No Man's Grace review in Bristol scores 4 out of 5

Posted on: 2015-04-21

Our rating:

We enjoyed our little mid-week jaunt to No Man?s Grace. Every dish was beautifully presented, the food was flawlessly cooked and every combination was unique to behold and exciting to try.


 

“Grace, we have a review which we think will be right up your street!”

“What is it?” I asked, intrigued.

“It’s a restaurant notorious for its exquisite dessert bar.”

Oh 365Bristol, you know me too well.

After opening its doors in the summer of 2014, No Man’s Grace has been well regarded by the foodies of Bristol with the co-owners, John Watson and Julu Irvine, previously known from their stint working at the Gallimaufry on Gloucester Road. Now in their own place, John acts as head chef in the kitchen whilst Julu manages the front of house affairs.

The venue itself is light and open, thanks to the large windows overlooking Chandos Road; the colour scheme is kept simple and the walls are embellished with pictures hanging in wooden frames. Once half full, the sound does carry somewhat making it harder to chat over the table. Although there is a more chilled out, sheltered, outdoor space which has heaters placed near the tables for those colder nights. The tables are all laden with cutlery, teal napkins and a seasonal posy of daffodils in the centre ready for anyone who walks through the doors.

No Man's Grace - 6 Chandos Road in Bristol, BS6 6PE

Though many do come to No Man’s Grace purely to sample their dessert and wine pairings, which is entirely acceptable, the restaurant also offers a selection of tapas dishes. The options to choose from, changing almost daily. The fish options especially. Though what I loved most about the choices on offer was how original they were. 

In many restaurants, the menu is kept pretty safe, comprising of dishes we all love but have tried several times before. At No Man’s Grace, there was not one dish that I recognised. Pigeon with savoury cabbage and smoked hock (£7.50); Braised Ox cheek, lentils cooked in beetroot juice with horseradish sauce (£8.00) and saffron-poached chicory, brioche, dairy sheeps’s curd and pear (£6.50) were just some of the dishes listed that evening.

Our cheery waitress recommended we choose between 2-3 dishes per person, so in the end we settled on four between us; the three dishes mentioned above and the salmon with purple sprouting broccoli and salsa verde (£8.00). All four dishes made for a wonderful dining experience. The tender pigeon being our favourite of the four. We picked at each and mixed and matched them to alter the flavours and compare. The whole tapas element to it made the meal an incredibly social experience and all the more enjoyable because of it, although I recommend you go for an additional fifth plate if there’s two of you. Four wasn’t quite enough to satisfy our ravenous table in the end.

No Man's Grace in Bristol - Tel. 0117 9744077

The desserts, of course, were what we were really looking forward to. After toying between the five dessert options, ice creams and sorbets that were listed, my companion settled on the vanilla crème brulee served with rhubarb doughnuts and rhubarb sorbet (£7.50) whilst I chose the slightly more indulgent chocolate and honey torte served with caramelised banana and peanut butter ice cream (£7.50). 

I’m a massive peanut butter fiend so I simply couldn’t resist and I’m glad I didn’t because my dessert was sensational. The torte consisted of rich, dark chocolate giving it a slightly bitter twang and the creamy peanut butter ice cream was complimented well by the sweetened banana. It hit the spot perfectly, ending my experience at No Man’s Grace on a high. Alas, my companion wasn’t quite so impressed with his. Whilst he enjoyed the different elements of the dessert, he didn’t like that they were layered on top of each other. He found the rhubarb’s sharp flavour overpowered the subtle flavours of the crème brulee and so would have preferred if they were served apart.

In all, we enjoyed our little mid-week jaunt to No Man’s Grace. Every dish was beautifully presented, the food was flawlessly cooked and every combination was unique to behold and exciting to try.

4/5

Reviewed by Grace Fox for Bristol's leading events and entertainment website - www.365bristol.com 

No Man's Grace Bristol review



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.