaty chicken & ham pie with “just right” pastry’. The pie remains on the menu, alongside fish & chips and sharing boards. Two real ales change every couple of days. Village cat Oscar (who sometimes goes by the name of Dave) is still doing his rounds, although it’s unclear whether or not he’ll break into a dance come the planned monthly live music. Our man and mum copped for their own melody: ‘Come leaving time, Rode’s campanologists’ joyous pealing drifts across on the mild evening air - a ringing endorsement for the most appealing Bell.’

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BLUE BOWL West Harptree, nr Bristol, BS40 6HJ Tel: 01761 221269, web: www.thebluebowl.co.uk ■ As we went to press there were still places on the starting grid available for July 2013’s charityfundraising Chew Valley Bed Race - “almost the best fun you can have in a bed” - of which the Blue Bowl is again headline sponsor. This beautiful 18th century Cask Marque Trust-rated pub boasts a large beer garden, big playground and massive menus: Chew Lake trout (seasonal), excellent pub grub (pies, pasta, steak, burgers, veggie options, regular blackboard specials), kids’ menu and Sunday roasts. Superb real ales (London Pride and guests) and an extensive wine list. Four well-appointed letting rooms, kids welcome till 9pm, disabled access to both bars, and disabled toilet.

BOARS HEAD Main Rd, Aust, South Glos, BS35 4AX Tel: 01454 632278, web: www.boarsheadpub.co.uk ■ Olde-worlde traditional 16th century building just off the M48 and near the site of the former Aust Ferry (don’t forget shades, drainpipes and camera if you’re after recreating the Bob Dylan No Direction Home soundtrack cover photo). Huge beer garden, and beams, fireplaces and eye-catching wall-stuff within, in a pub that’s just perfect for couples and small parties. Food is traditional English: sausages & mash, pie of the day, breaded plaice, veggie choices such as cheesy pesto vegetable pasta. Kids’ options, Sunday roasts, Thursday grill (two meals for £12), and a twofor-one offer Mon-Fri. Pedigree and Ringwood Best always on, plus guest, alongside Foster’s, Carlsberg, Kronenbourg, Stella 4 and Strongbow.

BOWL INN Church Rd, Lower Almondsbury, nr Bristol, BS32 4DT Tel: 01454 612757, web: www.thebowlinn.co.uk ■ Popular 16th century inn in a quintessential English village, minutes from the Almondsbury interchange.

Find cut-above pub dishes on a monthly changing mains menu, plus kids’ meals and Tue steak night.

Six ales on draught, Peroni, Amstel, Heineken and Thatchers on tap, and a good range of wines. Parts of this picturesque, whitewashed stone inn were originally the three cottages erected in 1146 to house the monks building the adjacent church of St Mary the Virgin. Later, the tunnels between these cottages, the church and priory were created to afford protection against marauding foreign invaders. The present building became a licensed inn in 1550, and was used by James II’s sheriffs in the 17th century to try supporters of the Duke of Monmouth. There’s no interrogation today, but you will find onsite accommodation and alfresco seating.

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Out of Town Pubs BULL INN AT HINTON Hinton, nr Dyrham, SN14 8HG Tel: 0117 937 2332, web: www.thebullathinton.co.uk ■ Don’t be misled by the dialling code - when you get here, you’ll know that you’ve left Bristol, while Bath (and Castle Combe Circuit) are a 10-minute drive. This pub is located in a converted dairy and boasts 500 years of history, two huge fires, a huge lawn and outdoor seating.

BULL TERRIER Croscombe, Somerset, BA5 3QJ Tel: 01749 343658, web: www.bullterrierpub.co.uk ■ Nigel Vile’s Pub Walks Near Bristol & Bath is just one of the many publications in which the Bull Terrier appears. Other references include Egon Ronay, Good Pub Guide, Which?, Michelin and the AA. It’s one of Somerset’s oldest inns: the building, which follows the traditional pattern of a medieval house, was rebuilt in the late 1400s. The inglenook bar (once the main hall) had fireplace and ceiling added in the 1500s - check out those original beams. The beers are great: four always on, with Gorge Best ever present and the eponymous Bull Terrier Bitter appearing every couple of months. Homecooked meals served daily, from homemade pasta and meaty pies to tasty veggie options. Kids welcome, overnight accommodation (suitable for over-16s, up steep stairs), and wheelchair access to the pub.

CAREW ARMS Crowcombe, nr Taunton, Somerset, TA4 4AD Tel: 01984 618631, web: www.thecarewarms.co.uk ■ Multi-award-winning destination-dining inn - eat in the restaurant with views over the well-established garden or the flagstone bar with inglenook. Food offerings across the board, from lighter summer dining through fresh fish to steaks, gammon and beyond. Guest ales alongside permanents Exmoor Ale, Otter Bright and Wills Neck (from the Quantock Brewery, taking its name from the highest point of the eponymous hill range). Six accommodation rooms, private dining room. Look out for a beer festival come August.

CARPENTER’S ARMS Stanton Wick, nr Pensford, Somerset, BS39 4BX Tel: 01761 490202, web: www.the-carpenters-arms.co.uk ■ Featuring in the Good Hotel Guide for the past three years, this charming pub created from a terrace of ivy-clad stone-fronted miners’ cottages boasts big fireplaces, plush leather furniture and solid wooden tables. Regularly changing menu uses top-quality seasonal produce in Thai chicken curry, sea bass fillet, belly of pork. Fish lovers get festivals, vegetarian dishes include mushroom, roasted red pepper & spinach

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risotto, and special diets are catered for, given prior notice. Dedicated kids’ menu, terrace garden, 12 ensuite rooms. Three changing ales may include Otter.

CASTLE INN 10 Mount Pleasant, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1SJ Tel: 01225 865657, web: www.flatcappers.co.uk ■ ‘We get mums in for coffee and a natter at 9.15am after dropping the kids off. We function as a cafe-bar by day, with a mixed clientele,’ our man was told.

He noted: ‘There are reclaimed furniture and fittings and quirky black and white photographs - Lounge chain-lovers won’t be surprised to find one of its ranks with a stake in proceedings here.’ This country cousin also boasts its city slickers’ laidback mood, with an informal approach to eating. No reservations - it’s a first-come-first-served basis and you’re free to chow down wherever you wish. One of our reviewers commented on ‘the most sumptuous eggs benedict for miles’, along with the ‘contemporary takes on pub classics, inventive vegetarian options and all manner of tantalising nibbles’. All dishes are chef-produced onsite and all appetite sizes catered for. Six real ales always on, including Flatcapper; other draughts include Bath Ales’ Dark Side, Estrella Damm, Stella 4, Stowford Press, Lilley’s Apples and Pears. ‘Upstairs accommodation overlooking Westbury’s equine landmark makes an evening stay very tempting - check the White Horse as night falls,’ concluded our reviewer.

CATHERINE WHEEL High St, Marshfield, nr Bath, SN14 8LR Tel: 01225 892220, web: www.thecatherinewheel.co.uk ■ In a picturesque village on the edge of the Cotswolds, just north of Bath, the Catherine Wheel offers a sunny courtyard and hanging baskets in the summer and roaring fires come winter. It’s an ideal starting point from which to head off walking or cycling, and the B&B accommodation makes it great for short breaks. It’s popular with locals - you’ll find a friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy real ales (including Cotswold Spring Brewing’s award-winning Stunner) or something from the regularly changing menu. Expect starters such as deep-fried brie with redcurrant & port syrup, and duck & pork pâté with chutney and toast. Mains include the likes of pork tenderloin with apricot & coriander stuffing and honey soy sauce, and fish pie with cheesy mash topping. Very popular Sunday lunches include roast venison with yorkshire pud, roast pork with stuffing and crackling, and roast lamb with onion sauce. Conference meeting facilities, too.

CROSS GUNS Avoncliff, nr Bradford on Avon, BA15 2HB Tel: 01225 862335/867613, web: www.crossguns.net ■ Popular? They’ve been known to serve 1,500 people

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Out of Town Pubs over three days. Star-studded? Gary Oldman visited twice in August 2009, writing: ‘Thank you for the fantastic grub!’ Kevin Spacey, Ross Kemp, several of the Genesis collective and Mark McGann have also been in. Food worthy of the setting ranges from starters of deep-fried brie or black pudding through classics like ham, egg & chips, lasagne and steak & ale pie, on to some marvellous mains. Fish menu takes in smoked haddock, salmon fishcakes, cod (in Box Steam ale batter) & chips, with further choice on the specials board. A gourmet grill selection, famed for decades, brings gammon, mixed grill and steaks, from 8oz rib-eye to 16oz T-bone. Breakfasts, jackets, burgers, sandwiches, panini and baguettes, and options for vegetarians. As featured in the Good Beer Guide: expect Box Steam Brewery beers plus ciders, fine wines and more. Reservations for the busy, popular restaurant are essential at weekends. Onsite accommodation includes a four-poster bed, and there’s attractive riverside decking for summertime loafing.

plus seven reds and seven whites. Owner Andre Large’s fondness for a good wine saw him give our chap a sample of a foxy shiraz when he popped in. A beauty!

CROSS HOUSE High St, Doynton, South Glos, BS30 5TF Tel: 0117 937 2261 ■ Parts of this pub, which stands on an expansive crossroads, date back 300 years. Signature pies include chicken, mushroom & bacon, and steak & kidney, with lamb shanks and hunter’s chicken also on. Look out for themed food evenings - sausages, curries, pies.

Quiz every other Thur. Four real ales (Bath Ales’ Gem, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Courage Best, Doom Bar)

CROWN Tolldown, Dyrham, nr Bath, SN14 8HZ Tel: 01225 891166, web: www.thecrowntolldown.co.uk ■ There’s been a change of management since last year at this traditional country inn infused with sublime contemporary flourishes. Drop in for modern British dining (impressive fresh fish range), with roaring log fires, low beams and artful use of Cotswold stone adding to the easygoing, good-time atmospherics.

Three real ales always on, with 6X a permanent fixture.

Traditional, historic, picturesque Cross Keys, Midford Road

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CROSS KEYS Midford Rd, Bath, BA2 5RZ Tel: 01225 849180, web: www.crosskeysbath.co.uk ■ Traditional, historic, picturesque, family-friendly (kids get their own menu, and look out for a multigenerational fun day come August bank holiday) country pub. Originally a coaching inn, built in the early 1700s, it still has open fires in the wood-panelled bars. Everything’s cooked to order, wherever possible using fresh produce from local suppliers. Meat, fish and vegetarian specials change frequently. Gem, Adnams Broadside, Doom Bar and Butcombe on tap. Extensive garden (one of the prettiest hangouts for smokers), dogs and walkers welcomed, and the no-jukebox/fruitmachine rule makes indoors peaceful even when it’s crowded with ramblers. Charity quiz on Sundays.

CROWN INN The Batch, Skinners Lane, Churchill, South Glos, BS25 5PP Tel: 01934 852995 ■ EOW raises its glass in celebration of the life of Tim Rogers, landlord of this wonderful one-off for 27 years, who passed away in autumn 2012. Parts of this one-time coaching inn, 20 minutes from Bristol, date back 20-score years from the 21st century. During our man’s visit, a local ambled by on trusty steed Oliver, bidding good day to the friendly manager; cyclists and ramblers also incorporate it into their routes.

Wonderfully unspoilt and unchanging, with a gloriously rustic interior and regulars by whom you could set your watch. Our man sampled gorgeously flavoursome cauliflower cheese from a menu using locally sourced ingredients; the cattle in the field across the way star in the rare beef sandwiches. Dishes include casseroles, ploughmans, chilli, lasagne, salads. Delightfully bucolic pastimes include sloe-gin and carrot-growing competitions. When it’s sunny, the terrace is a gem; back indoors, the fireplace burns 10 months of the year. Numerous Camra awards for well-kept beer served from eight or nine barrels behind the bar.

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Out of Town Pubs DOG INN Badminton Rd, Old Sodbury, BS37 6LZ Tel: 01454 312006, web: www.the-dog-inn.co.uk ■ Grade II listed lovely on the Cotswold Way (all dogs like a walk), retaining the character and charm of its half-a-millennium of history. Large menu includes fresh fish and veggie options; lunchtime mains from £5.95. Cosy indoors; small courtyard and large garden outside. Children get their own extensive menu. Roasts on Sunday, two real ales on, and letting rooms.

DRUIDS ARMS Bromley Rd, Stanton Drew, BS39 4EJ Tel: 01275 332230 ■ ‘USPs don’t come more spectacular than the car-sized stones in the Druids Arms’ beer garden.

Possibly here 5,000 years, they’re an arresting sight for the least spiritually inclined, let alone the druids dropping in regularly,’ reported our chap, whose visit coincided with a druid wedding reception. Expect the unexpected whenever you drop in - the Morris men are likely to return for the summer solstice, while three ghosts allegedly reside here. New management arrived in January 2013, serving homemade soups and beefburgers, jackets, toasties, baguettes. Three real ales: Doom Bar, Butcombe and the rarely spotted Gundog from Newton Abbot’s Teignworthy Brewery.

‘The pub isn’t merely at the heart of its village; it is its village, but newcomers are welcomed with open arms druid or otherwise,’ said our man.

REOPENING DUNDRY INN Church Rd, Dundry, nr Bristol, BS41 8LH Tel: 0117 964 1722, web: www.dundryinn.co.uk ■ As we went to press, the pub was closed, but the doors should have reopened by the time you read this.

The premises were once split into pub and restaurant sides, but the new manager (formerly at Bristol’s Firehouse Rotisserie) will bring uniformity by creating a community hub serving pub classics and specials, with three ales on draught and a log fire. ‘The garden is a perfect spot from which to enjoy Ashton Court’s summer ballooning,’ commented our man, but make sure that you come back of a dark night to experience the fantastic view of Bristol’s lights offered nearby.

FAILAND INN Clevedon Rd, Failand, nr Bristol, BS8 3TU Tel: 01275 392220, web: www.failandinn.com ■ Victorian coaching inn close to the gothic revival estate of Tyntesfield. Enticing menu boasts plenty of wholesome homecooked food (curries, chillies, lasagnes) plus lunchtime specials daily. Five real ales on at any time - the likes of Butcombe Mendip Spring, Doom Bar and Courage Best, Beck’s Vier and Butcombe

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Blond. The pub has a dubious claim to fame: in 1871 a former police constable hanged himself in the barn ‘during a state of temporary insanity’.

REOPENED FLEECE INN Chapel Lane, Hillesley, Wotton-under-Edge, GL12 7RQ Tel: 01453 520003, web: www.thefleeceinnhillesley.com ■ The reopening campaign that was under way at the time of last year’s guide has ensured a new lease of life at a pub in a beautiful location. ‘Arrive via the A46 and there’s a stunning view to behold as you descend to the achingly quaint village of Hillesley, which makes the setting for Miss Marple’s murder mysteries look like the Bronx,’ wrote our chap. You’ll find mains like chargrilled pork loin steaks, Gloucester old spot sausages, pan-fried liver with crispy bacon and homemade gourmet burger with bacon, cheddar and chips. Locally sourced, award-winning beers have included the likes of Cotswold Spring’s Stunner and Reveller brews, Severn Vale’s Dursley Steam and Butcombe Gold. Look out for events including vinyl nights, acoustic evenings, quizzes and bike rides. More than 100 local residents now have a stake in ensuring this pub’s future - great work, people.

FOX & BADGER Wellow, nr Bath, BA2 8QG Tel: 01225 832293, web: www.foxandbadger.co.uk ■ Sad news since last year’s guide is the death of beloved West Highland terrier Hamish - our man has fond memories of making his acquaintance when dropping in. Wellow might be the dinkiest little village in the most secluded setting, yet over the years it’s drawn visitors from far and wide. Author Michael Robotham chose the Fox & Badger as a location in his murder/mystery book Bleed for Me, which was reviewed on Channel 4’s The TV Book Club. Decades earlier, Sir Peter Blake (of Sgt Pepper’s fame, but just plain Peter then) lived in the village in a converted former railway property. The ploughmans are in the safe custody of landlord Eric, a master cheeseman, with other dishes including steak & ale pie, lasagne, bangers & mash, faggots and ALC options, plus regularly changing specials such as Thai curry. Skittle alley, quiz second Thur monthly. Ales currently Doom Bar, Butcombe and London Pride.

GEORGE High St, Norton St Philip, BA2 7LH Tel: 01373 834224, web: www.georgeinnnsp.co.uk ■ Reputedly one of England’s oldest continuously licensed public houses. This grade I listed building has offered hospitality for nearly 700 years and has two bars, two well-appointed dining rooms, a guest lounge and eight luxurious ensuite rooms. Even the

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Out of Town Pubs courtyard’s ancient cobbles are worth contemplating little wonder that numerous film/TV productions have been staged here. Seasonally changing food is served in both bar and restaurant, and beers include 6X, Henry’s IPA, Bishop’s Tipple and other Wadworth’s ales.

Functions staged upon request.

CURRENTLY CLOSED GEORGE Manor Rd, Abbots Leigh, nr Bristol, BS8 3RP ■ The George’s rollercoaster ride, mentioned in last year’s guide, continues. After reopening in late 2010, its chef/owner broke his arm, causing it to be closed for a month towards the end of 2011. We hoped last year for its potential to be fulfilled but, alas, this year’s guide found the George closed as we went to press.

GEORGE & DRAGON High St, Pensford, BS39 4BH Tel: 01761 490516 ■ Handsome, historic (more than 400 years old) former coaching inn in pretty location, with roaring open fires, exposed brickwork, plentiful original beams and ties to the infamous Judge Jeffreys. Traditional homecooked food takes in sausage & chips, burgers, homemade specials, Sunday roasts. Pool table, skittle alley and function room.

GEORGE & DRAGON High St, Rowde, SN10 2PN Tel: 01380 723053, web: www. thegeorgeanddragonrowde.co.uk ■ Award-winning gastropub where fish is particularly renowned (starter of scallops with black pudding, whole cracked crab straight from Cornwall) and veg is locally grown. Regarded as a restaurant that also serves beer, rather than the other way round, it serves lunch and dinner Mon-Sat, plus traditional Sunday roasts. A great summer garden in which to enjoy your fabulous food (barbecues planned) and three letting rooms - two ensuite, one with a private bathroom. Excellent value for money, with a three-course dinner around £60 for two. Extensive drinking options include two-dozen wines plus Butcombe, Doom Bar and the lesser-spotted Dundas beer from the Kennet & Avon Brewery on draught. Sitting room provides party catering for 18 seated diners or up to 30 standing drinkers.

GEORGE INN West St, Lacock, nr Chippenham, Wilts, SN15 2LH Tel: 01249 730263, web: www.georgeinnlacock.co.uk ■ ‘Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Lacock’s ancient streets are routinely used for filming locations, with Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Cranford and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince among productions using its historical feel to ensure bygone authenticity,’ wrote

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our man when visiting this pub dating back to 1361, with research guest Auria. The pub’s dogwheel - a spit formerly turned by a specially bred dog called a turnspit - makes for compulsive viewing. Given Lacock’s popularity, you may not get a dining table immediately, but there’s plenty to occupy any wait. The new boss mentioned in last year’s guide has brought some impressive innovations, with sloe gin, pie and photo competitions. Bread for the sandwiches is baked just 50 yards away and all chicken dishes are free-range. As we went to press he had seven real ales on draught, with a beer festival scheduled for August bank holiday. Expect pies, fish & chips, and ham, egg & chips, plus grander dishes (mussels, sea bass, duck, tuna) on the specials board. Hereford Angus 8oz steaks are a permanent fixture; vegetarian offerings may include butternut squash & spinach risotto.

HOLCOMBE INN Stratton Rd, Holcombe, BA3 5EB Tel: 01761 232478, web: www.holcombeinn.co.uk ■ Featured in the Domesday book, bagger of 2012 TripAdvisor recommendations and renowned for having one of the best beer gardens in Somerset (spectacular views over the surrounding countryside, Mendip Hills and Downside Abbey), this is a famous spot for the most beautiful sunsets. A brilliant wine list has been personally selected by the owners, with more than 20 sold by the glass. Find local ales and ciders, lagers including an English one, and a huge collection of malt whiskies. Food offerings are similarly impressive, with beef fillet steak tartare, grilled sardines, Devon blue cheese & pear risotto among the starters. Mains include roast chicken breast stuffed with mushroom duxelle, chargrilled loin of rabbit, braised, rolled lamb shoulder, and teriyaki salmon. Even the lunch grub options are a cut above, with sandwiches (made with freshly baked bread) boasting fillings such as roast topside of beef, honey roast ham, and sausage.

How d’you like your poached egg done benedict, royale or florentine? Double-sided wood-burning stove; eight accommodation rooms.

HOP POLE Limpley Stoke, nr Bath, BA2 7FS Tel: 01225 723134, web: www.hop-pole-inn.co.uk ■ A star of the silver screen, with a scene from Creation (based on the life of Charles Darwin) and the pub scene from The Remains of the Day both filmed here. Hang around long enough and you might get a part as an extra. Extensive food options range from sides, sarnies, baps, ploughmans and burgers through appetisers and light bites and on to pork loin, lasagne, chicken curry, fish pie. Admirable vegetarian choices include stilton & broccoli crepes, Quorn cottage pie, and spinach & ricotta cannelloni. More than 400 years of history, a great garden and finely kept Gem and Doom Bar, too.

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Out of Town Pubs HOPE & ANCHOR Midford Rd, Bath, BA2 7DD Tel: 01225 832296, web: www.hopeandanchormidford. co.uk ■ Freshly prepared traditional dishes, plus more modern counterparts, take in sausage & mash, fishcakes, fish and local venison. Great in winter, with its roaring fire, and the tiered garden is a godsend for soaking up summer sun. Sharp’s and Wadworth were two of the three real ales on draught as we went to press.

HORSE & GROOM INN The Street, Charlton, nr Malmesbury, Wilts, SN16 9DL Tel: 01666 823904, web: www. horseandgroommalmesbury.com ■ If you’ll forgive the pun, the Horse & Groom has been brought into the Marco Pierre White stable since last year’s guide, so expect the food to maintain the standards which bagged four out of a possible five stars from the Daily Mail in 2010. Dishes cover the classics neatly, with burgers, sausages, ribs and fish & chips lining up beside gressingham duck breast, pan-fried salmon fillet and 21-day-aged rib-eye steak.

This gorgeous 16th century Cotswold-stone coaching inn has traditional flagstone floors, roaring fires, a stunning walled garden and separate children’s play area. Pop in for a pint and a quick bite or linger with family and friends - and Fido (they’re very pet-friendly here).

HUNTER’S LODGE Priddy, Somerset, BA5 3AR Tel: 01749 672275 ■ We’re delighted to report on exactly no changes having been made at the Hunter’s Lodge since last year’s guide – except that landlord Roger Dors has now been here for 67 years (44 as licensee) after arriving as a six-year-old. Our man still has fond memories of dropping in to discover a boozer belonging to a bygone era. Its remote location on a crossroads lends mystery, as though this is a place on earth where time truly does stand still. That said, he found a couple from the New Forest who’d successfully made the journey. Not exactly a one-off - Faulkland’s Tuckers Grave conveys a similar magic - but its rarity elevates it to almost nationaltreasure status. Turn your mobile off, step through the door, then choose from an array of beers kept in casks resting in a line like cannons aboard HMS Victory.

Locals, cavers, walkers and cyclists enjoy a choice of three or four real ales in the homely indoors or garden.

Come here for conversation or quiet contemplation, but not karaoke. Find Roger Wilkins’ award-winning cider, and wholesome, hearty food including homemade soups, faggots and peas, cauliflower cheese, pasta, chilli. If it ain’t broke, please don’t fix it.

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INN AT FRESHFORD The Hill, Freshford, BA2 7WG Tel: 01225 722250, web: www.theinnatfreshford.co.uk ■ Grade II listed building (dating from 1745) that was once a wealthy family’s summerhouse, where one Ross Kemp, accompanied by his dog (possibly an old English sheepdog, although details are sketchy), has been known to drop in. The menu was due to change after we went to press, so the lamb cutlets, pan-fried medallions of venison, baked salmon fishcake and chargrilled horseshoe gammon steak (plus beer-battered fish & chips and beefburger & chips to take away) may or may not survive the cut. Sideorders include a bucket of chips, suitable for two or more to share. Three real ales on draught.

JOLLY SAILOR Mead Lane, Saltford, BS31 3ER Tel: 01225 873002, web: www.jollysailorpub.com ■ Arrive via the winding narrow road, by bike along the cycle path or even by boat to this peaceful setting with its own river island and lock. You’ll find quality bar snacks and more substantial meals to enjoy on the lovely heated patio or in the conservatory. Four real ales change constantly.

KING WILLIAM INN Tunley, nr Timsbury, BA2 0EB Tel: 01761 470408 ■ A friendly welcome and classic country pub charm make this a fine place to head for - with new

Popular with families and foodies alike Langford Inn

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Out of Town Pubs management having arrived in September 2012. The cobbled courtyard and renovated barn make a splendid setting in which to enjoy classic pub food and specials.

Dishes are made with care and consideration for sourcing: homemade chilli, steak & ale pie, pork loin in apple & cider sauce. Butcombe plus guest on draught.

KINGS ARMS The Street, Didmarton, nr Badminton, Glos, GL9 1DT Tel: 01454 238245, web: www.kingsarmsdidmarton.co.uk ■ Built in 1652 and grade II listed. Expect four real ales of the like of Uley, Butcombe and Brakspear.

Fresh game is a speciality, and the seasonal menu, complemented by fresh daily blackboard specials and a creative selection of lighter snacks and hearty meals, uses the freshest ingredients and best local produce.

Steak night Monday.

KINGS ARMS Litton, Somerset, BA3 4PW Tel: 01761 241301, web: www.kingsarmslitton.co.uk ■ This quintessential country pub (fireplaces, old beams, flagstone floors) offers 600-year-old surroundings that include a restaurant and pub, with offerings in the latter including grilled sardine salad, Harptree ham & cheddar toast, lamb pie, steak & stilton pie, ploughmans and pizza. Abbott, Butcombe and Old Speckled Hen on draught, and IPA, Old Bob and St Edmund in bottles. Food is served 12noon-11pm, there are six accommodation rooms, and the Chew Valley river runs outside.

KINGS HEAD 36 High St, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2SG Tel: 01749 672141 ■ The building has been around for 700 years, though it only became a hotel/bar as recently as 1604. Food, drink, decor and event details not confirmed at time of going to press - please check with pub.

LANGFORD INN & RESTAURANT Lower Langford, nr Churchill, BS40 5BL Tel: 01934 863059, web: www.langfordinnbristol.co.uk ■ Award-winning rural pub with an excellent reputation for quality food and drink, attracting families and foodies alike.

LIVE & LET LIVE Clyde Rd, Frampton Cotterell, BS36 2EF Tel: 01454 772254, web: www.thelivebristol.co.uk ■ ‘Four years to the day after the best party at a brewery ever, Bath Ales are again Venue’s hosts for a congenial evening,’ wrote our man. While Bath Ales still supply the Live (as it’s known to its friends), the pub is no longer in the brewery’s stable, but it sounds as though there’s still partying going on, with a funky new website

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launched since last year’s guide and a record player installed onsite. Bring your vinyl along for a spin - go on, dig it out! As we went to press, the new managers were gearing up for their first farmers’ market, with hopes for monthly repeats. Food brings steaks, pies, homemade beefburgers, fishcakes and vegetarian options, and there are always six real ales on, with Bath Ales lining up alongside the likes of RCH and Otter.

Food is delicious - their speciality savoury, the ‘Live and Let Pie’, incorporates free-range beef, Bath Ales Darkside and a hint of horseradish. The garden, popular with families, has been recently refurbished.

LOCK KEEPER Bitton Rd, Keynsham, nr Bristol, BS31 2DD Tel: 0117 986 2383, web: www.lockkeeperbristol.com ■ Expect plenty of barrels (being emptied but not smoking) when this Keynsham stunner stages another of its Lockstock music events in Aug 2013, with regular live music staged before and after then. New furniture has arrived recently, with comfy outside sofas making this an even more attractive destination. ‘Samir and Azenora Hadzigrahic spent three years running establishments south of the Thames before winding up here, and it feels as though they’ve brought a pinch of Putney with them,’ wrote our man. ‘The extensive, modern, stylish conservatory leads onto a similarly impressive decked area, beyond which lies the first of two sizeable gardens, both overlooking the river downstream of a magnificent weir. There’s a leisurely, slightly moneyed air to proceedings, confirmed by the presence of several groups of ladies who lunch.

Indoors hangs an oar relating to the 1898 Boat Race.’

British classics include ham, eggs & chips, fish pie, and sausage & mash, with around 10 mains on a daily changing specials board. Four real ales always on.

MAJOR’S RETREAT AT THE PORTCULLIS INN Tormarton, South Glos, GL9 1HZ Tel: 01454 218263, web: www.majorsretreat.co.uk ■ Creeper-clad treasure where wide food options include snacks, homemade steak & kidney pie, curries, steak and specials plus specialist cuisine nights bringing Mexican and Chinese flavours. Splendid oakpanelled dining room seats up to 40. Three real ales always on, with Pigs Ear the “star of the bar”. Woodlandglade beer garden features trees and inviting clumps of greenery in which kids can play hide and seek.

NEW MEZZE AT THE ANCHOR Ham Green, nr Pill, North Somerset, BS20 0HB Web: www.mezzerestaurants.com ■ This pub was listed as ‘currently closed’ in last year’s guide - and that’s the case as went to press - but in the 12 months in-between it was operational, and news

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Out of Town Pubs has just reached EOW of a reopening that should be complete by the time you read this. The impressively expanding Mezze restaurant chain has just arrived, bringing breakfasts, brunches, and meat, fish and vegetarian mezze, plus sandwiches and wraps. The pub itself is picturesquely situated, overlooking the village cricket ground, with panoramic views across the valley out back.

MILL AT RODE Rode, Frome, BA11 6AG Tel: 01373 831100, web: www.mill.butcombe.com ■ ‘I had a Thai massage once, and the bliss it brought is brought to mind when dusk gathers at the Mill at Rode,’ wrote our chap when watching baby bunnies frolic in the landscaped gardens here. Nature is all around - our man spotted fish pinging out of the stream gurgling by, and the pub has its own fishing rights. ‘The location’s immense beauty makes it perfect for wedding ceremonies,’ he noted. The setting appears in the Domesday book, and there’s been a mill on site since around 1300 - visit today and you’ll find the waterwheel still housed within the pub. Seasonally changing menus feature pan-fried cutlet of Somerset pork, roasted barbary duck breast, locally reared sirloin. Butcombe on draught, comedy on the middle Thursday monthly. ‘The feel is of country-club class mixed with a bar’s informality,’ said our chap.

MINERS REST Providence Lane, Long Ashton, nr Bristol, BS41 9DJ Tel: 01275 393449 ■ Charming and unpretentious 18th century inn high above Long Ashton. Mining paraphernalia from the area’s past adorns the walls; an open fire warms the cockles when it’s cold. Wholesome, homely food served lunchtimes includes ploughmans, jackets and squire’s platter (meat & cheese combo). Super Sunday roasts, disabled access, large garden, suntrap patio and lovely views. Draughts include Butcombe, London Pride, Thatchers, Ashton Press, Black Rat, Blackthorn.

Monthly quiz.

NEW MUDDY DUCK Monkton Farleigh, nr Bath, BA15 2QH Tel: 01225 858705, web: www.themuddyduckbath.co.uk ■ In last year’s guide as the Kings Arms, the Muddy Duck waddled into Monkton Farleigh in the weeks before we went to press. Honest, unfussy food and drink is this bird’s MO, from a beer and butty through to a restaurant main and dessert. A refurb has created a bright and airy space while maintaining tradition.

You’ll find two open fires and a log burner, and a beer garden and courtyard for balmier days. Three real ales: Butcombe, Tribute, plus guest.

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NEW INN Waterley Bottom, Dursley, Glos, GL11 6EF Tel: 01453 543659, web: www. thenewinnwaterleybottom.co.uk ■ Colourful local events don’t get more colourful than this… June 2013 will see the 42nd staging of a quirky Cotswold sport, whereby a ball is thrown from over the hill from the New Inn, Woodmancote to the New Inn here at Waterley Bottom. Apparently they used a tank’s ball-bearing rather than a lawn ball back in the day, before health and safety went mad. Vaguely like team golf, a team of six people take it in turns to move the ball around 1.5 miles, with a score in the low twenties considered good. Up to 50 teams used to compete but these days it’s more like six. What was a 19th century farm cottage, then cider house, morphed eventually into a pub-with-garden that The Times judged to be among the nation’s top 10, with a terrace enhancing the alfresco facilities. Traditional homecooked food changes every two to three months: lamb cutlets with creamy mash in orange & mint sauce, pork tenderloin in wholegrain mustard sauce, fine cod fillet topped with tiger prawns. Nine draughts and five bottled ciders are served at this boozer bagging a Gloucester Cider Pub of the Year award. Cotley, Wye Valley, plus guest real ales.

Two annual cider festivals - spring and summer.

NEW INN 86 West Town Rd, Backwell, nr Bristol, BS48 3BE Tel: 01275 462199, web: www.thenewinnatbackwell. co.uk ■ Since January 2013 there’s been a distinctly different emphasis at this 450-year-old-charmer - almost enough to warrant a ‘NEW’ designation at the New Inn. Now an Anglo-Italian gastropub (serving more than 20 wines, all Italian), with dishes conjured up by a chef from Paolo: gnocchi, spaghetti with meatballs, calzone, peppered mussels in white wine, chicken steak with rucola and parmesan. The ALC menu brings salads, fish, meat, pizza (tomato-based and white-based) and children’s choices, plus desserts. Real ales are Gem, Doom Bar and Butcombe, with other draughts including San Miguel, Heineken, Stowford Press and Thatchers.

NEW INN Badminton Rd, Mayshill, nr Frampton Cotterell, BS36 2NT Tel: 01454 773161, web: www.newinn-mayshill.co.uk ■ ‘Something catches your eye - though, hopefully, not literally,’ said our man. ‘A gnarly metal hook hangs from a beam above the fireplace, from which a cradle was originally hung to give the infant within the snuggest possible snooze. The owners have been told that the only other one in the country is in Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.’ Former Camra Bristol District Pub of the Year, serving top ales. The host of diners arriving

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Out of Town Pubs

Worth the Trip Catherine Wheel

Marshfield, Wilts ■ Homecooked food and real ales served in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Swan

Swineford, South Glos ■ Child-friendly garden and a seasonally changing menu of classic British dishes.

White Horse

Biddestone, Wilts ■ Hobbit and Doctor Who star Slyvester McCoy filmed in Biddestone recently.

here is confirmation of the New Inn’s honest food, wellprepared and served with a smile. As we went to press, mains included pork tenderloin, lamb shank and a chicken pasta bowl, with admirable vegetarian choices such as mixed bean chilli and portobello mushrooms.

NORTHEY ARMS Bath Rd, Box, nr Corsham, SN13 8AE Tel: 01225 742333, web: www.ohhcompany.co.uk ■ This pub would originally have served customers

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using the nearby railway. Visit today and you’ll find an updated, upmarket incarnation, where old and new sit comfortably together by way of a gracious and discreetly glamorous but cosy bar and restaurant. Like its sister pub, the Old House at Home, it now offers cupcake bouquets. Unlike its sister, it stages occasional bank holiday live music.

OAKHILL INN Fosse Rd, Oakhill, Wilts, BA3 5HU Tel: 01749 840442, web: www.theoakhillinn.com ■ Smart rural inn with two Bath siblings (the Garrick’s Head and King William), and one that demonstrates some local sourcing synergy: head chef Neil Creese has been known to take delivery of half a cow (their organic beef is from a farm within sight of the pub’s car park) and carve it up for use across the family. The inn has consistently improved since the arrival in 2007 of husband-and-wife team Amanda and Charlie, whose allotment provides some of the kitchen’s vegetables. An AA rosette confirms the cuisine’s calibre, while the look is smart but relaxed, extending across several rooms.

Expect dishes the likes of pork & rabbit terrine, devilled kidneys, spicy vegetable risotto with poached freerange egg and Lord of the Hundreds cheese, or venison steak with dauphinoise potatoes. The chocolate pot - which, according to our man, ‘can only have been created by turning Angelina Jolie into a cubic inch of dessert’ - is almost permanently among the sweets.

Live music, occasional quizzes, patio courtyard, five accommodation rooms. Cask Marque recognition arrived in June 2012, so expect well-kept pints from breweries such as Bath Ales, Butcombe, Keystone (from Salisbury) and guests.

OLD CROWN INN Kelston, nr Bath, BA1 9AQ Tel: 01225 423032, web: www.oldcrown.butcombe.com ■ Lovely country pub just a few minutes’ drive from the centre of Bath (or catch the bus - there’s a stop outside), with open fires, bare stone walls, oak settles and excellent grub: fish in beer batter with homemade chips, classic barbecue chicken, substantial soups, excellent puds. Loads of parking opposite, plenty of alfresco seating, and three real ales. Ask the genial staff why one of the rooms is referred to as ‘the mortuary’.

OLD HOUSE AT HOME Burton, nr Castle Combe, Wilts, SN14 7LT Tel: 01454 218227, web: www.ohhcompany.co.uk ■ There’s been a thoroughly modern development at the Old House at Home since last year’s guide, with the arrival of cupcake bouquets making special occasions particularly so. Characterful, atmospheric freehouse with a warm welcome, magnificent log fire

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and unpretentious, locally sourced, seasonally inspired menus. Fresh fish delivered daily from Cornwall. At least four ales - from within 45 minutes’ drive – are always on, and there’s a well-considered wine list.

Themed dining has included steak, curry, Indian and Italian nights. Six accommodation rooms, too.

REOPENING OLD LOCK & WEIR 7 Ferry Rd, Hanham Mills, BS15 3NU Tel: 0117 967 3793, web: www.lockandweir.com ■ The rain brought flooding to Hanham Mills, and the closure of this riverside beauty. As we went to press, however, word reached us of a scheduled reopening.

This waterside wonder is an absolute no-brainer when it’s sunny, so fingers crossed that we get a scorcher of a summer and that the good folk of Hanham and beyond can once again enjoy the Old Lock & Weir’s renowned jam sessions, real ales, ciders and classic pub dining.

OLD SPOT INN Hill Rd, Dursley, Glos, GL11 4JQ Tel: 01453 542870, web: www.oldspotinn.co.uk ■ ‘Steve and wife Belinda preside over Camra’s National Real Ale Pub 2007, and on a bustling Friday evening it’s easy to see why this oinker got anointed,’ reckoned our fellow. ‘It seems the entire town is here, with all ages, backgrounds and degrees of sartorial elegance present and correct. The feel is of sharing the week just gone and anticipating the weekend ahead, with everyone equally welcome to chip in their pennyworth.’ There’s clearly a great sense of community at this inn, and our man was told, “It’s a boozer, a pub as they used to be.

The people make it - we had a Mexican night and they were outside smacking the piñata with great gusto.”

The awards keep on arriving at the Old Spot, with national cask ale pub recognition in 2012 and Camra Gloucestershire pub glory in 2013. Praise must also go to the pub’s extraordinary charity efforts, with £19,000 raised for the Cotswold Care Hospice via New York Marathon participation (Steve would also have entered the London Marathon but for a broken knee). Up to 10 regularly changing ales always on, with as many wines accompanying the affordable grub (homemade cottage pie, fresh fish, fajitas). The smoking area is a thing of absolute wonder.

OLD STATION INN Hallatrow, nr Bath, BS39 6EN Tel: 01761 452228, web: www.theoldstationandcarriage. co.uk ■ Gareth Southgate won’t be interested, but Stuart Pearce might be… One penalty-taking hotshot will win beer for a year here on 13 July 2013, when an NSPCCsupporting family day incorporates spot kick action on the five-a-side pitch. Throughout the year, Tiger Woods

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wannabes get their own nine-hole crazy golf course at a pub boasting some of EOW’s most interesting external fixtures and fittings. A polytunnel grows produce for the kitchen (supplementing that grown in the allotment), and while the 40 alfresco seats on which you can enjoy the upmarket gastro fare are certainly noteworthy, the most eye-catching of all is the restaurant housed in an old 30-seater railway carriage.

Expect elevated dishes such as roast breast of duck with port and summer berries, less grand options like jackets, baguettes and salads available lunchtimes, and the BBQ cranked up come summer. Huge beer garden, three real ales, five ensuite bedrooms and facilities for private hire and wedding receptions.

REOPENING CAMPAIGN UNDER WAY PACKHORSE INN Southstoke, Bath, BA2 7DU Web: www.southstoke.net ■ ‘Oh, to be in England! Patriotism comes easily when visiting this quintessential rural boozer dating from 1652,’ wrote our man. ‘Bumblebees the size of golf balls check bluebells for pollen and a woodpigeon flaps around a towering holly bush…’ But that was back in 2010, and we’re saddened to report the Packhorse’s subsequent closure. Alas, the ‘Reopening Campaign Under Way’ marker in last year’s guide is just as applicable in 2013. Despite over 2,000 people having signed an online (and paper) petition in support of the reopening, no progress has been made. The good folk of Southstoke, however, remain determined to see the pub return to its central role in village life, however lengthy the journey. They’re in it for the long haul at the Packhorse, and, we hope that, one day, pints will again be pulled at a pub rightly listed by B&NES as an ‘asset of community value’.

PEAR TREE 6 Wotton Rd, Charfield, South Glos, GL12 8TP Tel: 01454 260663, web: Facebook ■ ‘The day after a widely celebrated Halloween saw local streets filled with zombies, I seek restoration of all that is familiar and reassuring via Sunday lunch at the Pear Tree Inn. Its setting - located within a glorious valley - does for a kick-off: check the view before descending into Charfield, where guest Charity and I enter to discover a 200-year-old building.’ Part of the premises was once a stable: ‘The opening through which horses would have looked out remains, and we’re definitely in the right place for a nosebag.’ Food served lunchtimes daily and evenings Mon-Sat, with steaks a speciality and fish & chips available to take away.

Surreally enough, our man was told that easy-listening king Neil Sedaka has visited in person. ‘“It’s just like having roast at my gran’s!” says a contented Charity.

Comfort food indeed.’

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Out of Town Pubs PEAR TREE INN Top Lane, Whitley, nr Bath, SN12 8QX Tel: 01225 709131, web: www.wheelerspeartree.com ■ Gorgeous country nooks-and-crannies Marco Pierre White inn serving his own independently brewed ale and traditional British cooking. Alfresco dining in summer, roaring fires in winter. See Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes.

PELICAN 10 South Parade, Chew Magna, BS40 8SL Tel: 01275 331777, web: www.pelicanchewmagna.com ■ ‘Named after the vessel in which Drake circumnavigated the globe, this is a pub you’ll delight in discovering,’ wrote our intrepid investigator. ‘An open-plan bar boasts Clifton chic, an elegant slatetiled courtyard leads on to a back garden complete with boules piste, and diverse food offerings feature prominently.’ This classy number got even classier in December 2012 when a barn conversion created a function room that’s already made some wonderful memories (including a double christening). Classic pub/modern European dining includes club sandwiches, calves’ livers and gammon, free-range double egg & chips, as well as chicken, mushroom & tarragon tagliatelle. Likely to return is the seafood pot special: ‘a bellyful of the ocean’s booty - enough to make the eponymous seabird smile’. More than 30 wines are stocked, and there’s some sublime smoking going on - whether it’s those enjoying tobacco alfresco or rainbow trout from Chew Magna Lake (which spends time in the garden’s smoker before featuring in flavoursome food). “It’s like social life but work!” says boss Andy McClellan of an atmosphere where staff, management and punters interact harmoniously.

Events include gigs (such as ace singer/songwriter Alex Taylor) and pumpkin-growing competitions.

PLOUGH High St, Wrington, BS40 5QA Tel: 01934 862871, web: www.theploughatwrington. co.uk ■ Down the years this pub has been at the heart of its village’s Dickensian Christmas shindig, and 2012 was no exception, with carols sung here after fairgoers (some of them in authentic clobber) had wandered around the 20 stalls. Contact pub for food and drink details.

PLOUGH Pilning St, nr Pilning, BS35 4JJ Tel: 01454 632556, web: www.theploughpilning.co.uk ■ Food brings steak, sea bass, curries and £8.20 Sunday roasts, with IPA and 6X on draught. Kids get an adjoining paddock and orchard. Live music on Saturday, and look out for eight bands playing live come the pub’s annual music festival in June.

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PONY & TRAP Knowle Hill, Newtown, nr Chew Magna, BS40 8TQ Tel: 01275 332627, web: www.theponyandtrap.co.uk ■ Fabulous Michelin-starred gastropub, with brilliant young brother and sister Josh and Holly Eggleton at the helm. See Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes.

PRINCE OF WATERLOO 1 High St, Winford, BS40 8AR Tel: 01275 474930, web: www.princeofwaterloo.com ■ The log burner and beer gardens here are rural pub stalwarts - it’s the upstairs sports bar that’s a rarer find. Impressive and varied menu includes baguettes, salads, ploughmans, jackets, seafood and grills, plus extras, sides, children’s menu and veggie options.

Draught ales are Butcombe, Bass, Courage Best and Molecatcher. One or two live music nights monthly, plus dining area, kids’ play area and pool table.

QUARRYMANS ARMS Box Hill, Corsham, Wilts, SN13 8HN Tel: 01225 743569, web: www.quarrymans-arms.co.uk ■ ‘Irrespective of the sun actually shining from one end to the other on his birthday, there’s definitely some magic in the air at the Quarrymans Arms, 150 yards from Brunel’s Box Tunnel, once the world’s longest railway tunnel,’ according to our man. ‘We journey pleasingly from Bristol one bitterly cold January night, and just when directions get sketchy, a villager appears from out of nowhere to send us thither.’ Even in daylight, it can be fun finding this one, but reward awaits at a pub with a fascinating back-story. “It would have been a peasant’s dwelling in the dark ages,” consummate host John Arundel tells our man, who continues: ‘Visit today and you’ll find a beautiful roaring fireplace replicating Box Tunnel’s west portal in one-fifteenth scale.’ Around 200 people found their way here at Easter for a mass egg hunt, while the pub’s fishing club arranges trips away and the pub can even help with tours of the extensive tunnels beneath it. Other fun has included an inter-pub cricket tournament, ‘pig & jig’ family event on Bastille Day and quiz every second Wed. Distinctly cut-above food includes calves’ livers, steaks, sausages, fish & chips, local faggots, burgers and homemade curry, with Spanish omelette one of six vegetarian mains on as we went to press. An innovative ‘beer bat’ lets you try three one-thirds of a pint of beer for the price of a pint! Moles Best, Butcombe and 6X currently on draught.

RAGGED COT Cirencester Rd, Hyde, Glos, GL6 8PE Tel: 01453 884643, web: www.theraggedcot.co.uk ■ Dating from the 17th century, this traditional coaching inn has a beamed bar with exposed Cotswold stone walls and open fires offering a warm welcome

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Out of Town Pubs to dogs, wellies and the local community. Dining room serves classic rustic dishes using local suppliers and ingredients grown on site: fresh daily soups, field mushroom & spinach pancakes, pan-fried sea bass, roasted duck breast, Cotswold beefburgers.

Accommodation in nine guest rooms, all named after Penguin Classics. Eclectic real ales include Ringwood from Hampshire.

RATTLEBONE INN Church St, Sherston, Wilts, SN16 0LR Tel: 01666 840871, web: www.therattlebone.co.uk ■ ‘Dates back to the 16th century, but there’s been a hostelry on site since medieval times and its name has origins almost 1,000 years old. It comes from John Rattlebone, a Saxon warrior who fought in the Battle of Sherston in 1016. He was mortally wounded in the stomach but - and here’s where it gets sketchy - got a stone from the local quarry to staunch the flow of blood and resume fighting,’ reported our man. Classic country cooking on an expansive, imaginative menu, with most ingredients sourced locally, has included dishes such as duck breast salad, spring lamb, sea trout, 10oz rump steak. Tribute, Butcombe and Young’s on draught, plus Stowford Press and Thatchers Gold, and lager lovers getting Kronenbourg and Grolsch.

RED LION High St, Lacock, Wilts, SN15 2LQ Tel: 01249 730456, web: www.redlionlacock.co.uk ■ Beauty of a boozer, whose many celluloid outings have included BBC period drama Cranford and The Wolf Man. Chef Linda, here for 20 years, is famed for her pies and casseroles, while stalwart Joan has served loyally for 39 years. Food is homecooked comfort faves: 10oz Wiltshire rib-eye, 8oz venison steak, sausages & mash (vegetarian option available), pork pie/vegetarian ploughmans. Pleasingly wonky floors, characterful furniture and a fireplace from the early 1700s. Beers include Henry’s IPA and 6X. Look out for an August bank holiday cider festival.

RISING SUN Bowden Hill, Lacock, Wilts, SN15 2PP Tel: 01249 730363, web: www.therisingsunlacock.com ■ If ever proof were needed of the massive appeal of the West’s eateries, it’s illustrated wonderfully here.

Adam and partner Sarah were working in the food business in Lancashire - he as steakhouse head chef, she running pubs. A change was sought, with Adam applying for an internet-advertised role here on a Friday. Come Tuesday, the couple were swapping Wigan for Wiltshire. Upon arrival, they were blown away by the view across Salisbury Plain - 40 miles on a clear day with Adam considering theirs the perfect jobs. British pub food (ham, egg & chips, pork loin, sausage &

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mash, duck breast, cod & chips) gets some fancier ALC accompaniment, with BBQs in the pipeline to enhance the outside bar. Moles Best always on, currently joined

by Molecatcher. Child-tolerant, with a garden to die for - just don’t expect quizzes and music: “When the pub’s this good, you don’t need events!” says Adam.

RISING SUN Church St, Pensford, BS39 4AQ Tel: 01761 4900006, web: www.risingsunpensford.com ■ The potential new owners alluded to in last year’s guide duly arrived here, bringing with them their experience in running a cosy Bristol bar/nightspot to this cracking country pub. And the good news is that the Rising Sun remains a flounce-free zone - see for yourself, while checking out the extensive beer garden and adjoining river with nearby weir.

RIVERSIDE INN The Shallows, Saltford, nr Bristol, BS31 3EZ Tel: 01225 873862, web: www.theriverside-saltford.com ■ Downstairs cafe and upstairs restaurant at a picturesque riverside location with views over the lock.

RIVERSIDE INN 49 St Margaret’s St, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1DE Tel: 01225 863526 ■ Gorgeous listed pub on the riverbanks of Bradford on Avon, with accommodation overlooking the river and a large beer garden.

ROSE & CROWN Parkfield Rd, Pucklechurch, BS16 9PS Tel: 0117 937 2351 ■ EOW hits the streets several weeks too late to give notice of Pucklechurch’s staging of an annual scarecrow trail wherein people stroll around, attempting to guess the names of scarecrows displayed in residents’ gardens, meeting neighbours as they go.

An astonishingly impressive effigy of Sir Alan Sugar won last year. Thankfully, there’s nothing remotely scary about the welcome at this sweet little pub (with homely front bar) near the Bristol-Bath cyclepath.

Expect baguettes, steaks, chilli, pie of the day, burgers, ham, egg & chips and slow-roast belly of pork, plus specials on the board. Four real ales at any time comprise Wadworth, IPA, Butcombe and guest.

ROYAL OAK 72 High St, Corsham, Wilts, SN13 0HF Tel: 01249 713607, web: www.corshamroyaloak.co.uk ■ There have been feline comings and goings at the Royal Oak: Henry left with former licensee Maggie Evans and husband Dave, and Spike and Basil arrived with the new couple. Staying put are the adjoining Corsham Court’s strutting peacocks to patrol the beer

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Out of Town Pubs garden. Pub grub lunches (Mon-Fri), and drinks likely to include 6X, Henry’s IPA, Bishop’s Tipple, Thatchers, Guinness and Henry’s Smooth. Popular pub folk club on Thur; function room.

RUDGLEIGH INN Martcombe Rd, Easton in Gordano, BS20 0QD Tel: 01275 373959, web: Facebook ■ Historic pub minutes from the motorway on the dear old A369. All food is homecooked and GM-free, and they make their own steak, mushroom & beer pies as well as the batter for fish & chips. Around nine specials bring good fish and vegetarian options. All-day Sunday carvery. A sizeable garden overlooks the cricket pitch - celebrate victory or drown sorrows with brews such as Best or Doom Bar. SALUTATION Ham, Berkeley, Glos, GL13 9QH Tel: 01453 810284, web: www.salutationinn.biz ■ The sad news coming from Ham is that ace husbandand-wife team Sue and Don are calling time on their tenure of the Salutation, a pub that provides ‘a delectable dollop of dreamy Gloucestershire life’, according to our West Country lad who visited this village of less than 100 people, minutes from Berkeley Castle. Happy retirement! The good news is that new arrivals Pete and Clare are keeping this a destination pub for real ale fans. Indeed, we’re delighted to allude to exciting plans on the beer front, with details to follow on the website. Awards include Camra National Pub of the Year runner-up 2010, Camra County Pub of the Year 2010, 2011 and 2012, and recognition by 2013’s Good Beer Guide. Suffice to say, the large range of local ales on tap is always tip-top. ‘My rye malt brew and sturdy cheese & onion roll go together gorgeously,’ our lad added. You’ll also find steak pie & chips, faggots & mash, ploughmans, fish & chips and kids’ meals served Tue-Sun lunchtimes. There are often horses and cattle nearby to delight the kids, while an off-sales hatch delights locals who arrive with empty milk containers to fill up. ‘Punters turn up in medieval gear and on steamrollers over joust and steam fair weekends, while regulars often arrive on tractor, quad bike and horse,’ our man noted. EOW, then, raises a filled glass - or milk container - to toast past and present management of a local treasure.

SEVEN STARS Winsley, Bradford on Avon, BA15 2LQ Tel: 01225 722204, web: www.sevenstarswinsley.co.uk ■ New management have moved into the Seven Stays since last year’s guide - but they didn’t have to travel far: Alan and Sarah swapped Winsley’s shop (which they ran for 23 years) for its food-led, award-winning public house and restaurant. The pub dates back in

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part to the early 1700s, but kudos for the cuisine is infinitely more contemporary, with 2013 Good Pub Guide and Good Beer Guide entries, and 2012 bringing a third consecutive Taste of the West gold. You’ll no doubt need to book for weekend dining. Locally sourced menu changes constantly: modern and traditional British food takes in ham, egg & chips, steak & ale pie, beer-braised Bath chaps, and calves’ livers. Vegetarian choices include potato & spring cabbage rosti with English asparagus and smoked double gloucester rarebit. Children get their own menu and playhouse, and dogs are similarly welcome.

Wood-burning stove, enclosed courtyard, garden, patio and four real ales: Gem, 6X, Betty Stogs plus guest (currently Bellringer).

SEYMOUR ARMS Bath Rd, Blagdon, BS40 7TH Tel: 01761 462279, web: www.seymourarmsblagdon. co.uk ■ With five ensuite rooms, this is a fave for Blagdon Lake fishers staying close to their sport. Food includes sea bass, breaded scampi, lasagne, chicken breast, gammon, steak & ale pie. Fresh trout in season, and six fresh vegetables go into the Sunday roasts. Wellequipped smoking area; two Wickwar beers always on.

SHEPPEY Lower Godney, nr Wells, Somerset, BA5 1RZ Tel: 01458 831594, web: Facebook ■ Utterly surreally, the Sheppey was the subject of a Britney Spears tweet in April 2013. Apparently, her followers refer to her as ‘Godney’, and when they became aware of a Somerset village by the same name, much social network banter - including a photo of Britney holding a pint - ensued. Landlord Mark Hey was slightly bemused by the attention but has since got back to the Sheppey’s main concern of serving five real ales and six craft beers (some made onsite) alongside ‘modern country’ cooking. The Sheppey boasts a ‘cider shed’ look and some rather natty illumination of the river running out back, making for quite a change to the rural-boozer norm.

DJs and live music enhance the appeal, with rising singer/songwriter Sonya Titus gigging here shortly after performing at Ronnie Scott’s. Expect dishes such as rump of English spring lamb, fish stew, portobello mushroom burger, potato gnocchi, Asian fish & chips.

The pub’s charcoal oven cooks up mains such as pork & apple burger, 8oz rib-eye steak and half-chicken marinated in lemon, thyme, rosemary and garlic.

SNOOTY FOX Market Place, Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8DD Tel: 01666 502436, web: www.snooty-fox.co.uk ■ Doesn’t time fly when you’re enjoying yourself?

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Out of Town Pubs We’re surprised - but delighted - to report on the 10th anniversary of GM Marc Gibbons’ arrival at this grand old coaching inn. To celebrate, he gave away 10 dinners for two to the people sitting in 10 designated ‘hot seats’ between 10am and 10pm that day. He’s also launched the pub’s charity beer, Wickwar’s Foxy, with 10p per pint going to the good cause submitted by regulars. It’s adieu to head chef Freek Peters but hello to replacement Leon Rook, from Slad’s Woolpack, who will be conjuring up dishes such as beef wellington, slow-roasted lamb shank and braised pork belly. Look out for offers like two-for-one on bar food (Mon 6-8pm, with qualifying voucher), two fish & chip suppers plus bottle of white wine for £19.95 (Wed) and bangers & mash or toad-in-the-hole plus pint of cider £9.95 every first Thur of the month. With bargains like these you can complete your delectation with something from the extensive list of dessert wines and ports. As with previous guides, we hit the streets too late to inform you of the Tetbury Woolsack Races so, as ever, EOW recommends diarising for Whitsun 2014 for a free, fun-filled family day.

Throughout the year you’ll find a diverse clientele creating a genial mood here: “We get everyone from dry stone-wallers to blokes parking their Ferrari or Bentley round the back,” Marc told our man. Not so Snooty a Fox after all, then.

Reigning Cats & Dogs Lock Keeper

Keynsham ■ Pub dog Toby welcomes you (as do Samir and Azenora).

Royal Oak

Corsham, Wilts ■ Cats Spike and Basil taking over from Henry.

Snooty Fox (pictured) Tetbury, Glos ■ Great Dane George is worth the journey by himself.

SWAN Bath Rd, Swineford, BS30 6LN Tel: 0117 932 3101, web: www.bathales.com ■ Mid 19th century pub (converted from three cottages in a row of six) where dishes include the likes of steak & ale pie, salmon & spring onion fishcakes, faggots and fish & chips. Meadows over the road offer a beautiful walk to the river, and little ones can enjoy themselves in the pub’s play area (there’s a menu for them if they get hungry). Gem and Spa line up beside Bath Ales guests such as Summer Hare, with Bounders cider (including flat Bounders Traditional) also quashing thirsts.

SWAN HOTEL 1 Church St, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1LN Tel: 01225 868686, web: www.theswanbradford.co.uk ■ Thai/Asian flavours accompany the more traditional dishes (belly of pork, sausages & mash) offered at the Swan. Terrace awaits the summer sun, and there’s music on Thursdays. Old Speckled Hen, IPA and guest on draught.

SWAN INN Kingsdown, Box, nr Bath, SN13 8BP Tel: 01225 742269, web: www.swan-kingsdown.com ■ A 300-year-old quarryman’s pub, chained to the quarry opposite to keep it attached to the hill,

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with amazing views over the Avon valley. Real log fires, traditional homecooked food daily (lunch and dinner). The ales have made the Good Beer Guide for several years now. A real country pub with real food and real beer (Bass, Doom Bar).

TALBOT INN Mells, nr Frome, BA11 3PN Tel: 01373 812254, web: www.talbotinn.com ■ Arrive at this 15th century coaching inn after passing through jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery.

It stands over a tunnel leading to the nearby

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Out of Town Pubs churchyard, home to Siegfried Sassoon’s grave. New management (formerly at the renowned Beckford Arms) has arrived since last year’s guide, their most innovative innovation being the installation of an eye-catching indoor grill, cranked up on Fri-Sat evenings and on Sunday lunchtimes in the characterful coach house. The Guardian dropped in on Valentine’s Day and described it as ‘Wagamama meets olde English temple to meat’, while likening their main of salt beef hash with duck egg to a ‘New York Sunday’. Suckling pigs by arrangement, and planned theme nights will bring Brazilian grill and fish flavours. Butcombe on draught, plus extensive wine selection. Afore ye go, don’t miss the mural that magnificently depicts the area’s history.

TOLLGATE INN Ham Green, Holt, nr Trowbridge, BA14 6PX Tel: 01225 782326, web: www.tollgateholt.co.uk ■ ‘Holt! Who goes there? Pretty much everyone, as proven by the Tollgate’s visitors’ book: praise from Bordeaux, Texas and Durban, with the Harrisons from Oklahoma promising they’ll be back,’ wrote our man.

‘And a wall of awards confirms acknowledgement from august food bodies.’ A Taste of the West gold and Wiltshire in Bloom recognition for the beautiful floral display are two triumphs at this gorgeous gastropub where acceptance speeches are made almost as frequently as time is called.

TUCKERS GRAVE Faukland, nr Bath & Frome, BA3 5XF Tel: 01373 834230 ■ When it closed in May 2011, much was rightly made of Tuckers Grave being an exemplar of the dying parlour-pub breed, with beer dispensed straight from the barrel in what felt like someone’s living room, and minimal food offerings utterly at odds with the concept of destination dining. It had been serving for 200 years, but the couple who’d run it for the past 27 had been unable to find anyone to take it on.

Following three months of closure, however, landlady Glenda Swift welcomed back drinkers old and older, hence the ‘reopened’ designation in last year’s guide.

EOW is delighted to report that nothing has changed in the subsequent 12 months at the inn known as The Pub That Time Forgot. ‘The location brings Robert Johnson’s transaction with the devil to mind, with musicians still drawn to a wonderfully quirky boozer,’ said our man, who still hasn’t forgotten Glenda’s priceless anecdotes: ‘“We get strangers in on Saturday and the Stranglers in roughly monthly,” said Glenda, who didn’t recognise one extraordinarily famous punter. “Ten years ago a man came in with a craggy face and straw hat. I thought, I should know him, but couldn’t place him. Hugh [Cornwell, from the

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Stranglers] came in the next week and said he’d met this man at a party and he - the man - said he’d been here. By then I’d seen his photo in Hello! It was Mick Jagger!”’ Two Butcombe beers, Cheddar Valley and Ashton Press ciders plus Amstel. Our man shared his Marmite crisps (but not his pickled egg) with friendly pub Lab Thai, and noted, ‘Cheese or ham sandwiches made with bread thick enough to choke a horse served lunchtimes’. Very traditional distractions (skittles and shove ha’penny) to keep patrons entertained. At least once, you owe it to yourself to be one of them.

WEIGHBRIDGE INN Minchinhampton, nr Nailsworth, Glos, GL6 9AL Tel: 01453 832520, web: www.2in1pub.co.uk ■ You want history? The road to the front of this 17th century Cotswold boozer became a turnpike in 1882, after which time tolls were levied at 1d per horse, 10d per 20 cattle, 3d per 20 pigs. Today, their signature two-in-one pie comes highly recommended. Good range of ales and enormously friendly service.

WHEATSHEAF AT COMBE HAY Combe Hay, nr Bath, BA2 7EG Tel: 01225 833504, web: www.wheatsheafcombehay. co.uk ■ Stylish, historic inn with wonderful alfresco opportunities and a fabulous, seasonal, locally sourced modern Bristol kitchen headed up by head chef (and Gordon Ramsay/Michael Caines protégé) Eddy Raines. See Out of Town Restaurants & Cafes.

WHEELWRIGHTS ARMS Church Lane, Monkton Combe, BA2 7HB Tel: 01225 722287, web: www.wheelwrightsarms.co.uk ■ Nestled in the peaceful village of Monkton Combe and surrounded by picturesque hills and valleys, this gastropub serves real ales, fine wines and great food.

Menus change regularly - expect takes on sausage & mash, chicken breast, shepherd’s pie and fish & chips, plus choice Sunday lunches. All dishes prepared and cooked on the premises, using local ingredients where possible. Butcombe on draught.

WHITE HART Littleton on Severn, BS35 1NR Tel: 01454 412275, web: www.whitehartbristol.com ■ This former Camra and Evening Post pub of the year may be ancient, whitewashed and lovely, but it’s achingly on-trend with the gourmet hot dog and cider bar planned for the rear garden come summer. The Italian Job comes wrapped in parma ham with olives, basil and mozzarella. Staying alfresco, the onsite orchard’s apples end up in the homegrown Littleton Lifesaver cider, while indoors you’ll find two funky photos: one depicts the Littleton Whale, the other

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Out of Town Pubs the Queen Mother pulling a pint of Young’s beer in Limehouse’s Queen’s Head boozer, back in the day.

This Young’s pub serves two of its own brews plus two guests and offers an extensive wine selection.

Menus feature chargrilled 35-day-aged Glamorgan rump steak, free-range Gloucestershire chicken, and trio of locally made sausages. Extremely kid-friendly, with family room, highchairs and the aforementioned garden, in which you’ll find around 45 ducks, geese and chickens.

WHITE HART Wrington Rd, Congresbury, BS49 5AR Tel: 01934 833303, web: Facebook ■ Traditional homemade food (including pies, burgers, bangers & mash, fish & chips, steaks and restaurant offerings) plus Sunday roasts available 12noon-6.30pm; special dietary requirements also catered for. Three real ales, including Badger and Tanglefoot.

Archetypal village pub White Horse

WHITE HORSE Biddestone, nr Chippenham, Wilts, SN14 7DG Tel 01249 713305, web: www.thewhitehorsebiddestone.co.uk ■ ‘With a green, duck pond, annual fete and agricultural vehicles trundling along its single road, Biddestone is the archetypal English village, and the White Horse the archetypal village pub. Summer here makes for lazy afternoons and balmy evenings, while snow brings picture-postcard prettiness.’ Our man found just such beauty, arriving one deep-and-crispand-even December morning with research guest Bonnie. Bizarrely enough, fake snow - and one-time Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy - was here in March 2013 for the filming of The Christmas Candle, set for release come Yule 2014. Here to stay are new landlords Stella and Luke, serving four real ales - Gem, Doom Bar, Best and IPA at time of going to press - and homemade pub food such as cottage pie well made. They may have started a pub quiz by the time you read this and probably staged a hog roast. They’re also keen to encourage regulars to participate in November’s homemade sausage festival. Before then, new signage may arrive, but EOW hopes that it’s not all change. ‘The bar’s open fire - an original feature in a building dating from the 18th century - brings maximum homeliness.

My guest’s mulled wine warms the cockles, a mince pie hot from the range helping to keep out winter’s biting cold.’ All considered, there’s a lot going on at a place with 457 inhabitants - or should that be 459? ‘Punters, allegedly, include the ghosts of an old couple who fell in love with the place and didn’t want to leave. It’s not hard to see why.’

WOOKEY HOLE INN Wookey Hole, Wells, BA5 1BP Tel: 01749 676677, web: www.wookeyholeinn.com ■ A fab, funky interior hides behind the traditional frontage at this pub boasting one of the widest selections of continental beer on draught in England, as well as three guest ales and an extensive wine list. All food is locally sourced and free-range. Menu changes daily, but expect oven-roasted lamb rump, pan-fried fillet of beef, roast chicken breast. Walled sculpture garden seats 100-plus, with a sunken area and boat deck for decadent afternoons. Five ensuite individually designed rooms have Japanese king-style beds and cult video libraries.

WOOLPACK INN Beckington, nr Bath, BA11 6SP Tel: 01373 831244, web: www.woolpackhotel.co.uk ■ You’ll find both formal and informal dining options at this 16th century coaching inn proudly bagging a National Fish & Chip award in 2012 - the chicken & asparagus pie and lamb shank aren’t half bad, either.

Traditional English food is accompanied by Butcombe, IPA and Abbot.

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Sandwich Shops BRISTOL

Sandwich Shops

Times. See also Cafes, and Restaurants: European & Mediterranean.

Bristol

BREADSTORE 45 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AD Tel: 0117 942 1654 ■ Highly recommended bakery serving a small but good selection of pies plus filled rolls in fantastic flavours - Chinese chicken, chicken tikka, BLT, ham salad, tuna & mayo, cheese salad, cheese & pickle, etc.

Fantastic bread and top cakes, too.

NEW BLUEPIG SANDWICHES 33 Colston Ave, BS1 4UA Tel: 0117 925 6699, web: www.bluepigsandwiches.co.uk ■ What was Delicious Cafe became BluePig Sandwiches in December 2012. Eat in or take away from a choice of fresh breakfasts, sandwiches, wraps, panini, soups, salads, jackets and daily specials plus hot/cold drinks.

Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-2.30pm, Sat 10am-4pm BOSTON TEA PARTY 75 Park St, BS1 5PF Tel: 0117 929 8601, web: www.bostonteaparty.co.uk ■ Perennially popular, laidback cafe-bar dishing up fresh, innovative food. Good sandwich and panini range at this venue praised by The Guardian and The

Quite simply a Bristol institution Brunel Buttery

NEW BRISTOL BRUNCH 4-5 St Augustine’s Place, BS1 4UD Tel: 0117 929 3712, web: www.bristolbrunch.com ■ Formerly Okidokis, Bristol Brunch came into being in March 2013, serving sandwiches, baguettes, soups, jackets and panini. Top-notch suppliers like Hobbs House are used, while cakes handmade in Bristol are delivered by bicycle - good work, people. Possibly even more delightful is the hot daily carvery special: there have no doubt already been many takers for the pork roasted in chilli and fennel seeds served in a crusty baguette with apple and sage jelly. Open Mon-Fri 7am-3pm, Sat 8am-2pm BRUNEL BUTTERY Wapping Wharf, BS1 6DS Tel: 0117 929 1696 ■ Open every day for drinks, homemade cakes and pies, salads, quiches, vegetarian snacks and bacon sandwiches, all freshly prepared.

CAFFE GUSTO 3 Hanover Quay, BS1 5JE; 54 Prince St, BS1 4QH; 2 Clare St, BS1 1XR; British Empire & Commonwealth Museum Yard, Clock Tower Yard, Temple Meads, BS1 6QH; St Michaels Hill, Kingsdown, BS2 8BU; Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Units 1-2, Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NN; 5 & 39 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QE; 9 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BX; Upper Level, The Mall, Cribbs Causeway BS34 5GF Web: www.caffegusto.com ■ Baguettes, sandwiches and rolls at good-value prices.

CAFFE NERO 102-104 Horse Fair, BS1 3JX; House of Fraser, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BD; 38 Corn St, BS1 1HT; 1 Union St, BS1 2DD; 7-9 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QE; 46 Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HU Web: www.caffenero.com ■ Excellent coffees and very popular panini filled with the likes of tomato, mozzarella & basil.

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Sandwich Shops BRISTOL CARWARDINES 5 St Stephen St, BS1 1EE Tel: 0117 925 0785 ■ Popular, long-established sandwich stop, with a vast selection of freshly prepared sarnies. Eat in or take away. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-3pm CHANDOS DELI Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BU Tel: 0117 927 9543 Bristol University Sports Centre, Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TQ Tel: 0117 922 7700 6 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BP Tel: 0117 974 3275 121 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2PL Tel: 0117 970 656597 Henleaze Rd, BS9 4JP Tel: 0117 907 4391, web: www.chandosdeli.com ■ Extremely popular deli stocking an eclectic range of cheese, charcuterie, fresh bread, olives, cakes, soups and bruschetta. Homemade savoury tarts come in flavours like goat’s cheese & onion marmalade, or smoked salmon & cream cheese. Award-winning sandwiches and baguettes (some using Bertinet bread) filled with the likes of brie and local ham as well as mixed charcuterie. Open See Specialist Food Suppliers, Bristol for branch opening hours

LATIMERS 73 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2RY Tel: 0117 973 3372, web: www.latimerscafe.com ■ Celebrating 15 years of serving sandwiches, baguettes, panini, freshly baked French pastries, cakes, real Cornish pasties and top coffee to a loyal (and delighted) clientele of local workers and students. Sarnies and baguettes made to order, panini made every day till 3pm. Business lunch catering also offered. Open Mon-Sat 7.30am-5pm MAGIC ROLL St Thomas Court, Redcliff St, BS1 6GJ Tel: 07851 760939, Facebook: Magic Roll Redcliffe Triangle South, BS8 1EZ Tel: 0117 929 1785, web: www.magicroll.co.uk ■ Over at the Clifton branch, the ace rolls are now served by Taka Taka cafe (opened since last year’s guide - see Bristol Cafes), while the Redcliffe branch reopened back in March 2013 - Bristolians can still get

Stacking ‘em up Gert Lush

COFFEE NO 1 157 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8BA Tel: 0117 942 9909 31 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BX Tel: 0117 923 8021 4 Canford Lane, Westbury on Trym, BS9 3DH Tel: 0117 959 1749, web: www.coffee1.co.uk ■ Terrific, ethical, great-tasting coffee to drink in or take away, plus excellent sarnies, panini and focaccia.

Great cake and pastry selection.

FANTASTIC SANDWICH CO 63 North Rd, BS6 5AD Tel: 0117 942 0470, web: www.fantasticsandwich.co.uk ■ Home of the legendary Errol Flynn, King of Tonga, Lincoln High Roller and sesame Nigella panini. Equally fantastic salads include Thai chilli, crayfish & noodle, and pesto pasta with mozzarella pearls and cherry tomato. Online orders taken and they can cater for buffets and business meetings.

GERT LUSH 9a Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HW Tel: 0117 244 7074, web: www.lushsandwich-clifton.co.uk ■ Ever-popular sandwich shop with a versatile catering arm.

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Sandwich Shops BRISTOL their delicious Magic Roll fix! Open (Redcliffe) MonFri 10am-3pm, (Clifton) Mon-Sat 12noon-3am OLD CHEESE SHOP 1 Worrall Rd, off Blackboy Hill, BS8 2UF Tel: 0117 946 6940 ■ Make your Friday lunch very special with a roast meat sarnie - how about pork with crackling and apple sauce? Possibly the South West’s most famous cheese shop in the 1970s, and these days an ultrasophisticated sandwich emporium. All produce is prepared on site from fresh ingredients: a vast range of sandwiches, chicken schnitzel (the stuff of legend), chargrilled salmon, daily specials including chilli, curries and spag bol, and soup in winter. Great cakes and fresh orange juice. Business buffets catered for.

Open Mon-Fri 8.15am-4pm PAPADELI 84 Alma Rd, Clifton, BS8 2DJ Tel: 0117 973 6569, web: www.papadeli.co.uk ■ Much-feted, Mediterranean-inspired cafe where the sandwiches, ciabattas and baguettes feature Hobbs House bread, with serrano ham & tomato a menu highlight. Locally sourced, Fairtrade and organic credentials. Restaurant-quality dishes made daily on the premises.

PARSONS BAKERY 12 Baldwin St, BS1 1SA Tel: 0117 933 8685 134 St Michaels Hill, BS8 2DA Tel: 0117 933 0919 3 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BX Tel: 0117 923 9363, web: www.parsonsbakery.co.uk NEW Bedminster pop-up at 80 West St, BS3 ■ As we went to press, Parsons’ pop-up Bedminster premises (operational since December 2012) is still in situ; follow its progress on the street’s Way Out West Facebook page. Various branches dotted around Bristol, offering fresh bread and sandwiches, hot panini, breakfast baguettes, savouries and sweets, plus great fresh espresso and super croissants.

PRET A MANGER 29-31 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1QE Tel: 0207 932 5293, web: www.pret.com ■ Enormous sarnie offerings including the dietconscious Slim Pret range, plus coffee, sushi, cakes, pastries and a delivery service for local business lunches. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-6pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm

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SANDWICH DIRECT 112 Rodway Rd, Patchway, BS34 5PG Tel: 0117 969 8889, web: www.sandwichdirectbristol.co.uk ■ Their delivery vans are a common sight, bringing sandwiches, salads, pasta and more to hard-pressed office workers around Bristol and Kingswood. And with 20 years’ catering experience, they can arrange bespoke catering platters to suit.

SOUTHVILLE DELI 262 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JA Tel: 0117 966 4507, web: www.southvilledeli.com ■ Sarnie offerings (£3-£3.40) change daily here depending on what they’ve got on the deli side of things. Fillings include free-range chicken, cured meat and cheeses. Admirable vegan range includes a hummus, falafel & red pepper wonder. Great-value lunchboxes contain a hunk of bread, hummus, feta, olives, roasted red peppers and a stuffed vine leaf (£3), with wheat-free options. Vegan sandwiches and soup. Clive’s Pies, sweet offerings courtesy of Bar Cake, and Fairtrade coffee to go. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm SUBWAY The Galleries, BS1 3XE; Unit 8, Transom Ho, Victoria St, BS1 6AH; Merchant St, Broadmead, BS1 3EP; 15-17 Clare St, BS1 1XH; 31 Union St, BS1 2DJ; 3b Broad Quay, BS1 4DA; Corner House, Hamilton Court, Montague St, BS2 8NY; 80-82 East St, Bedminster, BS3 4EY; Unit 29 Broadwalk, Knowle, BS4 2QB; 201 Stapleton Rd, Easton, BS5 0PA; 29 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AA; Berkeley Centre, 15-19 Queens Rd, BS8 1QE; 103 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PB; 80-82 Regent St, Kingswood, BS15 8HU; 790 Fishponds Rd, Fishponds, BS16 3TE; Willow Brook Centre, Savages Wood Rd, Bradley Stoke, BS32 8BS; 11b Shields Retail Park, Gloucester Rd, Filton, BS34 7QB; Brislington Retail Park, BS4 5NG; Unit 18 Imperial Retail Park, BS13 7TJ; Bristol International Airport, BS48 3DY; The Pod, Emersons Green, BS16 7AE; Unit 3 Aldermoor Way, Longwell Green, BS30 7DA Web: www.subway.co.uk ■ Toasted and cold submarine sandwiches and salads, deli-style sandwiches, salads and wraps, crisps and freshly baked cookies and muffins.

WOODES 18 Park St, BS1 5JA Tel: 0117 926 4041 ■ Nestling at the bottom of Park Street, this cafe is something of an institution, and probably Bristol’s longest-established sarnie outlet, having been trading for more than 40 years. Choice of around 25 different sandwiches, all made fresh daily (the white fish &

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Sandwich Shops BATH prawn is delicious). Great selection of patisseries and hot soups, plus good people-watching tables and chairs. Coffees and herbal teas.

ZAK’S SANDWICH BAR St Nicholas Market, St Nicholas St, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 927 7444 ■ English breakfasts, burgers, hot lunches, snacks, freshly made sandwiches and baguettes to eat in or take away.

ZULU 27 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, BS7 8AA Tel: 07580 363756 ■ Get back to the office with what-have-you-gotthere-factor baguettes thanks to exotic fillings such as kangaroo, camel, buffalo and ostrich. Less exotic fillings for the more traditional, plus onsite cafe and shop. Open Tue-Thur 9am-3pm, Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm.

Bath BEST OF BRITISH 12 Broad St, BA1 5LJ Tel: 01225 448055, web: www.bestofbritishdeli.co.uk ■ Thriving grocery/deli stocking 100% organic ingredients and British produce, much of it locally sourced, now also stockists of the legendary Lovett’s Pies. Sandwiches, salads, quiches, homemade cakes, soup, quality coffee/tea, etc. Hampers/ picnic specialists; domestic and corporate catering service available. Small seating area, free city-centre delivery for orders £25+. Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm

BRIDGE COFFEE SHOP 17 Pulteney Bridge, BA2 4AY Tel: 01225 483339 ■ Takeaway baguettes, pies, pasties, hot and cold drinks and cakes from this busy little café in a glorious location. Open Sun-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-6pm BUTTER PAT 18 Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RJ Tel: 01225 310184 ■ Freshly made sandwiches, baguettes and wraps, homemade jams, tarts and cakes. Delivery service, and business lunches catered for. Resident ghost can’t always be guaranteed to make an appearance. Open Mon-Sat 9am-4pm CHANDOS DELI St George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 314418 Egg Café, Theatre Royal, Sawclose, BA1 1ET Tel: 01225 823408, web: www.chandosdeli.com ■ Multi-award-winning deli and takeaway with several outlets across Bath and Bristol, including a cafe at the Theatre Royal’s Egg theatre. Baguettes, sandwiches, salads, cakes, pastries etc, to eat in or take away.

Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm CORNISH BAKEHOUSE 11a The Corridor, BA1 5AP Tel: 01225 426635 1 Lower Borough Walls, BA1 1QR Tel: 01225 780432, web: www.cornishbakehouse.com ■ Thick-cut sandwiches, baguettes, wraps, salads,

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NEW BERTINET BAKERY The Vaults, 2 Brunel Sq, SouthGate, BA1 1SX Tel: 01225 461119, web: www.bertinet.com ■ Award winning baker Richard Bertinet’s legendary breads, viennoiserie, pastries. savouries etc. to go.

Excellent coffee. Small alfresco seating area.

Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-5.30pm, Sat 8am-6pm BOSTON TEA PARTY Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AE Tel: 01225 313901, web: www.bostonteaparty.co.uk ■ Healthy, hearty, largely wholemeal food, at very reasonable prices from this much-loved Bath café-society hotspot, strong on ethical sourcing and environmental responsibility. Open Mon-Wed 8am-6pm, Thur-Sat 8am-9pm

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Cha

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Sandwich Shops BATH coffee, cold drinks and fudge, plus award-winning pasties, baked throughout the day. Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm CRUMBAWUMBA! 10a Princess St, BA1 1HL Tel: 01225 333080, web: www.crumbawumba.co.uk ■ Top-notch sandwiches, panini, breakfasts, pies, quiches etc, alongside sturdier fare like jacket spuds, casseroles and bakes. Full catering and corporate services, bespoke wedding cakes. Open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm DA VINCI ITALIAN DELI 33 Wellsway, Bear Flat, BA2 4RR Tel: 01225 471850, web: www.davincideliandpizza.co.uk ■ Authentic Italian deli serving fresh baguettes with yummy fillings, plus fresh pasta, hot lunches etc. Limited indoor/pavement seating, and a couple of tables in the lovely little garden out back. Also provide packages for business lunches and meetings, with sandwich, ciabatta or baguette platters for 10-20 people. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 8.30am-5pm DEVON SAVOURIES 19 Lower Borough Walls, BA1 1QU Tel: 01225 442099 ■ Filled baguettes, sandwiches, hot pastries, coffee, tea and cold drinks. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm

One of the coolest watering holes in town Jika Jika

EAT5STAR 14 Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AD Tel: 01225 330555, web: www.eat5star.com ■ Upper-crust casual-but-tasty hotspot offering takeaway and corporate catering options. Brilliant breakfasts, perfect espresso and a lavish lunch menu featuring gourmet sandwiches and salads. Open MonFri 8am-5pm, Sat 9am-5pm FINE CHEESE CO 29-31 Walcot St, BA1 5BN Tel: 01225 483407, web: www.finecheese.co.uk ■ Daily changing sandwiches, baguettes and picnic foods from this gorgeous upmarket deli/cafe, plus excellent coffee and superb cakes. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-5.30pm GOODIES 2a St Saviours Rd, Larkhall, BA1 6RJ Tel: 01225 336033, web: www.goodiesdeli.co.uk ■ Popular, long-standing deli offering breads from their in-store French bakery alongside daily Hobbs House deliveries. Fresh baguettes, ciabatta, granary/ white breads etc, stuffed with the freshest fillings.

Croissants and sweet pastries are the stuff of local legend. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm GOURMET SCOFFS 9 Terrace Walk, BA1 1LN Tel: 01225 471137 ■ Bespoke sandwiches, filled rolls, sausage rolls, scotch eggs etc, to eat in or take away. Open MonSat 8am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm GUILDHALL DELICATESSEN 8a Guildhall Market, BA2 4AW Tel: 01225 427195, web: www.bathguildhallmarket. co.uk/the-guildhall-delicatessen ■ Sandwiches, baguettes, sweet and savoury tarts, pies, pastries etc, plus continental and local meats, homemade cakes, olives, jams and chutneys, cheeses and vegetarian, Indian and Italian specialities.

Catering service. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm, Sat 9.30am-5.30pm HARVEST NATURAL FOODS 37 Walcot St, BA1 5BN Tel: 01225 465519, web: www.harvest-bath.coop ■ Long-established veggie, wholefood, natural, ethical, organic and locally sourced emporium. Fresh vegetarian and vegan rolls, imaginative vegetarian and vegan savouries (including gluten-free pasta salads) and cakes. Everything is freshly prepared – anything left over at the end of the day is given to the homeless. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-6.30pm, Sat 9am-6pm

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Sandwich Shops BATH INDULGENCE CAFÉ 31 Bathwick St, BA2 6NZ Tel: 01225 316265, web: www.indulgence-cafe.co.uk ■ Homemade daily specials include stews, pies and casseroles, alongside a fabulous deli counter and salad bar, hampers-to-go, jams, chutneys, and cakes made to order at this thoroughly modern foodie venture. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm INTERMEZZO EXPRESS 32 Barton St, BA1 1HH Tel: 01225 466583 ■ Gert big fat baguettes, sarnies etc, generously over-stuffed with a massive choice of fillings, served with full-on Mediterranean panache. Open Mon-Fri 7am-4pm NEW JIKA JIKA New Marchants Passage, SouthGate, BA1 1AQ Tel: 01225 469253, web: www.jikajika.co.uk ■ Stylish sandwiches, pastries, drinks, fabulous coffee etc. to go, courtesy of one of the coolest watering holes in town. Small alfresco area too. Open Mon-Fri 6.30am-6pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm LA BAGUETTE 3 Stall St, BA1 1QL Tel: 01225 480833 ■ Sandwiches, baguettes, freshly baked pasties, toasties, wraps and hot and cold drinks. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm LA CROISSANTERIE 14 Northumberland Place, BA1 5AR Tel: 01225 469641 ■ Good-quality, reasonably priced eat-in or takeaway sandwiches, baguettes, pastries, soups and coffees, particularly popular with tourists. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm, Sun 9am-5pm LES MUNCHIES 3 New St, Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 480779 ■ Sandwiches, rolls, baguettes and panini (first-rate breakfast selection) freshly prepared to order, plus jacket spuds, homemade soup, Illy coffee.

Open Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat 9.30am-5.30pm MAD HATTERS TEA PARTY 5 Orange Grove, BA1 1LP Tel: 01225 466733, web: www.themadhattersteaparty.moonfruit.com ■ Quirky, sweet little café offering a solid range of quality goodies-to-go. Open Mon-Thur 8am-6pm, Fri 8am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-5pm

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MADE BY BEN 100 Walcot St, BA1 5BG Tel: 01225 319999, web: www.madebyben.com ■ Exceptionally good sandwiches, salads, pies, quiches, tarts, cakes, treats etc, largely made from locally sourced, seasonal produce, also homemade ready meals to go. Limited seating for those who like to linger long in vibrant, welcoming surroundings.

Bespoke catering service. Also delivers food to/ cooks at The Bell Inn; see Pubs, Bath. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm MONTGOMERY’S 10a Queen St, BA1 1HE Tel: 01225 338803 ■ More than 40 sandwich fillings, conjuring up thousands of combinations. Office delivery service.

Open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 10am-3pm PICNIC IN THE PARK 16 Lark Place, BA1 3BA Tel: 01225 461620 ■ This bright, breezy takeaway is the perfect pre-park pitstop. Sandwiches, baguettes, cakes, crisps etc, plus fruit, sweet stuff and hot/cold drinks. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm (occasional Sundays in summer) PRESTO 7 Abbey Churchyard, BA1 1LY Tel: 01225 338803, web: www.pastypresto.com ■ Sandwiches, salads, soups and pastries alongside pasties and savouries freshly baked on the premises each day, plus 100% Arabica Fairtrade coffee. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm PRET À MANGER 2 Stall St, BA1 1QL Tel: 020 7932 5370, web: www.pret.com ■ Popular chain specialising in additive/preservativefree fast food: gourmet sandwiches, fresh soups/ salads, falafel wraps, healthy snacks, sweet treats, fruit juices, smoothies. Gluten-, wheat-, GM-, dairyfree options proliferate. Coffee is Fairtrade and organic. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 9am-5pm RETRO TO GO 18 York St, BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 339347, web: www.caferetro.co.uk ■ Very reasonably priced baguettes, panini, soups, sandwiches, sweet treats and picnic fare, plus excellent coffee and tea, attached to Café Retro. Stock sublimely stylish ‘Aladdin’ thermal boxes and mugs.

Join the Bento Lunch Club and get a 20% discount.

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Sandwich Shops BATH Catering service. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-3pm, Sat 10am-3.30pm SEASONS WHOLEFOOD 10 George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 469730 ■ Takeaway counter inside a lively wholefood grocery. Frozen yogurts in summer, homemade soups in winter, plus salads and sandwiches. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm SUBWAY 11 Westgate St, BA1 1EQ Tel: 01225 789958 Unit 2, Rosewell Court, BA1 2AG Tel: 01225 465156, web: www.subway.co.uk ■ Chunky fresh subs from a huge list. Breads baked in store, with meat, fish and vegetarian options. Open WS: Mon-Wed 8am-12midnight, Thur-Sat 8am-3am, Sun 9am-12midnight. RC: Daily 7am-10.30pm (8am Sun) TASTY 1 14a Manvers St, BA1 1JH Tel: 01225 444288 ■ Filled sandwiches, rolls and croissants, pies, pastries, jacket spuds, cakes, coffee, tea etc, next to SouthGate shopping centre, across the road from Bath Spa station. Open Mon-Sat 7.30am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-5pm

WHOLE BAGEL 8 Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RG Tel: 01225 333259, web: www.thewholebagel.co.uk ■ Now in new premises just metres away from the original WB HQ, featuring more space inside and alfresco opportunities. Browse a deli display of fillings (smoked salmon & cream cheese, pastrami, Nutty Swiss) for your bagel: multi-seed, jalapeno, olive & sundried tomato or good old plain. They’re cholesterol, preservative, GM and additive-free, and contain almost no fat. Homemade soup, various salads, lunchtime meal deals. Open Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 9am-4pm WILD CAFÉ 10a Queen St, BA1 1HE Tel: 01225 448673, web: www.wildcafe.co.uk ■ Local, seasonal, sustainable produce used in their takeaway salad and sandwich menu, plus simple allday menu in the cafe featuring local wild food. Open Mon-Sat 8am-5pm

Ubiquitous suppliers of chunky subs Subway

THYME 27 Westgate St, BA1 1EP Tel: 01225 780078, web: www.thymechef.co.uk ■ Supremely fresh sandwiches, baguettes and salads made to order. Fillings range from standard egg/ tuna mayo variety (with low-fat options) to posh nosh like proper pastrami with dill pickle, oaksmoked salmon with cream cheese, hummus with roasted Mediterranean veg. Fresh homemade soup, imaginative salad pots, excellent coffee at bargain prices. Extensive catering service, including dinner parties, BBQs, weddings. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-3pm, Sat 9am-3pm WEST CORNWALL PASTY COMPANY 4 Burton St, BA1 1BN Web: www.westcornwallpasty.co.uk ■ Proper pasty shop with magnificent selection of freshly prepared sandwiches, filled rolls etc, plus tea, coffee, water, juices. Small outdoor seating area on pavement out front. Company donates a chunk of its profits to the RNLI. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL

Takeaways & Deliveries Bristol AHMED’S MASALA CAFE 2 Jacobs Wells Rd, Hotwells, BS8 1EA Tel: 0117 930 4194, web: www.ahmedsmasalacafe.co.uk ■ Quality Indian takeaway offering a 10% discount on £10+ orders. The wonderful prawn on puree starter, formerly on the menu, can still be rustled up if you ask politely. Extensive range of house specials includes kormas, bhunas, tandooris.

NEW BEATS Lakota Yard, York St, BS2 8QN web: www.bristoleats.co.uk ■ Short for Bristol Eats - follow the trail of delicious aromas coming from Lakota’s yard every Thur (5-10pm) over the summer to find vendors such as Kebab Revolution, Bagel Boy, Cupp Tea and Meat & Bread. The Beats HQ will relocate to St Stephens Street (off Corn Street) on 22 June 2013 as part of the Big Green Week Market.

BIG BANANA JUICE BAR St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ Tel: 0117 927 3274, web: www.thebigbananajuicebar.co.uk ■ Bristol’s original juice bar. Drink in or take away freshly prepared juices, smoothies and wheatgrass shots. All-fruit hangover cure comes highly recommended, even if you don’t have a hangover replaces lost B vitamins, helps flush bad stuff out, and rehydrates.

BOBBY’S 17 Christmas Steps, BS1 5BT Tel: 07885 533216 ■ Housed in a seriously ancient building, this chippy is believed to be one of the nation’s first.The eponymous Bobby serves fish & chips, chicken, pies, scampi, spring rolls and the like. The photo on the wall of Che Guevara - Bobby’s hero - has been replaced since last year’s guide with the word for ‘welcome’ in nine languages. Small eat-in area. Open Mon-Sat 11am-3pm & 5-11pm, Sun 5-11pm CAESAR’S Welsh Back ■ Like the Camberwick Green music box, this

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hexagonal construction offers up good things, in this case coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and freshly cooked churros to sip while strolling beside Welsh Back’s water. Bench seating outside. Opening hours can vary - 10am-5pm on weekends are your best bet to catch them serving.

CARIBBEAN WRAP St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LG Tel: 07989 745944 ■ Authentic Caribbean cuisine to take away, or stop for a quick lunch - the menu never disappoints.

Everything from jerk chicken or curried goat with rice and peas to a refreshing cucumber juice. Vegetarians and vegans catered for.

CEDARS EXPRESS 60 Park Row, BS1 5LE Tel: 0117 925 6085 ■ Falafels, stuffed vine leaves, gorgeous lamb samosas (or try the spinach variety), baklava, etc, with plenty for hungry vegetarians. Party catering, too.

CITY CAFE FOOD CENTRE Colston Ave (opp Hippodrome), BS1 ■ Staggeringly popular burger and kebab van, open till the early hours for the post-club crowd. Somehow Murat and his staff manage to keep smiling until around 5am at weekends. Too drunk to look out for the blue-and-white stripes? Just follow your nose to the aroma of frying onions. Open Daily 8pm-very late CORNISH BAKEHOUSE 16 Castle Gallery, Galleries shopping centre, BS1 3XE, Tel: 0117 930 4279, web: www.cornishbakehouse.com ■ Pasties come in small, medium, large and giant (£3.50) sizes. Choose from flavours such as beef curry, corned beef and ham, leek & cheese; we love the cheese & mushroom. Traditional and notso-traditional pasties, plus panini, sandwiches, baguettes, pizzas, cakes, cold drinks.

EAT A PITTA Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ Tel: 07825 659525 ■ Gorgeous, freshly prepared falafels, using the freshest ingredients and cooked before your eyes by friendly folk who’ll offer you a choice from the vast salad array. Lunchtime dining? Sorted. Open Mon-Fri 9.30am-3.45pm, Sat 9.30am-4.15pm (approx) EXCHANGE SNACK BAR St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LG Tel: 0117 922 4014 ■ English breakfasts, lunch, snacks.

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL FALAFEL KING City centre (nr Watershed), BS, 6 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LF Tel: 0117 329 4476 ■ City centre: welcome pitta pitstop, serving good falafels and other Middle Eastern foods to hungry shoppers, clubbers and dancers. Cotham Hill: Cafe and takeaway run by the same folk - see Bristol Cafes.

NEW MEALS.CO.UK Web: www.meals.co.uk ■ Unique, multi-faceted online takeaway and delivery service based in Bristol, covering Thai, sushi, Italian, Caribbean, Indian, British, gourmet burgers and Lebanese cuisine, as served by 20 top-quality local restaurants. Dinner party catering service.

MISSION BURRITO 62 Park St, BS1 5JN Tel: 0117 927 3339, web: www.missionburrito.co.uk ■ Online ordering lets you line up your lunch ready for collection. See Bristol Cafes. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm MOORISH CAFE St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LG Tel: 07403 358046 ■ Delicious menu of Moroccan food and drink to eat in or take away: couscous, traditional Moroccan lamb and chicken dishes, meatballs. Food Mon-Sat 12noon-4.30pm PEPE NERO 22 Bond St, BS1 3LU Tel: 0117 926 8057, web: Facebook, Twitter ■ Meaty/fishy/veggie/vegan pizza delivery to your office?

Give Pepe Nero a call. Diverse (and delicious) choices for veggies and vegans as well as carnivores. Free delivery within one mile, 10% of bill charged after one mile. Open Mon-Fri 10am-9.30pm, Sat 10.30am-10pm, Sun 11am-6pm (Easter, summer, Christmas period-end of January) PIEMINISTER Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 302 0070, web: www.pieminister.co.uk ■ See Takeaways, Bristol: North.

PIZZA HUT web: www.pizzahut.co.uk ■ Check website for your nearest Pizza Hut: there’s a whole bunch in Bristol, some of which do home delivery.

Good range of pizzas at reasonable prices.

PIZZAEXPRESS 31 Berkeley Square, BS8 1HP Tel: 0117 926 0300 35 Corn St, BS1 1HT

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Tel: 0117 930 0239 Unit 1, Building 8, Harbourside, BS1 5TY Tel: 0117 927 3622, web: www.pizzaexpress.com ■ Renowned, busy restaurants offering great takeaway pizzas and delicious dough balls with garlic butter.

See Restaurants, Italian.

PORTUGUESE TASTE St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LG Tel: 0117 904 8485 ■ Funky little cafe/takeaway where one taste of the Portuguese national confection, pastel de nata, will take you all the way to Lisbon. Summer brings salads (tuna, Russian, chicken); winter means big-flavoured traditional dishes: feijoada (red beans & pork), chicken piri piri, beef stew with rice and potatoes, chickpeas with pork and rice, cod with cream and potatoes. Daily vegetarian soup.

PRINCES PANTRY 61 Prince St, BS1 5PH Tel: 0117 925 0400 ■ Nestling alongside Bristol docks, this small, quality hut serves great sausage sarnies and bacon butties at low prices. Lots of colourful regulars. Their breakfast roll is a beauty of a baguette: tomatoes, bacon, eggs, sausage. Open Daily till 3pm PURE PASTA, SOUP & SANDWICH St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LG Tel: 07899 862403 ■ Italian (eat in or take away) specialising in hot pasta dishes, great lasagne, pizza, panini, soup, sandwiches. The homemade tiramisu is a knockout.

RENDEZVOUS 9 Denmark St, BS1 5DQ Tel: 0117 929 8683 ■ Takeaway and seating area serving fish & chips, pies, pasties, sausages. It’s more expensive to eat in.

RICE BOX 4 Christmas Steps, BS1 5BS Tel: 0117 927 3388, web: www.thericebox.co.uk ■ Bijou and boutique, serving funky and fantastic Chinese food. The eponymous box comprises main meal plus fried/boiled/rice/chow mein. The prawn toast is wonderful. Excellent range (plus admirable veggie choices) enhanced by daily specials. Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-7.30pm (not bank hols) ROCOTILLOS 1 Queens Row, Triangle South, BS8 1EZ Tel: 0117 929 7207 ■ Breakfasts, pancakes, quesadillas and milkshakes from this Observer Food Monthly Best Breakfast awardwinner. See also Restaurants, American.

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL SPICE UP YOUR LIFE 7 Exchange Ave, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JP Tel: 0117 914 4448 ■ Quality cut-above Indian and Asian specialities. Eat at a table on the cobbles outside or take away. Bhajis, samosas, wraps, daily specials. Vegans catered for SUBWAY See Sandwich Shops, Bristol, for branch details Web: www.subway.co.uk ■ Chain selling a massive range of hot/cold submarine sandwiches with freshly baked bread, including Italian and wheat breads. Deli-style sandwiches, salads, wraps, cookies, muffins.

NEW WOOLLY CACTUS Corner of Victoria St & Bath St, BS1 Web: www.woollycactus.com, Twitter ■ Not so much south of the border, more south of the river, this quirky, wool-covered (that’s not a typo) Tex-Mex catering trailer stands at the opposite end of Bristol Bridge to Castle Park. Start your day with a breakfast taco (free-range scrambled egg, bacon, cheese, grilled onion, black beans, homemade salsa) or mosey over later for tacos and quesadillas (filled with spiced beef mince, slow-cooked pulled chicken or twice-cooked black beans). The combo menu incorporates drinks, afternoon deals and sharing chips and dips. Knitters are invited to enquire about their ‘will knit for tacos’ programme. Open Mon-Fri 8am-3pm (approx), weekend opening scheduled

Something Completely Different Pizza Monkey

Lakota Yard, York St • Thursdays, 5-10pm: thin, crispy, tasty pizza flash-fired in less than two minutes at up to 400C.

Schnafel Cafe

Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Whiteladies Rd • Crispy-coated fresh chicken or pork fillet bringing healthier takeaway tastiness.

Woolly Cactus

Corner of Victoria St & Bath St • Even if you’re not into Tex-Mex, you’re still invited to rub your face on their woolly trailer.

Bristol: West AHMED’S CURRY CAFE 1e Chandos Rd, Redland, BS6 6PG Tel: 0117 946 6466, web: www.ahmedscurrycafe.co.uk ■ Cosy curry cafe dishing out fresh, GM-free food at unbelievably great prices. Home delivery service. See Restaurants, Indian.

BLUE JUICE 39 Cotham Hill, BS6 6JY Tel: 0117 973 4800 ■ Fun, funky cafe and takeaway. Remarkable range of juices and smoothies, plus some seriously filling food.

BRISTOL RAJ 36 Alma Vale Rd, BS8 2HS Tel: 0117 973 1414/7969, web: www.bristolraj.co.uk ■ Saucy and spicy Indian restaurant that also offers delivery. Butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are excellent. See also Restaurants, Indian.

Open Sun-Thur 6-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 6pm-12midnight

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CLIFTON VILLAGE FISH BAR 4 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BP Tel: 0117 974 1894, web: www.cliftonvillagefishbar.co.uk ■ Drop in for lovely, sustainable fish served with a smile by the friendly Maestri family. With a fishmonger at Chandos Deli next door, you’re in the right place for sea bass, mackerel, calamari and filo prawns, or choose pies and pasties. Gluten-free fish & chips sold on the first Monday eve monthly. Open Daily lunchtime & eves, Fri-Sun all day from around lunchtime

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL DOMINO PIZZA ■ Extensive menu, delivered or to take away, with online ordering available. Pizzas in four different sizes and crusts, with imaginative toppings (Mighty Meat: pepperoni, sausage, onion, mushrooms, beef, ham).

Good side-orders, too: chicken strippers, garlic bread.

Special offers and meal deals.

DRAGON FOUNTAIN 4 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LF Tel: 0117 973 7749 ■ Family-run, with extensive menu of fantastic food at reasonable prices. Also do delivery.

FALAFEL KING 6 Cotham Hill, BS6 6LF Tel: 0117 329 4476 ■ See Takeaways, Bristol: Central.

NEW FISH LOVERS @ WHITELADIES 133 Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2PL Tel: 0117 933 5599, web: www.fishloversatwhiteladies.co.uk ■ Formerly Fishminster, this licensed fish bar and restaurant offers fish, rotisserie chicken, pies, sides, etc.

PAPADELI 84 Alma Rd, BS8 2DJ Tel: 0117 973 6569, web: www.papadeli.co.uk ■ Bountiful deli, with charcuterie, cheeses, an emphasis on local sourcing and some of the friendliest staff around. All takeaway food is prepared on the premises, including sandwiches, salads, casseroles, quiches, vegetarian options. See Specialist Food Suppliers, Bristol.

PAULINE CHAN’S 205 Wellington Hill West, Henleaze, BS9 4QL Tel: 0117 962 3078 ■ Excellent Chinese takeaway specialising in Peking, Szechuan and Cantonese, with delivery service.

Favourites include spicy crispy chilli beef, Thai red curry, and curry with rice for a reasonable £5.80.

Terrific special fried rice, great veggie options.

Open Mon-Thur 5-10pm, Fri-Sat 5-10.30pm PIRI PIRI CORNER 11-12 Triangle South, BS8 1EY Tel: 0117 929 7777, web: www.piripiricorner.co.uk ■ This attractive fast-food restaurant/takeaway delivers free to a three-mile radius including Redland, Hotwells, Kingsdown, Leigh Woods. Open Mon-Fri 11.30-4am, Sat 12noon-5am, Sun 12noon-2am

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PIZZAEXPRESS 2-10 Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HG Tel: 0117 974 4259, web: www.pizzaexpress.com ■ See Bristol: Central.

SCHNAFEL CAFE Clifton Down Shopping Centre, Whiteladies Rd, BS8 2NN Tel: 0117 974 7277, web: www.schnafel.co.uk ■ Formerly a branch of Caffe Gusto, this European/ Mediterranean/Lebanese salad bar serves schnitzels and falafels plus a host of healthy wraps, salads and soups to eat in or take away. Open Mon-Thur 8.30am-9pm, Fri-Sat 8.30am-10pm, Sun 9am-8pm STOKE BISHOP FISH BAR 13 Druid Hill, Stoke Bishop, BS9 1EW Tel: 0117 329 0366, web: www.cliftonvillagefishbar.co.uk ■ Opened in 2011 courtesy of the ace people at the long-established Clifton Village Fish Bar (see listing above). Open Eves daily, lunchtimes Mon-Sat THALI CAFE 1 Regent St, Clifton Village, BS8 4HW Tel: 0117 974 3793, web: www.thethalicafe.co.uk ■ See Takeaways, Bristol: North.

TIFFINS 151 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8DB Tel: 0117 973 4834, web: www.tiffinsbristol.com ■ Owners Jay and Nick Jethwa, BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Award finalists 2010, serve up authentic Gujarat curries cooked in sunflower oil only and using more nutritional spices than most Indian food. It’s not just Radio 4 singing their praises; one customer makes a 50-mile round-trip while another doesn’t go more than two days without eating here. Stone-baked pizzas made with their own fresh dough have toppings that straddle the curry/pizza worlds. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 4.30-9pm NEW TAKA TAKA 1-2 Queens Row, The Triangle, Clifton, BS8 1EZ Tel: 929 1785, 922 1435 (Magic Roll,) web: www.taka-taka.co.uk ■ Greek pitta house, deli and Magic Roll purveyor that has opened where stood Magic Roll at the time of last year’s guide. Open Mon-Sat: deli 12noon-5pm, grill 5pm-late (food can be eaten on the premises), Magic Roll 12noon-late YOYO BURGER 6 Byron Place, BS8 1JT Tel: 0117 930 4353, web: www.yoyoburger.com ■ ‘Once you’ve eaten here, you’ll keep coming back,’

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL wrote our man of this benchmark-setting burger bar, where the bar has been raised since last year’s guide.

A futuristic screen-inlaid table and surroundings evoking the Michael/Janet Scream video will dazzle even the most dazed late-night reveller, but your eyes aren’t deceiving you - that really is lobster and waygu beef on the menu. Seriously tasty wraps accompany uber-high-quality burgers (including crocodile, springbok, ostrich, kangaroo) cooked freshly on site.

Rocombe Organic ice-cream, and perfect coffee and shakes. Open Daily 12noon-late

Bristol: South A CAPPELLA 184c Wells Rd, Totterdown, BS4 2AL Tel: 0117 971 3377, web: www.acappellas.co.uk ■ Voted Bristol’s Best Budget Italian 2011 by The Guardian, this is a continental cafe by day, cosy BYO pizzeria by night. Wonderfully friendly owners and staff - it’s like being on your hols in Spain.

Tapas and salads made to order, homemade desserts and stonebaked pizzas (huge range of handmade vegetarian, meat and fish options) prepared using traditional techniques, at affordable prices. Home deliveries from 5pm. Open Tue-Thur 9am-10pm, FriSat 9am-10.30pm ALI BABA’S 40 DISHES 34 West St, Bedminster, BS3 3LH Tel: 0117 966 3713, web: www.alibabas40dishes.co.uk ■ Long-established, with 17 different varieties of naan, from mushroom & coriander to honey-glazed.

Good selection of milder curries, specialities and veggie dishes. Several ‘zatoon’ dishes are cooked in extra virgin olive oil, and most meat dishes can be converted to vegetarian-friendly. Two poppadoms, onion salad and onion bhaji/bombay aloo/saag aloo free with £10+ orders. Open Daily 5.30pm-11.45pm (last orders)

EASTERN TANDOORI 81 North St, BS3 1ES Tel: 0117 966 2365 ■ Good-quality Indian with great service and excellent food, including baltis and tandoori.

FISHMINSTER 267 North St, BS3 1JN Tel: 0117 966 2226, web: www.fishminster.co.uk ■ Sustainable fish caught by fishermen who care, locally sourced potatoes cut fresh each morning, and certified eco-friendly GreenPalm oil. Specialising very much in fish (don’t expect pies, sausages, etc), served in clean, modern surroundings with fresh flowers.

Cod, haddock, hake, plaice and pollack alongside whitebait, calamari, king prawns, fishcakes, fish pie.

Veggies get a chickpea, carrot & beetroot burger.

Open Mon-Wed 11.30am-2pm & 5-10.30pm, Thur-Sat 11.30am-10.30pm, Sun 5-10pm MAGNET 55 Dean Lane, BS3 1BS Tel: 0117 963 6444, web: Facebook page ■ History has come full circle at a chip shop that has stood since the 1930s and once hosted a Badly Drawn Boy gig - since January 2013 it’s been run by a boss who first fried here in the 1980s. Expect fish cooked to order in palm oil (changed daily) as well as sausages, daily specials and fritters (bean, pea, pineapple. Open Mon 5-10pm, Tue-Sat 11.30am-2pm & 5-10pm PIZZA BELLA 102-106 West St, BS3 3LR Tel: 0117 963 3882 ■ Get chocolate, fags, even a bottle of vodka direct to your door thanks to this family-run Bedminster institution. It’s easy, you see, when you have your

Bountiful, friendly, locally sourced Papadeli

AL’S TIKKA GRILL 33 Ashton Rd, Ashton Gate, BS3 2EG Tel: 0117 985 3016 ■ Hungry Bite cafe by day, smashing little Indian by night. Eat in or take away - complete with BYO policy.

It’s modest but good, and we like it a lot. Great food at cracking prices; chicken tikka masala and chicken balti both highly recommended.

DIM SUM 263 North St, BS3 1JN, Tel: 0117 953 0606 ■ Very popular, long-established oriental takeaway, a firm favourite with locals. Big menu. Open Tue-Thur 6-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 6-11pm, Sun 6-10pm

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL own offie, Belvino, next door. Pizzas from £4.70. Call for delivery details.

THALI CAFE 1 William St, Totterdown, BS3 4TU Tel: 0117 933 2955 NEW Old Tobacco Factory, North St, Southville, BS3 1TF Tel: 07851 700215, web: www.thethalicafe.co.uk ■ See Takeaways, Bristol: North.

Bristol: North ARCHES INDIAN FAST FOOD 210 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QU Tel: 0117 924 8062 ■ Casual BYO cafe offering Indian fast food. Greatvalue starters, mains, specials, specialities and vegetarian options served by a takeaway that’s been going for a quarter-century. Open eves only (closed Tue).

ATOMIC BURGER 189 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BG Tel: 0117 942 8600, web: www.atomicburger.co.uk ■ Funky burger bar and takeaway wowing Bristol’s fast-foodies. See Cafes, Bristol.

NEW BENTO HOUSE 200 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QZ Tel: 0117 904 9345 ■ Korean and Japanese offerings at a location where Oh! Beijing! stood in last year’s guide.

Award-winning pies of perfection Pieminister

BISHOPSTON FISH BAR 264 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8PB Tel: 0117 307 9390, web: www.bishopstonfishbar.co.uk ■ Picked up a gong at 2013’s National Fish & Chip Awards to go with 2011’s Fish & Chip Quality Award from the National Federation of Fish Friers. Impressive menu offers cod, haddock, plaice, scampi, burgers and faggots (made by a local butcher), pies and barbecue chicken. Even the garlic mayo is awardwinning. Open Mon-Thur 11.30am-2pm & 5-10.30pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-2pm & 4.30-10.30pm BRISTOL FRYER 431 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8TZ Tel: 0117 951 5415 ■ Fantastic chippy popular with Gasheads and students. Freshly cooked fish, burgers, pies, pasties, sausages, kebabs, chicken, omelettes and more extras than the cast of Ben Hur. Twelve-inch pizzas with three toppings for £5.99.

CIAO BURGER 207a Gloucester Rd, BS7 8NN Tel: 0117 942 6228, web: www.ciaoburger.co.uk ■ Gloucester Road fixture dishing up good burgers and more.

DOMINO PIZZA 439 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8TZ Tel: 0117 951 2777 Simmonds View, Stoke Gifford, BS34 8HR Tel: 0117 979 8855, web: www.dominos.co.uk ■ See Bristol: West.

GRECIAN KEBAB HOUSE 2 Cromwell Rd, St Andrews, BS6 5AA Tel: 0117 942 3456 ■ No Gloucester Road pub-crawl is complete without food from this legendary pizza and kebab house. The rather fantastic news is that the upstairs restaurant will open as a lounge just before this guide hits the streets (see Bars). Mighty fine 12-inch pizza for six quid, doner kebabs from £4.20, shish kebabs £3.90, large doners £5.20, two-skewer shish kebabs £6.

Greek specialities include several vegetarian dishes, and there’s baklava and kataifi, too. Delivery service.

Open Takeaway/Lounge: Mon-Thur 5pm-2am, Fri-Sat 5pm-4am, Sun 2pm-1am INDIAN FOOD CENTRE 366 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8TP Tel: 0117 942 3532 ■ Huge selection, from mild tikkas to blow-yoursocks-off curries. The great-value chicken tikka masala is simply superb. Contemporary Indian cuisine, along with tandooris and baltis.

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL KELLAWAY FISH BAR 4 Kellaway Ave, BS6 7XR Tel: 0117 944 5220 ■ Seriously big pieces of fresh cod in crisp, non-greasy batter and huge portions of chips, all consistently good quality. Simply one of the best chippies you’ll find anywhere.

NEW TAJ TAKEAWAY 404 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8TR Tel: 0117 942 1992, web: www.newtaj.co.uk ■ See website for Sky News coverage of their ‘fluindaloo’ hot and spicy cold remedy. They’ve been serving quality Indian food to customers (with or without a runny nose) for about 20 years. Mr Choudhury and family conjure up tandooris, curries, biryanis and south-Asian dishes, enjoyed by a loyal following, some of whom consider the takeaway part of their family. Open Wed-Mon 5.30pm-12midnight OH! CALCUTTA! INDIAN KITCHEN 216 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QU Tel: 0117 924 0458, web: www.ohcalcutta.co.uk ■ Everything from the wussiest korma to a nuclear phall coming with the warning of being ‘painfully hot on both tongue and cheeks’. Emphasis on fresh ingredients. Takeaways and home delivery service.

See Restaurants, Indian.

PIEMINISTER 24 Stokes Croft, BS1 3PR Tel: 0117 942 9372 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 302 0070, web: www.pieminister.co.uk ■ The mantelpiece must be groaning under the weight of silverware accumulated at this fantastic eatery on Stokes Croft. All pies in their original range are Great Taste Award winners (four golds in 2006 alone), and their Heidi pie bagged Best Vegetarian Pie gong at the British Pie Awards. Available on numerous pub menus around the region. Bijou St Nicks offshoot sells the same range as big bro HQ, and compact PieMINIsters cater for kids. You heard about the Secret Order of the Pastry, a special pie-tasting club where pie lovers gather four times annually? Sounds like the Bilderberg Group, but with fewer conspiracy theories and more pies. Open See website SIMPLY THAI 67 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AD Tel: 0117 924 4117 ■ Fresh, flavoursome Thai grub - the green/red Thai curries are especially recommended. You can preorder by phone.

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SMITHS FISH BAR 2 Kingsdown Parade, BS6 5UD Tel: 0117 921 4627 ■ Dating back decades, with charming decor (Formica and steel counter, tiled floors and walls).

Gluten-free fish & chips third Saturday of every month. Clean, quick and decent-sized portions. Pies, pasties, burgers (BBQ blue cheese, sweet chilli, etc).

Open Mon-Fri 11.45am-1.45pm & 5-10.30pm, Sat 5.30-10pm, Sun 5.30-9pm STAR FISH BAR 157 Greystoke Ave (next to Aldi), Southmead, BS10 6AS Tel: 0117 950 9505 ■ A diamond! Portions are legendarily large and OAPs get lunchtime fish & chips for £4.30. Greystoke Avenue might not be Hollywood Boulevard, but this is a star of Harrison Ford proportions. Open Daily eves, lunchtimes Mon-Sat STREET FOOD @ FLOATING MARKET 39 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AD Tel: 0117 924 6786 ■ Authentic Thai starters and sides, noodles, stirfries, curry and vegetarian dishes on offer at this recently opened eat-in and takeaway. Open Tue-Sun 12noon-3.30pm & 6-10.30pm THAI PEPPER 215 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 924 9402, web: www.thaipepper.co.uk ■ Restaurant, BYO and takeaway serving freshly cooked Thai food, including stunning Thai green curry made with either beef, pork, chicken, bean curd or prawns. Chicken with oyster sauce comes highly recommended. Free home delivery for £15+ orders within two miles; phone orders welcome. Open TueSun 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm THALI CAFE 12 York Rd, Montpelier, BS6 5QE Tel: 0117 942 6687, web: www.thethalicafe.co.uk ■ Join the thousands-strong Tiffin takeaway club and get a beautifully insulated stainless-steel thali carrier to keep your food piping hot. Veggie and fish choices, too. This place has become a phenomenon thanks to its cheap, tasty, fresh combination thali and dishes inspired by Asian street food. See also Restaurants, Indian & Nepalese.

VIEN’S PALACE 166 Kellaway Ave, BS6 7YQ Tel: 0117 924 8792 ■ Fine Peking, Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine, great veggie options, and a good range of dishes.

Restaurant quality at takeaway prices.

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Takeaways & Deliveries BRISTOL VINCE’S ITALIAN PASTA & PIZZA 396 Filton Ave, BS7 0LJ Tel: 0117 904 1188, web: www.vincespizza.co.uk ■ The inventive Armato family have run this genuine Italian eatery since 1999. Massive 24-inch, fourtopping, feeds-five family pizza, and a chocolate variety, too. An EOW first will be the appearance of a chip pizza around the time of publication. Popular in Sicily, apparently. Freshly baked pasta dishes and sides, plus drinks both soft and alcoholic. Delivery service. Open Mon-Sat 5-11pm, Sun 6-11pm

Bristol: East ALWAHA 12 High St, Easton, BS5 6DL Tel: 0117 935 5339 ■ Offering a 100% halal menu. Dishes and opening hours not confirmed at time of going to press - call to check.

CURRY SUPREME 77 High St, Staple Hill, BS16 5HE Tel: 0117 970 1292 ■ Sunday buffet: adult £9.90, child £4.90. Huge takeaway menu, all at fantastically low prices. Open Mon-Thur 5.30-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 5.30pm-12midnight, Sun 6-10pm DOMINO PIZZA 10 Regent St, Kingswood, BS15 8JS Tel: 0117 961 6111, web: www.dominos.co.uk ■ See Bristol: West.

FARROWS FISH & CHIPS Kingsway Shopping Precinct, The Kingsway, near Hanham, BS5 8NS Tel: 0117 961 6626 ■ Good chippy, where the chips are always light, crispy and fluffy.

NEW HONG KONG CHEF 85 Bryants Hill, St George, BS5 8QZ Tel: 0117 961 6112 ■ Impressively varied Peking, Cantonese and English menu. Vegetarian options include five tofu dishes.

Open Wed-Mon 5-11pm NEW NEW EASTON EXPRESS 186 Stapleton Rd, Easton, BS5 0NZ Tel: 0117 951 2267, web: www.easton-express.50webs.com ■ Chinese, Japanese and Thai food to take away.

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Well over 100 Chinese dishes and 50 Japanese ones, plus recommended set meals and chef’s special curry dishes. Most dishes on Chinese menu can be altered to suit vegetarians. Free delivery (5-11pm) within a three-mile radius for £10+ orders. Cash only.

Open Thur-Sat 12noon-2pm, daily 5-11pm OLDFIELDS FISH & CHIPS 84 Regent St, Kingswood, BS15 8HU Tel: 0117 967 3292 ■ Decades old - look out for the clock tower - and serving pies, faggots, burgers, etc, to accompany the quality ocean-fresh fish. Restaurant upstairs. Open Mon-Wed 11.30am-8pm, Thur-Sat 11.30am-9pm RAJASTAN ROYAL 27 Badminton Rd, Downend, BS16 6BB Tel: 0117 301 4330, web: www.rajastanroyalbristol.co.uk ■ BYO restaurant serving duck specials, seafood, tandooris, baltis and specialities, with takeaway arm.

Open Daily 5.30-11pm TASTE OF CHINA 596 Fishponds Rd, BS16 3DA Tel: 0117 958 3304 ■ Standard Chinese faves, plus veggie dishes.

Open Wed-Mon 5-11pm THALI CAFE 64-66 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH Tel: 0117 951 4979, www.thethalicafe.co.uk ■ See Takeaways, Bristol: North.

Bath AL FALAFEL 3 Monmouth St, BA1 2AJ, Tel: 01225 311133 ■ Kebabs and well-priced late-night faves, particularly popular after a night of revelling.

Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm, 5pm-1am BILLY BURGER St Saviours Rd, Larkhall, BA1 6RT Tel: 01225 313393, web: www.eatmyburgers.co.uk ■ Burger paradise: more than 120 varieties and multiple combination options. Choose your basic burger (beef, chicken, breakfast, boar, kangaroo, bean/soya alternatives), then create your bespoke topping combo. Hot dogs, jackets, fries, potato skins, hash browns, garlic bread, etc, too. Free local delivery for £10+ orders. Open Mon-Thur 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-11.30pm, Fri-Sat 12noon2.30pm & 5.30pm-12midnight, Sun & bank hols 6pm-12midnight

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Takeaways & Deliveries BATH CAVENDISH COOKS 8 St James St, BA1 6RS Tel: 01225 312805, web: www.cavendishcooks.co.uk ■ Definitely not your ‘average’ takeaway experience: two Cordon Bleu-trained chefs lovingly cook fresh food in their open kitchen for you to take away and enjoy that day, pre-order for parties and events, or take home and keep in the freezer. Lamb tagines, chicken casseroles, vegetable gratins, etc. Limited seating available. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm CHILLIES 2 Lambridge Buildings, Larkhall, BA1 6RS Tel: 01225 443030, web: www.chilliesbath.co.uk ■ Top-notch traditional and contemporary Indian grub. Free delivery, online ordering. Open Mon-Sun 5.30-10.30pm (last delivery orders 10.15pm) DESH INDIAN TAKEAWAY & RESTAURANT 10 Chelsea Rd, BA1 3DU Tel: 01225 314413/463388 ■ Good, fast, decent-priced Indian takeaway food, with 10% nurse/student discount. Also a busy, popular restaurant. Baltis and jalfrezis highly recommended.

DOMINO PIZZA 66 Walcot St, BA1 5BD Tel: 01225 421421, web: www.dominos.co.uk ■ Chain offering extensive menu and top-quality pizzas, in different sizes and crusts, with imaginative toppings.

FISH & CHIPS Upper Borough Walls, BA1 1RJ Tel: 01225 330195 ■ Traditional fish & chips, plus all the usual takeaway suspects (pies, sausages, mushy peas, canned drinks).

Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm FORTUNE COOKIE 378 Wellsway, BA2 5RN Tel: 01225 832223, web: www.fortune-cookie.uk.com ■ Classic, classy Far Eastern food, including Japanese udon noodle selection plus lesser-spotted far-flung treats. Open Sun-Tue & bank hols 5-11pm, Wed-Sat 12noon-2pm & 5-11pm. Home delivery daily 6-10pm (£1.50 charge within 3-mile radius) FRO YO 2 GO 42 Monmouth St, BA2 1AN ■ Frozen yoghurt (100% natural, totally fat-free),

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milkshakes, smoothies and smoogurts (work it out for yourself) made to order, plus a range of toppings and treats. Open Mon-Sat 10am-6pm GOLDEN PLAICE 13a Cleveland Place West, BA1 5DG Tel: 01225 338288 ■ Value for money, friendly service and decent-sized pieces of fish alongside pies, sausages, fishcakes and mountains of well-cooked chips. Open Tue-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm GONG FU NOODLE BAR 16 Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AE Tel: 01225 463442 NEW 2 Lower borough Walls, BA1 1QR Tel: 01225 460115 ■ Choose your base (noodles, rice), topping (chicken, beef, seafood, beancurd) and vegetable (fresh daily), then choose a theme (Thai, Japanese, Chinese curries; tom yum, wonton, miso soup; black bean, sweet and sour, satay, tamarind sauces) for a vibrant bespoke takeaway. Excellent side dishes, dim sum, skewers, bubble and exotic teas. Free delivery on £10+ orders. Lower Borough Walls branch also green tea specialist. Open Daily 11am-11pm HERBIES 5 Moorland Rd, BA2 3PJ Tel: 01225 483772 ■ Classic chippy fare to eat in or take away.

Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-2pm & 5.30-10.30pm HIPPIE SHAKE 20 Moorland Rd, BA2 3PW Tel: 01225 466200, web: www.hippieshake.co.uk ■ Freshly made, supremely stylish milk (and dairyfree, low-fat, diabetic-friendly) shakes, scrumptious sweet treats and hot/cold drinks, including smoothies and hot chocolate. Open Mon-Thur 9am-5pm, Fri-Sat 9am-6pm KEBAB HOUSE 16 Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AE Tel: 01225 461915 ■ Kebabs, pizzas, fried chicken.

Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm & 5pm-1am NEW MA CUISINE 4 St Saviour’s Rd, Larkhall BA1 6RT Tel: 01225 312959, web: www.macuisine.co.uk ■ Top-quality, French-inspired lunchtime classics, antipasti, charcuterie, quiches, salads, sweet treats,

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Takeaways & Deliveries BATH afternoon teas and more courtesy of French Master of the Art Christophe Lacroix. Home Delivery service offers the option of having fine dining delivered to your door: meals come ready to heat at your leisure, at prices that belie the high quality on offer.

Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm MANHATTAN BURGER 23 Claverton Buildings, BA2 4LD Tel: 01225 447365 ■ Beefburgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers, kebabs, chips, canned drinks, etc.

Open Daily 12noon-12midnight MARMARIS 4-5 Grand Parade, BA2 4AN Tel: 01225 461946 ■ The takeaway section to the front of this longestablished Turkish restaurant gets overrun with people placing orders for shish, doner and chicken kebabs, especially on Fri/Sat evenings. Well worth the wait, though. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-1am MEGA BITE 26 Walcot Buildings, BA1 6AD Tel: 01225 444481 ■ Pizzas, kebabs, burgers, fish & chips, fried chicken and all the vital accessories (sides, canned drinks, etc). Open Mon-Wed 4pm-2.30am, Thur-Sat 4pm-3am, Sun 5pm-2.30am MISSION BURRITO 4 New St, Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AF Tel: 01225 442599, web: www.missionburritos.co.uk

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Pizza Fresca

■ Freshly prepared, bespoke burritos and classic Tex-Mex- inspired delights. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thur-Sat 10am-11pm MOGHUL 140 Walcot St, BA1 5BL Tel: 01225 464956 ■ Long-established Indian takeaway serving tandoori, biryani and vegetable dishes at sensible prices. Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 5-11.30pm MR D’s 8 St Georges Place, Upper Bristol Rd, BA1 3AA , Tel: 01225 425204 Van at night on Milsom St/Orange Grove ■ Cheap grub for late-nighters: burgers (including veggie and chicken) and the everpopular cheesy chips (excellent, especially after six pints). Open UBR: daily 6pm-3am. Van: Thur-Sat 8pm-2.30am NEW CHUNG YING 21 Walcot Buildings, BA1 6AD Tel: 01225 447677, web: www.newchungying.co.uk ■ Popular late-night destination for the post-pub munch-brunch crowd: big oriental menu and friendly staff. Open Daily 5.30-11.30pm PEKING CHEF 84 St Kilda’s Rd, Oldfield Park, BA2 3QJ Tel: 01225 425685 ■ Top-notch Chinese and Thai cuisine from a massive menu. Take away or order for delivery 5-11pm (min order £6, delivery charge £1 within 2-mile radius, £2 thereafter). Open Tue-Sun 12noon-2pm, daily 4.3011pm PIZZA FRESCA 1 Wellsway, Bear Flat, BA2 4QL, Tel: 01225 429776 ■ Fresh, authentic Italian pizzas, decent fries, soft drinks. Open Tue–Sun 6pm–late REAL ITALIAN ICE CREAM CO 17 York St, BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 330121 ■ Probably the best ice-cream in Bath.

Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm (Sundays in summer) RUPOSHI 3 Sussex Place, BA2 4LA Tel: 01225 337294, web: www.ruposhitakeaway.co.uk ■ Small, friendly Indian takeaway with longestablished reputation for high-quality, good-value

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Takeaways & Deliveries BATH/MOBILE curry and tandoori dishes, including excellent vegetarian/vegan options. Open Mon-Sat 12noon2pm & 5-10pm (Sat 10.30pm) SCHWARTZ BROTHERS 4 Sawclose, BA1 1EY Tel: 01225 461726 102 Walcot St, BA1 5BG Tel: 01225 463613, web: www.schwartzbros.co.uk ■ Freshly flame-grilled burgers (legendary garlicmayo and chilli), veggie and chicken options, dips and excellent chips. Handy mobile-phone top-up service. Pay by card if you’ve run out of cash. Phone orders, too. Open Mon-Fri 12noon-12midnight, Sat 11.30am-12midnight, Sun 12noon-11pm SEAFOODS 38 Kingsmead Sq, BA1 2AA Tel: 01225 465190, web: www.fishandchipsbath.co.uk ■ Long-established, award-winning café (with pavement seating) serving traditional, perfectly cooked (to order) fresh fish with to-die-for oldschool chips. Special catches (skate, trout, salmon, crab) often make guest appearances. Popular pies, sausages, pickled eggs. Open Mon-Sat 11.30am-11pm SHAKEAWAY 3 Beau St, BA1 1QY Tel: 01225 466200, web: www.shakeaway.com ■ About 150 different milk/ice-cream-based shakes alongside dairy-free and diet-friendly incarnations, plus coffee, tea, cold drinks. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm (Sat 6pm), Sun 10.30am-5pm SUBWAY 11 Westgate St, BA1 1EQ Tel: 01225 789958 Unit 2, Rosewell Court, BA1 2AG Tel: 01225 465156, web: www.subway.co.uk ■ Chunky fresh subs from a huge list, with meat, fish and vegetarian options. Wraps, sauces, soups, salads, platters, drinks and breakfast choices, to eat in or take away, plus excellent-value-for-money combos. Credit cards accepted. Open WS: MonWed 8am-12midnight, Thur-Sat 8am-3am, Sun 9am-12midnight. RC: daily 7am-10.30pm (8am Sun) SULIS PIZZA 2 Grand Parade, BA2 4DF Tel: 01225 447037, web: www.sulispizza.co.uk ■ Perfect pizzas to go, or order online for home

Eating Out West 2013 takeaways 2013.indd 213

delivery. See website for 2-4-1s and regularly updated offers. Open Daily 12noon-10pm TAMBO PERUVIAN KITCHEN 1 Grove St, BA2 6PJ Web: www.tamboperuviankitchen.co.uk ■ An authentic taste of Peru courtesy of Peruvianthemed sandwiches (yes, really), street food (empanada, papa rellena, etc) and Andean fruit juices. The chilli hot chocolate delivers more kick than a donkey with sunstroke. Catering service.

Open Mon-Fri 9am-3pm, Sat 11am-3pm TWERTON CHIPPY 145 High St, Twerton, BA2 1BZ Tel: 01225 425920 ■ Rig rock salmon, skate and cod’s roe alongside cod, plaice and haddock, with perfect chips.

A couple of tables inside for when the weather’s iffy. Open Mon 12noon-2pm & 6-9pm, Tue-Thur 12noon-2pm & 5-9.30pm, Fri-Sat 11.30am-2pm & 5-9pm

Mobile NEW PIZZA MONKEY Web: www.pizzamonkey.co.uk ■ Wood-fired pizza offerings in varieties including hot tropics, King Kong and silverback. Look out for them weekly at Bristol Eats (see Beats: Bristol, Central) plus Bristol University’s farmers’ market on 11 June 2013, Ashton Court Mansion on 16 June, Newark Park’s Love Food Festival (LFF) on 23 June & 13 Oct, and Dyrham Park’s LFF on 7 July & 29 Sept.

VEE DOUBLE MOO Web: www.veedoublemoo.co.uk ■ Ice-creams, sundaes, cupcakes, organic frozen yoghurt and alcoholic hot chocolate served up in a willfully funky converted VW campervan. She’s called Daisy, is 40 years old (you don’t look it, Daisy) and formerly delivered tortillas and chillies to Mexican restaurants in Notting Hill. (There’s also a pedalpowered offspring called Little Moo/Trixie.) Daisy’s usually found at the foot of Cabot Tower but she’ll be spinning over to Lakota for Beats (see Bristol, Central) throughout summer 2013.

VIET VITE Web: Facebook, Twitter ■ Vietnamese classics with a twist at Beats (see Bristol, Central) plus markets and events elsewhere in Bristol. Also available for private hire.

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Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL

Bristol

lemon & poppy seed cake, Belgian chocolate, cherry & coconut flapjack, orange almond chocolate truffle.

Further endorsement has come with Michelin stargarnering chef Chris Horridge likening Georgina and Tom’s cakes to his mum’s. Enjoyed at numerous outlets, including Tobacco Factory and Watershed.

A BAR OF…

BAR CHOCOLAT

71-73 Covered Market, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 927 9918, web: www.abarof.co.uk ■ As featured in Vogue, this chocolate nirvana stocks an astonishing array of truffles, bars and icecreams - everything from Italian sipping chocolate to gluten-free, dairy-free and wheat-free options.

Also make their own chocolate bars in flavours such as crystallised rose and caramelised fudge. Choccy cigars, too! Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun (1st monthly) 11am-4pm

19 The Mall, Clifton Village, BS8 4JG Tel: 0117 974 7000, web: www.barchocolatclifton.co.uk ■ Stylish homage to all things choccy. Drop in for

Specialist Food Suppliers

ALMOUROL 54 Filton Rd, Horfield, BS7 0PB Tel: 0117 951 2093 / 07768 439775, web: www.almourol.net ■ The South West’s only Portuguese and Brazilian

mini-market, stocking savouries, desserts, snacks, sweets, soft drinks and spirits from the lands of fado and carnival. Helpful website in English and Portuguese. Everything from oils, sauces, meats, cheeses, fish, baking products, cereals, baby foods and sweets to pasta, tinned items, tea, brandy, beer.

Onsite cafe serves desserts, deli treats, coffees and delicious Portuguese custard tarts. Open Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-4pm ATTIC 115 Coldharbour Rd, Redland, BS6 7SD Tel: 0117 909 0357, web: www.attictea.com ■ All-The-Tea-In-China, in case you were wondering.

Brilliant selection of around 20 different teas, which these specialists will help you explore via tastings and notes (learn about the health benefits of drinking certain teas at certain times of day). Emphasis is on loose-leaf (try before you buy) - Attic’s blended herbal versions hit the spot whether you want uplifting or relaxing.

BAR CAKE Tel: 0117 967 0245, web: www.barcake.co.uk ■ Bagged three Great Taste Awards in 2012 alone

(following glory in 2007 and 2008), and are planning to move into larger premises at some point. This broand-sis duo have been making ‘cakes for discerning adults’ at their Kingswood bakery since the midnoughties, along with ‘mini treats’ for kids (Little Star, Clever Monkey). Their roster of recognition-receiving sweetness reads like something from the cake Oscars:

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chocolates to take away and box-set gifts. Cafe, too.

Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9.30am-6.30pm (may also open summer evenings) BREAD SHOP 18 Chandos Rd, BS6 6PQ Tel: 0117 904 7227 ■ Very-long-established bakery where regulars come

from far and wide for bread, cakes, sarnies, pastries and great slabs of pizza. An institution serving up love with their loaves. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-4pm BREADSTORE 45 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AD Tel: 0117 942 1654 ■ It’s comforting to know you can still buy a doughnut

middle here for 5p - possibly the most affordable item anywhere in this guide? This big-hearted bakery also looks after tired revellers returning home along Gloucester Road in the wee small hours. Wonderful selection of around 40 different kinds of loaves, rolls and sticks (olive, walnut, basil, cranberry, nut). Excellent sundried tomato bread, low-salt soda bread, and rye and white sourdough loaves. Cakes, croissants, pizzas, pasties and always something tasty in yesterday’s half-price bargain basket. Open (officially) Mon-Sat 7am-6pm BRISTOL CIDER SHOP 7 Christmas Steps, BS1 5BS Tel: 0117 382 1679, web: www.bristolcidershop.co.uk ■ Try to gather as much apple-/pear-related stuff as

possible under one small roof. More than 80 ciders on draught or in bottles (all sourced from within 50 miles), plus cider vinegar, cider brandy, cider chutney and cider-related gift. Events, tastings and tours staged - look out for festivals later in 2013. Open TueSat 10am-6pm NEW BRISTOL FARM SHOP Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip St, Bedminster, BS3 4EA Web: www.bristolfarmshop.com ■ Shop front within Windmill Hill City Farm - a

physical manifestation of Bristol Farm Shop, the

Eating Out West 2013 5/24/2013 2:35:42 PM

Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL online farm shop showcasing producers from around the region. See Windmill Hill City Farm in Bristol Cafes.

BRISTOL SAUSAGE SHOP 28-30 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ Tel: 07817 478302, web: www.bristolsausageshop.co.uk ■ Twenty-strong banger range includes the St

Nicholas 1743 (pork, cider, chives, wholegrain mustard). Up your brekkie ante with Bury black pudding (the world’s finest) plus white pudding, bacon, condiments, goose fat and bangers & mash or sausage sandwiches to take away. About 90% of what they buy is reared, grown, produced or sourced locally - pretty much everything except the aforementioned Bury black pud and Spanish chorizo. Cartmel sticky toffee pudding and lovely English honeys, too. Open Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm BRISTOL SWEET MART 80 St Marks Rd, Easton, BS5 6JH Tel: 0117 951 2257, web: www.sweetmart.co.uk ■ Much more than just sweets. Find exotic frozen fish,

for example, at its Fish Bazaar incorporation. Varieties such as tilapia, hilsa, pangasius, magur and boal from Thailand and Bangladesh to the West Indies to get the dinner-table conversation going. Their international reputation is largely due to the success of their website, with recipes and email updates. A must for any lover of Indian food, but they also stock plenty of Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and African treats, plus shatkara, a particularly dry lemon used as a palate cleanser. Guava jelly, aloo gobi pie, Mexican orange blossom honey, halal meat, vast range of chilli sauces. Huge ethnic snack range includes sticky chicken, coconut prawn pakora, lamb roti, naga chilli pakora, samosas, kachori. Excellent, steadily growing organic selection includes bread, milk, coffee, dairy, pulses, grains. If they haven’t got it, they’ll do their best to find it for you.

Tel: 0117 974 3275 121 Whiteladies Rd, Clifton, BS8 2PL Tel: 0117 970 6565 97 Henleaze Rd, BS9 4JP Tel: 0117 907 4391, web: www.chandosdeli.com ■ This popular deli stocks an eclectic range of

cheese, charcuterie, fresh bread, olives, homemade savoury tarts and cakes, fantastic wines and awardwinning sandwiches. Products are sourced directly from Italy, France and Spain, as well as local British producers - takeaway sourdough baguettes containing some tasty fillings are from Richard Bertinet. Clifton Village branch has a fab fresh fish counter: whole turbot, lobsters, fresh gleaming mackerel, plump juicy scallops. Open Henleaze: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 8am-5pm. Princess Victoria St: Mon-Wed 9am-5pm, Thur-Fri 8.30am-6.30pm, Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm. Whiteladies Rd: Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm. Quakers Friars: Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm. Bristol University (term-time): Mon-Fri 7.30am-7.30pm, Sat 9.30am-4.30pm

Stylish homage to all things choccy Bar Chocolat

BRITTAN’S PORK BUTCHERS 17 Wade St, St Judes, BS2 9DR Tel: 0117 935 1800 ■ Historic, traditional butcher offering just about

every conceivable and cookable part of a pig you can imagine, from trotters to ears and all parts in between, with pork pies now made on site. Supply bacon, offal, wonderful faggots and more than 400kg of chitterlings a week to restaurants, caterers and the public.

CHANDOS DELI

Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BU Tel: 0117 927 9543 Bristol University Sports Centre, Tyndall Ave, BS8 1TQ Tel: 0117 922 7700 6 Princess Victoria St, Clifton Village, BS8 4BP

Eating Out West 2013 spec food 2013.indd 215

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Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL CLIFTON CAKES

FISH SHOP

120 St Georges Rd, College Green, BS1 5UJ Tel: 0117 927 7693, web: www.cliftoncakes.co.uk ■ Light, airy cafe serving cake, coffee and tea, and

143 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BA Tel: 07821 699065/0117 924 1988, web: www.lovethefishshop.co.uk ■ Specialise in fresh day-boat fish and seafood from

home to workshops training devotees in chocolate sculpture and truffle and wedding cake making. For the ultimate hen party, how about getting the bride to make a life-sized chocolate stiletto, as stocked by Liberty and Harvey Nicks? Tastings, team-building events, cake-decorating packs. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Devon and Cornwall. Their Var free-range salmon is as served at the Ritz and Fortnum & Mason. Smoked, hot roasted and gravadlax sides, boxes of fresh mackerel plus wild oysters and mussels. Alfresco oyster bar on Saturdays. Open Mon 9am-5pm, Tue-Thur 9am-6pm, Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 8am-4pm

DAVE GILES BUTCHER

19 Nags Head Hill, St George, BS5 8LN Tel: 0117 967 2142 ■ Butcher’s shop R Gingell has been here for a

170 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8NU Tel: 0117 942 5667 ■ They’ve been around for some 20 years now, and

the organic milk (and double cream and natural yoghurt) they supply via Jess’s Ladies has even longer lineage, with many cows being descendants of the herd of 1955 - Bluebird, Gypsy and Glow-worm. Find mostly locally sourced, organic/non-organic meat, cheese, preserves and other goodies. Most meat comes from Somerset, with organic pork from Salisbury, plus organic chicken and loads of great sausages.

Traditional farmhouse cheeses from Somerset’s Priory Farm; preserves and chutneys from Rose Farm in Weston-super-Mare. Duck eggs - perfect for baking are from Sherborne, Dorset.

DR BURNORIUM’S HOT SAUCE EMPORIUM Exchange Hall, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 07855 395150, web: www.hotsauceemporium.co.uk ■ Those with asbestos mouths who want to make

steam come out of their ears should head to this, the only shop of its kind in the country, for around 200 of the world’s finest hot chilli sauces, spicy barbecue sauces, wing sauces, salsas, hot mustards, chilli rubs and seasonings. Find Blair’s Death Sauces from New Jersey and Marie Sharp’s offerings from Belize, the shop’s own Psycho Juices, fiery snacks, chilli extracts and chilli-head gift packs. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm EARTHBOUND 8 Abbotsford Rd, Cotham, Bristol, BS6 6HB Tel: 0117 904 2260 ■ See Specialist Food Suppliers, Organic.

ESSENTIAL TRADING Unit 3, Lodge Causeway Trading Estate, Fishponds, BS16 3JB Tel: 0845 458 0201, web: www.essential-trading.coop ■ See Specialist Food Suppliers, Organic.

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GINGELL BUTCHER

good half-century at least. If you’re lighting the barbie, mosey on over for the shop’s own bangers (including caramelised red onion and gluten-free).

The unsmoked back bacon is particularly renowned, the staff friendly, the sauces, chutneys and preserves delightfully piquant and the pies things of wonder.

HARVEY NICHOLS FOODMARKET Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, BS1 3BZ Tel: 0117 916 8898, web: www.harveynichols.com ■ Very extensive range of home-brand and speciality

produce, including teas, coffees, American treats, Indian curry mixes, chocolate, chutneys, cooking books. This emporium of specially sourced products from around the world also stocks an extensive range of wines and spirits, many of them exclusive and/or hard to obtain. Drop in for gift sets for hard-to-please people.

HERBERTS BAKERY Wellington Ave, Montpelier, BS6 5HP Tel: 0117 924 7713, web: www.herbertsbakery.co.uk ■ There’s major news - outside and indoors - at this

Bristol baking institution that’s been Montpelierbased for four decades. The massive external mural has been graffitied over one time too often and is due to be replaced, with Herberts working with a local artist as we go to press. In addition to bread including Irish soda, Tuscan and Grecian olive, Italian tomato, American bagels, Swiss rye and overnight dough made to a traditional English recipe - the bakery now offers various takeaway hot meals in response to locals’ demands. Curries, pakoras, onion bhajis and tandoori chicken line up alongside the long-offered pasties, sandwiches and drinks. Deliver wholesale to loads of outlets, sandwich shops, restaurants. Saturday’s late risers now have an extra three hours in which to get their Herberts loveliness.

Open Mon-Sat 7.30am-5pm

Eating Out West 2013 5/24/2013 2:36:23 PM

Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL JOHN SHEPPARD BUTCHER Unit 6, Ashley Trading Estate, Ashley Parade, BS2 9XS Tel: 0117 955 7775, web: www.johnshepparddirect.com ■ Their locations may have changed in the 60-plus

years they’ve been in the trade, but the Sheppard family’s commitment to quality has been a permanent fixture. Supplying some of the country’s finest restaurants and hotels, they offer home delivery of fresh meat - everything from steaks to roasting joints. Hugely popular packs and hampers for special occasions, barbecues, dinner parties. Excellent, easyto-use website: order hampers, barbecue packs and joints.

KALAHARI MOON 88-91 Covered Market, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 929 9879, web: www.kalaharimoon.co.uk ■ Explanations of the differences between droewors

and boerewors await at this South African one-stop shop supplying excellent options in both, plus what they reckon is the best chutney in Bristol. Biltong range, marinades, chilli sauces. If you’re after something not in stock, they’ll do their best to order it in. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm

Going the Extra Mile Attic

Coldharbour Rd, Redland ■ Take a ‘teatox’ session to start bringing positivity into your life.

Fish Shop

Gloucester Rd ■ Evening fish courses teach how to open oysters, clean squid, fillet a plaice, scale, gut and fillet sea bass and gut and fillet mackerel.

Rare Butchers of Southville

North St ■ Get your goose from them this Christmas.

KIN YIP HON SUPERMARKET 16a-16b St Thomas St, BS1 6JJ Tel: 0117 929 9098, web: www.kin-yip-hon.co.uk ■ Excellent city-centre Chinese specialists with

helpful staff and everything for your oriental banquet, including seafood and frozen meat. Fresh foods like tofu and Chinese vegetables, oils, pickles, flavourings, fresh and instant noodles, Chinese beer and rice wine, authentic kitchenware. Very competitive prices. Open Daily 10am-6pm KINGSWOOD FARM SHOP 23 Regent St, Kingswood, BS15 8JX Tel: 0117 967 0773 ■ Burgers and bangers come in impressive flavours at

this butcher’s shop (formerly Stan Butt’s Kingswood operation). Mexican pork, beef & three pepper, pork & apple, lamb & mint and chicken & sweet chilli line up alongside pork & stilton, chilli & garlic. Curried goat, too. Drop in early for bacon or bangers for breakfast.

BBQ packs and onsite deli.

Open Mon-Sat 6.30am-5pm LA DAME GATEAU Within No1 Harbourside, 1 Canons Rd, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 303 5141, web: www.ladamegateau.co.uk ■ When those No1 Harbourside people think outside

the box, they do it with style. As well as being possibly the only Bristol bar with an onsite oyster counter, and definitely the only Bristol bar with a ferry service (Bristol Ferry Boat Co) operating under their roof,

Eating Out West 2013 spec food 2013.indd 217

they’re also an outlet for one of the city’s classiest cake concerns, La Dame Gateau. Take away or eat in (get your tea/coffee from the No1 bar). Open Tue-Sun 10am-5pm LA RUCA 89 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AS Tel: 0117 944 6810, web: www.laruca.co.uk ■ Local speciality healthfood shop serving

cosmopolitan, globally inspired meals and a good selection of natural and organic foods. Deli-counter bargains include wrapped vine leaves, falafels, spinach & couscous tortilla, renowned veggie chimichangas. Huge amount of Fairtrade teas and coffees, delicious chocolate, herbs and spices, organic soups and cheeses, wonderful olives. Everything’s sold by the friendliest, most helpful staff.

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Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL LICATA’S 36 Picton St, Montpelier, BS6 5QA Tel: 0117 924 7725 332 Gloucester Rd, Horfield, BS7 8TJ Tel: 0117 924 7718, web: www.licata.co.uk ■ The C&T Licata & Son story started in 1957 when

the Licatas (Carmelo and Teresa) left the Sicilian village of Aragona to come to Bristol, forming their company two years later. Still very popular with locals and Italophiles in search of a prosciutto or parmesan fix, they also operate as a wholesaler: catering-sized mounds of mozzarella, huge bags of pizza flour, tins of every conceivable bean or vegetable. Find cheese, salami, excellent olives, good vegetables, flour, polenta, Italian wines and beers and biscotti. Dozens of different types of pasta - often cheaper than the supermarket.

MANOR KITCHEN 3 Soundwell Rd, Staple Hill, BS16 4QG Tel: 0117 956 9291, web: www.manorkitchen.co.uk ■ Four generations of the Bracey family have been

trading in Staple Hill, providing homecured artisan hams, speciality roast meats, handmade pies and deli produce. With award-winning, homeproduced foods and knowledgeable staff, they support local, small, specialist producers, farmers and businesses by carefully selecting handmade chutneys and pickles,

Yes, they have plenty of bananas …

Pawson's Greengrocer

cheeses, handmade cakes and rare-breed pork sausages. Previous holders of gold in the National Great Taste Awards and silver in the Taste of the West Awards.

MARK’S BREAD 291 North St, Bedminster, BS3 1JR Tel: 07910 979384, web: www.marksbread.co.uk ■ The wonder of the slow food movement in action,

using organic flour to make wild breads coming in varieties like Bristol sourdough, miche and malthouse. Plus rye and spelt wheat-free breads, and yeasted breads in baguette, ciabatta and olive sunshine varieties. Find their pork pies at Rare Butchers of Southville, just up the street. Bread sold Mon-Sat direct from the oven from 8am, with baking usually over by 1pm, and sales continuing until 6pm or until sold out. Also at Southville Community Centre (Thur 4.30-6.30pm). Deliver wholesale to pubs and bars along North Street on an authentic Dutch bicycle.

Cafe opened since last year’s guide - see Bristol Cafes.

MELANIE’S KITCHEN 2 Downend Rd, BS16 5UJ Tel: 0117 957 2662, web: www.melanieskitchen.co.uk, Facebook: MelaniesKitchenDownend ■ Peter and the eponymous Melanie source a wide

range of produce from the South West and beyond, mainly from small producers, for their Downend shop and onsite cafe. Fresh bread arrives daily from the local bakery, and there’s a great selection of cheeses and olives. Tea, coffee, preserves, local ham, cereals and a popular hamper service for gift-seekers. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm MURRAY’S BUTCHER 153 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8BA Tel: 0117 942 4025 ■ Congratulations to T&PA Murray on turning 20 in

2014. Visit well before then, though, to sample their 10-strong, regularly changing sausage range (try pork & caramelised onion) or their Saturday pavement barbecue. Dry-cure bacon from Sandridge Farm, pork from Woodland Pigs on the Glos/Herefordshire border, and additive-free and free-range meats. Deli side includes 2.5-year-old parmesan among cheeses, chorizo, salamis, parma ham and excellent chutneys and jams. The olive oil used here is recycled as biofuel.

OLIVE SHED Princes Wharf, BS1 4RN Tel: 0117 929 1960 123 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AX Tel: 0117 924 0572, web: www.theoliveshed.com ■ Fantastically popular dockside restaurant, which

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Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL also houses a downstairs deli - check out the lovely array of tapas, including Lombardy peppers.

Gloucester Road shop stocks an even wider range, including organic bread and coffee, gourmet juices, cakes, sandwiches. Open Princes Wharf: Tue-Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 10am-4pm. Gloucester Rd: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm PAECKERT BUTCHERS 230 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QU Tel: 0117 924 5454 ■ Traditional butcher’s shop run by two brothers.

Original shop opened in Broadmead in 1962 and relocated here in the 1990s. Sausages include the flagship Toulouse, South African, Spanish and Hungarian. The pork, honey & mustard comes highly recommended and the Thai special may return come summer. Catering supplies, too. Open Tue-Sat 8am-5.30pm PAPADELI 84 Alma Rd, Clifton, BS8 2DJ Tel: 0117 973 6569, web: www.papadeli.co.uk ■ Chef-owned/run Aladdin’s cave of delights.

Dozens of artisan cheeses, excellent charcuterie and antipasti, much local sourcing and restaurant-quality dishes and cakes, made daily on site, to take home or enjoy in the air-conditioned cafe upstairs. Handmade chocolate, delicious biscuits, olives and olive oils, and everything you need for authentic paella. Mail-order gifts and hampers via website or phone. Voted top in 2006’s Cheap Eats category by Observer Food Monthly readers; in 2007 they featured in The Guardian’s directory, have been nominated as UKTV Food Heroes and in 2012 were voted Best Independent Retailer in the South West by Observer Food Monthly readers.

PAWSON’S GREENGROCER 186 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8NU Tel: 0117 942 8464 ■ Wonderful community greengrocer, run by the same family for more than 50 years. Ace mother-anddaughter team preside over an astonishing range of fresh fruit and veg: everydays as well as exotics, seasonal goodies, chutneys and sauces, and speciality ingredients such as coconut milk. Oyster mushrooms, butternut squash, lemongrass, and an amazing variety of fresh herbs at half the price of the supermarket. The local honey is particularly sublime.

RARE BUTCHERS OF SOUTHVILLE 250 North St, Southville, BS3 1JD Tel: 0117 966 3593 ■ Rare Butchers of Southville offers service with a smile, with a recently arrived board proclaiming ‘Only fools eat horses’. The queue of people snaking out

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onto North Street waiting patiently for their weekend breakfast/Sunday roast/picnic ingredients on Saturday mornings confirms the quality on offer here, as does the sight of passers-by stopping to pick up hotdogs, burgers and bacon rolls from the pavement cook-off. Expert butchers bring the best-quality, free-range meat from impressively local sources, with suppliers starting mere minutes away at Dundry (check blackboard for provenance details). Livestock welfare is a priority, with meat carefully hung and butchered using traditional methods. Prepare all their own meat, from beautifully marbled local steaks, dry-aged onsite on the bone, to free-range English and European sausages, also made with local meat.

Artisan pork pies from Mark’s Bread down the road.

Easily one of the city’s top butcher’s and well worth the journey if you’re not from round these parts. Open Mon 8am-1pm, Tue-Thur & Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-3pm REAL OLIVE CO 40-42 Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ Tel: 0117 909 9587, web: www.therealolivecompany. co.uk Also Thornbury Precinct (Sat) ■ Fifty olive varieties, antipasti (feta-stuffed bell peppers), homemade hummus, pesto and more.

SCOOPAWAY HEALTH FOODS: NATURAL & ORGANIC WHOLEFOODS 113 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AT Tel: 0117 987 2199, web: www.scoopawayhealthfoods.co.uk ■ Ethically sound, much-respected, much-loved independent healthfood shop that sold Venue magazine by the dozen back in the day and was a much-appreciated Folio magazine outlet.

Specialists in natural, organic, wholesome foods and remedies for the whole family, including natural food supplements and natural body care. Organic and Fairtrade teas and coffee, herbs and spices, chilled and frozen convenience foods. Also cater for speciality diets: vegetarian, vegan, celiac, etc. They minimise packaging and food waste by making their best-selling lines available loose - scoop as much or as little as you need. More than 4,000 product lines, many of them Fairtrade and organic, and all GM-free and ethically produced. Well-trained staff to give advice if required. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm SMITHFISH 23 North View, Westbury Park, BS6 7PT Tel: 0117 973 1666, web: www.smithfish.co.uk ■ Wonderful, slightly old-fashioned, family-run shop where a slower, more respectable pace to life remains and smartly dressed ladies of retirement age are still addressed as Mrs So-and-So. Find kippers, mackerel,

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Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL mussels, bream, cod, skate, trout. Cooked and dressed seafood/salmon platters, booked in adv for parties, remain a speciality. Open Tue & Thur 8am-4.30pm, Wed 8am-4pm, Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-1pm SOURCE 1-3 Exchange Ave, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JW Tel: 0117 927 2998, web: www.source-food.co.uk ■ The essence of this specialist shop and cafe is to connect with food’s source, be it field or sea. Meat comes from North Somerset while seasonality on the fish counter means that, over the course of a year, you’ll find cod cheeks, razor clams, monkfish, red mullet and brill. Events include courses (Make Friends with Fish), with cheese school new for 2013.

Off-licence adds to this foodie heaven. Open Daily 9am-6pm SOURDOUGH CAFE Glass Arcade, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1LJ ■ Bijou and enthusiastic little place specialising in healthy, fast filling-up, on trend with the strEAT food zeitgeist. Drop in for breakfasts (from full English to a wicked goat’s cheese, mushrooms & spinach on toast), salads, fresh sandwiches, weekly specials and Bar Cake cakes. Extract coffees plus three teas to go with it. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm

Not just any old biscuits Ben's Cookies

SOUTHVILLE DELI 262 North St, Southville, BS3 1JA Tel: 0117 966 4507, web: www.southvilledeli.com ■ Seasonal dining comes on a micro and macro scale here. Sandwich options change daily, and the Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese (imbued with flavour by its spruce bark wrapping) is available Oct-Feb. Spanish manchego cheese, the revered Stinking Bishop, an excellent variety of organic produce and health foods, olives, roasted peppers, cured meats, salamis and other Mediterranean fare. Self-serve wholefoods from Bristol’s Essential Trading, beers from Bristol Beer Factory and Bath Ales, wines and spirits, plus certified organic bread from Herberts and a great range of gluten/wheat-free produce. Espresso machine, tables outdoors, Ecover refills. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm ST NICHOLAS MARKET Corn St, BS1 1JQ Web: www.stnicholasmarketbristol.co.uk ■ Popular city-centre destination for a diverse range of foods to eat in, take away or take home, with specialist sausage, vegetarian and vegan outlets.

Enjoy world foods from the Caribbean, Morocco, Italy and India. Or just a good old English breakfast. Great coffees, freshly prepared juices and smoothies.

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm STAN BUTT BUTCHER 137 East St, Bedminster, BS3 4RJ Tel: 0117 966 3488 ■ Quality traditional community butcher, with excellent meat and poultry, supplying restaurants, caterers and the public.

TART CAFE & FOOD STORE 16 The Promenade, Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AE Tel: 0117 924 7628, web: www.lovelytart.com ■ Cafe, private dining/function room and shop under new ownership since August 2012. Selling chutneys and preserves, tea, chocolates, deli items and more, sourced as locally as possible. Jams, muesli and granola add to the range; gifts and vouchers available.

Some food served in the cafe can also be bought to take home; outside catering also offered. Open MonSat 8.30am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-5.30pm, Fri-Sat eves, supper club last Thur monthly TEOHS 28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, BS2 9NP Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net ■ Fabulous emporium of Far Eastern foods and goods, specialising in Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Malaysian, Philippine and Indonesian. Excellent range of oils, sauces, snacks, seasonings and lots of fresh goodies:

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Specialist Food Suppliers BRISTOL tofu, and fresh oriental vegetables and herbs. If they want to do it themselves, a Teohs’ cookery school voucher will do the trick in style.

TOBACCO FACTORY MARKET Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Rd, Southville, BS3 1TF Tel: 07974 683038, web: www.tobaccofactory.com ■ Weekly Sunday market serving up affordable food and crafts: locally made bread, fresh farm food, homemade cakes and pies (as well as flowers, clothing, jewellery, etc). Cafe serves brunch from 10am. More than just a place to shop, the market has become a focus and meeting point for the community, and occasionally spills out into Raleigh Road. Open Sunday market, 10am-2.30pm TONY’S CARIBBEAN FOOD 128 Grosvenor Rd, BS2 8YA Tel: 0117 941 4266 ■ Caribbean, English and Asian food shop with a 50-year history as a specialist supplier of spices, produce and fresh fruit and veg. Wonderful, familyrun outfit stocking kingfish, tilapia, goatfish and plenty more from the sea sold whole, cut and filleted, plus cow’s foot for a tasty stew. Exotic fresh fruit and veg - from matoki (African banana), cho-cho (a type of squash) and sweet yam to akee and callaloo (broadleaf vegetable similar to spinach). Authentic treats include Busta sweets from Jamaica and Kool Aid. More English-type food - dairy, cheese, margarine, tinned goods - and some organic lines also stocked. Open Mon-Sat 9am-7pm, Sun 9am-5pm TOVEY’S SEAFOODS 198-200 Stapleton Rd, Easton, BS5 0NY Tel: 0117 951 0987, web: www.toveys.co.uk ■ Enjoy fish and game (rabbit, deer, duck - from Cornwall, Scotland, Shetland, etc) from this familyrun wholesaler, known since 1935 for their fantastic range of fresh fish and shellfish, with suppliers across Europe. In turn, Tovey’s supply many businesses, but the shop’s also open to the public, with a range of stock capable of broadening anyone’s culinary horizons. Poultry, too. Open Mon 9am-12noon, TueSat 9am-5pm TREASURE ISLAND SWEETS 70 Covered Market, St Nicholas Market, BS1 1JQ Tel: 0117 927 9918, web: www.treasureislandsweets.co.uk ■ Old-fashioned and innovative confectionery.

Chilli chocolate bars, plus dairy-free, wheat-free and sugar-free items. Mail-order available.

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm

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TWO DAY COFFEE ROASTERS 135 St Michaels Hill, BS2 8BS Tel: 0117 929 9191, web: www.twodaycoffee.co.uk ■ Cups, cafetieres and grinders alongside ethically sourced coffee beans and coffee to go. Coffees from single estates or small co-ops in developing countries, and stunning espresso range. The ‘Two Day’ name stems from their mission to sell everything within a maximum of 48 hours of roasting.

WAI YEE HONG SUPERMARKET Eastgate Oriental City, Eastgate Rd, Eastville, BS5 6XX Tel: 0845 873 3388, web: www.waiyeehong.com ■ Fantastic Chinese supermarket with around 9,000 lines of oriental cooking ingredients and equipment at amazingly cheap prices. Exotic fresh fruits and veg, plus frozen fish. Beers include Singha and Chang from Thailand and Japanese Asahi. Open Daily 9.30am-6pm WILD OATS 9-11 Lower Redland Rd, BS6 6TB Tel: 0117 973 1967, web: www.wild-oats.co.uk ■ Pioneering wellbeing through good eating in Bristol for years, with expert advice tailored to the individual.

More like an extensive grocery than a health store, with one of the region’s most comprehensive stocks of natural foods and goodies. Much emphasis on raw (uncooked) foods, such as chocolate, kale chips, sprouted grains, etc. Huge selection of produce, from grains, pulses, yogurts, spreads, jams, flours and deli products to fresh and organic bread. Large deli counter; special diets catered for. Website is a virtual guided tour of the shop; highly trained staff are knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.45pm, Sun 11am-5pm.

ZULU 27 Gloucester Rd, BS7 8AA Tel: 07580 363756, web: www.zulurestaurants.co.uk ■ Anyone for worm crisps? Impressive array of more than 25 meats includes wild boar, ostrich, kangaroo, python and kudu. Throw a screwball at dinner parties with chocolate-covered ants and scorpions, crickets and locusts. Onsite cafe, if you’d rather someone else did the cooking. Open Tue-Thur 9am-3pm, Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm.

Bath BANTHON ORIENTAL SUPERMARKET 10 Brookside House, High St, Weston, BA1 4BY Tel: 01225 420468 ■ Wide range of cooking ingredients, herbs, spices

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Specialist Food Suppliers BATH and remedies, all with Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino and other Far Eastern influences. Open TueSat 10am-5.30pm, Sun 10am-4pm BARTLETT & SONS BUTCHERS 10-11 Green St, BA1 2JZ Tel: 01225 466731, web: www.bartlettandsons.co.uk ■ Traditional family butcher, established 1931. All meat is locally sourced and largely chemical/additive free, prepared using traditional methods. Sausages and burgers are made in house. Good selection of cooked meats, cheeses, pastries, pickles and occasionally cakes. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm.

BATH BAKERY 3 Chelsea Rd, BA1 3DU Tel: 01225 421702 37 Moorland Rd, BA2 3PN Tel: 01225 481477, web: www.bathbakery.co.uk Other branches: High St (Upper Weston), BA1 4BY; Bradford Rd (Combe Down), BA2 5BP; St Margaret’s St (Bradford on Avon), BA15 1DE ■ No preservatives, mould inhibitors or bleached flour in any of this yeasty loveliness, from sandwich loaves, organic variations, lardy cake, Cornish pasties, sausage rolls and croissants to malted, spelt, multigrain, oat, olive and rye versions. Cafe at the Moorland Rd branch. Open Mon-Sat 8am-4.30pm BATH FARMERS’ MARKET Green Park Station, BA1 1JB Tel: 01225 787910, web: www.bathfarmersmarket.co.uk ■ Kickstarted the whole Farmers’ Market movement, and now held every Saturday. Dozens of stalls sell locally produced fresh and organic meat, dairy, breads and veg, plus foods for people on restricted diets, hot food to nibble as you browse and plenty of tasting experiences. Open Sat 8.30am-1pm BEEHIVE BAKERY Noads Corner, Odd Down, BA2 2RX Tel: 01225 833322 ■ Proper, traditional, community baker. Open MonSat 8am-4pm BEN’S COOKIES 21 Union Passage, BA1 1RD Tel: 01225 460983, web: www.benscookies.com ■ Funky, chunky fresh cookies (priced by the kilo) to take away or enjoy at a table on the traffic-free lane out front. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm BERTINET BAKERY & CAFE 6 New Bond St Place, BA1 1BH Tel: 01225 445531, web: www.thebertinetkitchen.com

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■ Bakery shop and cafe courtesy of award-winning doughboy Richard Bertinet and his team, with their acclaimed bread-related treats alongside amazing pastries, sandwiches, cakes, etc. In a hurry?

Dash along to the Bertinet takeaway in the Vaults complex, SouthGate. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 10.30am-4.30pm

BEST OF BRITISH 12 Broad St, BA1 5LJ Tel: 01225 448055, web: www.bestofbritishdeli.co.uk ■ Organic deli and takeaway. See Specialist Food Suppliers, Organic.

CAVENDISH COOKS 8 St James St, BA1 6RS Tel: 01225 312805, web: www.cavendishcooks.co.uk ■ Two Cordon Bleu-trained chefs lovingly prepare fresh food in their open kitchen for you to take away and enjoy that day, pre-order for parties and events, or take home and keep in the freezer. Gorgeous! Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm CHANDOS DELI 12 George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 314418, web: www.chandosdeli.com ■ Very popular upmarket deli. See Specialist Food Suppliers, Bristol.

COUNTRY CUPCAKES & BATH CAKE COMPANY 2 Lansdown Mews, BA1 5DY Tel: 07834 270198, web: www.countrycupcakes.com, www.bathcakecompany.co.uk ■ Cutest cupcakes and fanciest special-occasion cakes for miles around, using top-notch ingredients and decorated with imagination and flair, as supplied to many of Bath’s best cafes. See websites for details of where to buy (or how to order) and classes/events, etc. Also home to a splendid sugarcraft shop. Open Tue-Fri 10am-3pm, Sat 9am-1pm CULPEPER 28 Milsom St, BA1 1DG Tel: 01225 425875, web: www.culpeper.co.uk ■ Herbs, relishes, pickles, spices, honey, ginger, homemade jams, fruit drinks (many organic) and stock/soup bases. Friendly, knowledgeable staff are as happy to advise on natural remedies as on curry ingredients. Mail-order available. Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-5pm DA VINCI ITALIAN DELI 33 Wellsway, Bear Flat, BA2 4RR Tel: 01225 471850, web: www.davincideli.co.uk ■ Properly authentic Italian cured meats, cheeses,

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Specialist Food Suppliers BATH fresh and dried pasta, breads and rolls, oils, wines and puddings, plus fresh baguettes. Outside catering service. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 8.30am-5pm FINE CHEESE CO 29-31 Walcot St, BA1 5BN Tel: 01225 448748, web: www.finecheese.co.uk ■ Gourmet grocery with, of course, a strong emphasis on cheese, plus an excellent deli, bakery and cafe.

Find everything from olive oil and homemade chutney to fine wine, chocolate and sweet/savoury delights.

Website ordering/delivery service available. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm (9am Sat) FRIENDS FOREVER St James Parade, BA1 1UL ■ Well-stocked, utterly charming Asian grocery store.

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm GOODIES 2a St Saviours Rd, Larkhall, BA1 6RJ Tel: 01225 336033,web: www.goodiesdeli.co.uk ■ English and continental deli with in-store French bakery. Freshly baked bread all day, plus specialist beers, organic wines and inspired selection of cheeses, olives, filled baguettes, pastries, etc.

Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm GUILDHALL DELICATESSEN 8a Guildhall Market, BA2 4AW Tel: 01225 427195, web: www.bathguildhallmarket. co.uk/the-guildhall-delicatessen ■ Wide range of continental and local meats, homemade cakes, olives, jams, chutneys, cheeses and vegetarian, Indian and Italian specialities. Catering service. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm (5.30pm Sat)

NIBBLES Stall 53, Guildhall Market, BA1 4AW Tel: 01225 460213 ■ Quality cheeses from around the UK and further afield, alongside British and continental bacon and hams at wallet-friendly prices. Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm PARKER’S BAKERY, FRUIT & VEG 51-52 Guildhall Market, BA2 4AW ■ Thoroughly decent greengrocer and bakery at the heart of the thriving Guildhall Market.

Open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm PAXTON & WHITFIELD 1 John St, BA1 2JL Tel: 01225 466403, web: www.cheesemongers.co.uk ■ Established in 1797 and holders of three Royal Warrants. Premier-quality traditional English and continental cheeses, luxury olive oils, pickles and preserves, good selection of wines, beers and spirits, plus cheese-related equipment. Occasionally conducts cheese-tasting events. Online mail-order service.

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-6pm PICNICS 8 Chelsea Rd, BA2 3DU Tel: 01225 482045 ■ Lovely, lively, long-standing family-run deli specialising in authentic foods imported from the Med. Cured meats, olives, cheeses, speciality oils, etc, plus a fine deli counter. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm

Confectionary heaven Treasure Island Sweets

LONDON ROAD STORES 3 Cleveland Place East, London Rd, BA1 5DJ Tel: 01225 336307 ■ Excellent source of lesser-spotted (in Bath, anyway) West Indian cooking supplies, including fresh yams, mangoes, plantains, coriander and ackee. Spices include the infamous West Indian hot pepper sauces.

Also doubles up as a traditional English corner shop.

Fresh bhajis, pakoras and Greek pastries often appear on the counter. Open Mon-Sun 10am-8pm MANGIA BENE 5-6 St James St, BA1 2TW Tel: 01225 336106 ■ Enticing range of largely Medi-sourced cheeses, smoked and cured meats, wine and champagne, handmade chocolates. Outside catering service, small cafe. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 8.30am-5pm (cafe till 4.30pm)

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Specialist Food Suppliers BATH

Planet Organic Better Food Company

Whiteladies Rd & Sevier St, Bristol ■ Veritable cornucopia of down-to-earth goodness for all.

(Pictured)

Earthbound

Abbotsford Rd, Bristol ■ Love food, love the planet. Lovely stuff.

Harvest

Gloucester Rd, Bristol & Walcot St, Bath ■ Longstanding, much-loved GM-free/ organic zone.

POLISH DELICATESSEN James St West, BA1 2BX ■ Lots of traditional Polish foodstuffs including fascinating sweet treats. Open Mon-Sun 10am-6pm PRIOR PARK GARDEN CENTRE & FARM SHOP Prior Park Rd, BA2 4NF Tel: 01225 427175, web: www.priorparkgardencentre.co.uk ■ Garden/petcare centre incorporating a thriving cafe and well-stocked farm shop. There’s produce

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from butcher Jon Thorner (Shepton Mallet), Hobbs House bread, dairy from Ivy House Farm, Paxcroft Farm eggs, Marshfield Farm/Bakery ice-cream, cakes and biscuits, and a small range of Bath and Abbey Ales. Impressive choice of jams, chutneys, cooking sauces, larder essentials, frozen ready meals/pies, etc, plus wines and ciders. Visit towards closing time to find bargain prices for fresh produce. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm (summer 6pm), Sun 10.30am-4.30pm REAL ITALIAN ICE CREAM COMPANY 17 York St, BA1 1NG Tel: 01225 330121, web: www. therealitalianicecreamcompany.weebly.com ■ One of only a handful of authentic Italian gelaterias in the UK. SAUSAGE SHOP 7 Green St, BA1 2JY Tel: 01225 318300, web: www.sausage-shop.co.uk ■ Dozens of speciality sausages handmade with the finest ingredients by E-number-free traditional methods. Favourites include Somerset Scrumpy, traditional Cumberland and Newmarket chipolata.

Gourmet/exotic delights, vegetarian/gluten-free versions and award-winning black pudding. Deli counter offers olives, cured continental meats and their own locally famous pork pies and takeaway hot sausages of the day, plus mustards and tracklements.

Great recipe ideas on website. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm SEASONS WHOLEFOOD 10 George St, BA1 2EH Tel: 01225 469730 ■ Popular, well-stocked healthfood shop with serveyourself bins for dried fruits and nuts, cereals, mixes, beans, pulses. Fruit and herb teas and coffees, plus tins and packets for veggie store cupboards. Staff are knowledgeable and helpful. Takeaway counter for frozen yogurts in summer, homemade soups in winter, plus salads and sandwiches. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm SOUTHSIDE FOOD CO-OP Twerton, Whiteway & Southdown Tel: 01225 442813, web: www.coop.timebankplus.co.uk ■ Offers people in south-west Bath fresh, high-quality veg, fruit and eggs at wholesale prices, with bags of seasonal, locally grown produce, or order from their price list. Collect orders on Wed from Twerton (and save 50p), or they’ll deliver to homes in Twerton/ Whiteway/Southdown. Also run courses in simple, healthy cookery. Host a city-wide initiative, with

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Specialist Food Suppliers OUT OF TOWN volunteers offering drop-off points in their own homes and receiving credits towards the cost of their own boxes of fruit/veg. Produce mostly grown in Batheaston by a traditional market gardener, with minimal use of sprays and chemicals. Co-op membership £1 per year.

STOKES THE GREENGROCERS 38 Moorland Rd, Oldfield Park, BA2 3PN Tel: 01225 424414, web: www.stokesplc.com ■ The original Stokes went into administration a few years ago, but fortunately this lovely shop is back on track again courtesy of Argyle Trading/Premier Fruits.

A keen supporter of local growers, Stokes continues to stock all manner of five-a-day essentials, from pink ladies to pineapples, at very healthy prices.

Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm THAI BALCONY MINI MART 40 Monmouth St, BA1 2AN Tel: 01225 337213 ■ If you can’t get a table at the popular Thai Balcony restaurant, DIY at home instead. Everything Thai, from storecupboard ingredients (noodles, dipping sauces, exotic fruit in cans, jars, soup bases) to frozen dim sum, fresh herbs and spices and freshly cooked Thai ready meals to take away, and some fascinating fish in the freezer. Staff are happy to talk you through the whole lot. Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm THOUGHTFUL BREAD CO Unit 1e, Charmborough Farm Rural Industrial Estate, Charlton Rd, Holcombe, Radstock, BA3 5EX Tel: 01761 239074, web: www.thethoughtfulbreadcompany.com Shop: Green Park Station Market, Green Park Rd, BA1 1JB ■ Ethically minded, environmentally friendly bakery producing fresh and seasonal baked specialities, also supplied to many of Bath’s best restaurants, cafes and delis. Buy direct from the bakery (visitors welcome), or visit the stall at Green Park Station Market. Open Shop: Mon-Sat 10am-4pm. Bakery: see website

Out of Town ALLINGTON FARM SHOP Allington Bar Farm, Chippenham, NS14 6LJ Tel: 10249 658112, web: www.allingtonfarmshop.co.uk ■ Award-winning farm shop run alongside the Reynolds family’s mixed farm, so offering a fantastic range of home and locally produced food, including none-more-local meat, artisan cheeses and

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charcuterie, handmade scotch eggs, locally made pies, locally smoked fish and a big range of fresh salads, vegetables and fruit. Plus café and garden shop. Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-5pm.

CANTERBURY HOUSE 10 Silver St, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JY Tel: 01225 309385 ■ Wonderful range with a strong emphasis on local sourcing. Fresh, free-range poultry, local game, free-range pork, organic Dorset lamb, fresh fish and seafood. Full English breakfasts, lunch, afternoon teas, coffee and cakes all day. Open Mon 8.30am-1.30pm, Tue-Sat 8.30am-5.30pm FARRINGTON’S FARM SHOP Home Farm, Farrington Gurney, nr Bristol, BS39 6UB Tel: 01761 452266, web: www.farringtons.co.uk ■ The massive range at this award-winning, ecofriendly farm shop complex includes locally sourced cheese, bread, fruit, veg, ready meals, homemade soups and Fairtrade goods. Udder Room cafe (also available for private hire) serves lunches and snacks freshly prepared on the premises and largely wrought from produce available in the shop. Farm itself hosts educational visits, tractor tours and events (see website). Children’s party and outside catering service, Rural Business Consultancy, and Loyalty Card offering great discounts and bonuses to regular shoppers. Open Mon-Sat 8am-7pm (cafe 9am-5pm), Sun 10am-4pm (cafe 10am-3.30pm) HOBBS HOUSE Bakery: Unit 6, Chipping Edge Estate, Hatters Lane, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6AA Tel: 01454 321629 Shops: 39 High St, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6BA Tel: 01454 317525 18-20 Church St, Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8JG Tel: 01666 504533 4 George St, Nailsworth, Glos, GL6 0AG Tel: 01453 839396, web: www.hobbshousebakery.co.uk ■ Home of the Fabulous Baker Brothers Tom and Henry Herbert, this highly acclaimed bakery enjoys a longstanding reputation that’s earned the family countless awards for their artisan breads and baked goodies, including an organic range. Supplies many of the region’s best shops, restaurants and takeaways. Bistro attached; limited opening hours.

Open See website for details of bistro & individual outlet details INDULGENCE 12a Hill Rd, Clevedon, BS21 7NZ Tel: 01275 878978,web: www.indulgencechocolates.co.uk ■ Bespoke chocolate and confectionery specialists.

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Specialist Food Suppliers OUT OF TOWN A sumptuous range of classic, contemporary and quirky sweet stuff including celebratory cakes, wedding/christening ‘favours’ and party supplies.

Luxurious handmade Belgian chocolates, kiddiethemed novelties, gifts, recipe books, etc, complete the Willy Wonka experience. Orders taken via the shop, phone or online. Open Tue-Sat 9am-5.30pm LOVEJOYS 53 High St, Melksham, Wilts, SN12 6JY Tel: 01225 708838, web: www.lovejoyswholesale.com ■ Source the very best local produce (including vegetables, fruit, dairy products, bread) from the immediate surrounding region, to sell via the lively greengrocery shop or wholesale to restaurants and cafes within a one-hour radius of their West Wilts wholesale base.

MANOR FARM SHOP Upton Cheyney, Bitton, nr Bristol, BS30 6NQ Tel: 0117 932 3064, web: www.manorfarm-shop.co.uk ■ Tucked away up a narrow, winding side road between Bristol and Bath, this busy 280-acre, organic, family-run farm (with cafe) sells meat, homemade sausages, pies, faggots, bacon and venison from the farm, plus veg, groceries and dry products. Cafe serves scrumptious homemade stews, soups, panini, coffee, tea, cakes. See website for regularly updated news.

Open Fri-Sun 10am-6pm

Prize-winning locally sourced produce Tortworth Estate Shop

MARSHFIELD ICE CREAM & BAKERY Marshfield, Chippenham, Wilts, SN14 8LE Tel: 01225 891221, web: www.marshfield-icecream.co.uk ■ Ice-creams made with milk from their own organically reared herd, cream from neighbouring farms and natural, largely locally sourced ingredients (including fudge and chocolate). Excellent fresh bread from the bakery. Call/see website for opening hours and details of farm tours.

PJ’S FARM Copperfield Farm, Marshfield Lane, Beach, BS30 6NP Tel: 0117 932 4173, web: www.pjs-farm.co.uk ■ Home to a rare-breed pig, the British Lop. Small but perfectly formed range of handmade sausages, bacon, ham and various cuts of pork (including roasting joints and tenderloin). If you can’t hoof along to the farm itself, find PJ produce in Bath. Open Farm: call in adv. Stall at Bath Farmers’ Market every Fri-Sat PUXTON PARK Cowslip Lane, Hewish, Weston-super-Mare, BS24 6AH Tel: 0844 800 2295, web: www.puxton.co.uk ■ Incorporating two restaurants, children’s play area, falconry centre, working organic dairy farm, educational facility and a fabulous farm shop, set in acres of lush Somerset farmland. Find high-quality local produce from Somerset-based producers, including an onsite butcher who sources meat from within a 35-mile radius. Restaurant food is made from the same fresh ingredients you can buy in the shop.

Open Park: daily 9am-5.30pm. Shop 8am-6pm (9am Sun) SANDRIDGE FARMHOUSE BACON Sandridge Farm, Bromham, nr Chippenham, Wilts, SN15 2JL Tel: 01380 850304, web: www.sandridgefarmhousebacon.co.uk ■ Specialise in two methods of curing bacon: Wiltshire curing (no water added, so really sizzles when it hits the pan) and dry curing (packed in a salt, molasses & spice mixture for 28-56 days). Try the Devyses, with its rich flavour of hops, or the Golden Rind, naturally smoked over oak and beech sawdust to recreate the essence of farmhouse inglenook smoking.

Speciality hams, too. Open Tue-Sat 9am-5pm SCALLOP SHELL Whiterow Farm, Beckington, nr Frome, BA11 6TN Tel: 01373 831641, web: www.thescallopshell.co.uk ■ Fresh fish and seafood (and all the advice that comes with it) courtesy of former FishWorks head chef Gary Rosser, shipped direct every morning from south Devon and Cornwall by suppliers committed to sustainability, including small artisan fisheries

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Specialist Food Suppliers ORGANIC whose livelihoods depend on the future availability of their catches. Deli-counter classics (seafood salad, prawn cocktail, potted shrimps, taramasalata, dressed crabs and lobsters) are freshly prepared daily on the premises. Fabulous little cafe area, and fish and chips a speciality. Cookery school attached, and online ordering/home-delivery service, Wed & Fri, to Bath and surrounding areas. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-5pm.

TORTWORTH ESTATE SHOP Box Walk, Tortworth, nr Wotton-under-Edge, Glos, GL12 8HF, Tel: 01454 261633, web: www.tortworthestateshop.co.uk ■ Browse, taste and buy from more than 100 local suppliers including estate-reared, prize-winning aged beef, local lamb, free-range pork and poultry, local honey and eggs, Hobbs House bread, vegetables, cheeses and fruit juices, plus homemade pies, savouries, cakes and a fantastic range of coffees, handmade chocolates and soaps. See website for news of fascinating foodie events. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm UPTON CHEYNEY CHILLI COMPANY Manor Farm, Upton Cheyney, BS30 6NQ Tel: 07817 844802/07833 604642, web: www.uptonchilli.co.uk ■ Specialists in the cultivation of British chillies, either to be used fresh at home or already incorporated into sauces, jams, salsas, relishes, chocolates and more. Farm is open to visitors throughout the growing season (Mar-Nov) and hosts a Chilli Festival every autumn. Campsite facilities all year. Hot stuff!

Exemplary purveyors of all things organic Bordeaux Quay

WING OF ST MAWES Unit 4, Warren Rd, Indian Queens Industrial Estate, Indian Queens, Cornwall, TR9 6TL Tel: 01726 861666, web: www.thecornishfishmonger.co.uk ■ Suppliers to numerous restaurants and members of the public, Bob Wing delivers fresh, expertly and sustainably caught fish and shellfish from Cornish waters to your doorstep, anywhere in the country, within hours. From Falmouth Bay king scallops, silvery Newlyn hake and deep blue Padstow lobsters to handpicked Cornish crab meat, River Fowey mussels and handsliced smoked salmon.

Organic BEST OF BRITISH 12 Broad St, Bath, BA1 5LJ Tel: 01225 448055, web: www.bestofbritishdeli.co.uk ■ This welcoming, well-stocked deli and takeaway uses and supplies 100% organic ingredients and mostly British produce, much of it locally sourced.

Organic gift hampers; free city-centre delivery for £25+ orders. Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 10am-6pm BETTER FOOD COMPANY BIG SHOP & CAFE Bristol Proving House, Sevier St, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9QS, Tel: 0117 935 1725 BETTER FOOD COMPANY FOOD HALL & DELI 94 Whiteladies Rd, Bristol, BS8 2QX Tel: 0117 946 6957, web: www.betterfood.co.uk ■ Acclaimed, exemplary purveyors of all things organic: fresh fruit and veg from the BFC’s own organic farm overlooking Chew Valley Lake, fresh local meat, poultry and line-caught fish, artisan breads, organic cheeses, olives and sausages and all kinds of everything else, from vodka and non-homogenised milk to chocolate, Welsh bacon, Cornish chicken, books, clothes, beauty and homewares at the original St Werburghs site, which also features a fabulous cafe (excellent breakfasts and wholesome food all day). Veg box delivery service (free delivery for £15+ orders). See website for great seasonal recipes, plus news of local campaigns and events. Open Sevier St: Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm.

Whiteladies Rd: Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm BORDEAUX QUAY V-Shed, Canons Way, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 943 1200, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk ■ Stylish eco-haven, home to a cookery school, bar, restaurant, brasserie, deli and bakery producing traditional and modern breads, pastries, tarts, pan au chocolat, cookies and muffins. BQ’s guiding principle

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Specialist Food Suppliers ORGANIC of sourcing the very best local, seasonal, sustainable and organic produce is writ large at every turn.

EARTHBOUND 8 Abbotsford Rd, Cotham, Bristol, BS6 6HB Tel: 0117 904 2260 ■ Friendly local shop run by an ever-helpful husbandand-wife team. Excellent range of organic and fine foods, good-value wholefoods, organic fruit and veg, fine breads and superb chocolates. Local produce is important: pâté from Bath’s Natural Vitality and honey from Sea Mills, plus Helsett Farm organic Cornish icecream. Marmalade, chutneys and jams from Stroud’s Kitchen Garden, and handmade organic choccy from Austria’s Zotter. Large range of pasta, pesto, juices, teas and coffees, ethically caught canned fish (mostly in organic oil) and Fairtrade goodies. Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm ESSENTIAL TRADING Unit 3, Lodge Causeway Trading Estate, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3JB Tel: 0845 458 0201, web: www.essential-trading.coop ■ Supplier of natural and organic wholefoods to many of Bristol’s retailers, restaurants and cafes. All products are GM-free, vegetarian or vegan, and many are Fairtrade. International partnerships with organic farmers and co-ops mean they can source fab-quality foods at excellent prices: the Italian ‘tomatoey stuff’ is a must-buy. Ever-growing own-brand range includes organic (and Fairtrade) coconut milk, dates, quinoa, basmati, goji berries, chocolate spread and pastas in shops throughout the area. Manufacture, mix and label wholefoods for stores around the UK. Essential also have two 100% vegetarian shops, Harvest, in Bath and Bristol.

HARVEST 11 Gloucester Rd, Bristol, BS7 8AA Tel: 0117 942 5997,web: www.harvest-bristol.coop 37 Walcot St, Bath, BA1 5BN Tel: 01225 465519, web: www.harvest-bath.coop ■ An entirely GM-free organic zone, stocking everything from organic fruit and veg (much of it sourced locally) and bread to Fairtrade chocolate, teas, coffees, organic wines, international specialities and Essential products. This workers’ co-op offers a comprehensive self-service herbs and spices section, bins for cereals, dried fruits and pulses, and loads of gluten/dairy-free products. Deli section stocks fresh, locally prepared vegetarian/vegan rolls and specialities, plus their famous luxury gourmet hummus. Raw foods and superfoods stocked - look out for kale chips and raw chocolate.

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MASALA 18 North St, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1HW Tel: 0117 963 6062, web: www.masala.uk.com ■ Unique organic ethnic shopping experience, with an eclectic range of locally sourced, largely Fairtrade/ organic products. Fine selection of local cheeses and dairy produce, and fresh fish direct from Cornwall.

Huge range of global recipe ingredients and lots of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian foods, organic herbs and spices, and locally made frozen curries. Open Mon-Sat 9am-6pm NATURAL VITALITY Tunley Farm, Tunley, nr Bath, BA2 0DL Tel: 01761 479555, web: www.natural-vitality.co.uk ■ Delicious, nutritious organic vegetarian and vegan food (including legendary dips) supplied to farm shops, wholefood specialists, delis, grocers and cafes around the region. Also available direct from their stalls at Bristol and Bath’s weekly Farmers’ Markets.

See website for stockists.

RADFORD MILL FARM SHOP 39-41 Picton St, Montpelier, Bristol, BS6 5PZ Tel: 0117 942 6644, web: www.radfordmillfarm.com ■ Bristol’s original wholefood and organic food suppliers, and main outlet for Radford Mill Farm produce (see website). Vast range of GM-free and organic products at really reasonable prices. Small deli offers local cheeses, vegan and vegetarian specialities, sandwiches and cakes. Fresh juices in the cafe - they’ll juice just about anything they sell in the shop. Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-6pm SCOOPAWAY HEALTH FOODS 113 Gloucester Rd, Bristol, BS7 8AT Tel: 0117 987 2199,web: www.scoopawayhealthfoods.co.uk ■ See Specialist Food Suppliers, Bristol.

SHEEPDROVE ORGANIC FARM BUTCHERS 3 Lower Redland Rd, Bristol, BS6 9TB Tel: 0117 973 4643, web: www.sheepdrove.com ■ Bristol’s only fully organic butcher. Superb organic lamb, mutton, beef, pork, chicken, black and white pudding and turkey direct from their Berkshire farm.

Organic wines, own-brand honey, preserves and flour too, while the farm itself (see website) is home to an Eco Conference Centre (available for event hire, weddings, etc). You can also order via phone or online. Open Mon-Sat 8am-6.30pm, Sun 10am-2pm TOBACCO FACTORY MARKET Raleigh Rd, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1TF Web: www.tobaccofactory.com ■ Food, plus crafts, clothes, etc, with occasional live music and other events, a strong community vibe

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Specialist Food Suppliers HOME DEL... and a strong bias towards organic and local products.

Open Sun 10.30am-2.30pm WHITELADIES FARMERS’ MARKET Whiteladies Rd/Apsley Rd, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 Web: www.sustainableredland.org.uk ■ Locally produced, fairly traded, largely organic goodies in a lively atmosphere. Open Market 1st & 3rd Sat of month, 8.30am-2pm WILD OATS 9-11 Lower Redland Rd, Bristol, BS6 6TB Tel: 0117 973 1967, web: www.wild-oats.co.uk ■ See Specialist Food Suppliers: Bristol.

WRINGTON GREENS ORGANIC FARM Nates Lane, Wrington, N Somerset, BS40 5RS Tel: 01934 863636, web: www.wringtongreens.co.uk ■ Freshness, flavour and food miles are the three guiding principles at this complex with top-quality market garden. Fully organic farm follows the Soil Association’s strict environmental standards. Stock Herberts bread, Somerset Dairy organic milk and cream, Yeo Valley and Godminster organic cheeses.

Box scheme delivers to Bristol and North Somerset, or can be pre-ordered and collected at the farm shop (see website). Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm (7pm Tue), Sat 9am-1pm

Home Deliveries BETTER FOOD COMPANY Bristol Proving House, Sevier St, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9QS, Tel: 0117 935 1725, web: www.betterfood.co.uk ■ Deliver fruit and veg boxes across Bristol and areas of neighbouring counties. See Specialist Food Suppliers, Organic.

antipasti, charcuterie, quiches, salads, sweet treats, afternoon teas and more courtesy of French Master of the Art Christophe Lacroix. Home delivery service offers the option of having fine dining delivered to your door: meals come ready to heat at your leisure, at prices that belie the high quality on offer. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-4pm RIVERFORD ORGANIC Wash Barn, Buckfastleigh, Devon, TQ11 0LD Tel: 0845 600 2311, web: www.riverford.co.uk ■ Established in 1987, Riverford are now one of the country’s largest independent growers, delivering boxes of organic produce (veg, fruit and/or meat) to households across the southern half of the country every week using local distributors.

WILTSHIRE FARM FOODS Tel: 01225 756019, web: www.wiltshirefarmfoods.com ■ Menu contains around 175 different frozen dishes, from roasts, pies and stews to fillet of trout with prawns. Very reasonably priced, and popular with senior citizens and people with limited mobility. Mini Meals for lighter appetites, vegetarians and restricted diets well catered for, and good-value weekly selection packs. Free delivery; friendly drivers will even put the meals in the freezer for you.

WRINGTON GREENS ORGANIC FARM Nates Lane, Wrington, N Somerset, BS40 5RS Tel: 01934 863636, web: www.wringtongreens.co.uk ■ Box scheme deliveries to Bristol and North Somerset. See Specialist Food Suppliers, Organic.

Fresh, flavoursome and fully organic Wrington Greens Organic Farm

JP ORGANICS Littledown Farm, Lansdown, Bath, BA1 5TH Tel: 01225 460674, web: www.jporganics.co.uk ■ Family-run business operating weekly/fortnightly organic veg box delivery scheme in the Bath area.

Produce, sourced as close to home base as possible, includes veg, fruit, eggs, Hobbs House bread, Adey’s Farm meat and dried goods, all certified by the Soil Association.

NEW MA CUISINE 4 St Saviours Rd, Larkhall, Bath, BA1 6RT Tel: 01225 312959, web: www.macuisine.co.uk ■ Top-quality, French-inspired lunchtime classics,

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Caterers

Caterers AVON CATERING EQUIPMENT Birds Farm, Kingdown Rd, Winford, nr Bristol, BS40 8DW Tel: 01275 475 283, web: www.avoncateringequipment. co.uk ■ Find pretty much anything you need for your catering business at the South West’s largest supplier of quality, used catering equipment. Most stock viewable on the website or onsite viewing by appointment.

CATERING SERVICES INTERNATIONAL 6 Bladud Buildings, Bath, BA1 5LS Tel: 01225 480239/480240 56 Baldwin St, Bristol, BS1 1QR Tel: 0117 929 4777, web: www.cateringinternational.co.uk ■ Bath-based nationwide organisation that recruits and supplies all grades of catering industry staff to all manner of businesses and events. Very useful to those looking to find work or planning larger-scale events.

NEW CHERRY PICKED CATERING 1a Avon Crescent, Hotwells, Bristol, BS1 6XQ Tel: 0117 930 0776, Web: www.cherrypickedcatering.co.uk ■ This newly established business is thriving thanks to an eclectic offering, from canapés to sit-down banquets, and corporate lunches, wedding buffets and parties all available, too.

CHOCOLATE NIRVANA PO Box 284, Bristol, BS10 6WX Tel: 0117 950 3825, web: www.chocolate-nirvana.co.uk ■ These illuminated chocolate fountain suppliers offer free-flowing sticky pleasures using fine Belgian chocolate with no added oils. Options include a Baileys fountain and you can even have colour-changing LED lights.

CRUMBAWUMBA! 10a Princess St, Bath, BA1 1HL Tel: 01225 333080, web: www.crumbawumba.co.uk ■ Highly rated sandwich business, with catering ranging from the obvious sarnie’n’crisps platters to hot homemade food in insulated boxes. Testimonials praise them for coping with varying diets and ethnic preferences. Menu changes constantly, so contact them for the latest details.

DARLING DELI Isabella House, The Avenue, Combe Down, Bath, BA2 5EH Tel: 01225 835118, web: www.darlingdeli.co.uk ■ Repeat winners of the Great Taste Gold Award, ‘the Darlings’ have a fantastic range of prepared food, ranging from classic British casseroles to more exotic Middle Eastern tagines and Mediterranean specialities such as chicken basque. All is available as 10-portion servings,

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with side-orders of couscous, potatoes dauphinoise, etc, subject to ordering a week in advance (or more for large functions).

DINE WITH STYLE Unit 9, Foxcote Ave, Bath Business Park, Peasedown St John, Bath, BA2 8SF Tel: 01761 439 483, web: www.dinewithstyle.co.uk ■ If you think you know your canapés, wait till you see the selection that this lot can rustle up. Offering French-influenced top quality catering for business, social and pleasure events, they happily cater for vegans/ vegetarians and will work to create bespoke catering for your event.

EASTERN EYE 8a Quiet St, Bath, BA1 2JS Tel: 01225 422323/466401, web: www.easterneye.co.uk ■ Their highly rated Indian restaurant was picked as Les Routier’s top UK restaurant (in any category) for 2011 so, naturally, there’s much demand for their catering arm, which can provide Indian food for parties up to 170 people.

EAT5STAR Tel: 01225 721999, web: www.caterersbath.co.uk ■ Behind the popular city-centre sandwich bar is a major catering operation geared to corporate hospitality, weddings and parties. The thorough website gives plenty of info about menus that run from finger food and canapés to three-course sit-down meals, with additional options for cars, flowers, cakes, entertainments, etc.

FANTASTIC SANDWICH CO 63 North Rd, St Andrews, Bristol, BS6 5AD Tel: 0117 942 0470, web: www.fantasticsandwich.co.uk ■ One of Bristol’s longest-established and most popular sandwich shops, the Fantastic will even deliver individual lunches to your workplace for free. Online ordering facility also offers a choice of catering packages with onsite catering and bespoke business lunches available.

FARRINGTON’S FARM SHOP Home Farm, Farrington Gurney, nr Bristol, BS39 6UB Tel: 01761 452266, web: www.farringtons.co.uk ■ Crowned 2012 UK Farm Retailer of the Year by trade organisation FARMA. Their home-produced foods are also available as a party catering service. Everything’s fresh, with a big emphasis on local sourcing and ecofriendliness.

FEASTING TABLE 27 Conference Ave, Portishead, Bristol, BS20 7LF Tel: 01275 845144, web: www.feastingtable.co.uk ■ Experienced bespoke catering service for all sorts of occasions from ‘silver fork’ down to buffets. Also work

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ys:

Caterers with Avery’s wine merchants to provide an expert service.

They will work anywhere, but venues available include Avery’s vaulted wine cellars and the historic Chapter House of Bristol Cathedral.

FLINTY RED 34 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6LA Tel: 0117 923 8755, web: www.corksof.com, www.flintyred. co.uk ■ In keeping with Flinty Red’s close working relationship with neighbouring wine sellers Corks of Cotham, their catering operation offers the kind of well-matched wine and small-plate tapas-style dishes that keep their restaurant at the top of the tree in Bristol.

FOSTERS EVENT CATERING Unit 5, Avonside Rd, Bristol, BS2 0UQ Tel: 0117 977 6611, web: www.fostersevents.co.uk ■ Bristol-based event caterers with 50 years’ experience, operating nationally and offering one of the widest ranges of packages imaginable. Their selection of menus is a 10-page (downloadable) pack; bespoke options are, of course, available.

GODWIN & GODWIN Kensington Warehouse, Kensington Place, London Rd, Bath, BA1 6AW Tel: 01225 337081, web: www.godwinandgodwin.co.uk ■ From their enormous converted chapel warehouse, Godwin & Godwin can offer full event bar services for any size of event, from major festivals down to more intimate social gatherings.

GORDON’S CARIBBEAN CATERING 333 Church Rd, St George, Bristol, BS5 8AA Tel: 0117 902 1474, web: www.gordonscaribbean.co.uk ■ Gordon’s can offer your guests a feast of classic West Indian dishes, from jerk chicken and oxtail to saltfish and ackee, with set meals for two-to-four people available for delivery any day and event catering by arrangement.

GOURMET DELICIOUS Brassknocker Hill, Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7JD Tel: 01225 723483, www.bath-narrowboats.co.uk ■ Canalside business offering an enticing range of choices, including the floating delights of the John Rennie canal boat as a dining party option. Chef Lionel Meaden oversees event catering from the simple sandwich lunch up to a full silver-service meal.

J&S CATERING 15 Rodfords Mead, Hengrove, Bristol, BS14 9UE Tel: 0117 300 9990 ■ The family-run catering operation from Bristol University’s Sports Centre can also provide external catering for private functions.

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KASHMIR 15 High St, Easton, Bristol, BS5 6DX Tel: 0117 952 0004 ■ This friendly neighbourhood curry house will prepare party orders and cater for social gatherings, drawing on a wide menu of North Indian and Bangladeshi dishes.

LA CUIZINE Tel: 0117 376 3495, web: www.lacuizine.co.uk ■ Long before the current pop-up craze, La Cuizine’s French chef Iza Redon was popping up in people’s houses, running cookery courses or catering for parties. Tell her what you have in mind and she’ll prepare a healthy gourmet menu with you and cook it at your house.

MADE BY BEN 100 Walcot St, Bath, BA1 5BG Tel: 01225 319999, web: www.bathcatering.com ■ This impressive cafe place offers a range of catering options, from sandwich/antipasti platters and office lunch buffets to dinner for six to 18 people (all you need is an oven), picnic hampers complete with rugs and event catering.

MANGIA BENE 5-6 St James St, Bath, BA1 2TW Tel: 01225 336106 ■ Deli and coffee shop that can also provide party catering, and the venue itself is available for private hire.

NEW MEALS.CO.UK Web: www.meals.co.uk ■ Dinner party catering service available. See Takeaways: Bristol.

OLIVE SHED Princes Wharf, Harbourside, Bristol, BS1 4RN Tel: 0117 929 1960, www.theoliveshed.com ■ From their dockside base you can have the Olive Shed’s distinctive tapas food (and excellent olives) sent to your event, with the option of serving staff or basic delivery and a range of menu choices and prices.

PAPADELI 84 Alma Rd, Bristol, BS8 2DJ Tel: 0117 973 6569, web: www.papadeli.co.uk ■ As you’d expect from so well-established an operation Papadeli can cover pretty much any event catering request, big or small, posh or casual. You can have the full five-coursewith-waiters service or platters of canapés, buffet selections or Spanish pinchos snacks (and a whole lot in between).

PEAR CATERING COMPANY The Coach House, 2 Upper York St, Bristol, BS2 8QN Tel: 0117 942 8392, web: www.thepearcafe.com ■ Hidden away in the Coach House’s cobbled courtyard, the

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Caterers tiny Pear takeaway uses quality fresh ingredients to make a range of great sandwiches and they’ll happily plan a bespoke spread for your small- to-medium-sized private or corporate event.

SANDWICH DIRECT 112 Rodway Rd, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 5PG Tel: 0117 969 8889, web: www.sandwichdirectbristol.co.uk ■ Their delivery vans are a common sight, bringing sandwiches, salads, pasta and more to hard-pressed office workers around Bristol and Kingswood. With 20 years’ experience in catering, however, they’re more than ready to discuss arranging bespoke catering platters to suit your needs.

STRAWBERRY FIELD Old Bakery, Old Jews Lane, Bath, BA2 3DG Tel: 01225 339394, web: www.strawberryfieldcatering.co.uk ■ Experienced and versatile catering operation offering a mind-boggling range of event catering options, from hog roasts to chocolate fountains and the use of their own river boat (the Penny Lane, of course). They also offer the full service for sit-down weddings and corporate events, complete with maitre’d.

TAKE FIVE CAFE 72 Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS1 3QY Tel: 0117 907 7502; web: www.take5cafe.co.uk ■ Priding itself on using fresh organic ingredients wherever possible, and serving a mix of Indian and Thai food, which is available for party bookings within the Cafe and for external catering. While they offer prepared meal packages, these can be renegotiated to allow for dietary preferences.

TEOHS 28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, Bristol, BS2 9NP Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net ■ With their firmly established neighbourhood favourite restaurant in St Pauls, family-run Teohs offer their panAsian mix of Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Malaysian food for outside events, too, and will tailor the menu to suit your budget.

THYME 27 Westgate St, Bath, BA1 1EP Tel: 07584 053146, web: www.thymechef.co.uk ■ With experience of catering for anything from 50 to 3,000 people, there’s not much that Thyme can’t offer.

Operating largely within 10 miles of Bath, wedding packages include traditional, ‘summer marquee’ and a whole set of themed ideas including Caribbean and Harry Potter, with your ideas always up for a bespoke offer.

TIFFINS 151 St Michaels Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DB Tel: 0117 973 4834, web: www.tiffins-bristol.com ■ The clean, fresh taste of Tiffins’ Gujerati food has

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always been a stand-out feature of Bristol’s Indian cooking scene, and they even made it to Radio 4’s annual Food & Farming awards in 2010. With plenty of vegan/vegetarian choices available (and gluten-free always a possibility), they offer event catering for all sizes of party.

TIKKA FLAME South Building, Anchor Sq, Canons Rd, Bristol, BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 316 9393, web: www.tikkaflame.co.uk ■ This contemporary Indian and Pakistani restaurant offers a distinctive choice of meat, fish and vegetable dishes, all of which are available for outside events and parties TOPLINE CATERING Hazel Cottage, Knowle Hill, Chew Magna, Bristol, BS40 8QT Tel: 01275 333308, web: www.toplinecatering.co.uk ■ Cater for balls, banquets and funerals as well as the more usual weddings and corporate functions. This highly experienced outfit can tailor a catering package to suit your requirements for any event within a 50-mile radius of Bristol or Bath.

NEW WHISK CATERING The Cafe, Knowle West Health Park, Downton Rd, Bristol, BS4 1WH Tel: 0117 377 2576, web: www.whisk-uk.com ■ Working to high standards with locally sourced, seasonal and organic ingredients, new company Whisk can cater for anything from business breakfasts to sitdown weddings, family occasions, large conferences and other big events.

WILLIAM’S KITCHEN AT CALCOT Calcot Manor, Tetbury, Glos, GL8 8YJ Tel: 01666 891240, web: www.williamskitchenatcalcot. co.uk ■ With a stable of venues including Gloucester Cathedral and Chavenage House as partners, this Cotswold-based company can offer full event management as well as a bespoke catering service tailored to suit you and your budget.

NEW ZARZUELA KITCHEN Tel: 0117 955 6198, web: www.zarzuelakitchen.co.uk ■ Catering company from Bristol offering buffet selections of Spanish-themed food with Middle Eastern influences made from organic and free-range, locally sourced ingredients. Packages can include specialities from pintxos (canapés) and empanadillas (little pastries) to whole salmon and a range of salads and puddings.

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Pop Ups & Dining Clubs

Pop Ups & Dining Clubs 40 ALFRED PLACE 40 Alfred Place, Kingsdown, Bristol, BS2 8HD Tel: 0117 944 3060, web: www.40alfredplace.net ■ Now in the hands of ‘Suppertime’ pop-up organiser Richard Gee, this place continues to offer a home to all manner of spontaneous eateries, with everything from fine dining to street food lined up to appear. There’s even a recession-minded soup kitchen on the horizon - keep an eye on the website and sign up for bulletins if you want to know what’s happening before it gets booked out.

ATCATHARINES Web: www.atcatharines.blogspot.co.uk ■ Bath’s first pop-up is still a great success, thanks to personable duo Cat and Kat. Their monthly events are dinner party-style meals for around 15 people in a home environment and can range from a very stylish Sunday lunch to a Malaysian feast (thanks to Cat’s Malaysian background).

Danielle Coombs cooks up multi-course treats Bishopston Supper Club

BISHOPSTON SUPPER CLUB Web: www.restingchef.wordpress.com ■ Resting Chef Danielle Coombs continues to delight regular fans of her multi-course menus, with BYO policy complemented by selected wines by Darren from the redoubtable Grape & Grind.

DINNER CLUB Tel: 01244 677030, web: www.thedinnerclubuk.com ■ Originally started in Australia 25 years ago, this now claims to be the largest singles dining club in the UK, organising dinner party-style gatherings in hotels and restaurants nationwide.

NEW MADDIE’S KITCHEN Web: www.maddieskitchen.wordpress.com ■ Uniquely gluten-free pop-up supper club launched in April 2013 by Westbury Park chef Maddie and using organic ingredients to create delicious food that happens to be free of gluten, dairy, eggs and refined sugar. Vegetarian and vegan alternatives also catered for.

MI CASA Web: www.micasapopup.co.uk ■ The dynamic duo of Kristjan Bigland and Alexis John continue to be offer one of the most successful pop-ups in Bristol, with regular evenings offering sixcourse tapas-style delights such as spiced quail with membrillo, rose petals and watercress.

SUPPER CLUB Web: www.bristolsupperclub.org.uk ■ With a track record of more than 25 years, this membership-run non-profit social club provides members with opportunities for dining in restaurants in and around Bristol. You can sample one of their weekly events before joining; first-year membership costs £40 (£25 thereafter).

Cookery Schools & Courses 102 COOKERY SCHOOL 102, Gloucester Rd, Bristol BS7 8BN Tel: 0117 244 0047, web: www.102cookeryschool.co.uk ■ State-of-the-art kitchens and the chance to learn from top local chefs like Nathan Muir, Ronnie Faulkner and Scott Lucas in a mix of hands-on classes and demo sessions, including ‘chef’s table’ events where parties can enjoy a bespoke evening taking part in creating a special meal with complementary wines.

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Cookery Schools & Courses ASHBURTON Hare’s Lane Cottage, 76 East St, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ13 7AX Tel: 01364 652784, web: www.ashburtoncookeryschool.co.uk ■ Extensive programme whereby you can learn the basics, get fancy in the kitchen or launch a career as a professional chef - it’s your choice.

BABY BITES 38 Berkeley Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8HE Tel: 07531 237527, web: www.babybites.co.uk ■ Small, informal workshop classes run by organic baby food manufacturer Louise Barnard and lasting three hours, aimed at helping parents of tinies get to grips with nutrition and learn a range of recipes suitable for children as they develop.

BERTINET KITCHEN 12 St Andrews Terrace, Bath BA1 2QR Tel: 01225 445531, web: www.thebertinetkitchen.com ■ Naturally there’s bread on the agenda in the baking legend’s kitchen, but there are also courses on French country cooking and the food of Catalonia, plus celebrity chef appearances by the likes of Levi Roots, Valentina Harris and others. Very popular - advance booking usually essential.

BERWICK LODGE Berwick Drive, Bristol BS10 7TD Tel: 0117 958 1590,web: www.berwicklodge.co.uk ■ Situated in a specially adapted stable block in Berwick Lodge’s grand gardens, the Cookery School offers courses in bread and pasta making and specialised butchery courses with lamb and game (including venison). You get to take your choice cuts home with you, too.

BRISTOL SCHOOL OF FOOD & WINE Bordeaux Quay, V-Shed, Canons Way, Bristol BS1 5UH Tel: 0117 904 6679, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk ■ At Bordeaux Quay’s purpose-built cookery school there’s a strong wine theme running through the programme, as you’d guess from the name, with sessions on Sushi & Sake, Tapas & Wine and Ultimate Food & Wine Matching as well as more conventional items such as The Veg Box. CHERRY PICKED COOKERY SCHOOL 1a Avon Crescent, Hotwells, Bristol BS1 6XQ Tel: 0117 930 0776, web: www.cherrypickedcatering.co.uk ■ Cookery school at the old Howard’s restaurant premises, offering short one-off sessions such as Chocolate Galore, Domestic Goddess and Dinner Party Skills, and a Kids’ Cookery School for 9-13-year-olds.

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CHOCOLATE TART 43 Kent Rd, Congresbury, North Somerset BS49 5BD Tel: 01934 876881, web: www.thechocolatetart.co.uk ■ For the chocolate-minded - and there are many of us - Lisa Clarke’s Congresbury workshops have something of the Willie Wonka about them, as participants munch their way through one of her many hands-on classes before reeling home with their handmade goodies. There are special diabetic courses, and children’s workshops that also welcome grandparents.

DEVILLED EGG Latchford House, Downfield Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2TH, Tel: 0117 973 2823, web: www.thedevilledegg.com ■ A range of courses aimed at bridging the gap between fine dining and home cooking and offering the chance to learn the basics, make the most of your veg box or master the art of patisserie (among many others). Bespoke courses available, too, all in their recently revamped Clifton premises.

EXQUISITE CAKE COMPANY Web: www.exquisitecakecompany.com ■ Ever wanted to perfect the covered sponge cake?

Or make an immaculate cupcake and decorate it? The Exquisite Cake people will show you how in the comfort of your own home, bringing all the ingredients, tools and whatever else it takes to get you (or the kids) baking.

FLAVOURS OF BATH 3 Abbey Green Guest House, Bath BA1 1NW Tel: 07771 782838, web: www.cookerycoach.co.uk ■ In an original take on the cookery lesson, Flavours of Bath’s Nev Leaning starts by taking you shopping and discovering the great ingredients to be found in Bath’s shops before lunch. You’ll spend the afternoon cooking up what you bought into dinner to be eaten later.

GABLES SCHOOL OF COOKERY Pipers Lodge, Bristol Rd, Falfield, South Glos GL12 8DF Tel: 01454 260444, web: www.thegablesschoolofcookery.co.uk ■ Popular one-day courses include Indian, Thai, Greek and Italian cookery, while the really serious can undertake a four-week chef training to get their careers started.

GOOD COOK SCHOOL Tel: 0117 983 2521, web: www.thegoodcookschool.co.uk ■ Whether school-based or in community venues, the constant theme of the Good Cook School’s workshops with children and young people is to combine the fun creativity of cooking with a growing understanding of nutrition and

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Cookery Schools & Courses healthy eating. One popular activity (and not just with parents) is the cook-it-yourself children’s party with a choice of menus.

on, with themes such as Easy Weekend Meals or Oriental Flavours. Each session ends with a late, light lunch with wine.

LA CUIZINE Tel: 0117 907 182, web: www.lacuizine.co.uk ■ Chef Iza Redon passes on what she learned from her parents’ restaurant business in Paris and her own experience as a chef. Bespoke individual and group cookery sessions start with shopping for the groceries and end with delicious French cuisine that you’ve learned to prepare.

MYRISTICA 51 Welsh Back, Bristol, BS1 4AN Tel: 0117 927 2277, web: www.myristica.co.uk ■ With Myristica’s reputation for freshly prepared, authentic regional Indian cookery, there’s much to learn from head chef Rupinda Singh as he makes chutneys, curries and breads in demonstration sessions.

LEMONS & HONEY COOKERY SCHOOL White Baines, Wellow, Bath BA2 8QS Tel: 01225 833133, web: www.darlingdeli.co.uk/cookery.html ■ Loads of courses, with an emphasis on children and young people - from pre-school to teenagers. Birthday party sessions are very popular.

LOUISE WALKER 8 The Tyning, Widcombe Hill, Bath BA2 6AL Tel: 01225 442861, web: www.louise-walker.co.uk ■ Relaxed one day courses, many using the Aga to cook

Learn authentic regional Indian cookery Myristica

NATURAL FOOD SCHOOL Tel: 01363 82794, web: www.naturalfoodschool.co.uk ■ Working from a basis of naturopathic nutrition, Carol Kenward and Carol Lee run workshops helping people to understand the relationship between what they cook and eat and their emotional and mental wellbeing.

PAPADELI COOKERY SCHOOL 84 Alma Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2DJ Tel: 0117 973 6569, web: http://news.papadeli.co.uk ■ Simon ‘Papa’ MacDonnell and visiting speciality chefs lead a series of evening cookery courses, usually themed around a particular cuisine - Italian, Provencale, Catalan with afternoon children’s classes (8-14-year-olds) during the school holidays.

SQUARE FOOD FOUNDATION The Park, Daventry Rd, Bristol BS4 1DQ Tel: 0117 904 6679, web: www.squarefoodfoundation.co.uk ■ Named the UK’s Best Community Cookery School by Learning to Cook magazine, the latest stage in eco-food guru Barny Haughton’s ongoing mission to share the love of good food and the joy of cooking offers a packed programme of courses for adults and children, ranging from fine cookery skills to Feed Yourself for a Fiver and a Sunday lunch club.

VEGETARIAN COOKERY SCHOOL 6 Terrace Walk, Bath BA1 1LN Tel: 01225 427938, web: www.vegetariancookeryschool.com ■ Courses range from Persian to Pakistani, Mexican to Moroccan, tapas to mezze - even raw food. The one thing they’ll have in common is meatlessness. Rachel Demuth’s long-established vegetarian academy is a national institution, and courses can sell out fast, with people visiting Bath simply to learn the secrets that she and her team (and visiting experts) will willingly share in a packed programme of day courses.

YOUR SUSHI Tel: 020 3287 2299, web: www.yoursushi.co.uk ■ And it will be your sushi that you take home in a bento box (after eating heaps of the stuff during the

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Wine Merchants day). Visiting sushi chefs from London offer regular opportunities to learn the skills of building those delicious rice, fish and vegetable delicacies at the Park Street Cafe and Bordeaux Quay cookery school throughout the year.

Wine Merchants AVALON VINEYARD The Drove, East Pennard, Shepton Mallet, Somerset,, BA4 6UA, Tel: 01749 860393, web: www.pennardorganicwines.co.uk ■ One of the first registered organic drinks producers - all Avalon/Pennard wine, mead and cider is produced by hand from pure ingredients, mostly grown in house.

Stock can be ordered online but it’s more fun to visit their vineyard near Shepton Mallet and get a guided tour (with tastings). Check out their famed raspberry liqueur.

AVERYS OF BRISTOL 9 Culver St, Bristol, BS1 5LD Tel: 0117 921 4146 4 High St, Nailsea, North Somerset, BS48 1BT Tel: 01275 812230, web: www.averys.com ■ Still selling wine from their historic vaulted cellars beneath Bristol’s Park Street, the Avery family have been dealing in wine for more than 200 years. But if the dust has settled on some of their older vintages, the stock encompasses whatever’s best in the world of contemporary winemaking, too, with discoveries coming in from the new world and beyond all the time. Whether you’re buying bottles or cases, helpful staff (and a factpacked website) can help you pick what’s best for palate and pocket.

GODWIN & GODWIN Kensington Warehouse, London Rd, Bath, BA1 6AW Tel: 01249712304, web: www.kensingtonwinewarehouse.co.uk ■ The fine old walls of a converted chapel ensure that Godwin and Godwin’s stock of more than 400 different wines is always maturing at a constant temperature, reflecting the care they show in hand-selecting their wines from chosen vineyards. Prices can suit every pocket; online orders can be delivered anywhere in the UK. GRAPE & GRIND 101 Gloucester Rd, Bristol, BS7 8AT Tel: 0117 924 8718, web: www.grapeandgrind.co.uk ■ A welcome arrival on Gloucester Road last year, this independent wine seller has fast become a valued part of the local scene. Their thriving wine club offers a specially selected case, either bi-monthly or quarterly, with a range of prices available, and regular tasting evenings are always sold out in advance. The shop has a fine range of independently produced wines from all around the world, with artisan ales and ciders as well as spirits.

GREAT WESTERN WINE COMPANY Wine Warehouse, Wells Rd, Bath, BA2 3AP Tel: 01225 322800, web: www.greatwesternwine.co.uk ■ Their fantastically informative website lets you browse by country, style or price, and even tells you what’s vegan or screw-topped. Prices are good-value, but check the ‘bin ends’ pages for even better bargains. Monthly mixed case offers are great, too, reflecting the range of handcrafted wines that they seek out every year.

CLIFTON CELLARS 22 The Mall, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4DS Tel: 0117 973 0287, web: www.cliftoncellars.co.uk ■ It’s worth checking out the monthly mixed cases that Clifton Cellars put together: 12 different red and white wines at prices from £75-£125 a case. Their themed tasting evenings are also very popular - adv booking recommended.

HARVEY NICHOLS WINE SHOP Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus, Bristol, BS1 3BZ Tel: 0117 916 8898, web: www.harveynichols.com ■ Step up to the second floor of Harvey Nicks to find their select collection of quality wines, much of it on HN’s own label and some of it exclusive to the shop. Naturally, champagne figures large, but there’s a wide range of spirits and some unusual cocktails, too.

CORKS OF COTHAM 54 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JX Tel: 0117 973 1620, web: www.corksof.com ■ Their partnership with neighbouring top-notch restaurant Flinty Red means that Corks can always showcase their exhaustive and well-chosen stock with some excellent food. Their programme of tasting/ matching evenings is as eclectic as Corks’ shelves, ranging from French regions to American craft beers and a Burns Night whisky tasting. Friendly shop staff will help you choose or you can just browse to your heart’s content.

HERITAGE WINE Old Brewery, 61 Station Rd, Wickwar, Glos, GL12 8NB Tel: 0844 871 0040, web: www.heritagewine.co.uk ■ Heritage Wines make a point of being selective.

They’ve spent more than 30 years building relationships with winemakers, and have some wines made exclusively for them. Their website is a mine of information about everything they stock - some bottles come with virtual tasting video clips. It’s all online, with minimum orders of 12 bottles arriving within seven days of ordering.

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Wine Merchants MAJESTIC WINE WAREHOUSE 12 Wellsway, Bath, BA2 2AA Tel: 01225 429 285 349 Bath Rd, Arnos Vale, Bristol, BS4 3EW Tel: 0117 977 3135 Unit 10, Shield Retail Park, Filton, Bristol, BS34 7BR Tel: 01179 697 774 127 Westbury Rd, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, BS9 3AP Tel: 0117 962 4467 68 Winchcombe St, Cheltenham, Glos, GL52 2ND Tel: 01242 237 593, web: www.majestic.co.uk ■ You’re never far from one of the mighty Majestic warehouses with their enormous stock - more than 800 wines and counting - and prices starting from £4 (29 choices less than £6 a bottle), with in-store tasting always available to help you choose. Online customers get free delivery on orders of 12+ bottles.

MUMFORDS VINEYARD Shockerwick Lane, Bannerdown Rd, Bath, BA1 7LQ Tel: 01225 858367, web: www.mumfordsvineyard.co.uk ■ As locally sourced as it gets, wine-wise, Mumfords’

Enthusiasts for excellent wine Tasting Room

range of white, red and rose is available from the vineyard just outside Bath, where they’ll happily arrange a tour of the place (call in adv). You can buy by mail-order or order online from Waitrose Wine Direct.

RS WINES Parklands Rd, Bower Ashton, Bristol, BS3 2JW Tel: 0117 963 6000, web: www.rswines.co.uk ■ Thanks to a commitment to finding wines that are sustainably produced, proprietor Raj Soni has become an authority on artisan and family producers from around the world, many producing very small quantities of ‘natural’ or biodynamic wines. Website provides a very accessible and browsable portal to the stock; online orders are delivered within 5-7 days.

TASTING ROOM 6 Green St, Bath, BA1 2JY Tel: 01225 483070, web: www.tastingroom.co.uk ■ So it’s all about the tasting - right? Right. And it all starts from their own tasting panel, who select what stock they’ll carry, and extends to the bi-monthly tutored tastings and private sessions for groups of four or more. It’s all part of passing on the enthusiasm of founder William Baber for individual wines of excellent quality. But it’s not just about the wines - they’re equally enthusiastic and well-informed about their exceptional stock of whisky.

VINCEREMOS 74 Kirkgate, Leeds, LS2 7DJ Tel: 0800 107 3086, web: www.vinceremos.co.uk ■ All-organic online supplier Vinceremos was a pioneer of chemical-free wines more than 30 years ago, so bring an expertise that’s hard to beat. Website provides extensive information on producers, including Fairtrade wine and rum makers, and there are loads of cider, ale and lager choices - all organic, of course. Much of the stock is also vegan-friendly, too.

VINTAGE ROOTS Holdshott Farm, Reading Rd, Heckfield, Hook, Hants, RG27 0JZ Tel: 0800 980 4992, web: www.vintageroots.co.uk ■ This award-winning organic/Fairtrade business even has the approval of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - they supply the River Cottage operation with booze as well as distributing their Stinger beer. With a range that includes beer, ciders, juices and chocolate as well as wines and spirits, their website is one of the biggest collections of organic produce going, reflecting their 25-year mission to promote green boozing.

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Events

Events BRITISH FOOD FORTNIGHT 21 Sept-6 Oct, various venues Web: www.lovebritishfood.co.uk ■ Check out the website for more details of this year’s celebration of all things locally sourced

Bristol LOVE FOOD FESTIVAL 27 May, Queen Square, BS1 (part of Eat Drink Bristol Fashion) 21 July & 27 Oct, Paintworks, Bath Rd, BS4 3EH Web: www.lovefoodfestival.com ■ Love Food gets out and about this year, setting up its ever-increasing range of local produce and foodie activities for all the family in various delightful settings around Bristol and beyond. See Out of Town listings for other dates.

BRISTOL CIDER FESTIVAL 2-3 Aug & 25-26 Jan 2014, Brunel Passenger Shed, British Empire & Commonwealth Museum, Temple Meads, BS1 6QH Web: www.clstickets.co.uk ■ You know the drill - redeem your ‘scrump‘ tokens for a choice of 100-plus ciders and perries representing the best local producers and some tasty visitors, too. The Mangledwurzels (who else?) provide scrumpy’n’western mayhem and you can fill up on hog roast or cheese platters to your heart’s (dis)content. Always an early sell-out.

BRISTOL HOME & FOOD FESTIVAL 26-27 Oct, UWE Exhibition & Conference Centre, Frenchay Campus, Filton Rd, BS34 8Z Web: www.homeandfoodfestival.co.uk ■ Last year’s event featured a galaxy of local stars including

Quality festive fare Bath Christmas Market

Martin Blunos and Michelin-bedecked Josh Eggleton and also launched ‘drinking fudge’ on an unsuspecting world: check website for this year’s programme.

BRISTOL CHRISTMAS MARKET Dates TBC, Broadmead, BS1 Web: www.christmasmarkets.com/UK/bristol-christmasmarket.html ■ Details were still sketchy as went to press, but you can be sure that the plains of Broadmead will be full of those jolly wooden chalets with loads of festive sumptuousness and Bavarian street food on offer.

Bath BATH RACECOURSE CIDER FESTIVAL RACE NIGHT 2 Aug, Bath Racecourse, Lansdown, BA1 9BU Web: www.bath-racecourse.co.uk ■ One of the course’s most popular race meets, with a whole raft of local and national ciders and a headline performance from The Wurzels.

BATH PAVILION BEER FESTIVAL 18-19 Oct, North Parade Rd, BA2 4EU Web: www.clstickets.co.uk ■ A very popular event, thanks to a top selection of more than 70 real ales plus a few locally produced ciders alongside hot food and live music. Strictly over-18s - ID may be required.

BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET 28 Nov-15 Dec (TBC), Abbey Square & surrounding areas, BA1, Web: www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk ■ Bath’s heritage streets gain a festive maze of little wooden chalet huts, bringing unusual gifts and quality food and drink. You’ll find plenty of the best local produce tucked away behind the Abbey.

Out of Town LOVE FOOD FESTIVAL 7 July & 29 Sep, Dyrham Park, Chippenham, Wilts 23 Jun & 13 Oct, Newark Park, Ozleworth, Wotton-underEdge, Glos 24-28 Aug, Westonbirt Arboretum, Tetbury, Glos (part of Treefest) Web: www.lovefoodfestival.com ■ See Bristol listing.

REAL STREET FOOD FESTIVALS 24-27 May, 23-26 Aug & 1-3 Nov, Southbank Centre, London, SE1 Web: www.realfoodfestival.co.uk ■ This seasonal gathering of trucks, trailers and stalls

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Events offers treats cooked to the highest standards as befits the new consciousness of quality street food worldwide. It’s all cooked right before your eyes, using top ingredients in a highly competitive environment.

FROME FESTIVAL FEAST 5 July, Market Yard, Frome, Somerset Web: www.fromefestival.co.uk ■ Kicking off nearly two weeks of arts events, the Festival Feast in the town’s old market square is an annual treat, with street food stalls representing cuisines from around the globe.

DORSET SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 13-14 July, Weymouth Harbour, Dorset Web: www.dorsetseafood.co.uk ■ A fabulous setting for a celebration of all aspects of seafood, from Lyme Bay mackerel to Goan fish curry and US chowders. Pop-up cinema will show 20,000 Leagues under the Sea with a live soundtrack as part of the multimedia entertainments.

THE GREAT TRI-BORDER SOMERSET CHILLI FEST UK 20 July, Hunters Lodge, Wincanton, Wilts Web: www.chillifest.net ■ Feeling hot, hot, hot? Not as hot as the contestants in the chilli-eating contest, though a few chilli cocktails or samples of dips, snacks and cooking sauces on offer should get things nicely warmed up.

THE BIG CHEESE FESTIVAL 26-28 July, various venues, Caerphilly, Wales Web: www.caerphilly.gov.uk/bigcheese ■ Kicking off with a Great Cheese Race and fireworks display on Fri night, this weekend brings more than 50 different Welsh producers into the grounds of Caerphilly Castle with a programme of music and entertainment including reenactment displays and a funfair.

GREAT DORSET CHILLI FESTIVAL 3-4 Aug, St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles, East Dorset Web: www.greatdorsetchillifestival.co.uk ■ The county that bred the Dorset Naga - officially the hottest chilli in the world - celebrates spiciness in the grounds of St Giles House with cookery, street food, all kinds of producers and a competition to find the country’s best chilli sauce (and you can help with the voting).

GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL 13-17 Aug, Olympia, London, W14, Web: gbbf.org.uk ■ Setting the bar for real ales and craft beers, this annual Camra shindig boasts more than 800 beers, ales, ciders, perries and ‘foreign beers’ (sic), with a prize in the annual championship contest the ultimate accolade

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for brewers. Plus music, food and traditional pub games to try your hand at.

ISLE OF WIGHT GARLIC FESTIVAL 17-18 Aug, Sandown, Isle of Wight Web: www.garlic-festival.co.uk ■ Second only to Cowes Week, this is one of the island’s annual highspots, trading on the legacy of 1960s pop festivals and the odoriferous local produce. Live music and entertainment (including ‘talented animals’), kids’ stuff, funfair and huge garlic cookery marquees.

FISHSTOCK 7 Sept, Brixham, Devon Web: www.fishstockbrixham.co.uk ■ Lively day of celebration of the bounties of the sea in one of the country’s most industrious seaports. A full day of cheffing includes Michelin-starred Simon Hulstone (The Elephant, Torquay) and nationally acclaimed fishmeister Mitch Tonks (Dartmouth’s Seahorse and Bristol’s RockFish). And a musical programme that includes the Random Mackerel Band honest!

FROME AGRICULTURAL & CHEESE SHOW 14 Sept, West Woodlands Showground, nr Frome, Somerset, web: www.fromecheeseshow.co.uk ■ More than 20,000 visitors attended last year’s show and this, the 152nd, has already been nominated for the Farmers Guardian Show Business Award 2013. Now open to cheeses from around the world as well as showcasing the finest local and UK produce.

VEGAN FESTIVAL OF LIFE 14 Sept, Conway Hall, London, WC1 Web: www.festivaloflife.net ■ All about simple and non-consumerist living, this annual ‘smoke/drug/alcohol-free’ event has talks, workshops and stalls including demos and recipes for healthy vegan/organic meals and wholefoods.

Programme was still tbc as we went to press.

DARTMOUTH FOOD FESTIVAL 25-27 Oct, various venues, Dartmouth, Devon web: www.dartmouthfoodfestival.com ■ Details still tbc, but last year’s event had a bursting programme of chef demos and a host of tasty exhibitors.

BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW 9-11 Nov, Olympia, London, W14 Web: www.bbcgoodfoodshowlondon.com ■ The BBC has more than its share of foodie programmes so naturally they’ve got some hot sleb chefs (including James Martin, Mary Berry, Michel Roux Jr) appearing in the 600-seat ‘supertheatre’, plus Producers Village and enormous Wine Cellar.

Eating Out West 2013 5/24/2013 3:24:54 PM

Numbers in bold refer to profiles or display ads Numbers in light refer to listings 102 COOKERY SCHOOL 234 40 ALFRED PLACE 234 4500 MILES FROM DELHI 84 A BAR OF… 214 A CAPPELLA 63, 115, 207 ADAM & EVE 152 ADVENTURE CAFÉ 127 AFENDI 107 AHMED’S CURRY CAFÉ 85, 205 AHMED’S MASALA CAFE 203 AIO 101 AL FALAFEL 210 AL’S TIKKA GRILL 85, 207 ALBION 152 ALFRESCO & VELLORE AT THE BATH SPA HOTEL 57, 63, 84 ALI BABA’S 40 DISHES 207 ALL BAR ONE (Bath) 148 ALL BAR ONE (Bristol) 135 ALLINGTON FARM SHOP 225 ALLIUM BRASSERIE 57, 84, 148 ALMA TAVERN 152 ALMOUROL 115, 214 ALWAHA 210 AMOEBA 135 ANCHOR (Bristol) 152 ANCHOR (Oldbury) 179 ANGELFISH 173 ANNEXE 152 ANTIX 135 APPLE 152 APPLE TREE 179 APPLE TREE INN 173, 179 AQUA ITALIA (Bath) 75, 101 AQUA ITALIA (Bristol) 64, 94 ARCHES INDIAN FAST FOOD 208 ARNOLFINI CAFE-BAR 64, 115, 135 ARTS HOUSE CAFE 115 ASHBURTON 235 ASHTON COURT COURTYARD CAFE 115 ASK ITALIAN 101 ASSEMBLY INN 167 AT THE SIGN OF THE ANGEL 173 ATCATHARINES 234 ATOMIC BURGER 115, 135, 208 ATRIUM CAFÉ 115 ATTIC 214 AVALON VINEYARD 237 AVERYS OF BRISTOL 237 AVON CATERING EQUIPMENT 231 AVON PACKET 152 BABY BITES 235 BANCO LOUNGE 135 BANGLO 58 BANK OF STOKES CROFT 135 BANK TAVERN 153 BANTHON ORIENTAL SUPERMARKET 221 BAR CAKE 214 BAR CHOCOLAT 116, 214 BAR HUMBUG 136 BARISTAS COFFEE COLLECTIVE 116 BARLEY MOW (Bath) 168 BARLEY MOW (Bristol) 153 BARLEY WOOD 173 BARTLETT & SONS BUTCHERS 222 BATH BAKERY 222 BATH BAKERY CAFÉ 128 BATH BUN 128 BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET 239 BATH FARMERS’ MARKET 222 BATH PAVILION BEER FESTIVAL 239 BATH PRIORY 58, 84 BATH RACECOURSE CIDER FESTIVAL RACE NIGHT 239 BATHAMPTON MILL 173 BATHWICK BOATMAN 58 BATTLEAXES 179 BAUHINIA 110 BAY BAR & KITCHEN 136 BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW 240 BEA’S VINTAGE TEA ROOMS 128 BEAR & SWAN 179 BEAR 16 BEARPIT SOCIAL 116 BEATROOT CAFE 116 BEATS 203 BEAU NASH 168

BECKFORD ARMS 179 BEEHIVE BAKERY 222 BEERD 136 BEESES BAR & TEA GARDENS 116, 136 BELL (Bath) 168 BELL (Bristol) 153 BELL (Frampton) 180 BELL AT SAPPERTON 180 BELL INN 180 BELL’S DINER AND BARROOM 64 BELLA ITALIA 94 BELUSHI’S 149 BEN’S COOKIES 128, 222 BENGAL BRASSERIE 91 BENTO HOUSE 208 BERTINET BAKERY & CAFÉ 128, 199, 222 BERTINET KITCHEN 235 BERWICK LODGE 64, 84, 235 BEST OF BRITISH 199, 222, 228 BETTER FOOD COMPANY 116, 227, 228, 230 BIG BANANA JUICE BAR 116, 203 BIG CHILL 137 BILL’S 58, 128, 137 BILLY BURGER 210 BIRDCAGE 116 BISHOPS 153 BISHOPSTON FISH BAR 208 BISHOPSTON SUPPER CLUB 234 BISTRO LA BARRIQUE 79 BLACKBOY INN 153 BLATHWAYT 168 BLUE BOWL 180 BLUE JUICE 116, 205 BLUEPIG SANDWICHES 196 BOARS HEAD 180 BOATER 168 BOATHOUSE 59, 168 BOBBY’S 203 BOCABAR 137 BOMBAY SPICE 85 BONGHY-BO’S 128 BOOJON TANDOORI 91 BORDEAUX QUAY 64, 117, 137, 228 BOSTON TEA PARTY (Bath) 128, 199 BOSTON TEA PARTY (Bristol) 65, 117, 196 BOTANIST BRISTOL 137 BOTTELINO’S 94 BOWL INN 180 BRACE & BROWNS 137 BRASSERIE BLANC (Bath) 79 BRASSERIE BLANC (Bristol) 18, 78, 149 BRAVAS BRISTOL 65 BRAZZ AT THE CASTLE 173 BREAD SHOP 214 BREADSTORE 196, 214 BRIDGE CAFÉ 65 BRIDGE COFFEE SHOP 128, 199 BRIDGE INN 153 BRIGSTOW CAFÉ 117 BRISTOL BRUNCH 196 BRISTOL CHRISTMAS MARKET 239 BRISTOL CIDER FESTIVAL 239 BRISTOL CIDER HOUSE 154 BRISTOL CIDER SHOP 29, 214 BRISTOL CONCORDE 53 BRISTOL FARM SHOP 214 BRISTOL FASHION BEEFEATER 16, 17, 65 BRISTOL FLYER 154 BRISTOL FRYER 208 BRISTOL GUILD CAFE 117 BRISTOL HOME & FOOD FESTIVAL 239 BRISTOL HOTEL: RIVER GRILLE 31, 84 BRISTOL RAJ 85, 205 BRISTOL RAM 154 BRISTOL SAUSAGE SHOP 215 BRISTOL SCHOOL OF FOOD & WINE 235 BRISTOL SWEET MART 227, 215 BRISTOLIAN CAFE 117 BRITISH FOOD FORTNIGHT 239 BRITTAN’S PORK BUTCHERS 215 BROWNS (Bath) 59, 149 BROWNS (Bristol) 53, 138

Eating Out West 2013 Index.indd 241

BRUNEL BUTTERY 118, 196 BRUNEL RAJ 85 BRUNEL WINE BAR 138 BRUNEL’S AT THE ROYAL HOTEL 59 BULL INN AT HINTON 181 BULL TERRIER 181 BURGER JOINT 19, 47, 138 BUTTER PAT 199 BYZANTIUM 20, 66, 138 CADBURY HOUSE 154 CAESAR’S 203 CAFE 59 118 CAFE AU LAIT 129 CAFE BRITALIA 118 CAFE COSMOPOLITAN 118 CAFE CREATE 118 CAFE CULTURE 118 CAFE DU GLOBE 108, 129 CAFE DU JOUR 118 CAFE KINO 118 CAFE LA STRADA 173 CAFE LUCCA 129 CAFE RETREAT (THE DOWNS) 118 CAFE RETREAT 118 CAFE RETRO 129 CAFE ROUGE (Bath) 79, 129, 149 CAFE ROUGE (Bristol) 78, 119, 138 CAFE SHOON 129 CAFFE CLIFTON 119 CAFFE EXCHANGE 119 CAFFE GUSTO 119, 196 CAFFE NERO 129, 196 CAKE CAFÉ 129 CALCOT MANOR 174 CAMBRIDGE ARMS 154 CANTEEN 139 CANTERBURY HOUSE 225 CAREW ARMS 181 CARIBBEAN WRAP 203 CARLUCCIO’S (Bath) 101 CARLUCCIO’S (Bristol) 95 CARPENTER’S ARMS 181 CARVERY COMPANY 54 CARWARDINES 197 CASA MEXICANA 105 CASAMIA 95 CASANIS 79 CASTLE INN 181 CATERING SERVICES INTERNATIONAL 231 CATHAY RENDEZVOUS 50 CATHERINE WHEEL 39, 181 CAVENDISH COOKS 129, 211, 222 CEDARS EXPRESS 203 CEDARS RESTAURANT 174 CELLAR 139, 174 CENTRAL BAR 149 CHANDOS DELI (Bath) 129, 199, 222 CHANDOS DELI (Bristol) 197, 215 CLIFTON CAKES 216 CHANNINGS HOTEL 139 CHAPEL ARTS CENTRE CAFÉ 129 CHEQUERS 168 CHERRY DUCK BISTRO 139 CHERRY PICKED 231, 235 CHERRY TREE CAFE 119 CHEUNG KONG CHINESE 50 CHILLIES 211 CHIMICHANGA 107 CHIMP HOUSE 139 CHIN! CHIN! BAR & KITCHEN 54 CHOCOLATE NIRVANA 231 CHOCOLATE TART 235 CHOPHOUSE RESTAURANT & BAR 48 CIAO BURGER 208 CIAO ITALIA 96 CIBO RISTORANTE 96 CIDER PRESS 154 CIRCO 149 CIRCUS 59, 130 CITY CAFÉ 66, 139, 203 CLAVELSHAY BARN 174 CLEAN BEAN 119 CLIFTON 155 CLIFTON CELLARS 237 CLIFTON HOTEL: RACKS 84 CLIFTON SAUSAGE 54 CLIFTON VILLAGE FISH BAR 205 CLIFTON WINE BAR 139 COACH & HORSES 155 COAL GRILL & BAR 66 COEUR DE LION 168 COFFEE NO 1 197 COFFEE#1 119

COFFEE@CAMDEN 130 COLONNA & SMALL’S ESPRESSO ROOM 130 COLSTON YARD 155 COMBE GROVE MANOR HOTEL 174 COMBE HOUSE HOTEL & RESTAURANT 174 CORAL QUAY CAFÉ 130 CORDIAL & GRACE 119 CORK 243, 169 CORKS OF COTHAM 237 CORNISH BAKEHOUSE 199, 203 CORONATION TAP 155 COSIES 139 COSMO 50, 103, 111 COSY CLUB 59, 149 COTE (Bath) 80 COTE (Bristol) 78 COTE BRASSERIE 140, 149 COTTAGE INN 156 COUNTRY CUPCAKES & BATH CAKE COMPANY 222 COWSHED 54, 140 CROFTERS RIGHTS 140 CROSS GUNS 181 CROSS HANDS 156 CROSS HOUSE 182 CROSS KEYS 182 CROWN (Dyrham) 182 CROWN INN 182 CRUMBAWUMBA! 200, 231 CRYSTAL PALACE 169 CULPEPER 222 CUPP 21, 120 CURFEW ALE HOUSE & DINING ROOM 169 CURRY HOUSE 86 CURRY MAHAL 91 CURRY SUPREME 210 DA VINCI ITALIAN DELI 200, 222 DARLING DELI 130, 231 DARTMOUTH FOOD FESTIVAL 240 DAVE GILES BUTCHER 216 DECO LOUNGE 140 DELMONICO 67 DEMUTHS 75, 114 DESH 91, 211 DEV’S KERALA 86 DEVILLED EGG 235 DEVON SAVOURIES 200 DIDN’T YOU DO WELL 120 DIM SUM 207 DINE WITH STYLE 231 DINNER CLUB 234 DOCKYARD CAFE-BAR 120 DOG INN 183 DOMINO PIZZA 206, 208, 210, 211 DORSET SEAFOOD FESTIVAL 240 DOWER HOUSE 60 DR BURNORIUM’S 216 DRAGON FOUNTAIN 206 DRUIDS ARMS 183 DUKE OF YORK 156 DUNDRY INN 183 DYNASTY 50 EARTHBOUND 216, 229 EASTERN EYE 92, 231 EASTERN SPICE 86 EASTERN TANDOORI 207 EASTERN TASTE 86 EAT A PITTA 203 EAT5STAR 130, 200, 231 EGG CAFÉ 130 EL PUERTO 108, 140 EL RINCON 109, 140 ELBOW ROOM 141 ELDON HOUSE 156 ELLIPSE 55 ENTELIA 83 ESSENTIAL TRADING 216, 229 EXCHANGE SNACK BAR 203 EXQUISITE CAKE COMPANY 235 EZO 83 FAILAND INN 183 FAIRFIELD ARMS 169 FALAFEL KING 120, 204, 206 FAMOUS ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER 156 FANTASTIC SANDWICH CO 197, 231 FARM 156 FARRINGTON’S FARM SHOP 225, 231 FARROWS FISH & CHIPS 210 FAT FOWL 174

FEASTING TABLE 231 FILINI 22, 84, 96 FINE CHEESE CO 130, 200, 223 FIREHOUSE ROTISSERIE 49 FISH & CHIPS 211 FISH LOVERS 206 FISH SHOP 216 FISHERS 77 FISHMINSTER 207 FISHSTOCK 240 FLAVOURS OF BATH 235 FLEECE INN 183 FLINTY RED 67, 232 FOLK HOUSE 120 FORESTERS ARMS 156 FORTUNE COOKIE 211 FOSTERS EVENT CATERING 25, 232 FOX & BADGER 183 FRANCIS HOTEL: BRASSERIE BLANC 84 FRANKIE & BENNY’S NEW YORK ITALIAN 48 FRIENDS FOREVER 223 FRISKA 120 FRO YO 2 GO 211 FROME AGRICULTURAL & CHEESE SHOW 240 FROME FESTIVAL FEAST 240 FULL MOON & ATTIC BAR 157 GABLES SCHOOL OF COOKERY 235 GALA CASINO 55 GALLEY 120 GALLIMAUFRY 141 GANESHA 87 GANGES 87 GARDEN CAFÉ 175 GARDEN CAFE HOLBURNE MUSEUM 130 GARFUNKEL’S 49, 149 GARRICK’S HEAD 169 GASCOYNE PLACE 60, 149 GEORGE & DRAGON (Pensford) 184 GEORGE & DRAGON (Rowde) 184 GEORGE (Abbots Leigh) 184 GEORGE (Norton St Philip) 183 GEORGE INN (Bath) 169 GEORGE INN (Lacock) 184 GERT LUSH 197 GINGELL BUTCHER 216 GIRAFFE (Bath) 82 GIRAFFE (Bristol) 80 GIUSEPPE’S 96 GLASSBOAT 67 GODWIN & GODWIN 232, 237 GOLDBRICK HOUSE 67, 141 GOLDEN GUINEA 157 GOLDEN PLAICE 211 GONG FU NOODLE BAR 211 GOOD COOK SCHOOL 235 GOODIES 200, 223 GORDON’S CARIBBEAN CATERING 232 GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN (Bath) 13, 60 GOURMET BURGER KITCHEN (Bristol) 13, 48 GOURMET DELICIOUS 232 GOURMET SCOFFS 130, 200 GRAIN BARGE 141 GRAND HOTEL: TYRELLS 84 GRAPE & GRIND 237 GRAPES 157 GRAPPA 149 GRAZE (Bath) 60 GRAZE (Bristol) 55, 141 GREAT BRITISH BEER FESTIVAL 240 GREAT DORSET CHILLI FESTIVAL 240 GREAT WESTERN WINE COMPANY 237 GRECIAN KEBAB HOUSE 141, 208 GREEN MAN 157 GREEN PARK BRASSERIE 76 GREEN PARK TAVERN 169 GREEN ROCKET CAFÉ 130 GREEN ROOM 131 GREENS’ RESTAURANT 55 GRIFFIN INN 170 GUERRILLA BURGER 120 GUILDHALL DELICATESSEN 200, 223 GUILDHALL MARKET CAFÉ 131 H BAR 68, 142 HALL & WOODHOUSE

Index

61, 149 HALO 142 HANDS 131 HANSEL & GRETEL 131 HARDWICK 175 HARE & HOUNDS 170 HARE ON THE HILL 157 HARLEQUIN CAFÉ 175 HARVEST 200, 229 HARVEY NICHOLS 68, 142, 216, 237 HAUSBAR 142 HAVANA COFFEE 121 HEARTFELT 121 HEN & CHICKEN 157 HERBERTS BAKERY 216 HERBIES 211 HERITAGE WINE 237 HERMANOS 121 HIGHBURY VAULTS 158 HILL 142 HILTON GARDEN INN: CITY CAFÉ 84 HIPPIE SHAKE 211 HOBBS HOUSE 225 HOI FAAN 52 HOLCOMBE INN 184 HON FUSION 53 HONG KONG BISTRO 53 HONG KONG CHEF 210 HOOPER HOUSE CAFÉ 121 HOP POLE (Bath) 170 HOP POLE (Limpley Stoke) 184 HOPE & ANCHOR (Bath) 185 HOPE & ANCHOR (Bristol) 158 HOPHOUSE158 HORSE & GROOM INN 185 HORTS 158 HOTEL DU VIN & BISTRO 69, 84 HUDSON BAR & GRILL 49, 150 HUNGRY BITE CAFÉ 121 HUNTER’S LODGE 185 HUSH HUSH 143 HYDE & CO 143 INDIAN FOOD CENTRE 208 INDULGENCE 226 INDULGENCE CAFÉ 131, 201 INN AT FRESHFORD 185 INN ON THE GREEN 158 INTERMEZZO EXPRESS 201 IROKO 80 ISLE OF WIGHT GARLIC FESTIVAL 240 J&S CATERING 232 JACK’S RESTAURANT 45, 175 JACOB’S COFFEE HOUSE 131 JADE PALACE 50 JAMIE’S ITALIAN (Bath) 101 JAMIE’S ITALIAN (Bristol) 96 JAMUNA 92 JAVA COFFEE HOUSE 131 JAZZ CAFÉ 13, 131 JERSEY LILY 159 JIKA JIKA 131, 201 JIMMY’S WORLD GRILL 40, 82 JOHN SHEPPARD BUTCHER 217 JOLLY SAILOR 185 JOYA 101, 150 JP ORGANICS 230 JUNIPER 69 KALAHARI MOON 217 KASHMIR 87, 232 KATHMANDU 87 KEBAB HOUSE 211 KELLAWAY ARMS 159 KELLAWAY FISH BAR 209 KENSINGTON ARMS 159 KILN AT THE RAMADA BRISTOL CITY 69 KILTED CHEF 61 KIN YIP HON SUPERMARKET 217 KINDLING 131 KING OF WESSEX 170 KING WILLIAM (Bath) 170 KING WILLIAM (Bristol) 159 KING WILLIAM INN 185 KINGS ARMS (Bristol) 26, 143, 159 KINGS ARMS (Glos) 186 KINGS ARMS (Litton) 186 KINGS HEAD (Wells) 186 KINGSDOWN VAULTS 159 KINGSWOOD FARM SHOP 217 KOBE KARAOKE 51, 143 KOH THAI TAPAS 112

241 5/24/2013 2:46:54 PM

Index

KOHI NOOR 88 KOMEDIA ARTS CAFE 131 KRISHNA’S INN 88 LA BAGUETTE 201 LA CAMPAGNUOLA 96 LA CASBAH 121 LA CROISSANTERIE 132, 201 LA CUIZINE 232, 236 LA DAME GATEAU 217 LA GROTTA 97 LA PERLA 109 LA RUCA 121, 217 LA TASCA 109 LA TASCA KITCHEN 110 LA TAVERNA DELL’ARTISTA 30, 97 LA TOMATINA 143 LAL JOMI 88 LANGFORD INN & RESTAURANT 186 LANSDOWN 159 LAS IGUANAS (Bath) 107 LAS IGUANAS (Bristol) 106, 143 LATIMERS 197 LAZY DOG 160 LE PARISIEN 132 LEMONS & HONEY 236 LES MUNCHIES 201 LICATA’S 218 LIDO 69 LILLY AND BOO’S CUPCAKERY121 LIME RESTAURANT AT HOMEWOOD PARK 175 LION 160 LIVE & LET LIVE 186 LIVING ROOM 69, 143 LOCH FYNE (Bath) 78 LOCH FYNE (Bristol) 77 LOCK KEEPER 186 LOCKSIDE 69, 121 LONDON ROAD STORES 223 LORDS OF THE MANOR 175 LOUISE WALKER 236 LOUISIANA 160 LOUNGE 144 LOVE FOOD FESTIVAL 239 LOVEJOYS 225 LUCKNAM PARK HOTEL 175 MA CUISINE 132, 211, 230 MAD HATTERS TEA PARTY 132, 201 MADDIE’S KITCHEN 234 MADE BY BEN 132, 201, 232 MADRAS EXPRESS 88 MAGIC ROLL 197 MAGNET 207 MAI THAI 112 MAITREYA SOCIAL 70, 114 MAJESTIC WINE WAREHOUSE 238 MAJOR’S RETREAT 186 MAMMA MIA 97 MANDALYN’S 13, 150 MANGIA BENE 132, 223, 232 MANHATTAN BURGER 212 MANOR FARM SHOP 226 MANOR HOUSE HOTEL: BYBROOK RESTAURANT 176 MANOR KITCHEN 218 MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE 176 MARCO’S OLIVE BRANCH 97, 122 MARK’S BREAD 218 MARK’S CAFÉ 122 MARKET 62, 159 MARLBOROUGH TAVERN 171 MARMARIS 83, 212 MARRIOTT ROYAL 7, 70 84 MARSHFIELD ICE CREAM & BAKERY 226 MARTINI 102 MASA 103 MASALA 88, 229 MASONS ARMS 160 MASONS AT TRACY PARK 176 MAYFLOWER 51 MAZATI LEBANESE CUISINE 107 MEALS.CO.UK 23, 204, 232 MEGA BITE 212 MELANIE’S KITCHEN 122, 218 MENU GORDON JONES 62 MERCHANTS ARMS 160 MERCURE BRIGSTOW: ELLIPSE 84 METROPOLITAN CAFÉ 132 MEZZALUNA 70 MEZZE 186

242 Index.indd 242

MI CASA 234 MILK THISTLE 144 MILL AT RODE 187 MINERS ARMS 160 MINERS REST 187 MINT ROOM 92 MISSION BURRITO (Bath) 107, 132, 212 MISSION BURRITO (Bristol) 106, 122, 144, 204 MOGHUL 212 MOLES MUSIC CAFÉ 132, 150 MONTGOMERY’S 201 MOODY GOOSE 176 MOORISH CAFÉ 204 MOREISH 70 MOTHER’S RUIN 27, 161 MOUCHUCK 93 MOUSE 161 MR D’s 212 MR WOLF’S 144 MRS BROWN’S CAFE 122 MUD DOCK 71, 122, 144 MUD DOCK DELI 122 MUDDY DUCK 187 MUMFORDS VINEYARD 238 MURRAY’S BUTCHER 218 MUSET BY RONNIE 28, 71 MY BURRITO 106 MYRISTICA 88, 236 NANDO’S (Bath) 110 NANDO’S (Bristol) 109 NATURAL FOOD SCHOOL 236 NATURAL VITALITY 229 NEW CHUNG YING 212 NEW EASTON EXPRESS 210 NEW EMPEROR COURT 51 NEW INN (Backwell) 187 NEW INN (Dursley) 187 NEW INN (Mayshill) 187 NEW TAJ TAKEAWAY 209 NIBBLES 223 NO.5 BISTRO 80 NO.1 HARBOURSIDE 144 NO.4 72 NO.51 STOKES CROFT 145 NOA 104 NONNA’S CUCINA ITALIANA 102 NORTHEY ARMS 188 NOVA SCOTIA 161 NUMBER 10 123 OAKHILL INN 41, 188 OBENTO 104 OH! CALCUTTA! 89, 209 OLD BOOKSHOP 145 OLD CHEESE SHOP 198 OLD CROWN INN 188 OLD DOWN BISTRO 9, 176 OLD FISH MARKET 161 OLD GREEN TREE 171 OLD HOUSE AT HOME 188 OLD INDIA 89 OLD LOCK & WEIR 189 OLD Q BAR 150 OLD SPOT INN 189 OLD STATION INN 189 OLDFIELDS FISH & CHIPS 210 OLIVE SHED 72, 218, 232 OLIVE TREE 62 ONE BEAUFORT 171 OPA 84, 150 OSTRICH INN 161 OZ 83 PACKHORSE INN 189 PAECKERT BUTCHERS 219 PANAHAR 93 PANASIA ORIENTAL 112 PAPADELI 123, 198, 206, 219, 232, 236 PAPAJI’S 145 PARK ST CAFE 145 PARKER’S BAKERY, FRUIT & VEG 223 PARSONS BAKERY 198 PATISSERIE VALERIE 133 PAULINE CHAN’S 206 PAWSON’S GREENGROCER 219 PAXTON & WHITFIELD 223 PEAR CAFE 123 PEAR CATERING COMPANY 232 PEAR TREE 189 PEAR TREE INN 190 PEAR TREE INN: MARCO PIERRE WHITE 176 PEKING 53 PEKING CHEF 212 PELICAN 190 PEPE NERO 123, 204 PEPPER POT 176 PHO HANOI NOODLE BAR 80

PICCOLINO 97 PICNIC IN THE PARK 201 PICNICS 223 PIEMINISTER 29, 123, 204, 209 PIG & FIDDLE 171 PIPE & SLIPPERS 161 PIRI PIRI CORNER 123, 206 PITCHER & PIANO 145 PIZZA BELLA 207 PIZZA EXPRESS 98, 103, 204, 206 PIZZA FRESCA 212 PIZZA HUT 97, 102, 204 PIZZA MONKEY 213 PIZZA PROVENCALE 98 PJ’S FARM 226 PLANET PIZZA 98 PLANTATION 47 PLOUGH (Pilning) 190 PLOUGH (Wrington) 190 POCO 81 POLISH DELI 224 PONY & TRAP 177, 190 PORT OF CALL 162 PORTCULLIS 162 PORTER 171 PORTO LOUNGE 145 PORTUGUESE TASTE 204 PORTVCALE LOUNGE 110, 150 POST OFFICE TAVERN 162 PREMIER 93 PRESTO 133, 201 PRET A MANGER (Bath) 201 PRET A MANGER (Bristol) 133, 198 PREVIEW BUFFET BAR 81 PRIMROSE CAFÉ & BISTRO 123 PRINCE OF WALES (Bath) 177 PRINCE OF WALES (Bristol) 162 PRINCE OF WALES (WoT) 162 PRINCE OF WATERLOO 190 PRINCES PANTRY 204 PRIOR PARK 224 PRIORY INN 177 PROSECCO 98 PULP 151 PULTENEY ARMS 171 PUMP HOUSE 72, 162 PUMP ROOM 133 PURE PASTA, SOUP & SANDWICH 124, 204 PUXTON PARK 226 QUADRANT 163 QUARRYMANS ARMS 190 QUEENSBERRY HOTEL: OLIVE TREE 84 QUINTON HOUSE 163 RACKS 55, 146 RADFORD MILL FARM SHOP 229 RAGGED COT 190 RAINBOW CAFE 124 RAJ BARI 89 RAJ TANDOORI 89 RAJASTAN ROYAL 210 RAJPOOT (Bath) 93 RAJPOOT (Bristol) 89 RAM 171 RAMADA BRISTOL CITY: KILN 84 RAPHAEL 76 RARE 219 RATTLEBONE INN 191 RAVEN 171 REAL CHINA ORIENTAL BUFFET 53 REAL ITALIAN ICE CREAM COMPANY 14, 133, 212, 224 REAL ITALIAN PIZZA CO 14, 103 REAL OLIVE CO 219 REAL STREET FOOD FESTIVALS 239 RED LION (Lacock) 191 REGENCY TEA ROOMS 133 RENATO’S NUMERO UNO 99 RENDEZVOUS 204 RESTAURANT ELEVEN 62 RETRO TO GO 201 REVOLUTION (Bath) 151 REVOLUTION (Bristol) 146 RICE AND THINGS 47 RICE BOX 204 RICHMOND 163 RING O’BELLS 172 RISING SUN (Lacock) 191 RISING SUN (Pensford) 191 RIVER CANTEEN 103

RIVER COTTAGE CANTEEN (Bristol) 55 RIVER GRILLE 31, 56 RIVERFORD ORGANIC 230 RIVERSIDE CAFÉ 76, 133 RIVERSIDE GARDEN CENTRE 124 RIVERSIDE INN (Bradford) 191 RIVERSIDE INN (Saltford) 191 RIVERSTATION 73, 146 ROBIN HOOD 163 ROBIN HOOD’S RETREAT 163 ROCKFISH 77 ROCOTILLOS 48, 204 RODNEY HOTEL: NO.4 84 ROMAN BATHS KITCHEN 62, 133 RONNIE’S 177 ROOSTERS PIRI PIRI 109 ROSCOFF DELI 133 ROSE & CROWN 191 ROSE OF DENMARK 163 ROSHNI 89 ROYAL CRESCENT: DOWER HOUSE 84 ROYAL HOTEL: BRUNEL’S 84 ROYAL OAK (Clifton) 164 ROYAL OAK (Horfield) 163 ROYAL OAK (Corsham) 191 ROYAL PAVILION CAFÉ 133 ROYCE ROLLS 124 RS WINES 238 RUBICON 124 RUBICON TOO 125 RUDGLEIGH INN 192 RUMMER HOTEL 164 RUNCIBLE SPOON 56 RUPOSHI 212 RUSTICO BISTRO ITALIANO 103 SALAMANDER 172 SALATHAI 113 SALLY LUNN’S 63, 133 SALUTATION 192 SALVATORE’S KITCHEN 99 SAM WELLERS 172 SAM’S KITCHEN 134 SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT 76, 133 SAN CARLO 99 SANDRIDGE FARMHOUSE BACON 226 SANDWICH DIRECT 198, 233 SARACEN’S HEAD 172 SAUSAGE SHOP 224 SAVANA COFFEE 125 SCALLOP SHELL 226 SCHNAFEL CAFÉ 206 SCHWARTZ BROTHERS 213 SCOOPAWAY 219, 229 SCOTCHMAN & HIS PACK 164 SEAFOODS 213 SEASONS WHOLEFOOD 202, 224 SECRET GARDEN CAFE 134 SERGIO’S 99 SEVEN STARS (Bradford) 192 SEVERNSHED 73, 146 SEYMOUR ARMS 192 SHAKEAWAY 213 SHAKESPEARE TAVERN 164 SHANGHAI NIGHTS 51 SHEEPDROVE 229 SHEESH MAHAL 90 SHEPPEY 192 SHIRAZ 107 SIAM HARBOURSIDE 111 SIMPLY THAI 209 SLUG & LETTUCE (Bath) 151 SLUG & LETTUCE (Bristol) 147 SMITHFISH 219 SMITHS FISH BAR 209 SNOOTY FOX 192 SOCIAL 147 SOCIETY CAFÉ 134 SOLO PIZZA 103 SOMERSET HOUSE 164 SORREL 177 SOTTO SOTTO 103 SOUK KITCHEN 108, 125 SOURCE 125, 220 SOURDOUGH CAFÉ 220 SOUTHSIDE FOOD CO-OP 224 SOUTHVILLE CENTRE CAFE 125 SOUTHVILLE DELI 198, 220, 227 SPICE OF INDIA 90 SPICE UP YOUR LIFE 205 SPICER & COLE 125

SPIKE ISLAND CAFÉ 125 SPORTSMAN 164 SPOTTED COW 165 SPRINGS CAFE & RESTAURANT 2, 134 SPYGLASS 73 SQUARE BAR 147 SQUARE FOOD FOUNDATION 236 SQUARE KITCHEN 73 ST MICHAEL’S CAFÉ 134 ST NICHOLAS MARKET 220 ST STEPHEN’S CAFÉ 125 ST WERBURGHS CITY FARM CAFÉ 125 STAG & HOUNDS 34, 165 STAN BUTT BUTCHER 220 STAR & DOVE 57, 165 STAR FISH BAR 209 STAR INN 172 START THE BUS 147 STOKE BISHOP FISH BAR 206 STOKES 225 STRADA (Bath) 103 STRADA (Bristol) 99 STRAWBERRY FIELD 233 STREET FOOD 209 STUDIO ONE 81 SUBWAY (Bath) 202, 213 SUBWAY (Bristol) 198, 205 SULIS PIZZA 213 SUPPER CLUB 234 SURAKHAN 81 SWAN (Swineford) 193 SWAN HOTEL 193 SWAN INN (Box) 193 TAKA TAKA 206 TAKE FIVE CAFÉ 126, 233 TALBOT INN 193 TAMBO 213 TAMPOPO 104 TART 126, 220 TASTE OF CHINA 210 TASTING ROOM 42, 63, 151, 238 TASTY 1 202 TEA TIME 134 TEAHOUSE EMPORIUM 134 TEOHS 52, 104, 111, 220, 233 TERRY M AT CELTIC MANOR 177 TGI FRIDAY’S 48, 50 THAI BALCONY 113, 225 THAI BASIL 113 THAI BY THE WEIR 113 THAI CLASSIC 111 THAI EDGE 111 THAI KITCHEN 112 THAI PEPPER 209 THALI CAFÉ 35, 90, 126, 206, 208, 209, 210 THE BIG CHEESE FESTIVAL 240 THE GREAT TRI-BORDER SOMERSET CHILLI FEST UK 240 THE KITCHEN 121 THE WOODS 148 THEATRE VAULTS RESTAURANT 63 THORNBURY CASTLE 178 THOUGHTFUL BREAD CO 225 THREE SUGAR LOAVES 36, 165 THYME 202, 233 TIFFINS 37, 126, 206, 233 TIKKA FLAME 91, 233 TILLEYS BISTRO 76 TIME OUT 134 TINTO LOUNGE 147 TOBACCO FACTORY CAFEBAR 126, 147 TOBACCO FACTORY MARKET 221, 230 TOLLGATE INN 194 TONY’S CARIBBEAN FOOD 221 TOPLINE CATERING 233 TORO PAN ASIAN 52 TORTWORTH ESTATE SHOP 228 TOVEY’S SEAFOODS 221 TOWNHOUSE 57 TRAMSHED 43, 63, 151 TRATTORIA DA RENATO 30, 100 TREASURE ISLAND SWEETS 221 TRINITY INN 172 TUBE DINER 127 TUCKERS GRAVE 194 TURMERIC 91 TURTLE BAY 47

TWERTON CHIPPY 213 TWO DAY COFFEE ROASTERS 221 TYRELLS AT THE GRAND 74 UPTON CHEYNEY CHILLI COMPANY 228 URBAN WOOD 74, 127 VALENTINO 100 VEE DOUBLE MOO 213 VEGAN FESTIVAL OF LIFE 240 VEGETARIAN COOKERY SCHOOL 236 VELO LOUNGE 151 VICTORIA (Clifton) 165 VICTORIA (WoT) 166 VICTORIA PARK 166 VIEN’S PALACE 209 VIET VITE 213 VILLAGE POTTERY 127 VILLAGER 74 VINCE’S 210 VINCENZO’S 100 VINCEREMOS 238 VINTAGE ROOTS 238 VITTORIA 166 VOLUNTEER RIFLEMAN’S ARMS 172 WAGAMAMA (Bath) 105, 113 WAGAMAMA (Bristol) 104, 112 WAI YEE HONG 221 WARREN’S GOURMET BURGER CO 127 WATER SKY BRISTOL 52 WATERSHED CAFE-BAR 74, 148 WEES LOUNGE BAR 148 WEIGHBRIDGE INN 194 WELLINGTON 167 WEST CORNWALL PASTY COMPANY 202 WESTBURY PARK TAVERN 167 WESTGATE 172 WHATLEY MANOR 44, 178 WHEATSHEAF 178, 194 WHEELWRIGHTS ARMS 194 WHISK CATERING 233 WHITE BEAR 167 WHITE HART (Bath) 172 WHITE HART (Congresbury) 195 WHITE HART (Littleton) 194 WHITE HORSE 195 WHITE LION 148 WHITELADIES FARMERS’ MARKET 230 WHOLE BAGEL 202 WILD AT HEART 127 WILD CAFÉ 134, 202 WILD DUCK INN 178 WILD OATS 221, 230 WILKS 75 WILLIAM’S KITCHEN 233 WILTSHIRE FARM FOODS 230 WINDMILL 167 WINDMILL HILL CITY FARM 127 WING OF ST MAWES 228 WONGS 52 WOODES 198 WOODFORD LODGE 178 WOODLANDS 178 WOODS 77 WOOKEY HOLE INN 1`95 WOOLLY CACTUS 205 WOOLPACK INN 195 WORKHOUSE CAFE 127 WRINGTON GREENS ORGANIC FARM 230 YAK YETI YAK 94 YE SHAKESPEARE 167 YEN SUSHI 105 YMCA 134 YO! SUSHI (Bath) 105 YO! SUSHI (Bristol) 104 YOUR SUSHI 236 YOYO BURGER 206 YUM YUM THAI 113 YUME KITCHEN 105 ZA ZA BAZAAR 81 ZAK’S SANDWICH BAR 199 ZARZUELA KITCHEN 233 ZAZU’S KITCHEN 75 ZEN HARBOURSIDE 52 ZERODEGREES 75, 148 ZEST BISTRO 57 ZEST CAFE, LOUNGE & BAR 148 ZIO 100 ZIZZI 100 ZULU 127, 199, 221

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