Wednesday 16 December 2015

Bellita, Bristol restaurant review


It’s pretty early to have decided on my New Year’s resolution for 2016. But, my mind is made up.

I’m not going to lose half a stone or run a 10k - I’m going to eat more food at restaurants in Bristol.

The number of places I want to visit in Brizzle is now so out of control that it’s time to take action.

A couple of weeks ago, I managed to tick Bellita of the list.

The recently opened younger sibling of the legendary Bell’s Diner serves a menu of small plates inspired by Spain and North Africa amongst other influences.


Huge meaty gordal olives (£3) and a pair of cockle warming aperitifs kicked us off. 

 
In each drink, the punch of booze was tempered by the presence of a homemade fruit syrup - The Bellita (£6) with Chase Seville orange gin and raspberry, thyme and black pepper cordial and The Greengage and Irish (£5) with whiskey and greengage and ginger syrup. 

 
Golden potato and parmesan fritters (£3) were filled with a supremely light and smooth potato filling and topped with shavings of savoury cheese. 


Artichoke, chicory, pear and manchego salad (£6.50) was flecked with crisp almonds. The top drawer ingredients were however muted by the overpowering flavour of truffle oil. 


Golden mackerel fillets (£6.50) were topped with shavings of warming horseradish. They were accompanied by a dill fragranced slaw which balanced the richness of the oily fish. 


A delightfully smokey flame-licked chicken pincho (£6) was accompanied by an awesome duo - spicy harissa and soothing yoghurt. 


Rolled lamb breast (£10) was the standout of the evening - crisp, fatty, deep-flavoured lamb was paired with cavalo nero coated in immensely savoury anchovy butter. I licked the plate clean. 


Next up was a pretty dish of pork cheeks (£12) served with the aromatic funk of wild fungi, fragrant deep-fried sage leaves, silky cauliflower puree and a sticky, meaty pedro ximinez sauce. The only minor drawback was the meat itself which lacked a little in tenderness. 


Cubes of fried potato (£2.50) were hyper crisp, hyper fluffy and hyper delicious. They were joined by potent aioli and herby mojo verde sauce.


For dessert, a scoop of creamy homemade ice cream (£2.50) skilfully balanced the intense flavours of rosewater and cardamom. 


A slice of rich and gooey chocolate torte (£6.50) was paired with salted caramel sauce and a dollop of mascarpone. 


Dinner at Bellita was lovely - it’s exactly the kind of place where I could while away an evening boozing and snacking. Here's to a lot more Bristol eating in 2016. 

The Details:

Address - Bellita, 34 Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6LA
Web - 
bellita.co.uk
Telephone - (0117) 923 8755

Bellita Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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