Top cafes in Bristol - Primrose Cafe - awesome breakfasts / brunch in Bristol

Primrose cafe needs no introduction to local bristolians. Tucked in the corner of Clifton village, this has long been labelled one of the best cafes in Bristol, and as I found out last Sunday, rightly so!

Gingerbread Latte £2.60

Bubble and Squeak with poached eggs £5.50

Smoked Chicken, Bacon Avocado Sandwich £5.50

Selection of British-styled cakes

Sunday Roasts in Bristol - hidden find

So glad to have found this inconspicuous little pub hidden at the top corner off Whiteladies Road (3 York Street). Don't be fooled by its modest, no-frills look, what awaits thee is some very comforting British classics.

Sunday Roast (Large) - £7.95 

Regular available at £6.95 

(The large proved a little too much for the ladies)

Sure, prices may seem steep for pub grub - but pub grub this place serves not. The Yorkshire pudding was perfectly done, crisp on the edge and moist in the centre. Roast potatoes, as evident in the picture, was roasted with a crispy outer layer and soft and fluffy on the inside. And the roast topside of beef was well done, tender, and a great accompaniment to the Yorkshire pudding. The gravy could have done better with a little bit more flavour, but this was a no biggie when each component of the roast did well on its own.

Cauliflower cheese was served with this roast - a real bonus for me - and it was here the star of the vegetables. In my search for Sunday roasts in the UK, I have very often found cauliflower cheese available only as a side dish at additional cost to the Sunday roast, rather than served with it itself. Cauliflower cheese provides a creamy savoury dimension to any roast dinner - so pray, tell, why remove it from the meal!

The pub was more food-centred than anything else, with placemats and utensils laid out on tables and a proper menu of burgers, chips, salads and your traditional British classics. 

The flow of business was brisk, and I noted that a few tables were reserved.

It definitely looked like this place is well-known amongst the Clifton community, and has been a well-kept secret to the rest of Bristol.

Not for long now!

Port of Call

3 York Street, 

Clifton, Bristol

BS8 2YE

Top cafes in Bristol - Watershed Cafe & Bar

Sunday Roasts in Bristol

I'm on a quest to try as many Sunday Roasts in Bristol as I can in my time here. Roast dinners (used generally to refer to both lunch and dinner, as it is here) are typically British, consisting of a roast meat (beef/chicken/pork), roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, sides of vegetables and gravy to top it off. When done well, it can be very satisfying and is a real treat to look forward to in the week!

I've had a few thus far - one at StartTheBus pub, Chin! Chin! restaurant and most recently, at The Square Club at Berkeley Hotel.

On their website, the Square Club claims to be a 2AA Rosette restaurant, and since they were having a "buy one get one half price" offer on their Sunday Roasts, I thought why not!

Sadly, what should have been the star of the dish fell far below expectations.

The duck fat roasted potatoes were nicely done, crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. The vegetable sides were buttered and decent. The Yorkshire pudding was fragrant and crisp on the edges where it should be and nice and soft in the centre.

But.

The roast beef was just tough beyond words. This was despite it being still pink (more like red) in the centre, and one would have expected that for it to be served in such a medium rare condition, it had better been tender like anything.

But it was not.

Perhaps the roast wasn't slow-cooked enough resulting in failure to achieve that soft, pulled-meat texture that the topside of beef is well capable of.

That aside though, the roast was decent, and at a price like that for a 2AA Rosette experience, it's worth a try. I noted that they have a £5 lunch deal for weekday lunches - shall give it a go soon, and hopefully it does the restaurant more justice.

Sunday Roast (12-4pm) 

£9.95 

(VAT inclusive, service charge exclusive)

The Square Kitchen

15 Berkeley Square

Clifton, Bristol

BS8 1HB

Tel: 0117 921 0455