In the quick-fire turnover of the restaurant trade a few local names have stood the test of time. Tony Benjamin and Melissa Blease investigate the secret of their longevity

Fancy starting a restaurant? It’s a turbulent, competitive world out there and things aren’t exactly on the up, economy-wise. For every champagne-drenched opening night, there’s another place pulling down the shutters and selling off the furniture. When it comes to the independent places, they come, it seems, and then they go. Yet some dining businesses do manage to keep going through thick and thin, good times and bad. What’s their secret? And how are they facing the prospect of the much heralded austerity years? We visited some of Bristol and Bath’s more well-established restaurants to find out the answers and discovered that a commitment to quality, a good food philosophy, loyal staff and plain dogged determination all figure in these success stories.
 

BRISTOL

Top-notch Bristol eaterie Glassboat wasn’t even intended to be a restaurant in 1986 when owner (and plant scientist) Arne Ringner applied for planning permission for a floating botanical gardens. The Powers That Be would only consider a café, however, so he and his partner had to learn on the hoof, establishing the place as a fine dining destination just in time for the yuppie boom. “The food was French bourgeois,” Arne recalls, “vast amounts of cream. The place was packed at lunchtime with pinstripes who saw dining and drinking as part of business. They’d regularly have three-hour lunches with a few bottles of claret and things often got quite raucous! Nowadays we have a much broader clientele who may not come as often but do come back. We’ve changed over the years from classic French through nouvelle cuisine, Mediterranean and fusion to modern English. You can’t stay stuck but you do have to be careful – change too fast and you’ll lose your established customers. We’ve survived one or two recessions already so we know that the trade will still be there, you just have to be good and you’ll get it.”

The young Chris Wicks passed through the Glassboat kitchen on his way to becoming chef/patron of Bell’s Diner in 1997. The restaurant was already 21 years old by then and had just figured in the Good Food Guide’s top six places in the country. Not surprisingly, Chris didn’t want to change too much: “It hasn’t changed radically, though it has evolved. I’ll always keep that front room, with its shelves, pots and wine bottles. It’s an intimate space and people come back because of it. The main thing is to offer high-quality food as affordably as can be achieved. We have a good reputation and our customers know they can count on a good meal with great service. We’ve kept our staff for a longer time too, so there’s a consistency about the place.” Under Chris’s leadership Bell’s remains one of Bristol’s top fine dining experiences, with national recognition from The Guardian’s Matthew Fort and The Observer. If the current climate is affecting trade, then Chris is philosophical. “We’d had a golden era up to 2009, but now food prices are rising and people aren’t spending so much. I remember the last recession and it was bad but you have to keep trying, work with your team and try to reinvent yourself. It’s not worth worrying about!”

Suzanna Ho of nationally honoured Chinese restaurant Dynasty is similarly unflustered by the way things are going. “We all benefited from the good times, but when you have a business, you have to take the rough with the smooth. We’ll still pursue our passion for good food, and though we may make less profits, it’s part of our way of thanking the community and our customers for supporting us through the years.” The restaurant, set up by her mum and younger brother in 1999, continues to thrive (especially the lively dim sum sessions on Sunday afternoon) and remains a benchmark for good Chinese cuisine. The Ho family aren’t tempted to change things, either: “We won’t do the ‘all-you-want buffet’ thing. Chinese food is supposed to come fresh from the wok, crisp and vibrant with textures – you can’t leave it standing around! People from London tell us this is as good as – or even better than – (Soho’s) Chinatown. That’s quite a compliment so why change?”

Sumptuously decorated Middle-Eastern restaurant Byzantium was established in the mid-90s, and though it changed hands last year, incoming manager Duncan Pilbeam saw no need for change. “They had a formula here that seemed to work, the systems were in place. It’s a fine dining restaurant but we have everything under one roof – a bar, entertainment, DJs – you can stay on past midnight and enjoy yourself.” The formula attracts large parties and weddings as well as regular dining customers, and as far as Duncan’s concerned, things are looking good right now. “The economy was what broke, not us. We took a big dip but now we’re seeing it come back – our core business is on the up and things look quite optimistic. We keep a close eye on prices and our main courses never go over £15, even if they charge £5 more for the same thing elsewhere.”

GLASSBOAT WELSH BACK, BRISTOL, BS1 4SB. TEL: 0117 929 0704, WEB: WWW.GLASSBOAT.CO.UK

BELL’S DINER 1-3 YORK RD, MONTPELIER, BRISTOL, BS6 5QB. TEL: 0117 924 0357, WEB: WWW.BELLSDINER.C0.UK 

DYNASTY16A ST THOMAS ST, REDCLIFFE, BRISTOL, BS1 6JJ. TEL: 0117 925 0888, WEB: WWW.DYNASTY-BRISTOL.CO.UK 

BYZANTIUM 2 PORTWALL LANE, REDCLIFFE, BRISTOL, BS1 6NB. TEL: 0117 922 1883, WEB: http://www.byzantium.co.uk/ 

 
BATH

Despite the recent influx of franchise and high street chain operations attracted by the bright lights of the brand new SouthGate shopping centre and Mammon’s elegant elderly aunty Milsom Place (which underwent a very successful facelift back in 2008), the Heritage City’s reputation as a foodie haven still largely revolves around a handful of restaurants that have continued to thrive since opening their doors decades ago.

The Hole in the Wall was originally established by legendary chef George Perry-Smith in 1952. Sadly, George passed away in 2003. But were he to pay a visit to the Hole today, its unlikely he’d be let down by the efforts of 2010 co-proprietor Guy Adams, who has carefully maintained the restaurant’s original objective to offer properly decent food served in a cordial environment while managing to infuse his beloved bistro with a distinctly zeroes zeitgeist. So how’s he done it? “One thing we’ve never done is rest on our laurels,” says Guy. “While our menu still draws on original Perry-Smith inspirations, our new head chef Phil Roseblade is a fresh new talent with a passion for quality, provenance and innovation. Several big chain operations have moved into Bath recently, but the city’s independent restaurants are the places that really bring diversity and quality to the scene.”

Rachel Demuth – the ‘Green Queen’ at the helm of award-winning veggie/vegan haven demuths – offers a similar perspective. “When we opened our doors 23 years ago, vegetarians were thought of as brown-sandaled hippies who ate brown stodgy food,” says Rachel. “But we’ve always had a fantastic team on board, and their enthusiasm keeps demuths vibrant and forward-looking. We’ve never stood still, and we’re always looking for new ideas – even our décor goes through regular changes.”

“Coming into a restaurant with a big reputation is a careful balancing act: you want to stamp your mark but respect the history of the business and the loyal customers who have been visiting for years – there’s a lot of expectation to live up to,” adds head chef Richard Buckley, who took to the demuths hob this year. “Luckily for me, Rachel is incredibly supportive, and we’re carefully bridging the gap between the old and the new.” Meanwhile, the Beaujolais – named after what was once the bestselling Brit-French tipple – has, over four decades, established itself as a hugely popular destination for locals, tourists and national food critics alike. Even the fire that almost gutted this classic French bistro completely five years ago failed to dampen either the reputation or the unique Gallic essence of one of Bath’s most convivial hotspots; think of the Beau as the Bath incarnation of legendary Parisian boho hang-out Brasserie Lipp, complete with a characterful proprietor who’s one part ‘’Allo ’Allo’’s René François Artois and two parts all his own work, and you’re there (and if you’re not, you should be).

Got a taste for the beat of Bath’s restaurant history yet? There are plenty more oldies but goodies swinging all over town. The upmarket but informal British bistro Woods opened its doors opposite the Assembly Rooms in the late 1970s, the affable Walrus and Carpenter continue to make their legendary beefburgers to the same recipe they established over 30 years ago, and the ineffably charming Tilley’s Bistro has been serving up well-prepared, fuss-free food – part Medi-themed, part trad-regional, part British tapas, but thoroughly, characteristically ‘Bath’ – since before the city earned Heritage status. The Californian-themed Firehouse Rotisserie turned sweet 16 last year, atmospheric Turkish taverna Marmaris is probably old enough to be its grandfather and the magnificent Moon and Sixpence was the prandial powerhouse at the epicentre of Milsom Place before the word ‘refurbishment’ was a twinkle in the developers’ eye. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn: Bath’s best restaurants really do get better and better with age.

BEAUJOLAIS BISTRO & BAR 5 CHAPEL ROW, BATH, BA1 1HN. TEL: 01225 423417, WEB: WWW.BEAUJOLAISBATH.CO.UK

DEMUTHS 2 NORTH PARADE PASSAGE, BATH, BA1 1NX. TEL: 01225 446059, WEB: WWW.DEMUTHS.CO.UK

FIREHOUSE ROTISSERIE 2 JOHN ST, BATH, BA1 2JL. TEL: 01225 482070, WEB: WWW.FIREHOUSEROTISSERIE.CO.UK

HOLE IN THE WALL 16 GEORGE ST, BATH, BA1 2EN. TEL: 01225 425242, WEB: WWW.THEHOLEINTHEWALL.CO.UK

MARMARIS 4-5 NEWMARKET ROW, GRAND PARADE, BATH, BA2 4AN. TEL: 01225 461946.

MOON & SIXPENCE 27 MILSOM PL, BATH, BA1 1BZ. TEL: 01225 320088, WEB: WWW.MOONANDSIXPENCE.CO.UK

TILLEY’S BISTRO 3 NORTH PARADE PASSAGE, BATH, BA1 1NX. TEL: 01225 484200, WEB: WWW.TILLEYSBISTRO.CO.UK

WALRUS AND CARPENTER 28 BARTON ST, BATH, BA1 1HH. TEL: 01225 314864, WEB: WWW.WALRUSANDCARPENTER.COM

WOODS 9-13 ALFRED ST, BATH, BA1 2QX. TEL: 01225 314812, WEB: WWW.WOODSRESTAURANT.COM
 

Copyright Tony Benjamin and Melissa Blease 2010

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