Bristol food review - Spoke and Stringer on the Harbourside scores 5 out of 5

Posted on: 2015-05-21

Our rating:

Every plate was colourful and pleasing to the eye and palate, bringing Bristol another option for those looking for a great range of culinary delights. Spoke and Stringer are sure to be popular when those summer days begin to emerge.


 

The first of the long abandoned harbourside coves next to the Brigstow Lounge Café has finally been vacated, playing host to a surf/bike shop and café called Spoke and Stringer, run by owner Kristian Crews and his talented chefs Ewan and Kaas.

Spoke and Stringer, The Boathouse, Unit 1, Lime Kiln Road, Bristol, BS1 5AD

Spoke and Stringer first emerged in December 2014 as a pop-up in Kingsdown, serving healthy burgers which used lighter ingredients (such as crème fraiche and grilled meats) alongside pintxos dishes. Pintxos being the Basque country equivalent to tapas. However in their new permanent residence, Spoke and Stringer have dropped the burgers and upped the pintxos element. Serving dishes made to order which include different meats, vegetables and fish options based on Kristian’s travels around the world. You can choose from their menus "Pintxos made to Order" and "Pintxos from the Bar".

The venue couldn’t be in a more picturesque spot. With plenty of room outdoors for alfresco dining, Spoke and Stringer are positioned right next to the water where several canal boats are docked. Some customers simply grab a glass of wine and sit on the edge of the water looking over the floating harbour. Others, who are staying for the full works, perch at one of the chequered cloth covered tables just behind. We fell into the latter category on this occasion.

Inside, there is an open kitchen facing you as you walk in where you can see the chefs cooking up all the pintxos dishes. Further tables are positioned in the narrow but long space next to the kitchen, several placed right next to the open doors so you can look outside but stay a little warmer. The desserts listed on the menu are visible through glass cabinets and the cold pintxos dishes are held together by knotted skewers which rest on black slates for you to choose from. Though you keep the used skewers in a glass on your table so they can be counted up at the end for the bill.

We started with the three cold pintxos options which were available that sunny Wednesday evening. They included, roasted tomato, capers, parsley and marinated anchovy on a thin slice of bread; fig stuffed with Serrano ham, feta, pine nuts on a bed of lemon and honey dressed salad and a quiche textured option with a little salad and tomato pinned on top. These pintxos dishes I would liken to sophisticated finger food, the perfectly compiled parcels made up of locally sourced ingredients which are devourable in a couple of bites but are still mighty tasty. All skewers are £2 each.

Pintxos at Spoke and Stringer in Bristol - Tel. 07950 196954

After a short wait, the highly anticipated hot pintxos dishes arrived. Our five chosen options comprised of seared beef with roasted pepper and salsa verde (£4.50), grilled chestnut mushroom with blue cheese sauce and walnuts and date jam (£3.50), marinated pork skewers with a cumin and lime dip (£3.75), scallops served with shallots in a chilli and ginger Thai sauce (2 for £5) and finally, patatas bravas in a tomato sauce with aioli (£3.25).

Food cooked to order with locally sourced produce at Spoke and Stringer in Bristol

Surprisingly our five choices were not served in separate bowls like you would find in other tapas bars, rather they were plated up on two black slates, one for the meats and mushroom pintxos and the other for the scallops and patatas bravas. I really liked this choice of food presentation. It allowed us to mix and match the different foods more easily, whipping out our knives and forks before we navigated around each other and picked at different things. 

The food in a nutshell, was sublime. The beef was incredibly tender with a touch of pink in the middle, the salsa verde which accompanied it, exciting the palate with its fresh and tangy taste. The sweet date jam which came with the chestnut mushrooms was truly exquisite. The scallops, I was feeling a little apprehensive about as I’ve never really been a big fish fan but Spoke and Stringer won me over. At first taste, I was pleased to find the scallops had a very subtle flavour, the distinct ‘fishy’ taste which I often detest, replaced with the perfect combination of ginger and chilli which completely made the dish. It was also great to see so much green on the plate, although it may have been a tad overdressed.

Of course, we couldn’t stop there. After seeing the pudding selection at the bar, we knew we had to try a couple so we (finally) settled on the carrot and walnut cake (£4.25) and the pistachio and elderflower cake (4.25) which was gluten free. Both arrived with a sculpted mound of thickened cream with a handful of blueberries and raspberries layered on top. Though both went down a treat, the carrot and walnut cake had to be my favourite, it wasn’t too sweet and the moistness of the cake and the consistency of the butter icing was spot on. The elderflower cake was dryer, with a slightly crunchy texture but just as flavoursome. 

Carrot and Walnut Cake at Spoke and Stringer in Bristol

After finishing our meals, I got chatting to Kristian about the menu who explained that he wanted Spoke and Stringer to compliment a healthy diet without going overboard, bringing the Basque bar food culture over to Bristol. I feel he has done this remarkably well. Though we ate a fair amount, it was great to divulge in a menu which left us satisfied without that heavy, gluttonous feeling. Every plate was colourful and pleasing to the eye and palate, bringing Bristol another option for those looking for a great range of culinary delights.

Spoke and Stringer are sure to be popular when those summer days begin to emerge.

4.5/5

Review by Grace Fox for 365Bristol

Spoke & Stringer

The Boat House, Unit 1, Lime Kiln Road, Bristol, BS1 5AD

Tel: 07950 196954

Web: www.spokeandstringer.com

Email: info@spokeandstringer.com



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.