Streets ahead
Wilsons (Bristol)
GETAWAY • Bristol
In the middle of winter, steamy windows signal cosy nights and good times along Chandos Road, a street chock full of independent restaurants and bars in the charming neighbourhood of Redland in Bristol. Part of the area’s popularity is thanks to Wilsons, a tiny fine dining restaurant that opened in 2016 and since earned a reputation far beyond the South West.
For Londoners, it’s exceptional value, with a seven-course tasting at £78 and a shorter lunch menu at £39. Vegetables and herbs are sourced from the team’s own regenerative farm just outside the city. This focus on sustainability applies to the drinks too – my non-alcoholic pairing included a refreshing Douglas fir pine cocktail, a cleansing pear and bay kefir and an earthy beetroot kombucha, all grown in the market garden. Wines focus on small-scale, biodynamic and low-intervention labels like a crisp red from the Cyclades, and there’s even a homemade limoncello.
The menu changes regularly, but our dinner started with creamy, foamy fish soup, made from cod’s head rillette. Sourdough from nextdoor Wilsons Bread Shop came with salty butter and two outstanding snacks: a buckwheat cracker with rich, creamy duck liver paté, and a pickled sardine with crème fraîche and horseradish in a delicate nori basket that delivered freshness and just the right amount of kick.
Leeks came softened and touched by the barbecue but still with a little crunch, with additional texture from chopped hazelnuts and burst-in-the-mouth wild garlic capers. The standout course was Cornish red mullet, lightly cooked and barbecued, with a rich sauce made from succulent Mylor prawns – it got better as it went on, the intense prawn head flavour coming through. Fallow deer came in two servings: tender saddle and haunch, with parsnip cooked down in its own juices, and a disc of boudin noir, a traditional French blood sausage. It was a rich way to finish.
To cleanse the palate, there’s a sorbet made from dill, chervil and tarragon – it’s served with a soft meringue, torched on the top, but would be just as good on its own. Dessert was a spiralised apple with celeriac ice cream and crunchy buckwheat, which gave the nostalgic feel of apple crumble, without being too sweet. Mine came with a unique non-alcoholic pairing of medjool dates cooked down with lapsang tea and chai herbs, evoking a dessert wine.
Petit fours deserve a mention: a white chocolate fudge with ceps, just sweet enough to counter the strong mushroom flavour, and a pâte de fruit with camomile, pear and sherbet, like a sour jelly sweet. That’s why Wilsons works so well: it mixes comfort and nostalgia with modern, creative ideas (chef-owner Jan Ostle previously worked at London’s Clove Club), but it’s never pretentious, never forgetting what it is: a tiny neighbourhood restaurant with a big heart, and big ambitions. –Laura Price
FOUND Pro:
Wilsons Bread Shop next door serves treats like koji-bacon sarnies in Hokkaido milk bread, and cheesecake-like vanilla slices with the perfect pie crust.
Wilsons is coming to London next week for a collaboration dinner at Rita’s on 16 February. £120pp; book.
→ Wilsons (Bristol) • 24 Chandos Rd • Wed-Sat 12-230p, 6-930p, Tues 7-830p • Book.