Quayside Restaurant

Waterside seats for a watery menu.

The Venue
With the river, quayside traffic and weather as its moving picture, the view from this gallery is constantly changing. Its location on the quieter side of the docks makes it a good vantage point as the long glass wall and transparent ceiling offer expansive views. As the hours turn from day to night, the attention is reverted from the outside to the in.

This is a long and spacious viewing gallery. Tables are placed generously apart from each other, allowing ample space in between. Tables at the long, thin sofa that lines the back wall are unfortunately placed unnecessarily far apart from the seats, so you end up in straining to reach your food.

The People
Regardless of Bristol's weather, you can seek solace in this covered space. On wet days, the glass facade acts as a protective bubble, and on bright days, it lets in a lot of daylight, making the stark white space even lighter. The fresh and bold look is a risky move for this newly-renovated space - what will time do to the spotless white chairs and sofas?

This recently reopened restaurant still has a couple of kinks to work out - the tables by the sofa seats, for starters, should be pushed in for comfortable dining.

It sits in the same building as the Jury Hotel so you can expect to see tourists as well as the odd businessman.

The Food
Naturally, one would expect a dockside restaurant to serve a seafood-dominated menu. It does, and prepares it using traditional European concepts.

The start and the end of this meal is the best with a well-infused onion bread and well-balanced lemon and lime cheesecake (£5.75). The bread is soft and savoury and the cheesecake light with a crunchy crust and even tartness.

Unfortunately the main dish is less composed. The lemon sole with green sauce (£16) is a dish of three shriveled fillets swimming in oil. It has little seasoning and a texture almost like mush. The side of thick-cut fries, although slightly undercooked, seem safer to eat than the fish.

The Drink
The wine list is grouped according to their profiles. The whites, for example, have categories such as fruity and intense and dry and herbaceous. The Chilean sauvignon blanc (£4.20) is from the second category, and is indeed dry and tart with a strong note of apple. The overall wine list consists of a small selection, which are not too expensive.

The Last Word
It has a weak main dish section, but the rest of the meal and the decor are lovely - whoever designed it created a very pleasant dining space.

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