Bristol’s Best Bits: Mathilda’s Chilli Bar

More food! I’m spoiling ya.

Can you believe that it’s been almost a whole year since I wrote this post about the awesome Mathilda’s Chilli Bar? No, neither can I. My writing style has definitely improved!

On the weekend the fantastic Mathilda’s celebrated their first birthday in style, with a fully booked birthday party, a free bar, and more fried pickles than you can shake a stick at. Not wanting to miss out on any of the action, myself and Thomas popped along to wish them a hearty congratulations on turning another year wiser.

Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol

Tucked away in the deepest corner of the newly revamped Bear Pit, Mathilda’s is just how I remembered it. The school style table and chairs were arranged in a canteen fashion in the sleek monochrome tiled interior, with the open kitchen kicking out all sorts of delicious smells. The balloons were out in full force and the party was in full swing as we stepped in from the rain, and so we joined in with the festivities by ordering a delicious brew from New Bristol Brewery and perused the menu.

Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol
Mathilda's Chilli Bar Bristol

I opted for half and half last time, so to shake things up a bit, this time I went all out and plumped for their straight up meaty treat, the Texan brisket chilli, served with spicy guacamole and sour cream. Our choice of side was another easy decision – these deep fried pickles are quite honestly one of the best things I have ever eaten, even if I can taste a heart attack with every delicious mouthful.

So, was it as good a year on? The answer is a resounding YES. Just as before, the chilli was incredible – nicely spicy, a generous portion (maybe even a little too much), with the fluffiest rice on the side. I should really order a different side dish next time I go, but these pickles are just too good to pass up. I did quiz our lovely waitress as to what mysterious ingredient they put in their blue cheese dip to make it taste quite so heavenly, but she wasn’t giving the secret away so easily.

I’m so glad that Mathilda’s has lasted a whole year, usually small businesses find the first year the hardest, but luckily the food scene in Bristol seems to be going from strength to strength. Thank you to the lovely people at Mathilda’s for inviting me along, and here’s to many more successful years!

Jamie’s Italian, Bristol

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

The weekend before last, to celebrate Thomas turning a quarter of a century, we were kindly invited along to test out the rather impressive looking Jamie’s Italian Bristol, situated at the top of Park St. I’d been along to the equally beautiful one in Cheltenham, but had never popped in here before, so was looking forward to seeing what this branch had to offer.

After a few quick drinks in the Christmas Steps, myself, Thomas and his parents trekked up the hill to test out their menu on a surprisingly busy Sunday evening. The restaurant is much bigger than I had anticipated, stretching over four floors, with a lovely bar area if you fancy a drink and a quick nibble. We were shown to our table by a very friendly waiter, hastily ordered a bottle of wine and perused the menu.

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

To start, we chose a massive butternut bruschetta and some of the ‘Italian nachos’ to share between us. The bruschetta was fantastic, but completely overshadowed by this other brand new creation – pulled pork inside a crispy ravioli shell, with a smoky chipotle tomato dipping sauce. Everyone agreed that it was absolutely amazing.

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

Our main courses didn’t disappoint, either. I chose a vegetarian main course, because I’m a firm believer in testing the quality of the restaurant on the effort they put in to their veggie options. I was pleased to see that they also offer vegan dishes, although you have to have a bit of a chat to the waiter about these. I had a porcini fettuccine (which sounds delightful when you say it out loud), which came with a spoonful of lemony crumbs to sprinkle on top. It was delicious – all my favourite things on a plate!

Tom surprised me and went for a salad, but to his credit, it was full of beef. Beautiful, delicate strips of bresaola and a substantial salad of leaves, artichoke, Colwick cheese, crushed almonds and ricotta – amazing! Tom’s dad went for one of the specials on that evening – a whole sea bass served with mussels and crispy potatoes. I’m a bit funny about fish, but apparently it was delicious. Tom’s mum went for one of her faves, calve’s liver and bacon with mash, which she really enjoyed. All in all, we were very pleased with our mains, and even more so with the lovely waiter chap who kept checking that everything was OK (and more importantly, topping up our diminishing drinks).

Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol
Jamies Italian, Park Street Bristol

Not satisfied with our bellies being stuffed with delicious grub, we ordered a couple of puddings to share between us. We went for a sour cherry and almond tart (another two of my favourite things) and the lemon meringue cheesecake, topped with a beautiful layer of fluffy marshmallow-y meringue. They were both absolutely incredible, and we polished them off no problem!

We were really impressed with Jamie’s Italian in Bristol, the service was absolutely faultless, the restaurant was beautifully decorated (the toilets were the fanciest things I have ever seen!) and we chose some really amazing dishes, which all added up to a fantastic evening out. If you haven’t yet been up to the restaurant on Park St then I urge you to do so – you won’t be disappointed!

[I was invited to review this restaurant, but all opinions are my own]