There’s an ‘Alice In Wonderland’ thing going for Byzantium. Tucked away opposite a car park under the imposing steeple of St Mary Redcliffe, it has an out-of-the-way quality that, despite a neighbouring pub and casino, feels a tad unpromising as an exotic venue for a good meal. But stepping inside you find yourself in a Hollywood film set from the Arabian Nights with a sweeping staircase crying out for buckles to be swashed from the balustrades – whatever else you might expect from dining out, it’s clear that this place offers a sense of occasion. That impression was heightened when shortly after settling on one of the cushioned banquettes in the spacious ground-floor bar, we were approached with diffident confidence by up-close-and-personal illusionist Philip and enjoyed a short sequence of genuinely baffling tricks. This is the place that launched the career of Derren Brown, after all.

I’d been before but it was Ms J Green’s first trip to Byzantium and all this made a good impression even before we’d been led up to the dining room via the aforementioned staircase. The menu was simple enough: a starters selection of canapé-style morsels served on a ‘lantern’ tray and a choice of half-a-dozen main courses all at roughly £14. The wine list offers half a dozen house wines available by the glass, as well as a good range of finer stuff by the bottle, and we picked a surprisingly (and satisfyingly) punchy Cotes du Rhone while awaiting the lantern with enthusiasm. It was soon delivered with a flourish: a chocolate-box scattering that we puzzled over, trying to remember what the menu had promised. But the proof of the starter, like the pudding, is in the eating and tasting jogged our memory: warm Cajun chicken soup was intense and peppery, while smoked salmon and curried lentil croustades were pretty self-evident. Saffron Fish Boudin was more of a croquette, but tasty for all that, and we worked out what made up Mortadella sausage with potato and tarragon salad easily enough. The only disappointment was a rather chewy and under-flavoured gruyere and sweet pepper gnocchi, which threatened to let the side down. The main courses soon restored things nicely, however – Ms Green’s thyme-infused crepes with fennel, pea and leek fricassee, and peppercorn cream sauce having a well-balanced understatement of taste and texture, while my slow-roasted neck of lamb with leek and bean cassoulet was fine meat richly embellished. With sweet roast potatoes and crisp seasonal veg, we were well fed, and an enjoyably shared dessert of poached pear, berry ice cream and toasted brioche was more about professional completeness than anything else. Being a school day, we skipped the usual Byzantine pleasures of DJs, belly dancers and what not, and slipped back out into the rainy Redcliffe night. The meal came to a tad over £60, with wine and, with very friendly service, entertainment and that exotic location, it seemed a fair price for fine dining with a twist. (Tony Benjamin)

BYZANTIUM 2 PORTWALL LANE, BRISTOL, BS1 6BN. TEL: 0117 922 1883; WEB: WWW.BYZANTIUM.CO.UK

VENUE VERDICT

Smart and entertaining dining with a unique sense of place

Copyright Tony Benjamin 2010