FOOD&DRINK

I was one of the few people who actually liked the (now disappeared) deliciously garish plastic décor of the Café Bar when the Arnolfini reopened in 2005. The place’s more subdued feel can be hard to spot as you weave between laptops to find table space for your latte during the bustling daytime, but come back in the evening and you’ll find a relaxed and spacious diner. We sit by a window with that ever-pleasing view over the light-dabbling night-time docks and are soon stumped by a brief menu with too many good choices. The wines – all available by glass, carafe or bottle – offer an establishing Italian flavour to prepare for the Anglo-Italian dishes that follow. My companion has fruity white Garganega, I pick deep red Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, and we muddle through excellent olives and change our mind repeatedly. You can either have a tapas-style ‘small plate’ meal or do ‘courses’; we settle on courses (though the companion decides to have small plates “to leave room for dessert”) and the charmingly patient waitress can finally take our order. When it arrives I realise I had something smaller in mind when I ordered pizzetta – it’s actually a plateful of pizza fiorentina style, crisply thin crusted and deliciously nutmegged. Across the table her fork is spinning into kale, chilli, walnut and pecorino linguine which, surprisingly, tastes of lemons. It’s an interesting combination that soon wins her over, softening things up for her audible appreciation of slow-roasted belly pork with raddiccio and balsamic dressing. It’s the rich flavour of cooked radiccio that starts things off (and remains her highlight) but the melting meat and sweet crisp crackling keep the ball rolling nicely. I’m pretty pleased with my heap of shredded fennel and dill hidden by slabs of griddled Cornish squid and a sprinkle of dark red English prawns. The squid is perfect, at once both firm and soft, and the deep flavour of the prawns persuade me never to touch any other kind again. With a bowl of chilli chips on the side, I don’t have room for a dessert, but dip into my companion’s nicely balanced ‘jewelled winter fruit salad’ and sip reliable espresso. With two glasses of wine each, the bill was almost exactly £50 – excellent value for a cleverly crafted meal made from organic and locally sourced/sustainable ingredients. (Tony Benjamin)

ARNOLFINI CAFÉ BAR NARROW QUAY, BRISTOL, BS1 4QA, TEL: 0117 917 2300, WEB: WWW.ARNOLFINI.ORG.UK 

VENUE VERDICT

FINE COOKING BLESSED WITH THE ART OF IMAGINATION
 

Copyright Tony Benjamin 2011

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