Bristol - Pieminister (St Nicholas Street)

Woah! It's been ages since I last posted. Sorry about that. I've been inundated with various bits of work. To distract myself from working, I decided to check out a hallmark of the Bristol food scene - Pieminister. I first heard about the company a few years back when a task on The Apprentice required the contestants to create their own pie shops as judged by Pieminister execs.

Heading down into the centre of town, I was excited by the prospect of a good old-fashioned pie with all the trimmings - mash, gravy, the whole works. However, the map on my phone placed the arrow in a vague block grey area - St Nicholas' Street Market - the labarinth itself. Originally expecting a proper shop, what I didn't realise was that it was a stall in the heart of one of Bristol's busiest markets.

Eventually finding it, picking up some free falafel on the way from another stand, I set about scanning the menu to see what was on offer. A huge range of pastries awaits you, and they don't shy away from showing all the awards they've won with stickers adorning the glass display cases. So many choices. So many extra little delights to add to already difficult decision of which pie to choose.

I went for a simple choice - the Freeranger. Chicken, ham, and cheese. I couldn't resist adding on mash and gravy too. The rather cramped stall measures roughly 3m x 6m, not much bigger than my Bristol cupboard bedroom, yet still they manage to fit in tables and benches as well as ovens and display cases. It felt similar to a festival tent, but cleaner and with fewer drunkards, instead, a whole range of people from all walks of life had gathered there, attracted by the lure of award-winning pies; mothers with their children, business men on their lunch break, elderly couples. Clearly there is a pie for everyone.

Once again, I couldn't help myself and dove straight in without thinking to take a photo first. So here's one from Google:

With crispy pastry and overflowing with filling it was fairly satisfying, but it just wasn't really enough and the gravy and mash and the pie in general were distinctly average. Not quite the stuff of legends. I've got a massive appetite - hence the existence of this blog - so I left feeling a little disappointed, picking up another free falafel ball on the way back.

Maybe it was an off day? Maybe I made the wrong choice of pie and trimmings? There were loads of other options afterall.

I will probably return again, but at the cost of £6 (pie, mash, and gravy, to eat in) I may have to alter my choices for next time. One positive though - I did find a place that does amazing falafels...

A

Manchester - Teacup on Thomas St

This is a great wee cafe that we stumbled upon when wandering through the North Quarter, that is, as we found out, owned by Mr Scruff. I squealed with delight.

It's very like Bristol's Boston Tea Party, and like BTP, has a range of different teas to try. I alighted on the rosehip tea, which came in a beautiful, creaky glass pot. This also came with a timer that told you exactly when your tea had finished stewing, and when you could pour it into a second glass teapot. Such a novelty.

This tea was not only beautiful to look at, but it was really delicious, and reminded me of when I used to make perfume as a small child by squeezing rose petals into water. You were also allowed to ask for a water top-up too, which I thought was really kind.

I also had the brownie with pistachios on top which was the best brownie I've had in a while, and my friend had the halloumi and pitta salad. Although this place is a bit pricey, (a cup of tea was about £4), I recommend it for the experience, and who knows, you may even bump into Mr Scruff.

J

Manchester - Almost Famous

When I went to visit a friend in Manchester this weekend, I was taken to the hidden/(sort of) secret burger joint, Almost Famous. Although the entrance is just a small door on a quiet road, you have no chance of missing it; Almost Famous comes complete with queue, and bouncer. This burger place had a queue, and a bouncer, at 5pm. Five in the afternoon.

However, having made it inside, I COMPLETELY see why.

You go up a few flights of stairs, (they make you work for your meal), and enter into a bright and eclectic space that made me so trigger happy I couldn't stop taking photos. The bar wall is as you can see above, and on the opposite wall is a series of fairly bizarre, yet pretty great, quotes (below right).














All the other walls, (it's made of a further two rooms) are clustered with either Banksy, or provocative paintings of 50's style women emerging from sweet wrappers, mustard bottles, and the like.

Our drinks came with names such as 'Bitch Juice' and 'Snap and Tickle', and as if the names, and the fact that they were served in tall jars wasn't edgy enough, they also came complete with glowsticks.

The food was very like Meat Liquor in London, full on, heavy-duty burgers and fries. However, these also came with great names. One burger was called Triple Nom, and if you fancied chicken, you could always get Crack Wings, which were said to be 'Phoking Amazing'. I went for the Rib Roll (pulled pork) and Trailer Trash Fries, both of which were incredible. The fries in particular, as they had a mustard and barbecue and who knows what else sauce poured all over them, and were a-mazing.

After eating ourselves into a food coma, I can honestly say this is the best burger place I have ever been to, and if I am ever back in Manchester again, will demand a visit. (If you can, try and bag a seat on the sofa - this kind of food coma beats the kind at Christmas, and I very nearly nodded off...).


J

Bristol - Urban Wood (First meal together!)

Big A and Little J finally have their first proper blog meal out together…huzzah! 

J: So I arrived first, being ever early, and had to prop up the bar with a solitary glass of red while I waited for A to appear. I did, however, have company in the form of a downhearted businessman-type next to me; yet erase any images of the bar from ‘Cheers’ from your mind, (a very old reference there), as Urban Wood is actually a small and fairly eclectic restaurant. The place is aglow with fairy lights in the windows and with candles bedecking nearly every surface. A large feature of the place is the wax-dripped candelabrum that is set in between the front room of the restaurant, and the back room, separated by the large open bay window. We went on a Monday, which, by pure chance, happened to be 2-4-1 on burgers, and so we both jumped right on it. 

A: I’d never even heard of Urban Wood before Little J suggested it, but what a find! Self-proclaimed ‘Bristol’s best kept secret’, they had a lot to live up to, and they didn’t fail us. With a wealth of tempting choices on the menu, all at reasonable prices, we settled for the burgers filled with chorizo, bacon and cheese, topped with a fried egg, and some olives and sun-dried tomatoes as apéritifs. Arriving fairly promptly, we tucked in. Delicious. Hints of apple complemented the beef from the burgers, which was just extraordinary, putting it on par with my favourite burgers, courtesy of Boston Tea Party and The Mall Pub. My only qualm would be the inclusion of the devil’s food – rocket; but actually, the salad was made almost bearable by an interesting dressing. 

J: What A has ceased to mention is the slightly awkward incident that set both bar staff running. When going to pour some ketchup, (see offending bottle in below image), he dropped it with a bang into the mayo, splattering that on the table, and in turn knocking over the candle, which promptly fizzed out. Watching that bizarre chain of events I half expected a mouse-trap to come tottering down. 

A: ...and what J has failed to mention is her inability to judge how much salt is too much salt, leaving me to polish off what she couldn’t finish (most of it...). This place is definitely worth a visit, especially on a Monday - £5 for a burger is such a deal! Although, I did feel slightly conned that they charged us for the olives and sundried tomatoes separately, when the menu definitely tricked me into thinking otherwise... and £3 for a pint of coke was a bit of a surprise too. However, the quality of the food and the nice, almost homely atmosphere certainly made up for these trivial setbacks. Go and make use of the deal if you get the chance!

A & J

Bristol - Bravas

I've wandered past Bravas on Cotham Hill many a time now, and yet have always strolled past without a second glance. For some reason, it always looked too grown-up, and tapas always seemed to be more student friendly at Las Iguanas, round the corner. Until today. It's a buzzy bar/restaurant with an authentic spanish feel, all of which you can get the gist of by just peering in. But oh boy, the food was good.

We each had a lime and juniper berry G&T, which looked terribly pretty with lime rind curls and juniper berries in amongst the ice, but alas, I have no photo. In fact, I have only one photo of the meal, as I was enjoying it far too much to get my phone out. The one photo I have is of the grilled lamb with this hazelnut and parsley sauce, which was just great.

However, the dishes that absolutely stole the show and which, if you do go, you must get, are the fried aubergine with molasses, and the Iberico pork. The aubergine came cut up like little frites and had this sweet honey and molasses sauce all over it, which was peculiar, but amazing. Oh, but the pork. The waiter had warned us it would be good - something to do with a different curing and cooking process etc - we ended up ordering another plate.

It did all slightly add up and so was on the expensive side, but we figured that if we hadn't got drinks, and had chosen fewer dishes, it would have been just perfect.

J

Bristol - Mesushi.org

Mesushi is one of the most fantastic discoveries that I've made while at Bristol and it is, wait for it - a sushi delivery company. Although this all sounds very 'Sex and the City' and rather frivolous, let me assure you, this place is cheap. After all, Bristol is a far cry from New York, and I am but a lowly student.

They deliver on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, at both lunch and supper times. So, instead of giving in to a Dominos when the cupboard is bare, or trying to scrape butter onto a cracker like in that Flora advert from years ago, try this place out. It could only cost you £3.80. Oh that's right. Eight pieces of salmon and surimi sushi rolls fetch in at £3.80, and the addition of salmon nigiri takes it up to only £4.99. It's an exciting thing to have delivered and breaks up the monotony of what can become 'student food'.

They're terribly lovely too. I embarrassingly owed them I think £1.70 once, as my friend who I was eating with had not arrived yet with her money, and so I had to go sprinting all over the house looking for any house mates with loose change. This was never going to happen, and so the man kindly gave me an 'I owe U'. (I write this debt free).

This is also a great place to turn to, as in shunning larger take-away empires, you are also helping out a small local business. Enjoy.

J

London - Bi Bim Bap

I ended up popping down to London for an interview on Sunday and wandered into the small Korean restaurant, Bi Bim Bap. Found in Soho, on a road adjacent to Ronnie Scotts, this apparently small and unassuming restaurant bombards you on entering with a plethora of tiny photographs lining its walls, all of happy, smiling diners. However, far from being alarmed, this sight rather spurred me on to try and join these troops lining the walls, and so I sat. (Alas, in case you were wondering, I was unsuccessful). One day, maybe.

The restaurant is named after its signature dish, which is also Korea’s national one, Bi Bim Bap. This is a big responsibility for shoulders of such small metrical dimensions, however, Bi Bim Bap did not disappoint. Its signature dish is terribly healthy and consists of rice mixed with vegetables and possibly meat, then usually with the (almost random) addition of a fried egg. It was served in fantastic bowls that seemed to be carved out of stone and that remained firmly on their slabs of wood, as they were terribly hot. The bowls were particularly great as their circumference was wide enough to allow you to get to the food and mix it up as much as you wanted without the fear of it spilling everywhere. I may just be a messy eater, but I’ve definitely had that problem in the past.

We also had the Korean root tea, which was unusual, but delicious. Oh and just as a heads up, downstairs is plastered with posters of Korean girl bands that look like they are styling themselves on the nineties Spice Girls. A bit bizarre, but you can easily hurry past. Although I enjoyed trying the dish Bi Bim Bap, if I’m totally honest I’m not sure that I would return, oh other than to try and get a photo on their wall, of course. 

J

Bristol - Maximillion's Deli

A few weeks ago, my friend went to this place and offered me a bite of the roll he bought. One bite and I was sold. It was incredible - certainly the best 'bite to eat' I'd had in a while. So I made it my mission to find this place.

Snuck away, just beyond the beautifully colourful Nelson Street (the 'grafitti street'), it looked like any old humble cafe from the outside. Stepping inside, you're surrounded by food everywhere. There's just so much of it.

 

Shamelessly, I'll admit to having looked up 'Bristol food challenges' a while back in lieu of an English-equivalent to Man vs. Food and this was one of the results that came up. Here's why.

Firstly the roll presented to you is about as big as a human head, and that's not even hyperbolic. You're then offered 'meat' or 'non-meat' and, as a self-respecting man, obviously I chose the former. Then this is the catch - you then get 5 'sides', as they refer to them ('toppings' to normal people). You've got the standard ones - various types of cheese, cuts of meat, chillis, assorted veg. Then it gets a bit more strange - scotch eggs, different pasta salads, numerous potato salads. Potato freaking salad ...in a roll. Carb overload. It had to be done though.

There were probably around 40, maybe 50 sides to choose from. The very kind server told me that I should "come back on a weekday and [they] have sooo much more". I'm intrigued to see what other wonderful things they can think about putting in a sandwich. You could spend years trying out all the different combinations and unlike most places, they don't cut you short on the portions either - almost as if they want to get rid of their ingredients.

So I chose an unusual combination of pork with stuffing, filled with cheese, jalapenos, some sort of chilli salad creation, salami, and a curried potato salad. Costing a measely £3.50 for a roll as a big as my head. I'd say that's a bargain and a half.

Sitting down to eat it (you would have to sit down to eat one of these bad boys), I took in what is positively best described as a 'man-wich' - the highly generous portions made it almost as tall as it was wide, even Joey Tribbiani would be contemplating sharing one of these. But there was no sharing today. For such a strange mixture of ingredients and flavours, it was incredibly tasty. I couldn't put it down. Although slightly wary that on this occasion my eyes may have been bigger than my stomach, I powered through - a significant achievement if I do say so myself.

I will definitely be returning when my stomach feels ready to take on the challenge again. I'm also shocked at how few have heard about this remarkable place. Go and try it out!

A

P.S. Once again, I've forgotten to get photos (obviously couldn't put the tasty thing down long enough to be able to), but next time I will!