What’s been said about us so far…

THE MICHELIN (red) GUIDE to RESTAURANTS AND HOTELS gave the following description; Close to the delightful Queen Square, a smart pub with leather sofas in bar and linen-clad tables in dining room. Well-priced, accomplished range of dishes to please all tastes. THE MICHELIN (blue) GUIDE to EATING OUT IN PUBS had this to say; ....Drinkers tend to gather on the soft leather sofas near the entrance but you can also eat from the bar menu here, with its choice of sandwiches and classic meals like steak and kidney pudding or fish and chips. With its linen-clad tables, the restaurant area gives off a distinctly more formal air. Choose here from the a la carte menu, which offers precisely cooked, modern dishes such as twice baked goats cheese souffle, roasted pumpkin tart, breast of duck or local rabbit. Young, local staff provide polite service.

Clifton Life said: “Our half-dozen oysters went down a treat with a pint of Guinness; we also sampled the roasted red pepper and tomato soup; a rich and warming starter. Both reflected the kitchen’s admirable philosophy of using super-fresh, locally sourced ingredients – the oysters, for example, had been happily minding their own business on the bed of the River Yealm until that very morning… My main course of steamed Cornish mussels in their basil-fragrant cidery sauce couldn’t be faulted… The lunch date’s meal was dead simple, but flawless, entrecote of beef, cooked slightly pink, just as he asked, with creamy dauphinoise potatoes and chunky roasted root vegetables.”

A review in Venue gave us 4 stars for food, 5 for service & 4 for atmosphere (out of 5). They said: “It’s rare for such a new operation as this to come together so quickly, and if they can continue to perform at this standard, they’ll be quids in come all those Harbourside Regatta & festival weekends… The staff, incidentally, are even better than the food.”

Bristol Evening Post said: “Queen Square… is already proving to be a big hit. The venue is a large and airy open-plan space that’s been tastfully decorated... What’s also encouraging is that Queen Square has spent a lot of time and thought creating its excellent menue, which embraces a lot of conventional dishes but gives them a slightly unusual twist. Add to that a very well-chosen wine list... and a good range of bottled beers, ales and spirites, and there’s very little to criticize about this new venue.”

Folio magazine said:

Royal flush: Ali Stevens warms to the occasion
at Queen Square...

Manager Alice led us to our table for the first of three exceptionally good courses. My twice baked goat's cheese souffle with a generous caramelised apple and beetroot salad (£5) was a seasonal treat. The souffle was firm and moist, with just enough cheese to counter the beetroot's natural acidity. My other halfs Cornish crab tian (£6.80) combined the tastiest brown meat with avocado, watermelon essence, confit lemon and micro cress salad to create a mound of fresh invigorating flavours. By now our lovely bottle of Burgundy (Saint Verans les Rochats, £23) was going down a treat and our initial reluctance to indulge ourselves in this fine dining experience had disappeared as fast as our empty starter plates.

Our main courses followed pronto. His rump of lamb served with a patiently braised lamb pudding, pea puree and young carrots (£16) sounded, I thought, quite ambitious for this young operation. Similarly, my choice of roast cod, truffled white bean puree, leek fondant, mini shellfish pie and smoked bacon veloute (£15) had all the trappings of a menu above its station. How great to be proved wrong; the presentation was pure art, each element of these complex dishes was cooked to perfection and the sum of all the parts was simply delicious.

Desserts provided a fitting grand finale to this highly accomplished dinner. My lemon tart with lime mascarpone cream (£4.50) struck just the right balance of sweetness and citrus, while his saffron poached pear with cardamom ice cream was imbued with eastern promise, the pear tinted in colour and flavour by the precious spice and the ice cream like luxurious velvet on the tongue. And the Monbazillac Les Brumes 2003 dessert wine Alice recommended was pure nectar (£4.50/125ml).