Spike Island Cafe - Bristol Food Review
Posted on: 2016-09-21
Our rating:
Spike Island Cafe simply must be on your list of lunchtime destinations. One of the easiest '5 stars' I’ve awarded in a long time.
Lunch in Bristol? We’re spoilt for choice. We have so many great cafes, restaurants, food trucks - you name it. Food comes in all shapes and sizes and to fit all needs and budgets. But have you ever thought of eating at a contemporary art studio and gallery? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that, unless you’re already a fan of the excellent Spike Island, then no.
Spike Island itself - set just a stone’s throw from the SS Great Britain - is an internationally renowned centre for the production and presentation of contemporary art and design. It houses a gallery and a host of working spaces for artists, designers and creative businesses. It is also a vibrant hub for debate offering the chance for the audience and visitors to engage directly with artists and creative process through participation and discussion.
As wonderful as Spike Island is, this is very much a food review. Cleverly named Spike Island Cafe, had you not visited previously you would be forgiven for assuming that it would offer at best some good sandwiches, a packet of quality crisps and maybe a lemon San Pellegrino. Classic offerings for a cafe tacked on to feed the visitors to the main attraction. I am happy to tell you that you could not be more wrong...
Entering the rather unassuming Spike Island building you don’t get much of a feel for what’s in store. The cafe itself is very nicely appointed but still by no means elegant or fancy – it is welcoming, functional, light and airy, spotlessly clean and a perfectly pleasant place to take a seat with friends or for an informal meeting. Run by the guys from the excellent Folk House Cafe on Park Street, this place really centres itself around quality, local ingredients prepared with the minimum of fuss and served in a way that makes them shine.
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We sat down and ordered a couple of drinks before deciding upon a shared side of patatas bravas and what could be crudely described as ‘mushroom pate with toast’ and ‘falafel with flatbread’. I say ‘crude’ because what arrived in front of two staunch carnivores were two dishes that for half an hour made us completely forget the wonders of what can be done with a good cut of meat.
The mushroom pate was earthy and robust in flavour yet had a lightness to it, meaning we could still tuck in to the superb patatas bravas. It came with a great chutney and the toast was there as a very welcome vehicle. The portion was far more than you would expect from a traditional meat-based pate but the ease with which it can be devoured means you’ll happily clear your plate in no time.
As for the falafel...I once spent a summer working at great independent wrap and deli outlet that produced the best falafel I have ever tasted. Nothing has come close in the years that have followed but I thought I would give them a try regardless. This blew my old stomping ground right out of the water. The flatbread was just the right side of chewy, rather than crisp like pita bread, and the hummus proved a mellow bedfellow for the huge, coriander-rich falafel quenelles. Roasted peppers and a cool yogurt dressing added sparks to the dish, which was finished off with a garnish-come-salad of coriander. It’s this sort of dish that makes me think I could probably hack it as a vegetarian. Maybe. For a month. OK, a week.
The patatas bravas, though ordered as a side, could have been a lunch on their own. We even double checked that this portion size was actually intended as a side dish. Fluffy potatoes with a crisp coating on a bed of rich tomato sauce and topped with aioli. I’ll be back for those alone.
Spike Island Cafe is very much a destination in its own right. The main building is world renowned and the sum of the two parts is something to behold. Spike Island Cafe simply must be on your list of lunchtime destinations. One of the easiest '5 stars' I’ve awarded in a long time.
For more info please head to Spikeislandcafe.co.uk or keep up to date via Facebook. Address: 133 Cumberland Rd, Spike Island, Bristol, BS1 6UX. You can also visit www.spikeisland.org.uk for all the details on the great events they have going on next door.
Article by:
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.
