Other, Bedminster, Bristol restaurant review

I should have guessed from Other’s vivid blue and orange colour scheme that they’re no shrinking violets when it comes to flavour.

From the first mouthful to the last, everything packed a whopping punch. 

Located in the Bristol suburb of Bedminster, Other is the debut restaurant from Zak Hitchman and his partner Emma. Zak’s was previously head chef at the Michelin-starred Casamia before it closed in 2022 and prior to that he was sous chef at Ynyshir, one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the UK. Not a bad CV then. 

With Other, Zak has ditched the formality of lengthy tasting menus and moved towards a more laid-back cooking style.

Despite Other’s striking use of colour, it’s a surprisingly cosy spot. We sat at a long communal table that takes up half the restaurant but had plenty of room to stretch our elbows. 

Other’s name comes from its eclectic style of food, with influences from across Asia, America and Europe. The compact menu is divided up into small and larger plates and we ordered pretty much the whole lot to share between four of us. 

From the dinky wine list, we chose a couple of bottles of red to share and both were lovely - a red berry packed The Notes Gamay (£36) with light acidity and a richer Sabina Tempranillo (£28) with a hint of spice.

The first small plate to arrive was a first-rate riff on sesame prawn toast (£8), which saw chicken mince replacing crustacean that was then topped with fresh and cleansing slivers of lime-pickled cucumber. The kicker was a potent brown crab hot and sour mayo.

I'm always in the game for smoked meat, and Other's seven hour smoked hogget (£8) was up there with dishes from the best smokehouses I've visited. Meat and smoke intensity combined in stupidly tender nuggets of shredded meat that were crisped up nicely around the edges. Levity, acidity and chilli heat came from a corker of a roasted pineapple and ancho chilli jam.

Tempura grey mullet (£9.50) was my least favourite small plate, but it was still very good. Meaty pieces of fish were coated in an excellent light batter and topped with a potent punch of harissa and slithers of fragrant blood plum. Slices of raw miso scallop slightly jarred in texture and temperature for me. 

Onto the larger plates, and Other clearly knows how to cook a killer bit of meat.

Outrageously rich smoked beef cheeks (£22) had an excellent bark and beautifully tender, smoky flesh. Garnishes, which had been piled on top, all hit the mark too - a good squirt of citrus mustard, slices of sweet onion, and umami rich beer braised tomatoes. 

A corker of a crisp-skinned, juicy and well-rendered fat pork chop (£25) was topped with a crispy panko crumb and accompanied by a five spice fragranced char sui sauce and a crisp and fresh white cabbage salad.

Other’s veggie option (£17) looked like a plate of leaves at first glance, but it delivered just as much flavour as the meat dishes. Buttery soft slow-roasted aubergine pieces were the vehicle for a whopper of a red curry glaze, the freshness of mint and coriander, and the crunch of crispy onions and ginger. 

Finally, a fish special (£22) saw meaty and salty mackerel fillets (I wonder whether it might have been slightly cured) paired with golden beignet-like crab cakes and sweet and cleansing tomatoes. The clincher was a curry spiced butter sauce that was a cross between something you’d get from the chip chop and a fine dining French kitchen. 

Sides were all belters too. Ridiculously crisp deep fried layered confit potatoes (£7) were dusted with roast garlic salt and ancho chilli and accompanied by a pot of lightly honking aioli. I think this might be my favourite style of potato as it delivers the most crunch per mouthful. 

Sweet and soft roasted carrots (£8) were a mess of deliciousness muddled together with crispy chickpeas, salty nuggets of feta and a vibrant salsa verde.

Even a wedge of lettuce (£7) was zhushed up by the addition of everything bagel seasoning, lettuce pesto and a lemon dressing.

Other’s menu recommends ordering both desserts to combine together like some kind of dessert Megazord. I can see why. 

A sourdough doughnut (£5) was light and soft and sweet and salty with the complexity of brown butter and toasty charred edges from being finished on the barbecue.

A crème brûlée (£9) was a riot of flavour - the creamy custard combining with a sweet and fragrant blood plum jam, the zinginess of lime syrup, and a properly crisp and toasty burnt caramelised sugar layer. It was brilliant slathered over the warm doughnut. 

We had a belter of a meal at Other and Zak Hitchman’s mammoth flavoured cooking is some of the most exciting I’ve eaten this year. Next time you visit Bristol and you’re thinking about visiting another restaurant instead of Other, don’t bother. 

The Details:

Address - Other, 32 Cannon Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1BN
Web - https://www.otherrestaurant.co.uk/
Telephone - 07503 144325

Caper and Cure, Bristol restaurant review

Jamon butter. Crab butter. Mushroom butter. Marmite butter. Scampi Fries butter. Doner kebab butter.

Is there anything that can't be turned into a gourmet spread to be slathered over sourdough?

I've eaten and loved the first four in the above list. Now I'm waiting for a restaurant to turn the latter two dreams into reality.

Bristol's Caper & Cure would be a very good candidate for the job as their jamon and crab butters are both absolute corkers.

With glowing reviews from national restaurant critics and fellow food bloggers alike, Caper and Cure has been on my to nosh list for over a year.

It joins a ridiculous number of acclaimed places in the city which I'm keen to visit soon including Little Hollows, Bianchis, Sonny Stores, the Little French, Cor, Bokman, Bulrush, Adelina Yard, Box-E, Tare and Noah's... I could go on.

Located in the uber-hip area of Stoke's Croft, Caper & Cure is a neighbourhood restaurant which puts their produce front and centre. A map of Europe dominates one wall of their intimate dining room, showcasing where they source their ingredients from; there's asaparagus from the Wye Valley, wine from Somerset, scallops from orkney and a selection of beers from Bristol. The passion for produce extends to the front of house team too who all radiate knowledge and passion for the food and booze they're serving.

Caper & Cure's compact menu of modern bistro cooking is all thriller and no filler. Dishes I want to bury my face into include cheddar and lardon croquetas, St Austell mussels with cider and bay, onglet steak with anchovy cream, and honey and vanilla panna cotta.

Snacks set the standard for the rest of the meal. Jamon butter (£5) would have been more appropriately named buttered jamon such was the pork content of this spread. Blitzed up jamon lubricated with a nominal amount of butter was delicious spread over the soft sourdough.

Slices of tender-as-it-gets braised octopus (£6.50) were dressed with a vibrant, delicately acidic chimichurri - it was a dreamy snack for a warm sunny evening.

Onto starters and a tumble Isle of Wight tomatoes (£9) of all sizes and colours were paired with creamy burrata and punchy black olive tapenade.

Crab butter (£12) was the dish which sang loudest to me on the entire menu, combining two of my favourite ingredients. It lived up to its name - a crab shell was filled with a glossy warm butter sauce flecked with heaps of sweet crustacean. Sourdough bread was a handy tool for ferreting every last drop of butter out of every nook and cranny of the shell.

Mains were very good but didn't quite hit the same highs as snacks and starters.

A precisely cooked fillet of meaty hake (£24) was served with tender spuds, broccoli and a vibrant salsa verde butter sauce with plenty of basil. It was a familiar dish executed very well.

Blushing pink and stupidly tender pork tenderloin (£23), stock rich lentils, a crispy disc of morcilla and hispi cabbage all jostled for attention with a mammoth flavoured chorizo sauce with a big hit of paprika. Every component on the plate was delicious in its own right but the delicate pork was a little lost behind the potent sauce.

Desserts were both belters.

Silky pistachio custard (£9) was topped with delicate brûléed caramel layer and served with a scattering of nuts and buttery shortbread pieces. 

An excellent selection (£10) of Cashel Blue, ripe and funky Rollright and Cornish Yarg with crackers and chutney was generous for its price.

We had a lush evening at Caper and Cure. It's the kind of neighbourhood restaurant which you'd be lucky to have around the corner.

The Details:

Address - Caper and Cure, 108A Stokes Croft, Cotham, Bristol BS1 3RU

Web - https://www.caperandcure.co.uk/visit

Telephone - 0117 923 2858

Pasta Ripiena, Bristol, Italian restaurant review

Going out for a bowl of pasta just isn't the kind of thing we tend to do very often.

When many of the tastiest pasta dishes require a handful of ingredients and a bag of dried pasta, and so many restaurants offer little more exciting than spaghetti bolognese or cream heavy carbonara, I don't really see the point.

However, I'll make an exception for the places which go to the trouble of lovingly making pasta from scratch as well as creating labour-intensive sauces which I can’t be faffed to cook at home.

The Heathcock, Trullo, Padella, Manteca, Marmo and Zucchini are all places which fall into this category.

Another place is Pasta Ripiena in Bristol, part of the Bianchis Group, a set of restaurants that have been on my to visit list for a very long time. They always seem to be fully booked on Saturday nights; fortunately a last minute cancellation meant we managed to snag a 5.30pm table.

Located in Bristol city centre, Pasta Ripiena’s cosy dining room has a lovely vibe. And their compact menu doesn’t have a dud sounding dish on it. The focus is a selection of handmade filled pastas in shapes that I've almost universally never heard of.

Whilst Mrs G glugged a glass of Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (£6.20), I enjoyed a can of light and funky Lost and Grounded Farmhouse Pale Ale (£5.95).

A pair of big flavoured starters were a statement of intent.

Dinky sweet Queen scallops (£10) baked in the shell were slathered in garlic butter and topped with toasted crumbs.

Thankfully, we'd ordered a portion of first class light crumbed, olive oil rich and rosemary fragranced focaccia (£3.50). It was an essential mop for every last drop of butter and breadcrumb.

A fresh salad (£6.50) of sharp tasting grumolo leaves were balanced by creamy goats curd, zippy segments of blood orange, the crunch of hazelnut and a vivid herb oil. 

Onto the main event and both pasta dishes lived up to expectations. Thin and beautifully al dente, each shape was creatively filled and elevated by its accompanying garnish.

Boat shaped casoncelli (£18.50) were filled with slow cooked dry aged beef shin and sailed on a sea of silky celeriac puree, earthy wild mushrooms and a rich meat jus. It was one of my favourite flavour combinations translated into a pasta dish.

Twizzled tortelli piacentini (£16.50) were filled with a soft and porky mix of potato and prosciutto. The dish's pigginess was dialled up even further by a deeply savoury and porky broth studded with tender pieces of slow cooked wild boar, soft onions and cavolo nero.

With all that leftover sauce, we were tempted to order another portion of focaccia but as if by magic two more pieces of bread arrived at the table unprompted. We were informed that this Italian tradition is called ‘scarpetta’, and it’s one I'm very much in favour of.

Desserts were both belting.

The lightest, creamiest and wibbly-wobbliest of panna cottas (£6) was topped with a vivid green pistachio crumb and a drizzle of olive oil. Whilst the olive oil potentially could have tipped an already rich dish over the edge, it actually had the opposite effect with its grassy bitterness providing a lovely counterpoint.

Finally, a pair of meringues (£6.50) with a crisp exterior and a light and delicately fluffy interior were filled with chantilly cream and slices of sweet and sharp rhubarb. A rhubarb coulis also provided balance.

We had a superb meal at Pasta Ripiena. This is the kind of pasta it’s worth going out for.

The details:

Address - Pasta Ripiena, 33 St Stephen's Street, Bristol BS1 1JX

Web - https://pastaripiena.co.uk/

Telephone - 0117 329 3131

Marmo, Bristol restaurant and wine bar review

With its distinctly Noble Rot-esque logo and an Italian-focused menu with shades of Brawn, Bristol’s Marmo takes influences from two of the UK’s best wine-focused restaurants. So it was always odds-on that it would be right up my street.

Located in Bristol city centre, Marmo’s high-ceilinged dining space oozes cool with its eclectic posters, colourful shelves of wine bottles and open plan kitchen. But, the friendly serving team who looked after us for the night gave the place a warm and down to earth atmosphere.

Marmo’s wine list focuses on the natural and there’s a good selection available by the glass if you’re looking to dip your toes. A glass of Domaine Bohn L'Indigène 2019 orange wine had heaps of citrus, a lovely dryness and a little funk whilst my friend knocked back a pear-twanged Domaine La Luminaille Luminaris 2018.

Quality house sourdough (£2.50) with thick golden cultured butter was an essential order to accompany smoked cods’ roe (£5.50). Savoury, smoky, salty and creamy with a good drizzle of olive oil, there's something so addictive about the stuff and it’s a must order whenever I see it.

Gnocco fritto (£7.50), crisp and slightly flaky deep-fried dough parcels, were delicious draped with garlicky and peppery salame rosa which had the gloriously soft texture of a mortadella.

Tender asparagus (£9) was dressed in a classy savoury silky tonnato sauce. It was a clever change to the classic veal version of the dish and one which I’d be keen to repeat at home.

Well-flavoured and seasoned ruby red beef tartar (£9.50) bathed in a confit egg yolk. It was given an additional savoury hit from the use of anchovy colatura (aged Italian fish sauce). 

First class agnolotti (£14.50) were stuffed with velvety pink fir mashed potato and topped with a meaty wild boar sauce drenched in parmesan. Leaves of mint dotted throughout provided a clever lift to this top notch piece of comfort food.

A ricotta fritter (£7) was basically a high end cannoli and I was 100% down with it. A super crisp and thin pastry shell was loaded with sweetened creamy ricotta and strawberries macerated with elderflower.

A good dollop of rich and thick chocolate mousse (£7) was paired with a toasty molasses-esque salted caramel, a quenelle of clotted cream and crisp feuilletine flakes. It was a rich treat.

Marmo is the kind of restaurant I could come back to time and time again. Its technically accomplished cooking, hip setting, friendly service and ace natural wines by the glass all hit the mark. 

The Details:

Address - Marmo, 31 Baldwin St, Bristol BS1 1RG

Web - https://www.marmo.restaurant/

Telephone - 0117 316 4987 

Wilson's, Redland, Bristol restaurant review

It’s really hard to write about brilliant cooking in a way which does it justice.

It’s even harder when you’re a half-arsed blogger like me who doesn’t take any notes and gets quietly sozzled whilst “researching” the wine list.

Which brings me to Wilson's in Bristol’s Redland. This fiercely seasonal British restaurant serves beautiful food cooked by chef-owner Jan Ostle using a number of ingredients grown by partner Mary Wilson in their own organic smallholding.

 
Jay Rayner, Tim Hayward and Tom Parker-Bowles have all raved about the place. And a prolific Bristol food twitterer reckons it's the best cooking in a city of many Michelin stars.

As it was my birthday lunch, Mrs G and I opted for the tasting menu. £50 delivered us 12 courses; there really aren’t many places where you could have food this accomplished for such good value. Alternatively, there's a compact chalkboard menu featuring three starters, three mains and three puds. 

To accompany lunch, we knocked back a couple of carafes of delicious and interesting wine. A Slovenian Simcic sauvignonasse (£13) had a slightly oxidative character and funk whilst a M&A Andorffer Gruner Veltlinner (£14.25) reminded us of cloudy apple juice. 

Snacks all seriously impressed.

The finest of pastry cases was filled with sweet and earthy raw spider crab adorned with a miniature bouquet of edible flowers. If you'd told me this crustacean was cooked I'd have been none the wiser. 

Oversized cleansing and peppery radishes (which would normally be rejected in the food supply chain) were lovely with salty and smokey whipped cod roe topped with umami rich scallop roe powder. 

A cup of asparagus velouté wasn't overly rich and creamy as they so often are. Instead, it was given a vibrant herbal hit from fresh mint. 

Warm bread had a brilliantly brittle crust and was dotted with a mix of interesting seeds. 

The star of the snack lineup was nuggets of unfeasibly tender buttermilk fried rabbit with a lightly spiced crumb and a whopping flavoured tarragon mayo. 

Our first course proper was up next.

Isle of Wight tomatoes, sweeter because of the extra sunlight they receive, were served in a fresh as you like raw tomato broth with a background floral note of rose. Creamy Westcombe ricotta sourced from down the road gave the dish a luxury dimension whilst chive oil delivered a herbal hit of allium. 

One of the biggest flavoured lobster bisques we’ve ever eaten was dialled up even further by intense dill oil. It could have all been too much but it was balanced by an al dente hispi cabbage leaf filled with light and sweet set scallop mousse studded with meaty lobster pieces. 

A sweetbread dish was the only plate which didn’t 100% hit the mark. The meaty sweetbreads were coated in an uber-crisp and flavoursome tapioca and onion crumb. But a jersey royal puree, although very nicely flavoured, had a slightly gummy quality, a bit like overworked mashed potato. 

A light but flavoured-packed cod dish followed; the delicately cooked fillet of fish sat in a cod bone broth of intense savouriness. More of that punchy dill oil, crispy briny capers, al dente broad beans and punchy buttery turnip pieces completed the dish. 

A side of breaded cod head was a nod to the fish and chip shop. The meaty fish was joined by more of that excellent tarragon mayonnaise which appeared earlier in the meal. 

The final savoury course of suckling pig converted even Mrs G who usually finds it too rich. A super juicy and tender piece of leg, which tasted as much of pig as you can get, was joined by a spoonably rich piece of slow cooked shoulder. Zingy pickled mooli, buttery celeriac puree and a light yet intensely meaty and slightly sweet pork sauce were all first rate accompaniments. 

A palate cleanser 100% fulfilled its purpose. A pink peppercorn and lemonade foam danced in the mouth with fresh citrus and warming notes whilst a floral elderflower granita perked up the palate even further. 

 
I'm predisposed to loving a soufflé and Wilson’s rhubarb effort was a right bobby dazzler. Light and airy with a sweet fruit note, it was joined by tart and fragrant rhubarb sorbet which brought lightness to the dish. It was a nice change to ice cream which has the opposite effect. 

Mrs G and I loved our lunch at Wilson’s. Their big-flavoured and technically-accomplished seasonal cooking is delicious, well-priced and served by a charming front of house team. I heartily recommend it.

The Details:

Address - Wilson's Restaurant, 24 Chandos Rd, Bristol BS6 6PF

Web - http://wilsonsrestaurant.co.uk/

Telephone - 0117 973 4157