Mey:ze & One Fish Street, Chandos Road – ‘Chandos Road is a gift that keeps giving’ – restaurant reviews

The wind and cold rain were enough to rile up my already hungry belly on a recent evening. Panting and with a growling stomach, I arrived on Chandos Road: every food lover’s gastronomical escape in Bristol.

Standing at the far end, near The Good Measure, I could see faint, warm lights escaping from a sea of promising options: Little Hollows Pasta, Snobby’s, the Michelin-starred Wilsons, Dongnae, Chandos Fish Bar, Redland Tandoori and three new openings.

From the team behind Snobby’s, a wine bar called Barroux; One Fish Street, a popular seafood restaurant from St Ives and Mey:ze in what was formerly Bake Away Bristol. I decided to do the unconventional: try eating at two of the three new places in one evening.

I ventured into Mey:ze, and seated myself on a table by the window, taking in its setup of yellow bulbs and tea light candles. On the menu were a selection of hot and cold meze options, with the server recommending two to three plates per person. After a quick scan of the menu, I ordered three cold meze plates: a yoghurt-dominant dish of haydari (£7), the roasted aubergine meze (£7.5) and the Antaka-style hummus (£7.5). While they offer a complimentary plate of sourdough to start you off, I chose the large Turkish flatbread (£5) to mop my meze plates.

Mey:ze has a range of cold meze plates, most of which are vegetarian or vegan

The soft, easy-to-tear flatbreads were a delight when paired with each of the meze plates. The cold, herbs and garlic garnished haydari dish was light on my palate. Chunks of aubergine, coated in the thick labneh were easy to scoop with the flatbread and had a smoky, roasted aftertaste that was a good contrast to the airy hydari. The hummus was nutty as it should be, with a pool of hot chilli butter making a shallow puddle in the middle of the plate. The meze plates of aubergine and hummus, especially the heat from the spicy butter, were certainly my more favoured choices of the three, as my hand kept unconsciously alternating between the two and only sometimes reaching for the hydari.

To wash down the cold meze plates, I ordered an Efes Pilsner (£5), a popular beer produced in Turkey. It was smooth, crisp and served as the perfect companion to the food. I found the portion sizes generous and something that I could have easily shared with another diner. While there was a whole selection of larger, hot meze plates to choose from, I was tickling for something fishy for mains. After paying for my little Middle Eastern feast and scooping the leftovers into small takeaway boxes, I made my way across the road to One Fish Street.

I could go back every day for that tin plate of mackerels in curry sauce

I had an instinct – a loud instinct – that they would have no space. And after a few words with the kind lady from the restaurant’s serving team, I was assured that there were no available seats or bar tables throughout the evening. What she did say was available was a standing table, lodged by the winding stairs leading to the downstairs kitchen. I hate standing, and I hate even more standing and eating.

But the oceany waft of fresh seafood emanating from all corners of the room made me succumb, and in no time I was standing by the stairs. Thanks to my very special seating position, I was informed they could only serve me snacks, tins and oysters with drinks. The bigger plates were out of play. I settled for the one ball of cuttlefish ragu arancini (£4 per ball) and a tin plate of mackerel in curry sauce, served with toasts, salted butter and pickles (£18).

The arancini was crispy on the outside with a moist, gooey ragu-filled centre. Seated on a bed of madeira mayo on a stone serving plate, I demolished the ball within seconds, savouring the combination of the tangy ragu and tiny beads of what I believe were cuttlefish eggs. Moving on to my tin plate, I was not sure what to expect. Pardon me for not being familiar with the concept of serving a literal fish tin at a bougie, upscale restaurant.

But this tin is like no other I’d ever eaten from: sophisticated, lathered in flavour and a dish that wll live in my head rent-free for a long time. The soft, immaculately cooked mackerels lay in a thick pool of curry sauce that was spicy and masala-forward. It felt like a devout blend of British seafood and Indian spices, reminding me of an authentic South Indian fish curry. The meal was delicious enough to make me forget that I was, in fact, standing while eating.

A framed sketch of One Fish Street’s St Ives site serves as a reminder of the restaurant’s origin story

I will definitely return to try some of the bigger, sharing plates and oyster options. For anyone who wants to strictly visit for the oysters, there are plenty of options to choose from. The shallot mignonette, nahm jim and bloody mary offerings were each for £3.75. The buffalo and ranch dressing, tempura and seaweed jam, and grilled oysters with potted brown shrimp butter offerings were each for £4.5.

Bristol is blessed to have Chandos Road: a gift that keeps giving. Leaving One Fish Street and waving goodbye to Mey:ze as I made my way back to Southville, I promised myself to return to this street soon. To try new places, unpack more diverse flavours, and hopefully more memorable solo meals.

Mey:ze and One Fish Street have both opened within a few feet’s distance on Chandos Road

Mey:ze, 16 Chandos Rd, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6PE

One Fish Street, 17 Chandos Rd, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6PG

All photos: Karen Johnson

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• Dongnae, Chandos Road: ‘A beautiful day in the neighbourhood’ – restaurant review