Tucked away on the corner of Whitehall Road is a beautifully lit, cozy cafe bar owned and managed by Sam Espensen of Espensen Spirit fame.
I popped in on a Thursday night for cocktails and bar snacks and was warmly welcomed by Sam and her team. The kitchen has been taken over by Pub Grub Club who know how to satisfy the fussiest diners, having cooked regularly for Parliament and The Queen. On offer are small portions of tapas style food all priced reasonably with the second half of the menu given over to main meals.
I started with a Genie 75, their take on the classic French 75 made with Gin Genie Blueberry Gin, blueberry syrup, lemon and Prosecco. Beautifully tart and in a glass that’s a personal favourite, it went down very quickly!
I ordered the Mac an Cheese bites with Pancetta and the Haddock Croquettes to nibble on and ordered a High Tea cocktail to sup whilst i waited. The High Tea is a blend of grapefruit, raspberry and a touch of absinthe and was wonderfully balanced. As someone who can’t abide absinthe i found it set off the grapefruit beautifully. Maybe i can be converted yet…
For pudding i tried the Pump Negroni made with their Pump up the Jam Raspberry Gin and the Chocolate Brownie with Orange Creme Fraiche. The Negroni was heavy on the herbs from the vermouth blend and was a great pairing with the brownie. The Brownie was full of nuts and the tart creme fraiche stopped the brownie being over sweet.
The atmosphere was beautifully calm and relaxed with table service, soft music, gorgeous lighting and a real”Scandi” feel to the decor. The chairs were covered with T-Shirts re-purposed from the famous Airside design company with my favourite being an ode to Battle Royal.
Opening times are Thurs/Fri 6-10pm, Sat 12-4 & Mon-Fri 8-11am and they are very dog friendly!
Bedsit Bonne Vivante 
12 Replies to “Bristol Spirit – Review”