Reviews

The Ashton in Bristol - Food Review

Posted on: 2015-07-24

While drinks are important and the new bar is impressive, the primary impetus for luring punters in now, however, is the menu, which includes a good range of slightly more upmarket dishes as well as traditional, comforting favourites.

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The Ashton in Bristol has been miraculously transformed from a burned out husk to a truly luxurious pub restaurant, dishing up plates of fine food for the city's gastronauts in a beautiful countryside location.

Its previous incarnation, The Dovecote, was sadly destroyed by fire last year, but restaurant chain and new owners Mitchells & Butlers have seized the opportunity to rebuild it into something truly sophisticated and stunning. The pub dates back to the 17th century and over the years has taken on a variety of monikers, from its earliest manifestation The Coach and Horses, to The Smyth Arms and then The Dovecote.

Its wonderful, picturesque locale on the outskirts of the Ashton Court estate will always hold a particularly special place in my occasionally sentimental heart, having remembered many a fine Saturday afternoon when it was The Smyth Arms with my family tucking into burger and chips in a basket, drinking glasses of Cola and taking in its surrounding bucolic beauty.

But my recent sojourn to The Ashton was this time inspired by somewhere new to head to celebrate my mum's birthday. We were immediately struck by the sensational new make-over, the character which has generally been kept but the exterior and interior which have been totally redesigned.

It's a massive space, light and airy thanks to its open plan style and decorated with a tiled floor, ginormous wine cabinets, comfy stools and gargantuan windows which afford a stunning view of the rural backdrop beyond. There's even a nod to its origins with an antlered deer skull positioned above the fireplace. And even though it's only a stone's throw from the city centre, The Ashton feels like you're slap-bang in the verdant splendor of the countryside.

There's plenty for beer aficionados to enjoy with a fine selection of beers in the form of St Austell Tribute, Doom Bar and Butcombe Bitter, while cider fiends can plunge into the heady fermented apple pleasures of Orchard Pig in bottles, and Mortimer and Aspall on draught.  

While drinks are important and the new bar is impressive, the primary impetus for luring punters in now, however, is the menu, which includes a good range of slightly more upmarket dishes as well as traditional, comforting favourites such as sharing platters, pizzas, burgers, cod and chips and steaks.

My mum went for the slow-cooked pork belly and seared scallops with sticky ginger beer glaze, crackling, black pudding, mashed potato, green beans and apple & vanilla ketchup (£18.25), which was a consummately executed dish with melt-in-the-mouth pork belly and impeccably cooked scallops. My brother went for the smoked beetroot and cranberry couscous salad with roasted squash, candied pistachios and feta with two thick, juicy slabs of chicken (£12.95), a dish of vibrant, kaleidoscopic colours and seemingly disparate but complementing flavours.

Ever the traditionalists - and also being partial to a proper burger - dad and I plumped for the homemade West Country beef burger topped with lettuce, tomato, red onion,gherkin, mustard mayonnaise, smoked Irish Cheddar with relish and a small silver pale of fries (£10.95). The home-made burger was faultless, expertly cooked, tender and juicy, while the thin, lightly-salted fries were crispy strips of potato perfection.

Though its predecessor suffered a terrible fate, out of bad circumstances often good things materialise. The Ashton is a classy venue, upmarket but not alienating, buzzy and unpretentious and packed with oodles of wow factor in terms of its new look, its location and its food and drink.

 

4.5/5

Reviewed by Jamie Caddick for 365 Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol

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