Nettle and Rye - Bristol Food Review

Posted on: 2017-02-10

Our rating:

With dinner prices starting at just £20 for three courses, Nettle and Rye offers absolutely brilliant value for money. The quality of the ingredients, and the inventiveness and skill of the chefs was apparent in each and every aspect of what we ate.


When I found out that Nettle and Rye’s restaurant’s menu is based on tasting menus, my interest was instantly piqued. It’s a bold move that shows you’ve got great trust in the skills of your team. There are menus for Carnivores, Pescatarians and Vegetarians which have some dishes in common. They also all contain fresh and foraged produce sourced locally, as well as meat and seafood.

Nettle and Rye - Bristol Food Review

Nettle and Rye’s restaurant is upstairs, and felt very cosy and welcoming on a dreary February evening. With lots of candles and gentle lighting, the room felt comfortable and relaxing. The staff are efficient and calm, and just the right amount of attentive.

 

The tasting menu gives a lot of flexibility based on your appetite, so you can go for three, five or seven courses. Everything sounded appealing, so we asked the waitress to put our food decisions in the hands of the chef.

Nettle and Rye - Bristol

Our first taster was a cauliflower soup, served with dill oil and raspberry vinegar. I loved the contrast of the sharp but sweet vinegar, and the creamy richness of the soup. I was surprised at the intensity and complexity of the flavour. This is cauliflower elevated to its peak and I could certainly have eaten a bowlful and marvelled at every spoonful! Accompanying the soup, we had two breads. Both were nice, but I particularly enjoyed the dark bread; its flavour was really fruity and fragrant, perfectly complimenting the earthiness of the soup.

 

Our next course was ‘Beetroot, Smoked Ricotta, Hazelnut Milk, Kale Pesto’. I loved the textures and flavours, and eating it felt genuinely fascinating as we tried each component alone, and in different combinations. Like with the soup, there was an earthy, foresty richness, but also fragrance and acidity from the wafer thin pickled beetroot. The smoked ricotta was both familiar and unusual, and was reminiscent of truffles.

Nettle and Rye - Food Review

Next up was ‘Scallops, Smoked Onion and Sea Herbs’. The three dainty scallops were expertly cooked, perfectly showcasing their texture and sweetness. The fried herbs added crunch to the dish, and the sweetness of the smoked onions complimented this beautifully. This dish felt wonderfully fresh and light which worked so well after two earthier courses.

 

Our next course was ‘Lamb Rump, Salsify, Soy, Sesame, Sweet and Sour Shallot, Mint’. Served rose-red, the lamb was superbly tender, and the quality of the meat was evident. The salsify was a wonderful accompaniment to the lamb. Its flavour was immediately nostalgic and comforting; think of coming home to lamb stew after a brisk winter’s walk. The portion size was perfect given the fact this was our third course, plus we’d had bread and soup.

Nettle and Rye

Next, it was time for a palate cleanser of ‘Yuzu G&T Sorbet’. I was a bit wary of this as I’m not really a gin fan, but I am so glad that I tried it. Yuzu is a citrus fruit that looks a little like a very knobbly lemon. It tastes very floral, which is why it pairs so well with gin. Imagine that you can taste the smell of walking into a beautiful, relaxing spa; very subtle, but moreish and intoxicating. Every mouthful invited consideration and wonder!

 

Our final course was ‘Stout, Jerusalem Artichoke, Honey, Chamomile’. This consisted of chamomile mousse, stout ice-cream, honeycomb and Jerusalem artichoke crisps. The chamomile mousse’s creaminess was lovely, as was its flavour, but I found the unusual texture a little distracting. As much as I love Jerusalem artichokes, they are resolutely a savoury ingredient for me, and I tried a crisp, but I did not enjoy it with the other flavours. I absolutely loved the stout ice-cream and the honeycomb. They worked brilliantly together.

Nettle and Rye in Bristol

With dinner prices starting at just £20 for three courses, Nettle and Rye offers absolutely brilliant value for money. The quality of the ingredients, and the inventiveness and skill of the chefs was apparent in each and every aspect of what we ate. Every plate looked beautiful, and despite us being familiar with all of the ingredients (except yuzu!) not one of the dishes was predictable or ordinary.

 

Food: 5

Atmosphere: 4

Service: 4

Value: 5

 

For more info on Nettle & Rye please visit nettleandrye.co.uk and keep up to date via Facebook and Twitter. Address: 16 King's Rd, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4AB.

Nettle & Rye



Article by:

Sarah Starling

Sarah is a writer and blogger, as well as running workshops and teaching. Her passions are food and travel, and you can follow her on Instagram at YesStarling and find her website at www.yesstarling.com .