Secret Garden

My lasting memory of West Street in Bedminster, Bristol is - and always will be - when I got egged there back in August.

At least now I can say that there is one redeeming feature for this nasty end of town - and that emerald in the rough is the Thai Garden (complete with green facade and everything).

I've had a good time sampling various dishes on the menu and am always impressed with the quality of the product (king prawns are beautiful) and the delicate balance of spicing. The menu is simple but everything is freshly cooked. Their boiled rice is served in little wicker pods - steaming hot and perfectly portioned.

Having said that, the stand-out dishes so far are probably two which live either side of the main menu: the minced pork and prawn dumplings -  melt in your mouth divine (surf and turf with finesse), and banana pancakes - caramelised and comforting.

What's more, this is one of a few bring your own restaurants left in the city and with an offy next-door, you're sorted!

Cosy Cote

Wow - after my experience at Jamie's Italian last month, Cote, despite its exclusive Clifton postcode, could not have been more different.

The service was so friendly without being salesy - and the food was pretty top notch too. It might be a chain but Cote had all the warmth of a family run restaraunt, and the menu of a top quality chef (for the record I had the guinea fowl - yummers.)

Bon Appetit!

Bloatiful

Cooked these bad boy Chicken and Bean Enchiladas for the second time last night. They're easy peasy to make and really tasty but man do I feel like a bloater today. 

So, despite my recommendation, you stand warned - this recipe is definitely best for the Friday end-of-week slump rather than a start-of-working-week Monday night.

(the clue might be in the smallprint, err- serves 10!)