Gambas — Restaurant in Bristol

Gambas

Saturday 19th January 2019

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we were seated at a long high table which meant sitting on wooden bar stools with no back slotted in between the bar & the till.

We had booked a set menu number 2 a sample of dishes which mean we had no choice.

'Fresh Baked Bread' and some 'Gordal Olives with Rosemary and Orange.'

They were big and easy to eat though they lacked a bit of flavour.

'Ensalada Salpicon' a range of sea food chopped into small pieces in a vinegar dressing with a salsa.

It was very good as long as you liked pickled sea food.

'Cornish Calamari' with Aioli it was delicious. With a squeeze of lemon this was the best dish of the evening. However, there wasn't very much of it and we were all trying to eat as much of this as possible without being rude.

Sorry to say the Aioli was 'awful.'

It tasted more like Salad Creme and as they rely on it for almost every dish this really is disappointing.

The dishes started to come thick and fast. We hadn't finished one plate before another arrived.

Now if we had been sat comfortably with a nice glass of wine, it might have been OK to have several different dishes on the table which we could dip in and dip out of. But because we were on a long narrow table, there wasn't much room to spread the dishes out so we had to keep passing them back and forward, shuffling plates around to make room for some thing else.

Tapas sharing just didn't work in this configuration.

The other thing we didn't understand was why they would only serve two plates of food between six people?

Why serve up one slice of 'Tortilla de Patatas' between three then expect us to carve it up equally.

The Gambas Rice (Paella) had prawns cuttle fish and Monkfish, but it was dry and some of the rice was burnt. I suspect the food is kept warm on the stove which is why the rice dried out.

'Roast Peppers and Onion Salad' was again pickled Peppers. They weren't popular with our group.

“Grilled Catch of the day' was delicious but the small portion of fish shared three ways meant you only got one mouthful.

'Soft Shell Fried Sanluca Prawns' were very small prawns fried very crispy in Batter that tasted of batter.

'Chuleton de Buey – Fillet of Galician Beef' was a mixed bag. It came sliced on two wooden platters, one at each end of the table.

The one our end was very tough and chewy though the one at the other end was fine.

However, it too rare for our taste and we asked if they could recook some of it. Unfortunately they took the tender portion and left the tough one which was a shame.

'Patatas Bravas' is probably one of my favourite Tapas dishes.

Sadly this had some sort of Tomato sauce drizzled over it and Aioli. Most of our's didn't get eaten.

The steak came with Mushrooms which tasted like any old fried mushrooms from your local greasy spoon.

'Chocolate Mouse' was rich and thick, the addition of a sprinkling of salt made a nice touch.

With 5 extra glasses of Cava and three coffee's (deducted from the bill) the total was £245.75.

Before we could finish our drinks we were asked to leave as they had another party who had booked our table and they were due shortly.

This isn't a very positive review which is a shame because there were lots of people in the restaurant and most looked like they were enjoying themselves, but our experience was mixed.

Some of the food was good but some of it was very average and at these prices I don't expect average.

Most of the portions were 'very' small and they don't have to be small just because they are Tapas.

The service was rushed and the table just wasn't big enough for this type of meal.

The seating was uncomfortable.

But it was way too expensive.

End of February I will be back in Spain where a similar type of meal would cost maybe €10-12 including wine.

Sorry guys, this wasn't for me and we wont be coming back again in a hurry, but Im sure other people will love it.

I do wish you well and I hope your Restaurant is a success as we need variety in Bristol, but please change the...

I booked private dining at Gambas for my 30th birthday, with myself and 17 guests going along for what was honestly one of the best meals I have had in Bristol. It was fabulous! However, firstly I would like to give a big shout out to Nell who was absolutely fantastic when organising the meal. I reached out to a number of restaurants in Bristol, and Nell responded immediately providing all the information I required with a very kind and friendly email. This response was one of the reasons why I ended up choosing Gambas, and by the end I was extremely pleased with this decision. Nell then supported the organisation of the meal perfectly, always responding quickly with clear and helpful answers making the whole process extremely easy and simple.

Now to the meal itself, which was absolutely tremendous. We had the £50pp set menu, and every single dish was delicious. We even had some substitute dishes because of dietary requirements, but all these dishes were equally tasty. The flavours were spot on every time and they showed a great understanding of textures too. I couldn’t fault a single dish served. The Pan con tomato is always a big favourite of mine, and although it wasn’t the best I have had, the bread was remarkable (always got to respect the bread) and the sauce was rich with a beautiful tomato flavour. Plus the Croquetas were divine, and although the Russian salad wasn’t particularly to my liking that was personal preference rather than anything negative about the way the dish was cooked. For the next course, I really loved both the wild red prawn which were cooked to perfection and the Pulpo a la brasa was terrific. Furthermore, the endives had a brilliant depth of flavour, not usually a favourite of mine but they did an excellent job. The final course was the Patatas bravas, Burnt Leek con romesco and Presa a la brasa, all of which as extraordinary as the previous courses. Overall just simply amazing.

Equally the service was also excellent. Although there was some slight confusion at the beginning with one of the substitute dishes, this was very easily explained which was perfect. The wait staff were attentive without being intrusive and made everyone feel very welcome.

The restaurant itself is situated in a great location and the team have done a great job at utilising the space they have with a brilliant set up of the tables in the small cargo container which made it feel surprisingly spacious.

Overall a great experience that I would...

I’d have given it a 1 star but their service saved them. And the desert. I’m not a ‘complainer’. But At a point I resented the notion of paying. Croquetas vary internationally between soft and firm, but this croqueta is pure Béchamel sauce with flakes of jamón. Inedible. The first were returned because the inside was cold to taste and that was replaced quickly. Still inedible. On the menu attached you’ll see the restaurant is indeed called Gambas. I didn’t know as I walked in from the street. The menu lists Gambas pil pil. Self evidently that means prawns with garlic and chilli. They list Gambas Russian Salad. Two flaws here. First there’s no prawns - just plain Russian salad with a slice of fish. Their explanation is that it’s the gambas take on Russian Salad. OK. Not a good idea because literally the only other reference to gambas on the menu is when prawns are being offered. The other problem with their ‘take’ on Russian salad is that they overdo the Heinz Salad Cream (not more than a little mayonnaise) and this results in a nasty taste. The aubergine chips made the visit worthwhile - still oily but tasty. The Spanish red wine selection is poor. The Spanish white wine I chose was amazing. Random choice but very nice. The service was genuinely friendly and nice experience. The negroni was sweet which was a put off. The desert was very attractive but average to taste. Lots of room for improvement. Such improvement impossible without this pointed feedback. I hope it is acted upon because these errors are...