The Steam Crane in Bedminster for Sunday Lunch

Posted on: 2014-04-25

Our rating:

The Steam Crane's is not just one of the best roasts I've had in a long time, but one of the best meals full stop. We liked it so much that we have already made plans to return with friends. I strongly suggest you do the same


 

I’m not the sort of person who raves about salad. It’s essential on a fish finger sandwich, obviously, and you can’t go wrong with a chicken Caesar salad, but in general, it’s pretty much a pointless addition that gets pushed to the side of the plate and end up staying there. However, The Steam Crane may have converted me. Whilst it wasn’t the star of the dish, the salad that came with our starter was really, genuinely interesting. We ate all of it. Every last bit. 

But salad aside (or not) let’s discuss the other key elements; red wine poached pears and a Perl Las blue cheese mousse. The mousse was feather-light without being insipid, and the pears were wonderfully spiced. Red wine pears and blue cheese is a classic combination, and this starter showed a skilled touch in making this old favourite into something light and modern. We also had a portion of the Harts’ sourdough. We love Harts bread and it’s always a treat to find it on a menu. 

For our main courses, I chose the beef (Topside of Underwood Farm beef) and Simon chose the butternut squash, red onion and goats’ cheese pie. 

The pastry on the pie was fantastic; crisp and flavourful. The filling was excellent too, again a classic combination really well executed. I must also point out that at £7.50 this dish is an absolute bargain! What value for money! The pie was served with a red wine syrup. It was sweet and sticky and was really delicious with the deeply savoury pie. 

I really love my roast beef rare, so I very rarely order it for a Sunday roast, as in so many places it is medium-well or well done, and that just spoils it for me. However something told me that it was worth giving it a go at the Steam Crane, and I am so glad I did. There was some brilliant rose pink beef, but within the very generous portion there was also some that was more medium-rare and it was, in fact, equally delicious. The beef came with a Yorkshire pudding which was ok, but a little dry for my taste. The flavour was nice, but a few minutes less in the oven would have made it better. 

The beef also came with plenty of duck-fat roast potatoes (as after checking that Simon wasn’t veggie, his meal came with a couple too) which is always a bonus. They were the archetypal perfect roastie; crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. They soaked up the delicious gravy a treat. 

Both dishes were accompanied by greens and carrot puree. If I’d have been given an entire bowl of the carrot puree I’d have been delighted; it was really fantastic. So much so that after we’d finished, I was eating every last scrape trying to work out what the other ingredients were… (I’ll keep our conclusions secret, because I’d love you to go and try it and see what you come up with!)

Despite the generous portions, we bravely managed to try some puddings; tiramisu for Simon, and the white chocolate and ginger cheesecake for me. It’s unusual for white chocolate things to actually taste of white chocolate. It’s usually more like some faintly waxy vanilla, but I’m happy to report that this isn’t the case at The Steam Crane. The cheesecake immediately delivered a rich chocolatey flavour, and the velvety texture gives way to the sweet gingery crunch from the base. The cheesecake is served with a dollop of beautifully tart pink rhubarb compote. I really enjoyed this cheesecake, but if I had a wish, it would be to have had a little less sugar throughout, and more ginger in the base. My taste in puddings does tend to lean more towards the bitter or sour end of the spectrum though, so if you love sweetness, this dessert would be right up your street. 

Simon had the tiramisu which I thought was also excellent. Again, I would have liked a little less sugar in it, but Simon thought it was spot on. 

 

 

 

 

365Bristol's summary of The Steam Crane

I think the key thing that sets The Steam Crane apart from other pubs is the attention to detail, not just in the food, but in the pub as a whole. I noticed so many thoughtful touches; the eclectic mix of chairs that (appear to) have been reupholstered in complimentary jewel-tones velvets so that the effect of the décor is vintage but clean and unified, the scrubbed clean table tops don’t have the sticky patina of geriatric varnish, and the ubiquitous animal heads been given a stylish twist by being stylised metal instead,  

I must admit that we are somewhat spoilt for excellent roasts where I live in North Bristol, so we joked about going “all the way” to Bedminster for a roast, but I am so glad that we did. The Steam Crane’s is not just one of the best roasts I’ve had in a long time, but one of the best meals full stop. We liked it so much that we have already made plans to return with friends. I strongly suggest you do the same! 

5/5

Reviewed by Sarah Millington for 365Bristol



Article by:

James Anderson

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.