Steak of the Art - Bristol Food Review
Posted on: 2017-02-22
Our rating:
The most chic and quirky steak restaurant in town
Situated on the pretty Bristol Harbourside, within short walking distance of wonderful views, if you’re spending a day in this part of town you’ll want to add Steak of the Art to your list of places to go to.
I was pleasantly surprised by the chic, quirky interior of the restaurant, as it’s not what I expected of a steak restaurant. It has a side of glamour to it, but not in a way that makes you feel you have to dress up to the nines. A friend and I were seated in a fascinating Alice in Wonderland themed booth that was surrounded by a huge wooden carving of the characters coming out of the walls. Unusual but it left us in awe!
Comfortable and cosy in our little booth we ordered garlic & chilli tiger prawns to start (£6) as well as a plate of smoked sausage, chorizo and ciabatta (£6). They were both very big portions, especially if they were just going to be for one person each but between two people it was more than enough. We couldn’t fault the taste at all. The prawns were big, juicy and coated in a huge puddle of sweet chilli sauce which (luckily for me) wasn’t spicy at all. We were slightly disappointed with the presentation of the prawns because they were just put on a plate, with no flair or attention to detail. But the taste made up for this, and the other starter of spicy chorizo and smoked sausage was flavoursome and filling thanks to the bread that was underneath. The barbecue flavour really came through and worked so well with the slight spice of the chorizo.
As you’d expect there’s a good range of steaks on offer (and there are also other non-steak options like risotto, salads and chicken) but as there were two of us we ordered the sharing Chateaubriand board. It consists of a fillet of succulent steak, smoked tomatoes, mushrooms, choice of chips (sweet potato fries are a little bit extra) and Béarnaise sauce. It’s presented beautifully on a board with garnish on the side and as soon as we tucked into the steak we were blown away. It was so succulent and almost as soft as butter; absolute perfection. It wasn’t bland either, it had lots of flavour and paired well with the classic tangy Béarnaise sauce. The hand-cut chips were thick and chunky but could have been crisper, and the sweet potato fries were fantastically moreish. Although it really was a beautiful steak meal, it’s a little steep at £46. Even though you could split the price with your dining partner, the price itself doesn’t reflect the portion size of the steak in particular as it was just one fillet and would have been more worth the price if there was more steak on the board.
The chocolatey dessert that we both went for was out of this world and something I would go back to the restaurant to order! It was chocolate mousse on a peanut biscuit base with praline and a dollop of ice cream (£5.50). I wish I could have eaten it all but I was so full I had to stare sadly at the half I left behind. The dark chocolate mousse was very rich and the slice of praline was a nice variation of texture between its crunchiness and the softness of the rest of the dessert. The ice cream was superb all on its own.
Okay so some of the prices might be a little on the steep side but for the taste of the food, the atmosphere and the lovely friendly service it’s more than worth a visit for a fun night out with friends who will all leave with satisfied stomachs.
Atmosphere 4
Value 4
Food 5
Service 5
Address: Unit 1 Balmoral House Cathedral Walk Bristol BS1 5LW. Check out Steak of the Art's website here and find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Article by:
Born in Bath, Safia has lived on the outskirts of the city her whole life and is the Editor of 365bath.com. After studying journalism in Bristol she now spends a lot of her time searching for new foodie delights in both cities and finding new things to do. You're most likely to find her sipping a soya latte in a lovely little independent cafe!
