Aqua Whiteladies — Restaurant in Bristol

Let’s get this out of the way straight off: Aqua in Bristol is excellent. Not “pretty good for a chain,” not “fine if you’re in the neighbourhood,” but properly, resoundingly excellent. The food, the service, the whole set-up… top notch. And yet, bafflingly, no one in Bristol seems to shout about it. Maybe it’s because there are a few of them scattered around the city, and the presence of more than one outlet immediately triggers the reflex assumption of mediocrity. But this one doesn’t get the credit it deserves, and it should. So here we are.

The immediate problem, when your mother begins the annual campaign of “dropping hints” about her birthday (which in my family comes as a sustained two-week bombardment of “oh, don’t make a fuss” while clearly expecting a fuss), is venue selection. There are boxes to tick. The atmosphere must be fancy but relaxed, grown-up but not po-faced. The food has to meet the absurdly high bar of someone who has spent decades producing Yorkshire puddings that could double as flotation devices. And the service, crucial, must be traditional enough for her tastes (no QR codes, no iPads, no hipster barman with ironic facial hair telling her that gravy is “off menu”), but also genuinely friendly. Aqua ticks every one of these boxes, which is why I booked it without hesitation.

I knew, of course, from prior experience. A private indulgence of mine, on Sundays when I’ve no patience for faffing about with roasting tins and the oven timer, is slipping into Aqua for their roast beef. A treat, really. Sunday lunch tends to summon the image of a creaky country pub, all low beams and dodgy fires, but the truth is it’s about the food, not the backdrop. And Aqua knocks it out of the park. The beef comes in great rosy slabs, pink in the middle, charred at the edges, the way your fantasy butcher would have it. The Yorkshire pudding? The size of a football, but miraculously not just air, sturdy enough to hold a proper lake of gravy. And the gravy itself… world class. Glossy, deep, rich, the kind of liquid you’d ask to be embalmed in. The vegetable platter arrives as though someone in the kitchen has actually tasted vegetables in their life, which is rarer than you’d think. Carrots taste like carrots, cabbage tastes like cabbage, all cooked properly instead of into oblivion.

I’ve thought a lot about the whole “death row meal” cliché, and frankly, if they ever catch me, I know what I’ll be having: Aqua’s roast beef. No question.

And then there’s the service. Properly friendly, properly attentive, the kind of team who clearly care, not in the corporate “our manager told us to” way but because they’re proud of the place. We were shown to a booth, comfortable, private, and perfect for people-watching. My mother was charmed, my conscience was clear, and my waistband a little tighter by the end.

So yes, Bristol, listen up. Aqua is a must-visit. It’s not trying to be edgy or obscure. It’s just bloody good. And if you do take your mother there, maybe don’t let slip that the roast beef is better than hers. Some things are better...

We visited your Aqua Brasserie on Whiteladies Road for the first time for Sunday lunch since its new rebrand and I was unfortunately left very disappointed by the experience. Have been being a regular visitor of Aqua for quite some time I was excited to try the new restaurant for the first time however I unfortunately will not be returning again after my experience. The Aqua on Welshback has always been very lovely traditional roast dinner with good portions, great service and efficiency however I cannot say the same for Aqua Brasserie.

To start with, the portion sizes were considerably smaller in comparison to Welshback. We were given one cauliflower cheese to share between two of us and one vegetable portion to share between two which is far less of a portion in comparison to how Welsh back serves their roast dinners. Aqua Welshback serves individual portions of vegetables and cauliflower cheese for each guest, which is what I would expect if the vegetables to be shared this should have been communicated. When we explain this to the staff they said this is an inconsistency between restaurants and there was no offer to try and give extra vegetables or remedy this.

The cauliflower cheese was made with what I believe is blue cheese and was not a traditional style that we would expect which meant my partner was not able to eat it, whilst some visitors may appreciate the variety, I believe the fact that the cauliflower cheese is a very different to what would be the standard should have been communicated to us in advance of ordering. There was beetroot served with the roast which we didn’t ask for and is not typically part of a roast dinner which again, was not communicated.

My partner’s roast pork was lovely however my beef was extremely small portion with only one slice, whilst the meat was lovely a tender again the portion was very small in comparison.

When we were finished with a meal and we received the bill, we noticed an additional £20 charge was added to the bill. My partner went in the restaurant to remedy with the staff, initially he was told that he was wrong and he had to ask them to calculate it themselves for them to then realise that the bill was indeed incorrect, I can’t understand is how this was able to happen considering the Sunday lunch is a set menu with three separate prices depending on courses. How it was possible for this to be missed is very confusing to me and it was quite frankly unacceptable that he was told that he was wrong without them haven’t even attempted to check the bill in the first instance which is very poor service.

Whilst Aqua Brasserie has a wonderful outdoor seating and the desserts were excellent, I undoubtedly won’t be looking to return after this experience due to the disappointing service and issues with the food, we will continue to visit the Welshback or Portishead restaurant which has always been lovely with excellent service.

I hope this feedback can add some way to improving the service offered at the Brasserie and I would like to know what you do to try and remedy...

Come to your senses

One of the finest pleasures in life, I’m sure you’ll agree, is the consumption of good food; not only its taste, smell and texture, but also the appearance and presentation play a big part in how enjoyable a meal can be. And if a plate of food looks appetizing, having obviously been lovingly prepared, there is more pleasure to be had by knowing what experience, knowledge, care and attention has gone into it to appeal even more to your senses, before it is finally put before you.

Well, the other day at Aqua in Whiteladies Road, Bristol, my own food-appreciation senses were given a quick awakening after being dormant for some time with only the blandest re-fueling I had been giving my body.

Things started to happen as soon as Johnny, the head chef there, began to describe the various choices his varied and imaginative menu could offer my business partner and I for lunch. The saliva glands sluice-valve opened, eyes began to bulge with that Billy Bunter look of tuck-box anticipation, and my tongue automatically emerged to moisten my lips as the visions of what he was describing formed in my mind. Not a pretty sight I agree. Greed is an ugly sin.

It wasn’t easy to make the final choice I can tell you. All of them sounded mouth-watering, from the Penne Pollo – hand-torn roasted chicken with pancetta and mushrooms in a white wine and cream sauce with a hint of chilli, to Butternut Squash Risotto with field mushrooms, spinach and sage.

But for me those will have to be for another time, as in the end, because I hadn’t had any meat for a week or two, after a ridiculous amount of deliberation, I finally went for my good old favourite, a plump sirloin steak with thrice-cooked big chips and peppercorn sauce. A basic choice faced with everything else, but tender, juicy and perfectly grilled, medium-rare, just the way I like it. My companion went for one of the great value lunch time specials – the enormous grilled pork chop with kale, cranberries and sautéed rosemary potatoes accompanied by a fabulously tasting gravy – or ‘jus’ to the pretentious. I’ve had that dish before and it is deliciously satisfying.

Added to the enjoyment of the meal was not only Johnny’s enthusiasm for his work but also that of the staff there all of whom were polite, friendly and efficient. It makes such a difference to the whole dining experience when you are served with a smiling waitress or waiter and can engage in some quick banter before they whizz off to look after someone else.

So if you are in Bristol and wondering where to go to give your taste buds a treat, come to your senses and take them to this place. They’ll be very...