COR Restaurant — Restaurant in Bristol

There's a new artist in residence in Bedminster, Bristol. Original paintings hang on the walls at COR, the exciting new restaurant on the corner of North Street and Melville Terrace. And pleasing music permeates the modern space. But the real maestro at work here is a creative young chef, Mark Chapman, whose compelling improvisations delight, enthrall and tease in equal measure.

After years excelling within the well-defined formats of Michelin star finery and Mediterranean favourites, Mark's new venture liberates him to be playful, imaginative and sometimes daringly provocative.

The notes of his virtuoso combinations are as intriguing and beguiling as a Miles Davis jazz solo. Sometimes they fit the underlying chords and grooves of the experience he draws on, but more often they break free and run riot to the diner's great delight.

A sleek hake on fregola is straight out of the fine dining playbook and the tender sous vide cuttlefish would grace any of San Sebastian's finest pintxos bars. But mushrooms on toasted sourdough with a cream and armagnac sauce and scattered hazelnuts? Canellini beans with smoked caviar? And Puglia buratta with chilli? You can't enjoy these unexpected gems without a smile and a shake of the head at the sheer audacity. The cheese board is just as eclectic; the desserts combine classic recipes with firecracker ingredients; and the wine list is as fresh and exuberant as its youthful hosts.

Mark and his wife Karen are as affable, professional and determined as they are gifted and capable. Their team is clearly invested in their enthusiasm and in their vision, and all the staff we met were a delight in themselves. They form the perfect support and backing section to Mark's virtuosity. And the space they have all created and work in is modern, comfortable and intimate. Part restaurant and part jazz venue!

We have much to look forward to as Mark develops his culinary melodies, and builds and blends his bold harmonies.

If you want a ringside seat at the exciting future of food, get down to COR, savour the performance and keep returning for what will surely be a multitude of...

Despite being a bit disappointed with the food, I can not give it less than 4 stars for the overall experience. The service is exceptional and the environment is cosy and relaxing. The cocktails look delicious, blending quality spirits with unique ingredients. The wine list is simple, with some good value for money options. Once you enter the restaurant, a very pleasant smell hits you immediately and makes you look forward for the experience that is to follow. The menu is meant for sharing (2-3 plates per person). Everything looks delicious when you go through the list. We started with an evening's special off the menu and it was probably the best dish we had (croquettes). Continued with the artichokes, which were refreshing and light. The prosciutto, fig and cheese was good, but the fig lacked the taste and felt like it came out the freezer. The iberico pork was cooked to perfection and seasoned well, but the tomatoes and bread on the side were soaked in vinegar, to a point it was not pleasant anymore. The biggest disappointment was the trout with the ajoblanco. The fish had lost all its flavour and the ajoblanco texture was lumpy. I have to mention as well that all plates were served cold to lukewarm, but this may be how the selected dishes are meant to be served. Another thing that I found tiring was the use of almonds, almost in every item we had. To sum it up, the disappointment is because of the high expectations I had before I visited for the menu, which looked really promising. However, I would give them another chance for the food, just to be able to conclude if I like it or not; it smells so nice after all! In any case, I would recommend it for a couple of drinks and some bar snacks, if not a...

We visited COR this weekend and had such a gorgeous evening. The interior of the restaurant had such a cosy and inviting vibe to it and we felt so comfortable. The staff were absolutely wonderful and service was on point for a restaurant that has only recently opened.

We ordered 6 plates including a dessert to share ;

Suffolk chorizo; 6 week cured sausage, sweet, spicy & bitter, guindilla

Mushrooms on toasted sourdough, shallot, thyme, hazelnut, Armagnac

Cannellini beans, lemon beurr

Hereford beef onglet, celeriac, potato & gruyere dauphinoise, red wine jus

Cornish cuttlefish cooked over fire, Calabrian 'nduja, salsa verde

Chocolate mousse, almond dentelle, olive oil, sea salt

All of the dishes were so wonderful in their own way. The cannellini beans surprised me the most, the lemon within the dish was the weirdest but most pleasant flavour I’ve ever experienced. So warming and comforting, they were incredible.

The beef onglet was absolutely brilliant, the dauphinoise potato was sensational. We shared everything but I could’ve eaten every bit of that to myself. The mushrooms on sourdough was so deliciously rich, with the hazelnuts it was a wonderful combination of different textures.

The cuttlefish was something I’ve never tried before but I loved the squid like texture. However personally for me, the nduja was just a bit too spicy, so slightly overpowered everything else.

Lastly the chocolate mousse was the perfect end to everything. How could you not choose to end a perfect meal with a deliciously decadent chocolate dessert.

I would love to return to the restaurant in a few months to try some of their new ideas. For anyone in Bristol, you...