Restaurant review: Townhouse, Bristol.

Yesterday was my second visit to Townhouse on the Whiteladies Road. Once again the standard of food served was so high that I felt it was now necessary to write a review on it.

The front view of the restaurant.
 

Yesterday we went to Townhouse for brunch to celebrate a friends birthday. We had already looked at the menu online which looked amazing, however we were disappointed to find that half the online menu was not on the restaurant menu. Never-the-less, when we ordered out food this proved not to be an issue at all- everything was incredible. I went for a muffin with 2 poached eggs, large roasted field mushrooms and roasted tomato. Everything was cooked to perfection and it tasted delicious.

Poached eggs on a muffin with mushrooms and tomato.



Dishes other friends had included Eggs Royale, Sausage Sandwich, Eggs Benedict and Fried egg with bacon and toast. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and really went out of their way to make us feel welcome without being intrusive.

All the girls at Brunch.

My visit to Townhouse prior to this one had also been equally as incredible. I went for one of my housemates birthdays along with his parents and a few other friends. We got there for 6:45 so we could make the 3 courses for £10 deal that Townhouse have on every weekday evening before 7pm.
Normally with these sorts of deals they often want you to have eaten and left the restaurant by 7pm, and the portion sizes tend to be small. Neither of these issues were the case at Townhouse. The menu was very extensive with good sized portions, and we were able to stay for as long as we wanted.
I ordered scallops in a creamy sauce with bacon to start, moules-frites for main, followed by a delicious apple and blackberry crumble to complete it off (not to mention the birthday cake that followed that.) It is fair to say by the end of the night I was VERY full.

The delicious apple and blackberry crumble I had.
 

All in all I have been thoroughly impressed by both my visits to Townhouse recently. Not only has the food been delicious and great value for money, but also the staff have been very friendly which really makes such a difference. I will be back!

MM xx

Cauliflower Crust Pizza Recipe

This is a recipe taken from the Deliciously Ella website (it's incredible-click here for those that have not seen it!). I have to say I was hesitant before I made it as I wasn't sure how a pizza base made of cauliflower would taste, however I was pleasantly surprised.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza with Goats Cheese, Parma Ham and Spinach.

 

 Ingredients (for 1 pizza- I did double this recipe):

- 1 cauliflower

- 1 cup of brown rice or buckwheat flour

- 1/4 of a cup of ice cold water

- 1 tablespoon of tamari

- 1 lemon

- dried oregano

- dried basil

- salt

 

For the Topping:

This is completely up to you. I used Goats Cheese (as my house mate is non-dairy and so cannot have cows milk), Parma Ham and Spinach. Deliciously Ella recommends sliced tomatoes, sweet corn, mushrooms and basil leaves. Ensure that you always used tomato puree for the base.  

 

Method:

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until a flour like substance forms, this should take about a minute. Add this to a mixing bowl with the brown rice flour, lemon, tamari salt and dried herbs. Mix these ingredients well before slowing pouring in the ice cold water. Use your hands to combine the water with the flour, making a sticky dough.

Line the base of a pizza dish with a generous amount of olive oil and a sprinkling of flour before evenly spreading the dough out over it. (if you don’t have a pizza dish simply use a baking tray and mould the shape accordingly)

Bake in a 200C oven for about 20-30 minutes, if you’re not using a pizza dish then you may also want to flip the base over half way through. Once the base is firm and ever-so-slightly crispy remove it from the oven and add the tomato puree and then your other toppings, before baking again for another 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt and pepper, slice and serve.

 

This really is a surprisingly delicious pizza- especially for those that are gluten free like my house mate. I definitely recommend cooking the base until you feel it is sufficiently crispy as you don't want a soggy bottom. Enjoy, and I would love to see any pictures of the completed pizzas once you have made them!

 

MM xx

Yume Kitchen Bristol - Restaurant Review

I must admit, it has been a rather long time since my last blog post- not only has University work taken over my life slightly, but I also thought it's not very interesting for you to read about what life is like in the University of Bristol Geography Library!However, yesterday I went out for supper with a friend to Yume Kitchen (which means 'Dream Kitchen' in Japanese), which is based in the Clifton Down area of Bristol. We had our eye on the restaurant for a while, and we finally decided that we needed a little extravagance in our lives and so decided to make the trip!The restaurant itself is rather small, however whenever I walk past I have never seen it completely jammed packed, so I would say there is no need to book (this is not however a reflection of poor quality food as you are about to hear). The menu has a huge variety, and we both thought that prices were rather good, especially when you compare it to any sushi restaurants you would visit it London such as Nobu or Sushi Samba. I decided to go for a takeaway box (even though I ate in) of mixed fish sushi. This was mainly because I was craving the seaweed and edamame beans that came with this box and doesn't come when ordering from the restaurant menu. I have to say even though not made there on the spot for me the assorted fish rolls were just delicious and really hit the spot. My friend Niamh went for the salmon and tuna nigiri (5 pieces) and the fish maki (12 small pieces). I have to say I did have a bit of food envy as hers did look incredible, and especially as it was made fresh to order for her. She also had a green tea to accompany this, and her bill only came to £11- for the hardcore sushi lovers amongst you will realise she got quite a good deal!

Niamh with her Maki and Nigiri

Close up of the delicious sushi!

Sushi was not the only thing Yume Kitchen had to offer on the menu- there is also plenty of hot dishes from curries to noodles, as well as multiple different side dishes, drinks and desserts. Unlike many of the cafes/ restaurants in Cotham, Yume Kitchen is open both through out the day and the night, therefore there is no excuse not to check it out. I am already looking forward to my next visit...though I am not sure I will branch away from the sushi on the menu, its was just too delicious! 

Here is the link to their website - pop in and give it a try!

MM xx