One of the great things about living in Bristol is the incredible number of eateries that the city has to offer. With so many places to choose from and pop ups appearing all of the time, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to picking a great place to eat, however, I had my first experience of Wilsons on Chandos Road over the bank holiday and it’s not often that places like this come along…
My husband and I had wanted to eat at Wilsons for some time but never quite got round to booking a table so when I read a review in The Guardian written by none other than food critic Jay Rayner, I knew it had to be something pretty special and called to make a reservation straight away – and wow, was it worth the wait.
Wilsons is tucked away on Chandos Road away from Bristol’s hustle and bustle but as we arrived on Saturday, the place was completely full. The restaurant is beautifully simple and has a blackboard on either wall – one with the menu (three choices for each course) and one with the wine list.
After ordering we were served three pretty amuse-bouches and some delicious bread with salted butter. Our meal included for starters wild garlic soup with ewe’s curd, pearl barley and a slow cooked quail’s egg and a steak tartare with oyster emulsion. For mains we had cod with artichoke purée, leeks and parsley and suckling pig served with boudin, potatoes and hispi peas. To then top off what really was a superb meal we had a chocolate délice with stout ice cream and Flower Marie (an amazingly gooey cheese) with truffle and honey.
Wilsons is independently owned and run and this certainly shows not only in the lovely service (the attention to detail of all of the staff was second to none) but also the very evident love and care that goes into the food by the chefs.
Simple but absolutely perfect…our new favourite and we cannot wait to go back!