Restaurants / Reviews
Bianchis, Montpelier: ‘Thoroughly deserving of its popularity’ – restaurant review
If, on entering, almost every seat inside the restaurant is occupied at 6pm on a grey Tuesday, you can be fairly sure you are in for a treat.
Beneath the painted sign for Bell’s Diner, a Bristol restaurant institution that occupied this Montpelier site for more than 40 years, the Bianchis name has become a stalwart of the Bristol restaurant scene, part of a small group of four venues (and a food truck) each with their own rave reviews.
Inside its original York Road restaurant on that recent early evening, there’s a gentle hum of excitement as diners pore over wine lists and menus.
From a couple in a crisp white shirt and long velvet dress celebrating an anniversary to two friends catching up after time apart, it’s clear this is somewhere people come to mark a special occasion.
Perfect sourdough focaccia paired with polenta fritta made us feel at home straight away
Once we are greeted and settled on a table, our attention turns to the menu which follows aclassic Italian structure: ‘antipasti’, ‘primi’, ‘secondi’ and desserts, or ‘dolci.
From the first section, among the options is is fadicchio tardivo salad, gorgonzola, pickled onion and almonds (E10), carciofo alla giudia, smoked ricotta, hazelnuts, chilli honey and mint (£11) and polenta fritta, rabbit stracotto and Parmigiano reggiano (E10).
We opt for the latter, swayed by our warm and knowledgeable waitress’s promise of crisp golden discs paired with a rich, slow-cooked sauce. It more than delivers.
Bianchis is often voted one of Bristol’s best restaurants
We are told the pappardelle, lamb ragu peas, grana padano and mint (£21.5) is the most popular main dish but, feeling adventurous, we go against the grain and choose for the tagliatelle al tonno pomodoro, tuna, capers and pangrattato (£21.50) in effort to balance our meal.
It is a beautifully executed dish with contrasting textures and tastes. And to top it off, as we are about to scrape our plates to get every last drop of sauce, more focaccia arrives on our table – as if by magic.
Expect a warm and cosy welcome when visiting Bianchis
Our meal ends on grilled porchetta with celeriac puree, apple salad and pickled mustard seeds (£26.5).
It is a rich yet well-balanced end to a genuinely memorable time at a restaurant whose reputation extends well beyond its neighbourhood, and with good reason, for any restaurant that can elevate Italian food to such a special experience is thoroughly deserving of its popularity.
Bianchis, 1-3 York Road, Montpelier, BS6 5QB
All photos: Betty Woolerton
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