I’m not going to lose half a stone or run a 10k - I’m going to eat more food at restaurants in Bristol.
The number of places I want to visit in Brizzle is now so out of control that it’s time to take action.
A couple of weeks ago, I managed to tick Bellita of the list.
The recently opened younger sibling of the legendary Bell’s Diner serves a menu of small plates inspired by Spain and North Africa amongst other influences.
Huge meaty gordal olives (£3) and a pair of cockle warming aperitifs kicked us off.
In each drink, the punch of booze was tempered by the presence of a homemade fruit syrup - The Bellita (£6) with Chase Seville orange gin and raspberry, thyme and black pepper cordial and The Greengage and Irish (£5) with whiskey and greengage and ginger syrup.
Golden potato and parmesan fritters (£3) were filled with a supremely light and smooth potato filling and topped with shavings of savoury cheese.
Artichoke, chicory, pear and manchego salad (£6.50) was flecked with crisp almonds. The top drawer ingredients were however muted by the overpowering flavour of truffle oil.
Golden mackerel fillets (£6.50) were topped with shavings of warming horseradish. They were accompanied by a dill fragranced slaw which balanced the richness of the oily fish.
A delightfully smokey flame-licked chicken pincho (£6) was accompanied by an awesome duo - spicy harissa and soothing yoghurt.
Rolled lamb breast (£10) was the standout of the evening - crisp, fatty, deep-flavoured lamb was paired with cavalo nero coated in immensely savoury anchovy butter. I licked the plate clean.
Next up was a pretty dish of pork cheeks (£12) served with the aromatic funk of wild fungi, fragrant deep-fried sage leaves, silky cauliflower puree and a sticky, meaty pedro ximinez sauce. The only minor drawback was the meat itself which lacked a little in tenderness.
Cubes of fried potato (£2.50) were hyper crisp, hyper fluffy and hyper delicious. They were joined by potent aioli and herby mojo verde sauce.
For dessert, a scoop of creamy homemade ice cream (£2.50) skilfully balanced the intense flavours of rosewater and cardamom.
A slice of rich and gooey chocolate torte (£6.50) was paired with salted caramel sauce and a dollop of mascarpone.
Dinner at Bellita was lovely - it’s exactly the kind of place where I could while away an evening boozing and snacking. Here's to a lot more Bristol eating in 2016.
The Details:
Address - Bellita, 34 Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6LA
Web - bellita.co.uk
Web - bellita.co.uk
Telephone - (0117) 923 8755
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