Review; The Jetty at Bristol Harbour Hotel

Earlier this month I got invited to go and try the new A la Carte menu at The Jetty restaurant at Bristol Harbour Hotel on Corn Street.

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you may of seen that I visited The Jetty last year for Sunday lunch (post here) and loved it and twice to the hotels spa. Fast forward a year and I’m back to sample their new summer menu. 

As the name suggests, The Jetty mainly focus on fresh seafood dishes but obviously throw in non fish offerings too. But as a lover of fish, I was a happy girl.

Settling in to our high backed sofa booth, my daughter and I enjoyed an Aperol Spritz whilst we waited for our food. 

First course of the night was the monkfish cheeks with tomato kasundi. A generous portion of two cheeks, with beautifully crisp batter on the outside, which gave way to it’s brilliantly white and flaky interior and not forgetting the punchy, rich kasundi for dipping. This particular kasundi was much thinner and paler than I’ve tried elsewhere but still delivered a wonderful mustardy punch in flavour. 

Now usually I’d always gravitate towards the fish course for my main but once I saw grilled lamb rump on the menu, I couldn’t focus on anything else. 

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Melt in the mouth lamb accompanied with courgettes and basil and smoked almonds. The sauce was rich and full of flavour from the black garlic. Perfect for mopping up with my side of chunky chips. 

Feeling the effect from such rich dishes, I sat and debated about having a dessert but let’s face it, who am I kidding here? There’s always room for dessert! 

The Jetty ice cream sandwich was a beast. Two chocolate cookies encompassed a peanut butter ice cream which I could of eaten by the bucket load. Topped with a rich chocolate ganache, it finished me before I could finish it! Sadly, I couldn’t taste the coffee element that was promised in its description but it wasn’t needed. 

Even though we visited mid week, the restaurant was full to capacity with a private function which meant we had to wait 10 minutes to be seated and a further 40 minute wait between our first and second course. Although the waiting staff were highly attentive, I did feel this let our meal down slightly. 

The Jetty offer a wide variety of dishes including a specials board and early bird courses for a great price. For more info, do check out the site by clicking through the links x

** Disclaimer**

All elements of this visit was offered on a complimentary basis and all views are my own. The Jetty have not seen this review prior to publishing.

Happy Bird Bristol

Last week I was kindly invited to attend the pre opening launch of Happy Bird, Clifton Down’s newest offering. This chicken restaurant prides itself on using only the finest and freshest of ingredients, whilst being incredibly healthy, it still feels a little naughty! The restaurant itself has that on trend urban/faux industrial feel but with the addition of clean stark walls and neon lighting. Very American diner circa ‘86

I started the evening with a much needed cocktail. Punchy, summer flavours from this rum punch was just what  I needed after a day at work. 

We took our seats to ready ourselves for the first round of dishes for tasting. Two beautiful crunchy salads, topped with grilled chicken and halloumi. These were definitely the more healthy option, full of kale, baby leaves and cherry tomatoes. And a portion of honey and chilli glazed chicken wings that were super sticky and tasty although in my personal preference, I do prefer my wings to be a little more cooked and crispy. 

Feeling a bit too healthy and ‘veggie’, I was craving a decent bit of chicken. Afterall, this is what I came for. Then I spotted the trays of food and I couldn’t be happier! 

With individual trays loaded with the best part of the entire menu, we chomped our way through chicken tenders, a portion of skin on dirty fries (light cheese sauce and fresh chillis), a small bowl of spicy rice, a super plump and crunchy drumstick, housemade dipping sauces and a buttermilk fried chicken thigh burger. Nice!! So let’s talk about this chicken. It’s clear from first bite that this isn’t your usual cheap, low quality chicken you’d find in your local fast food chains. The chickens used are free roaming, fed on corn and herbs and are grown for longer, resulting in the most superb meat, both moist and flavoursome. And Happy Bird have really mastered that herb/spice/crunch combo that we know and love. I’d say that the menu was a little out of my price range for what you get (around £10 for a chicken burger and fries) but if quality is what you’re after, then look no further. Burgers- both fried or grilled, could also be pimped up with added extras such as bacon, cheese or avocado etc...and with 10 homemade sauces to choose from, you can really create your own unique burger. Prices around £1-£1.50 for added extras.

We finished our meal with an off menu exclusive- the chicken salt-ed caramel milkshake. Yep, you read that right. Flavoured with ground, salted chicken skin, this was a milkshake like no other! Very rich and a little ‘meaty’ with vanilla notes. 

You can find Happy Bird on Whiteladies Road, right by the Clifton Down Shopping Center entrance, offering both dine in and take away options.