3Coqs Brasserie Bristol

On a rainy January evening my family and I thought we would try out a new venture from 3 well-known Bristol Chefs. The 3Coqs is on the famous Whiteladies Road in Clifton. An area of Bristol known for it's upmarket buildings, affluent residents and posh boutiques. The 3coqs, however, is situated above Sainsbury's, and beside the railway station in an old commercial space. So first impressions were not of a typical 'French', small, quaint and cosy restaurant. The open kitchen was a very nice touch though. I love to be able to see into a kitchen, to see the Chefs in action, to see if they are messing about or if they are actually passionate about what they are doing. Being a Wednesday night in January, the restaurant was quiet. However, this was a plus, as the service received was great. Friendly, efficient and helpful. The Maitre'd even brought me samples of different wines on their list as apparently she could "Tell you were into Wine" How right she was!

I checked out the menu online earlier that day and had my heart set on a certain dish that then wasn't on the menu in the restaurant, which was a little annoying but the substituted dish was delicious. A smoked Eel salad with picked Cucumber and Brik Pastry. It was light, simple yet elegant and matched wonderfully to the first carafe of wine, a southern french demi-sec. Most of the dishes on the menu are available in starter or main course size which I think is a great way of offering something a little different to your guests.




My main was superb, Breast of Wood Pigeon, with pureed potatoes, baby chard and small sweet onions. It was a 'main' course size but a hearty one at that. The pigeon was cooked perfectly and was deep, gamey, and succulent, while the onions balanced the dish with their sweetness.




A thumbs up was most definitely given after the dessert. A Cassis Sorbet. It was quite intense, and once again, there was quite a lot of it, but my, it was tasty. I had it with a dessert wine from the Monbazillac region for France which was well priced. In total, four, three course meals, 2 carafes of wine, and a dessert wine came to £130 which, I thought, was very reasonable.




This restaurant it a must if you are into simple food, simple flavours, cooked fantastically well.

Cheers!





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