Reviews

Zero Degrees on Colston Street in Bristol - Review

Posted on: 2015-03-13

The second decade of Zero Degrees seems to be a confident and impressive step in the right direction, marking it out as a real contender for quality, well-cooked food, quaffable ales and great service.

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Over the years I've had a somewhat ambivalent, fractious relationship with Zero Degrees on Colston Street in Bristol. Their ales were usually in fine condition but their food and the atmosphere had resulted in an often hit-and-miss affair. 

In fact, the last time I last visited was part of a birthday celebration of other diners and the music was pumping out of the speakers at such club-like, deafening, ear-shattering decibels we couldn't hear ourselves speak over the then-very-mediocre food. We didn't stay very long.

But that was over two years ago and Zero Degrees is now indeed a very different beast. When it opened way back in 2004, it actually waved the flag and championed the cause of proper cask ales long before it was fashionable and became what now seems to be the current craze and drink du jour. 

Zero Degrees underwent a major, £350K refurbishment in 2014 to mark its first decade, which has resulted in the main dining area being shifted to the top floor and the bar downstairs now closer to the brewery which still proudly boasts those gargantuan shiny steel vats of liquid refreshment tastiness that continues to make the beer on-site.  

To this end it caters better for what you want out of your visit: diners can enjoy food in a bigger, better, much cosier and welcoming restaurant (dimly lit, flickering candles on every table), while drinkers have more space in the bar area to sup on their ale of choice. 

As well as the bar and restaurant overhauls, a new roof terrace and walled garden has been added to what was previously a Victorian tram depot. 

There's now certainly more of an emphasis on food, Italian in particular. But the evening kicked off with a sampling of all the beers: the malty, hoppy Pilsner, the floral, fruity Pale Ale, the yeasty Wheat Ale, the coffee, chocolatey Black Lager, and the fruity Zero Degrees Mango. 

Food-wise, we began with a pre-starter starter in the form of a tapas board comprising of thin, deliciously sweet parma ham, olives, a selection of chutneys and cheeses, all served on a bed of crispy, flat bread. 

For the starter proper I went for the bruschetta (£4.95), grilled italian bread with garlic, fresh cherry tomatoes, olives & a basil dressing, the crunch of the toasted bread contrasting mellifluously with the chopped, symphonically sweet tomatoes and generous splashings of basil dressing.  My dad went for the garlic and rosemary pizza bread (£3.95), which was exactly what you'd expect and fused the flavours well. 

I plumped for the BBQ chicken pizza (£10.25), packed with barbecued chicken, sliced red onions, smoked cheese, coriander and slathered with a base of tangy BBQ sauce. Cooked on their wood fire, it was pure pizza perfection, thin, crispy, slightly blistered and blending the flavours and textures of the toppings for a faultless, full-on doughy disc of awesomeness. 

My dad went for the Peking Duck pizza (£12.95), loaded with aromatic shredded duck, spring onions, crispy tortillas & hoi sin sauce. Equally delicious, similarly perfect, incontrovertibly mouthwatering, it packed a powerful punch of well-fused flavour combinations.

Desserts? Well, sadly we didn't have any. We simply didn't have any room left as our heartily satisfied, rapidly expanding bellies begged for kind and compassionate mercy. The homemade banoffee pie with toffee sauce and cherry and amaretti cheesecake did pique my interest despite our bloatedness and inescapable gastronomic defeat, but we'll surely be back for those at a later date. 

Restaurant manager Max Buongiorno was the epitome of graciousness and hospitality, informative and charming and ensuring we were well looked after. His staff too were equally affable and cordial.

So, the second decade of Zero Degrees seems to be a confident and impressive step in the right direction, a new phase in its life cycle, now marking it out as a real contender for quality, well-cooked food and quaffable cask ales alongside many of the other pubs and restaurants in the city.  

4/5

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

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