My Bristol Food - Sophie Saint
Posted on: 27 Jun 2017In our My Bristol Food series, we talk with some of the most prominent Bristol foodies around to get their take on what makes the city's culinary scene tick and also get their recommendations. This week we spoke with Sophie Saint...
Firstly...who are you?!
Hey there! My name is Sophie Saint and I’ve been living in Bristol for nearly 5 years now. I was born and bred in Bath, and after travelling the world then living in Australia for a few years, I found my way back to South West England to be close to family again and explore the best city in the South West. After a working my way through a few jobs in the digital marketing industry, I now work in communications for MoveGB. You may have guessed from my time out of the country that I do love to travel - I have travel blogged for nearly nine years now. I write for Travelettes.net with ten other lovely ladies around the world, plus I also have my personal travel blog with my sister: SaintsOnAPlane.com.
.jpg "Saints on a Plane")
Where are your most-visited food places in Bristol?
Living in Montpelier means I’m near to a plethora of delicious places to stick my face in. The places I hit up the most include Katie & Kim’s on Picton Street for amazing eggs, Ceres in Stokes Croft for brilliant Aussie-style brunches, and The Canteen - affordable, locally sourced ingredients and flavours that never disappoint.
Where in Bristol has the...
Best Burger:
I’m not a huge burger fan (*gasp*!) but Three Brothers is darn good. The burgers are succulent, they have great veggie options, you get to eat on a boat and the brioche buns are sooo good!
.jpg "My Bristol Food - Sophie Saint - Three Brothers")
Best Sunday Roast:
The Old Bookshop - you’ll rarely catch me south of the river because I’m lazy AF, but this place is well-worth the ‘journey’. Each part of their roasts are on point, plus the actual venue is so cool! The decor is brilliant!
Best Pub/bar:
To stay true to my neighbourhood, I’d have to say that The Cadbury on Richmond Road is a brilliant one. Lovely beer garden, locals who love to chat, cosy fireplaces and good ales on tap. Another favourite is The Farm in St Werburgh’s. I’m a big fan of pub gardens which are dog-friendly, and their food is pretty good. It’s all about the vibes at pubs for me!
Best Pizza:
I recently went to Bosco up in Clifton Village - holy moly. I’m not the biggest pizza fan, but I had the Green Queen and absolutely nailed it - spinach, sheep’s milk ricotta, pine nuts, basil, pesto - all my favourites! They make their pizzas on-site, fresh from the stone pizza oven. Definitely the best I’ve ever tasted.
.jpg "My Bristol Food - Sophie Saint - Bosco")
Best for special occasions:
Again, super close to where I live, but Bell’s Diner always blows my socks off. I love that they do modern British tapas and have such a great range of veggie options. Their dishes are small but filling, plus they’re artfully presented. I also had the best bottle of red that I’ve ever tasted there, so it will always have a special place in my heart.
Best Brunch:
Ceres Cafe in Stokes Croft is such a dark horse! With hardly any fanfare in signage or decoration, this unsuspecting cafe serves up a damn good brunch! The menu is named after cafes in Melbourne, which made me very suspecting as I lived in Melbourne for a few years and lived/breathed their brunches… I wasn’t convinced that they could measure up, but I was so happily surprised by the quality! Aussies do the best brunch in the world and Ceres’ menu did justice to the Aussie cafes.
Best indie producer/shop/market:
I like finding the local designers that That Thing stock in Stokes Croft (the place to find funky, festival gear), and I also love Loot vintage store which is by the Bear Pit. They have a sewing workshop on-site and alter vintage wears to update and restyle them.
If you were the Mayor of Bristol for a day what would you do?
I would most definitely get St Paul’s Carnival up and running again! I’m gutted it disappeared as it was the highlight of my year; a mini Notting Hill Carnival. I understand it’s something to do with funding, but it was such a great summer celebration with the whole community.
You’ve got 24 hours in Bristol to show some visitors around. What are you going to do?
Ooooh the pressure! I would begin with a brunch at Ceres, walk up to the Bristol Suspension Bridge and through the Downs, have a sushi snack and cheeky cocktail at Nomu on Whiteladies Road, have a bit of a shop down Park Street finishing with a good spoon of Swoon Gelato…. then I would sit by the Old Duke in the cobblestone courtyard with some gin in hand, listening to live Jazz until hunger strikes again.
Then we’d spend an hour or so trying to figure out where to go, but we’ll probably head to the nearby Naval Volunteer as it serves up a great plate any day of the week! Plus they have a rooftop terrace which is a sun trap when the sun shines. Once the sun is down, I’d swing us past Red Light - my favourite hidden secret cocktail bar at the bottom of Park Street - before heading back to my neighbourhood. If you fancy more drinks and dancing, there’s Bar 51, Crofters Rights, The Love Inn or The Canteen. Or we could end the day, as I would be knackered!
Where else can we find you?
www.facebook.com/saintsonaplane
My travel blog: saintsonaplane.com
My other travel blog: travelettes.net
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.
