The Gloucester Old Spot in Bristol - Food Review
Posted on: 2015-08-18
Our rating:
There is not one criticism I could make of this dish, or one way in which I think it could be improved. It was a perfect, summery dish full of flavour reminiscent of sunshiny Mediterranean eating. I loved it.
This year has already been a brilliant one for The Gloucester Old Spot, having won ‘Best Pub Food’ at the Bristol Good Food Awards against some very stiff competition. This accolade is especially impressive considering the fact that they only opened in September 2014. The Gloucester Old Spot’s interior is bright, airy and modern and it has a wonderful pub garden.
The Gloucester Old Spot’s menu is reassuringly simple and concise. It is grouped into categories such as salads, burgers and mains meaning that there are lots of variations and possible combinations.
After we’d ordered, we were given an extra treat of a black pudding fritter (although it was given a much more elegant name that I cannot remember!) topped with pineapple chutney. I’m not usually a big fan of black pudding, but this was superb. Served warm, the crust was perfectly crisp, with a soft and delicate inside. The chutney really complimented the black pudding’s richness.
To start I chose the goats cheese and honey mousse which is served with apple and celery salad, candied pecans and ciabatta. Simon had the Pulled Ham Hock, which is served with ciabatta and apple and cider chutney. The ham hock was very tasty and delicately spiced. It was served in a pot on top of dressed salad, with toasted ciabatta on the side. It was really delicious but the one thing that would have been great with this dish would have been some chutney. We didn’t realise at the time but there’s chutney in the menu description, but we didn’t get any. (Editor : A Chutney Check will now be carried out on all dishes per Amy at The Gloucester Old Spot!) The goats cheese mousse starter was flawless; it was a completely balanced dish. The celery and apple salad’s clarity of flavour was really excellent. In the spirit of true disclosure, I feel I must admit the fact that I liked it so much that I was eating the mousse from my knife when I’d finished all the ciabatta…
For my main course I chose the fillet of black bream, served with crushed new potatoes, spring greens, grilled courgette ribbons and a warm gazpacho sauce. For the second course in a row, this was a perfect dish. There is not one criticism I could make of this dish, or one way in which I think it could be improved. It was a perfect, summery dish full of flavour reminiscent of sunshiny Mediterranean eating. I loved it.
Simon chose the delicious pork, apple and ginger burger, and added a garlic Portobello mushroom form the ‘Beef Up Your Burger’ selection. He said that the ginger added a really unusual and interesting flavour. All the burgers come with skin-on fries as standard, and Simon chose to upgrade to the sweet potato fries for £1. They were really great; just the right amount of crunch and squish. The burger, fries and coleslaw was a really great portion too. Definitely enough to satisfy a big appetite!
After a brief deliberation of whether we had room for pudding, we thought that based on the quality of other things we’d tried that we couldn’t risk missing out, so I decided to go for the chocolate brownie, and Simon had the citrus pot. The brownie was served warm, so it had quite a cakey texture. Personally, I prefer a slightly fudgier texture, but it was very tasty. I enjoyed the clotted cream ice cream that came with it. A flake had been crumbled over the top, which I really liked; it was nice to have additional textures. The citrus pot was a definite winner in the desert department though, and I will confess to convincing Simon to swap with me so I could try both. I loved the lemony layer; posset is one of my favourite puddings, and I enjoyed the (buttery) biscuit base in the bottom of the pot, and the cream and berries on top.
We absolutely loved our meal at The Gloucester Old Spot, and I heartily recommend it. If you’re at all wavering in whether you’d like to give it a try, there’s one more thing you need to know; they have a home-made ‘Sausage of the Week’! If that’s not a challenge to go every week and try them all, I don’t know what is.
5/5
Reviewed by Sarah Millington for 365Bristol - the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol
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.
