The Lounge
227 – 231 North Street
Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1JJ
Tel: 0117 963 7340; web: www.thelounges.co.uk

Type: Small Chain – mostly Bristol
Food: Comfort food
Atmosphere: Comfy cosy, neighbourhood café
Ethics: No sign of green or eco credentials
Cost: Eat and drink moderately for under a tenner, could easily spend more without feeling ripped off

By Ava Peroni

Having become a little stir crazy with weather-compelled house arrest, on a very cold, sleety winter’s night, and having put off this date already a week ago due to the weather, I was determined come what may to get to the Lounge in Bemmy to meet my friend and do some serious catching up of the gossiping, philosophising and of commiserating… re: respective offspring variety.

On entering the Lounge I was met with a warm, glowing and happy buzz, very welcome after the blizzard on the street.  It was about half full, and on a cold and wet Tuesday evening that is a good sign for any hostelry I think.

I decided to get a drink while I waited, and the charming and cheerful girl serving me gave me a quick run through of the red wines before I plumped for the Malbec (inky colour and robust tannins creating a rich, dark and juicy wine don’t you know). Lovely stuff.

I sat down in a large, sturdy armchair and surveyed the room.  Old photos in new frames were dotted around the walls like old family friends, the furniture was gently scuffed and friendly.  The walls are painted in nicotine yellow, with the odd trompe l’oeil of peeling corners here and there.

I am not a fan of chains as a rule.  They tend to dumb everything down, and forumulise the look and feel and of course the food in a place, but the Lounges are a small chain and well thought out.  This one in particular is a place where I wouldn’t think twice about eating or drinking alone, and there are not many places that make me feel that, despite being a thoroughly modern Millie.

Mizz Lizzy soon arrived looking damp around the shoulders and the nose and in need of medicine (rum) which soon had it’s effect and we got stuck into the serious business of the evening.  Having dealt with approximately half the world’s problems, sifted, sorted and fixed them we decided it was time to eat.

The menu is written up on blackboards, a constant one with brunches (served all day), various ciabatta sandwiches & paninis, plus tapas & burgers.  The specials were on another board – prices for all varied from £2.95 for a bacon butty to £13.50 for a steak & chips, so not too scary.  One of the specials was a lamb burger stuffed with goat’s cheese and served with red onion relish which we both decided to have, Mizz Lizzy having had it before recommended it.

I was tempted by the tapas though, which I had seen on another table and looked really good.  I also hear their brunches are pretty good too.  But when you really want a burger you just gotta have it.

Our food arrived fairly quickly and looked good on the plate, with the accompanying salad of baby leaves and roast red pepper strips adding a pretty shock of colour.  The house fries are skinny chips which I would hazard a guess are bought in frozen.  Not necessarily a bad thing but these were somewhat under cooked and pallid when what they need to be to overcome their origins is crispy and golden.

The burger on the other hand was over cooked, perhaps through an over-zealous health and safety attack (no pink meat here by God!) or perhaps through thoughtlessness, either way despite having a good lamby flavour it was a bit too dry, and the goats cheese was a ghost of its former self.  Mizz Lizzy grimaced as she realised it had not lived up to past experience and her enthusiastic recommendation, so I suspect the fault lay in simple inconsistency in the cooking, the bane of many a kitchen.

The waiter who brought our food was very smiley and, on being asked, said yes, I could certainly have another glass of wine, if I went to the bar.  So I did.  I didn’t mind, it’s clear it is counter service and I have no problem with that, though on a quiet-ish week night in January you would think….. anyway.

All told, the food was OK for the price, once we had also self-served the relish tray, and though they could definitely be more consistent with very little effort I think that if you come out of a restaurant, cafe or bar with pink cheeks and a smile on your face it has done its job – and we both did.

I would definitely go again to hang out, do some work on the laptop or spend time with friends playing board games, and to give the menu another chance.  The vibe is good, and the lighting (more important than you might think and not just for vanity’s sake either) is welcoming.

I didn’t feel hurried or ignored, but on the contrary I felt welcome and comfortable to the point where the quality of the food was not an issue, despite being the reason for this review.  The world was put to rights and the sun will shine again (that’s a promise).

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