The Gallimaufry

The Gallimaufry (or ‘Galli’) was the first place I ate in when I moved to Bristol. In that time I have eaten there on numerous occasions. Some good, some brilliant, some just missed the mark. But all in all, it’s a place which can be relied upon to serve up some decent food with an equally decent price tag.

Local producers are proudly displayed in this bar come restaurant on Gloucester Road. After opening in 2012 they were quickly named Best Newcomer at the Bristol Good Food Awards in the same year, and have upheld a loyal following ever since. The Galli serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner, in a trendy environment displaying ever changing local art and plenty of live music events to enjoy whilst drinking or dining. 

The evening menu at the Galli is quite small, something I like as I’m a greedy guts and want to try everything. If you go as a party of four, you can get round most of the starters and mains without much hassle. The starters tend to hover around the veggie and fish sections which wouldn’t appeal to everyone (although they do tend to offer a paté for those meat lovers). The sprats with marie rose sauce I had on my last visit were exceptionally well cooked and the sauce had that exact prawn cocktail throwback feel I was looking for. On other occasions there have been scallops with chicken oysters (excellent) and purple-sprouting broccoli with poached egg and hollandaise (so-so).

Mains tend to normally offer a fish option and steak, although I have also sampled their pork three ways and confit duck leg. After extensive research I would say that the dishes worth coming back for are those like the confit duck or the pork belly in my pork three ways. Sure the steak was good, but not the best I’ve had and it definitely lacked the character of some of their slow cooked dishes. That is where they excel.

For those of you who enjoy a pud, you’ll feel right at home here. English classic such as STP or jam roly-poly mingle with dishes like ‘milk and cookies’- gooey double chocolate cookies with milk sorbet. Mostly the desserts are done well, although the roly poly was far too reminiscent of school dinners for my dining companion. The chocolate and rosewater fondant however hit every one of my Fry’s Turkish Delight-loving buttons.

A meal for four with a couple of bottles of wine will set you back around £100 at the Galli…that’s with a couple of shared desserts however, as not everyone has the commitment that I do.

The one thing I have to mention however is the portion sizes. The starters are definitely on the small side, which is disappointing when they are often so good. The puds however are at the opposite end of the spectrum and require a reasonably keen appetite to finish them off, especially with the heavier dishes. The gripe I have is that if you’re not a pudding person you may leave feeling a little short-changed. If you are in it for three courses however, you’re probably going to be stuffed. The menu just doesn’t quite flow as a whole.

So a small moan really, but something which could easily be fixed with a bit more thinking about the diner’s experience (and stomach capacity). Especially when everything else is spot on – you really can’t beat the atmosphere on a Friday or Saturday night.

If you’ve yet to visit, I urge you to join the throngs and head to the Gallimaufry. But a word to the wise - if you’re in it for the STP, remember to bring your eating trousers.