November Digest: Bristol food and drink news
The return of a very good Thai roti
It’s once again that time of year. The time for getting absolutely fleeced for a spiked hot chocolate at a Christmas market, the time for wincing when you find out the planned location of the office Christmas dinner, the time for enduring organised festive fun when secretly you just want to be at home nursing an episode of Celebrity MasterChef.
Don’t worry, we’re here to hold your hand through it all. Even better, if you’re starting to descend into the panic of present buying — we have just the thing. A subscription to The Bristol Sauce will keep your dearly beloved entertained, informed and (hopefully) free of bad dinners for a whole year. And it’s only £30!
The news
Having wowed the people of St Werburgh’s with his pastry skills, Will Prosser of Hilda fame is now taking his wares south of the river and will be popping up at COR every Sunday morning until Christmas. To recap, Hilda fans should now head to Whiteladies Road for pastries Wednesday - Friday, Clouds in St Werburgh’s on Saturdays or COR on Sundays. Or all of the above.
Bokman boffs will be thrilled to learn you can now take home the UK’s best Korean restaurant’s kimchi. Well, more accurately you could — as it’s already sold out. Keep an eye on Bokman’s website or sign up to their newsletter to find out when it’s back online.
A Little Bagel is no longer just for lunch. Bristol’s premiere bagel supplier is now offering King Street boozers the chance to soak up their sins with a holey sando, served with a side of fries on Thursday and Friday evenings from the Baldwin Street branch.
The Bravas vs Bristol City Council fight wages on over the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. The council claim that the terrace is ‘permanent’, blocking a cycle lane and would obstruct access to fire engines in an emergency and have recommended the planning application to retain it be refused. Over 1,000 Bristolians have left comments of support on the application, but it appears this may not be enough. Hopefully Bravas will be able to adapt to whatever the bureaucrats decide.
Fat Dad’s Kitchen, the pop-up behind some of Bristol’s best burgers, are still on the hunt for a new site from January. Currently in residence at The Gallimaufry, the Fat Dad’s team are looking for another kitchen in which they can continue to smash out smash burgers for six months or longer.
Closures
Hannah Catley, reluctantly returned from a sojourn down under, has decided to close her three month old pop-up in Old Market and reduce her other sites’ opening hours in favour of a better work life balance and being able to run more classes. While we’re on the subject of Catley’s, preorders for Christmas puddings, bake at home croissants and more open this week.
Bedminster’s Alpha Bottle Shop is sadly due to close in January, stating rising costs and a decrease in customer spending in a statement on Instagram. It’s a great shame; it had a fantastic collection of beers and ran some brilliant events — but fortunately the team’s other site, Lupe Bar, will remain open on North Street. Keep your eyes peeled for a closing party in January!
Traditional Italian trattoria Don Giovanni’s, opposite the approach to Temple Meads, is set to close in January due to the planned building of flats on the site it currently occupies. Don Giovanni’s is one of Bristol’s oldest restaurants with an impressive 44 years on the clock. Arrivederci!
New openings
Not content with just one wine bar on Chandos Road, Nick from Snobby’s is set for total domination. His second site Barroux, almost opposite his first, will open tomorrow and is apparently ‘the rebellious offspring of Snobby’s.’ We can expect cheese, charcuterie and an ever-changing wine list.
The excellent Brother Thai, which you may remember from pre-Covid appearances at the Harbourside market, is making a long awaited return to Bristol. The Cardiff-based team will open a second site in the Carriage Works in January. I for one am thrilled that the beef-loaded rotis, in particular, will be back within easy reach. Read The Bristol Sauce review of Brother Thai.
There’s a new pizza slinger at Wapping Wharf in the form of Wild Pizza Co., who will be opening a small shack among the shipping containers tomorrow. They’ve garnered a loyal following on the street food and festival circuit for their beautifully blistered Neapolitan pizzas, but apparently once another oven arrives the team will be serving New York style slices too.
Pinkmans, only recently acquired by new owners, are opening a new site in Stokes Croft. Clearly the new team are keen on expansion. The new place opens today on the corner of Stokes Croft and Upper York Street and the team are giving away 100 doughnuts to celebrate.
Flat Iron, a steak joint imported from London, is due to open in the site previously home to Four Wise Monkeys on 5 December. Why couldn’t we get a Hawskmoor? The PR team are so keen to get coverage ahead of opening that they invited everyone and their mum to the Covent Garden branch (travel covered!) for a free lunch and butchery workshop. Lo and behold, there’s now a swathe of Instagram videos and even ‘newspaper’ articles extolling the virtues of Flat Iron steak, none of which have declared that it was all for free. Bodes well, doesn’t it?
Upgrade your subscription for six more new openings.