Katie & Kim's Kitchen

I haven’t lived in Bristol for very long. This annoys me because I hear about all these long-lost lovers of Bristol food that I have missed out on. Katie and Kim’s horsebox was one of these things. I’d heard mention of them in relation to the Street Food Awards (they took the title in 2013), but had never had the opportunity to try out their famous grub.

That was until last week, when I visited their newly opened (and permanent) café on Picton Street in Montpelier. Finally I had the chance to sample the goods!

And oh, how good they were…

Bakers & Co

You guys know I like brunch right? In fact, I love it. It has all the best things about breakfast, but with the added enjoyment of a lie-in. Thankfully Bristol has a fair amount of options for those of us looking for our mid-morning food fix. You can choose from nearly any cuisine in any area of the city and not be disappointed. The problem with this however is that when opening somewhere new, you have to be pretty special to stand out.

And that is just what Bakers & Co is hoping to do. The ‘San Francisco style’ café opened on Gloucester Road in March to a whole host of anticipation. Brought to us by the people behind the hugely successful Bravas on Cotham Hill, the Bristol community’s expectations were sky high. I visited a few weeks after opening, to see if it could live up to the hype.

The Bristolian

It’s a new year, and a very good time to be in Bristol that’s for sure. With lots of new potential eateries on the horizon I thought I would start 2014 instead with a very local haunt for me, and one many Bristolians are familiar with, not least because that’s its name.

I’m reliably informed that The Bristolian in Montpelier has been around for some time. However it was rebranded and reopened a little over a year ago and, judging by the hordes crammed inside during my visit, it seems to be pretty darn popular. The whole place has a very welcoming vibe – upon entering you’re greeted by a counter bursting under home-made salads, quiches and cakes and some very friendly staff. The tables are nestled amongst pot plants with hundreds of cushions inviting you to relax and plenty of chatty folk enjoying their weekend.

Boston breakfast Boston Tea Party (Gloucester Road, Bristol)

I make no secret of the fact that I’m a big fan of Boston Tea Party. I am a regular frequenter of the Boston on Cheltenham Road, opting to visit for many reasons, not least because it’s five minutes’ walk from my front door. So on a blustery Autumn Sunday I decided to make my legs work a little harder, and headed off to visit their newest addition on Gloucester Road.

This particular branch opened just a few weeks ago, but is already a huge hitter on the Sunday breakfast scene. Having visited most of the Bostons, the thing that struck me first about the Gloucester Road venue was its style - the place really does look fantastic. And I admit that my expectations were high on that front, because the first thing you see as you’re walking in is a giant mural of a boiled egg. What could be a better breakfast welcome than that?

Bakery beginnings Hart's Bakery

It started with a toastie.

Actually, a lot started with this toastie. Mainly the conviction that I can’t keep eating all these amazing things and not writing about them. Being whisked around the finest coffee haunts in the south west courtesy of my partner's coffee habit, it occurred to me that neither of us were talking about the food. And dang Bristol, you do food well. So sorry all, I’m starting a food blog. It was always going to happen. I don’t know why I denied it for so long.

My first blog post is to shout from the rooftops the virtues of Bristol’s Hart’s Bakery. Seriously, listen up because this place is banging. Being pretty housebound at the minute due to tedious back issues, I was driven to Hart’s Bakery last weekend for a small brunch outing – one of the best kinds of outing in my opinion. I had heard a rumour that Laura from Hart’s Bakery does the best custard tarts in town so I was prepared to be pretty happy at the end of my visit. Well, I was (and pretty laden down with various bread and pastry based items too).