Casa Bristol — Restaurant in Bristol

It is still a mystery how Casamia has still got just a single Michelin star, which makes it appear to be on the same level as some inferior pubs that we have eaten in and certainly one other restaurant in Bristol when it is clearly in another class. The first thing the diner will remark on is the relaxed nature of the dining experience, with every diner feeling like an old friend and being shown the kitchen in close-up, the chefs serving the dishes and describing them in great detail, and front of house staff not only willing to discuss all aspects of the meal but clearly able to do so since they are intimately involved as part of the team in all areas of the restaurant, which has the desired result of the whole thing running like clockwork. All this contrasts to a major extent with the stiff, uninterested, service by rote at so many other “fine dining” venues. Once again stunning dish followed stunning dish, right from the so-called snacks, an amazing all-in-one truffle and Cornish Gouda mousse in a light brick tartlet with a super aftertaste emanating from the truffle, and a prawn mayo and tartare in a sweet shell of seaweed meringue, to the petits fours, a superlight lemon Turkish delight, and a clever porcini mushroom fudge. The snacks gave way to a succession of delicately complex taste, texture and presentation wonders, some merely brilliant and others simply world-class and all accompanied by an exemplary choice of excellent wine. On the menu one word was allowed to give a clue as to the make-up of each dish. A full description requires a whole dictionary. “Salad” was a super mix of dark and light green winter leaves plus charred broccoli, light sweet carrot and tasty savoury juices. “Beetroot” was a masterly combination of yoghurt sorbet, pickled fennel, sweet beetroot risotto with soft and firm rice and pistachio for extra texture. “Rainbow Trout” from Mere Farm was brilliant confit fish combined with a crab bisque approaching perfection and coupled with delicate roe and loin, and some wonderful skin crisps - a real winner! “Turbot” turned out to be a more than worthy successor to the unsurpassable Casamia version of sole Véronique which we had on our last visit, combining the best fish with a classy champagne sabayon, perfect grapes, perfect leeks matching the sabayon to produce a dish that would earn three stars on its own across the English Channel. We were so far under the spell of the kitchen that we were almost ready to accept that “Duck” could be a simply cooked egg with apple cubelets, onion and a dashi sauce giving this “palate cleanser” an historic hit to the tastebuds, but it was swiftly followed by Creedy Carver duck breast from Devon, salt-brined and as tender and tasty as could be and cleverly supported by chia seed and fennel seed and a deft touch of coriander. The two desserts were “Passion fruit” done three ways, accompanied by tarragon gel and meringue and knocking one back with the way it developed on the palate in such an amazing fashion, and “Rhubarb” just another demonstration of the enjoyable complexity which seems to be the norm at Casamia with delightful rhubarb sorbet and jelly and cubes, bay leaf crisp and cream, juniper shard and cream and rose gel, shard and cream, all adding up to a staggeringly good finish to yet another staggeringly good dining...

This little gem is a delight to the senses, a perfect dinner from start to finish. We were greeted at the door by a friendly host who showed us to our seats and took our coats, the restaurant was modern and clean without being sterile or pretentious. Our waitress was lovely and helpful and explained the concept to us, was back speedily for our drinks order and as we had been studying the menu and new what we wanted we also got our food order in fairly quickly. Food came out at the perfect pace - we had a small table and it never felt crowded, usually as we finished one dish the next one would come along so the timing was impeccable. As there was two of us we ordered just over the recommended 4 dishes pp, so we went for Caponata with Focaccia, Mushroom arancini , Fennel sausage garganelli, Double Agnolotti - pumpkin / Gorgonzola cream, Monkfish in basil dill and parsley, Slow cooked overnight beef cheek with paprika, Polenta fries, Leek gratin and for desert Pannacotta with candied pine nuts and Tiramisu. We also had a glass of rose pet nat and a bottle of Primitivo. Every dish was packed with flavour, had incredible complexity and was seasoned to absolute perfection. We were basically in shock of how good the food was, not one thing didn't hit the mark. On top of that the waiting staff that brought each dish out were clearly passionate about the food and told us what the ingredients were and the process of how it was made. Not to mention the play list which was nostalgic and upbeat and felt like it had been made for us - TLC, Jurassic 5, Neneh Cherry, Eminem.... Basically a classic nineties/noughties hip-hop RnB playlist. For what we had and the calibre of food, we thought the cost was super reasonable. We will be recommending to everyone and definitely coming...

Not just a restaurant it’s an experience I find it fascinating reading some recent reviews, as a tiny minority miss the whole point of this unique venue! You will see, after nearly 1500 reviews on trip advisor and now 93 michelin stars, I will try many gastronomic experiences. This is food theatre supplemented with mostly outstanding food. Their attention to detail just enhances the experience. Of all the amazing courses the mushroom one was frankly exceptional! The popcorn chicken course was nice, if a tiny bit dry, I have no criticism of any of the other of the 20+ courses! Staff are wonderfully attentive special mention to the curly haired guy. Chef started and finished this sensational experience. The lights the smell and the venue add extra atmosphere to the whole thing. The flavours were carefully developed, yes there is smoke (smoked ice cream was a new and amazing flavour) if you can’t taste the flavours I respectfully suggest a chippy or macdonalds as clearly you don’t have the palate for this! The pace is quite rapid but not too fast, all courses being explained. This is NOT by any stretch of the imagination a sedate altar to Michelin starred quiet perfection. This is a lively personality driven celebration of sound, film accompanied by the highest quality food presented by highly committed professional staff showing another side from traditional subdued dining. I am 65, not necessarily the expected “target” audience, but never mind I still put it in my top ten meals of all time Ps toilets very well presented too. This is not a cheap meal but you do get great value for your money. We travelled a round trip of nearly 340 miles was it worth...