Bristol
NEW AFENDI RESTAURANT & CAFE
217 Cheltenham Rd, BS6 5QP Tel: 0117 924 8927
• Family-run restaurant serving Mediterranean and Arabic cuisine, from hot and cold mezze and grills to Middle Eastern dishes like falafel, taboulleh, kebabs, kibbeh and many vegetarian options. Specialities include minced lamb with parsley and onions in tomato sauce on a pizza-like base baked in their stone oven. Customers are raving - one claimed after eating here that this was ‘the best food in England’. Price ALC: £2.50-£4.50/£6-£13.50/£3-£4.50. Set mezze: 8 £32 (4 people sharing) Wine list No licence yet but applied for. BYO (no corkage fee) Open Sun-Mon daily 6-11.30pm, closed Tue. Disabled access & toilet. Takeaway. Delivery planned for later this year – call for details.
EL BAHDJA
39 Stokes Croft, BS1 3PY Tel: 07859 009128
• See Greek & Turkish.
MAZATI LEBANESE CUISINE
Basement, 13a Small St, BS1 1DE Tel: 0117 927 7937, web: www.mazati.co.uk
• Just off the city centre on the lesser-traversed Small Street, but once inside, you’ll feel miles away in its cosy, underground, back-lit brick hideaway. Rich choice on the regularly updated menu, including national dishes, carefully chosen mezze and signature dishes. Already attracting a loyal fan base and good reviews from the Evening Post, Mazati will be hard to beat on price as well as flavour: daily three-course special till 7.30pm; pre/post-theatre menus and set dinners £9.25-£20.50. Save room for the delectably sticky-sweet baklava. Price ALC: £3.95-£4.65/£9.75-£15.20/£3-£3.50 Wine list HW £13.99 btl, £3.99 gls Open Daily 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm. No disabled access. Takeaway 10% discount. Parties catered for – call in adv.
SANDS
95 Queens Rd, Clifton, BS8 1LW Tel: 0117 973 9734, web: www.sandsrestaurant.co.uk
• The first Lebanese restaurant in Bristol, Sands is doing a fabulous job of introducing and converting us all to their own version of eastern cuisine. Enter the Georgian building through the outdoor terrace with heaters - ideal for pre-dinner olive-nibbling while mulling over the vast menu. Inside, nooks and crannies offer different rooms, providing privacy for intimate diners and plenty of space for larger parties. Said Venue’s reviewer: ‘Once the mezze was spread out, we began ripping at the flatbread and mopping samples of parsley-rich tabouleh, smooth and smoky baba ghanouge and grainy pungent sujiq sausages - the latter’s authenticity particularly pleasing. I was very impressed by lakan bil ajine, a flatbread spread with finely shredded lamb drenched in lemon juice, as well as the foulmedamas, a hot broad bean stew that was exactly what I’d been hoping for.’ Set menus, too - Arabian night (last Thur of the month) is fantastically popular (3 £16.95pp), with resident belly dancer and, if you fancy it, a luxurious smoke of the shisha pipe, served in the garden. Price ALC: £3.95-£5.75/£11.95-£16.95/£3.95. Set mezze: lunch £7.95-£9.95pp (min 2 people), dinner £17.95-£18.95pp (min 2 people) Wine list HW £12.95 btl, £3.95 gls Open Daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-11pm. Call ahead for details of disabled access. Private parties up to 100 welcome.
SHIRAZ PERSIAN
275 Hotwell Rd, BS8 4SF Tel: 0117 925 5668 web: www.shirazrestaurantbristol.com
• A buzzing, ethnic, understated ambience and authentic menu at this family-run restaurant. Venue called it a ‘gem of a place where quality, distinctiveness and value for money miraculously coexist’. Fillet of lamb, juicy steaks and fresh fish are served with rice and fresh salads, with many ingredients locally sourced. The proprietor, with several other ventures in Bristol, brings oodles of experience and takes time to talk you through the menu and answer any questions – a great place for Persian food newbies. Often busy, but the service doesn’t suffer, and there are belly dancers, live music and a shisha pipe, too. ‘Friendly hospitality in smart surroundings, and the delicious discovery of Persian cuisine.’ Price ALC: £2.95-£4.25/£7.95-£13.50/£3.60-£4.10 Wine list Good selection of reds & whites. HW £14.95 btl, £3.65 gls Open Mon-Thur 6-10pm, Fri-Sat 6-10.30pm, Sun 4-10pm. No disabled access. Takeaway 10% discount. Parties catered for – call in adv.
SOUK KITCHEN
277 North St, Southville, BS3 1JP Tel: 0117 966 6880, web: www.soukkitchen.co.uk
• See Global.
Bath
ARABESQUE
Podium Shopping Centre, Northgate St, BA1 5AL Tel: 01225 481333, web: www.arabesquebath.co.uk
• Imaginative, atmospheric decor creates a clever bit of theatre in the sort of setting that doesn’t usually inspire drama (above a supermarket in a shopping centre). Authentic Lebanese menus offer a substantial selection of Lebanese classics: lahem meshwi, samaka harra, mixed grill (smoky meat/fish dishes and plenty of plump, chargrilled vegetables). Lunchtime’s fixed-price, unlimited, serve-yourself buffet brings hotplates piled high with selections from the main menu: hummus, falafel, very fresh herb-infused salads (inc an excellent tabouleh-based selection), garlicky chicken wings, succulent meatballs, hot savoury pastries, chubby little Armenian sausages, perfectly moist stuffed vine leaves. Friendly waiters are on hand to help you make the most of the ‘Middle Eastern Tapas’ spread. Price ALC: mezze from £3.95/£8.95-£11.95/£2.50-£3. Serve-yourself, all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet (12noon-3pm): £6.95. SD: full mezze range (veggie/non-veggie) from £15.95pp (min 2 people) Wine list HW approx £12 btl Open Sun-Thur 12noon-3pm, Fri-Sat 12noon-10pm. Good disabled access, with toilet & lifts. Not suitable for very large parties.
CAFE DU GLOBE
1a North Parade, BA1 1LF Tel: 01225 466437, web: www.cafeduglobe.co.uk
• This cheery little caff (with pavement seating out front) morphs into a candlelit Moroccan bistro come evening. Daytime menus bring coffee, light lunches, afternoon tea and mainly shoppers’ fare (pizza, pasta, omelettes, wraps, big salads, toasted sandwiches). Evenings are largely given over to Moroccan classics (mezze, tagines, couscous), reflecting the owner’s Casablanca roots. Kids get their own set menu, and the basement bazaar gives you the opportunity to create your own Arabian Nights film-set at home. Price ALC: £5-£8/£10.50-£16/£4.85-£5.25. SL (11.30am-3.30pm): 2 £10.95. SD: 2 (Mon-Fri 5-6.30pm) £15.50 & gls wine, 2 (6.30pm-close, excl Sat) £19.95 Wine list HW approx £15 btl Open Daily 10am-10.30pm. Disabled access. Parties welcome - call in adv. |
