A Weekend in Bristol: Michelin Stars, Tapas and Miss Saigon
We’ve just got back from a culinary tour of my old stomping grounds in Bristol. First stop was the Michelin-starred restaurant Wilson’s, in Redland. We first came across Wilson’s in a TV series following restaurants on their quest to earn Michelin stars. It followed their journey as they worked towards achieving their first star – which they did.
Wilson’s
Wilson’s is tucked away in a quirky little street in Redland, not too far from Whiteladies Road. We’d driven three and a half hours from Wales and arrived a little early, giving us time to charge the car, park right opposite the restaurant and stretch our legs with a short walk around the neighbourhood. It was a hot, sunny day, and the stroll was just what we needed after the drive.
We then headed into Wilson’s where we were greeted and shown to our table. Wilson’s specialises in farm-to-fork dining, with much of the produce grown on their own farm in Barrow Gurney, just outside Bristol. Judging by the menu, herbs clearly play a starring role in what they grow. The meat and fish are also sustainably sourced and, where possible, local. We had an eight-course tasting menu ahead of us and decided to pair it with the non-alcoholic drinks flight.
The first few courses were a bit of a challenge for Anna, who isn’t a fan of tomatoes and generally avoids fish and seafood. Surprisingly though, she really enjoyed the tomato consommé, along with both the octopus and the trout. The tiny pieces of tomato hidden in the trout sauce were still a step too far, so I happily helped her out! Everything was delicious – very herby, distinctive and quite different from other Michelin-starred meals we’ve enjoyed. The drinks flight complemented each course perfectly too.
The chicken went down well and we were now getting into the flow of things, so we added an extra cheese and biscuit course. Next came the herbs and meringue – Wilson’s signature dish and one that’s almost always on the menu. Everything else changes daily depending on what’s available from the farm.
We could see why this dish has become their trademark. Who would have thought of serving the greenest, most herb-packed sorbet topped with a marshmallow? It was unlike anything we’d tasted before – intensely herby, savoury and sweet all at once. Mmm Mmm.
All in all, we were really impressed and will probably return at a different time of year, when the menu should be quite different.
The Cotswolds
From there we headed to my parents’ house near Wotton-under-Edge for a family visit. We certainly weren’t hungry, but somehow still managed to squeeze in dinner later that evening!
Sunday was a relaxed day with yet more dining. This time it was Sunday lunch at The Old Lodge on Minchinhampton Common with my parents. Once again, the weather was glorious and we had a table by the window, watching golfers, dog walkers and cows sharing the common. By this point all the food we’d eaten was beginning to blur into one, but there was, of course, still room for pudding. Somehow we even managed dinner again later that evening back at my parents’ house!
Bristol City Centre and Miss Saigon
Monday saw us head into Bristol city centre. After breakfast at my parents’, our first stop was IKEA for a cooked breakfast brunch (yes, more food!) and a bit of shopping. We then drove into the city, parked at Wapping Wharf and wandered around the harbourside. We stopped for some tapas and cold drinks before taking a leisurely walk around Bristol Cathedral (my old school), College Green and Park Street. It was another beautiful day, and the lively streets and waterside walks of Bristol were a lovely place to while away a few hours together.
It was all very familiar, yet all changed too.
We then headed back to the car, collected our luggage and checked into The Bristol Hotel, where we relaxed for a while before heading down to the Riverside Grille for cocktails and a pre-theatre dinner. When booking I’d mentioned that it was our anniversary. It hadn’t actually been that weekend—it was a couple of weeks earlier—but this theatre trip was part of our anniversary celebrations. We’d completely forgotten I’d mentioned it, so the complimentary Prosecco and macarons after dinner were a lovely surprise.
We then strolled over to the Hippodrome where we spent the evening being entertained by Miss Saigon and, naturally, eating popcorn because apparently we still had room for more food!
Heading Home
With the long weekend coming to an end, it was back to the hotel for a comfortable night’s sleep before finishing things off with a hearty breakfast the following morning. Amazingly, we resisted stopping for lunch on the drive home!
Looking back, it really was a culinary tour of Bristol and the surrounding area. Between Michelin-starred dining, tapas by the harbourside, Sunday lunch in the Cotswolds and theatre snacks, we certainly didn’t go hungry. It was a wonderful long weekend revisiting places that mean a lot to me while discovering a few new favourites along the way.
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