restaurant
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e’re back at Bambalan for second helpings. Although actually, it’s more like third or fourth; OK, maybe fifth, or sixth, if you include that silent disco lunch back in 2017. We’re serial Bambalaners, and we’ve decided to keep going until we’ve worked our way through the entire menu. At time of going to press, we’re
roughly a quarter of the way there. Situated on the first floor of Colston Tower, and far more prepossessing inside than out, Bambalan brings North African flavours and Mediterranean mezze to a uniquely Bristol setting. Bursting onto the food scene back in 2016, Bam’s the baby sister of The Ox and Pata Negra, youngish auntie to Seven Lucky Gods, and just like all of the Hyde & Co’s ventures, mixes excellent service with ace cocktails and colourful, great-tasting food that’s ideal for sociable sharing. Friendly staff hustle us into one of the funky turquoise booths; it’s a tad too chilly to take advantage of the big terrace with its city-centre views, though paradoxically, as the weather gets cooler, the terrace gets cosier, because during winter there are heaters and a twinkly fairylit canopy. Diehard table-tennis freaks can show off their mean batting skills on the side balconies all year round. Resisting the temptation to display our meagre general knowledge (quiz night’s just kicking off), we skim through the cocktail menu; waitress Teasha rescues us from a flurry of indecision by recommending the passion fruit margarita and raspberry daiquiri, which bring a burst of tropical colour into the mardy Brizzle drizzle. They come beautifully presented, in deceptively little glasses, but as we have discovered in the past to our cost, Bambalan’s cocktails pack a punch – judge them by their size at your peril. We sipped our way through four throughout the evening; each was zingy, refreshing and potent, and at two for a tenner, not too hard on the wallet either. Identifying a few plates we hadn’t tried before, we ordered in some mezze starters of charred tender-stem broccoli and deep-fried squid.
The fish was perfectly textured, nicely charred outside, meltingly tender inside and with just the right amount of chilli kick. The broccoli, which surely along with the cocktail constituted at least three of our five-a-day, arrived slathered in vivid, smoky chilli romesco (four-a-day? Get in). Obviously we needed at least one of the babs. Chaotically messy and indulgent, consisting of a hearty flat bread filled with lavish quantities of your filling of choice, Bambalan’s signature dish is not for the fastidious knife and fork brigade. Carnivores can dig into a medley of meat with the Big Boy Bab, piled high with chicken, lamb and pork, and the vegetarian options are just as stacked – try the Banh Mi Bab for a taste of South-East Asia, all wrapped up for your delectation. Even if you’re stuffed (and you will be), don’t skip dessert. My silky banana ice-cream made a perfect partner to an indecently indulgent salted caramel brownie, sending me sweetly into a food-induced coma. The Hyde gaffs are renowned for their top-notch service, and a few years after opening Bambalan’s staff are still knocking it out of the park. We love the lively buzz here; we even managed to get a few of the quiz night questions right. We’ve still barely made a dent on the menu, but we really don’t need an excuse to loosen the belt buckles and keep working our way through it, one bab at a time. n
Dining details Bambalan, Podium Level, Colston Tower, Colston Avenue BS1 4XE; 0117 9221880 Opening hours 8am-midnight seven days a week We visited Wednesday dinner time Prices main courses £9-£16.50; nibbles/starters/sharers
£3.50-£17; desserts £6 Vegetarian wide choice Drinks modest wine list but with a few stars; glasses from
£3.75; cocktails 2 for £10; beers and ciders £3.50-£5.50 Service first-class Atmosphere Bustling and lively Are kids welcome? Yes, and there’s a nice-looking kids menu
www.mediaclash.co.uk I BRISTOL LIFE I 49