In the last 2 years since I've been writing this
blog I've put on around a stone and a half in weight.
As my exercise regimen consists of a weekly
walk to the van opposite my office to pick up a bacon and black pudding
sandwich and because I don’t want to weigh 20 stone in 3 years time – something’s
gotta give.
The plan is to revert back to my pre-blog
weight by dieting for a couple of months and then... I’ll probably let the weight
pile back on.
The one caveat is, I’m still going to eat
out once a week whilst I'm dieting. Yesterday, a visit to Bristol to see an old school friend proved the ideal opportunity to finally try Grillstock in St Nicholas market. This BBQ stall, open 11:30ish-2:30pm Monday-Saturday, is owned by the people behind the festival of the same name.
The menu is brief, which is what you’d
expect from a street food stall, but everything is chuffing lush.
All the food
is smoked in what looks like a metal cupboard behind the counter. Apparently
they’re pretty friggin expensive; otherwise I’d consider replacing one of my
wardrobes with one.
Hickory smoked baby back ribs (£7) were absolute whoppers – some of the biggest they’d ever had delivered from the butchers. Sticky, smoky and tender, my face was plastered in
barbecue sauce by the time I was through with them.
An accompanying portion of brisket burnt ends
chilli (£1.50) is the reason I can never cook chilli con carne ever again.
Smoked, impossibly tender beef was tempered with spices, onions and kidney
beans.
Last up, an 18 hour hickory smoked pulled
pork roll (£4.50) was my kind of sandwich. A decent enough seeded white roll
was piled with awesome shredded meat. Light coleslaw (not the mayonnaise with a
few bits of cabbage kind of stuff) provided crunch.
Grillstock is a must visit if you’re
in Bristol. If the stall is anything to go by then I’d imagine the festival is too.
The details:
Address - St Nicholas Market, Corn Street, Bristol, BS1 1JQ
I stumbled upon your site back in November and have been loving your posts.
ReplyDeleteAs a champion of gluttony I can empathize with the balance of eating out yet maintaining a sensible weight.
May I recommend watching the following BBC Horizon documentary entitled "Eat, fast and live longer" - I found a version here on Vimeo:
http://vimeo.com/50912488
In short, intermittent fasting can significantly help reduce weight and improve your physical condition. Men eat less than 600 calories a day, twice a week and can eat sensibly for the rest of the week.
A friend put me on to this at a Halloween party. In the 7 weeks leading up to Christmas I lost 11cm around my waist and now I literally have to buy new trousers as they're all too big.
I fast two days a week, and eat like a pro at the weekends and still the weight comes off. There are arguments against it, but this is the most manageable weight loss I have ever had.
Hope it helps?
Keep up the good work!
@Andrew - Glad you like the blog. Thanks for sharing the link as well. I'll check it out.
DeleteI'm currently on a Slimming World diet. It seems to be working and is fairly compatible with my gluttonous tendencies - I don't have to count calories and can eat as much lean meat as I want.
However, I've been reading about the 5:2 diet and would definitely like to give it a go in the future. The idea of eating burgers and chocolate 5 days a week and then fasting for 2 days seems quite appealing.
Cheers
Have to thank you for this review - I'd never have known the joy of the grillstock pulled pork otherwise. Hubby has been happy to cross the bridge to come shopping in Bristol a couple of times, just to visit Grillstock for lunch. We're going to try out the new Grillstock on Clifton Triangle tomorrow, so we're hoping for more good things :)
ReplyDelete@Ali - No problem at all. Really want to visit Bristol again soon. I'd love to go to the new Grillstock cafe and also want to try Bell's Diner now they're under new ownership.
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