Restaurants / Reviews
Other, Bedminster: ‘Cosy, colourful and deliciously chaotic’ – restaurant review
When I entered through the bright orange door of Other, it was with a real sense of anticipation.
Other has been opened by Emma Lyons and Zak Hitchman, who was previously head chef at Casamia where he admitted writing bad reviews of his own restaurant while not painting the walls black and turning the music up loud, thus alienating many of the loyal customers at the former Michelin-starred establishment which has since gone back to basics as Casa.
Hitchman has gone to the other end of the colour palette with Other, which serves sharing plates from £4.50 to £25 – showcasing his exceptional skills as a chef which he honed in Ynyshir in mid-Wales.
I was parched and had a growling stomach. I needed nothing more than to feast on Wednesday night which was the first public outing of Other following a friends and family evening the previous week.
A kind lady and awfully good-looking gentleman had me seated at the table nearest to the kitchen while I waited for my vegan dining partner. I was pleased: we could shamelessly peek at all of the dishes being prepared from here.
Other’s menus – vegan for Hannah and the ‘other’ one for me – were an appetising selection of small plates, large plates, snacks and sweet treats, all made (of course) with locally sourced ingredients.
The fish dish of the day and alcohol-free drinks are listed on the specials board at Other
The small plates of pork & plum sauce and celeriac & plum sauce almost looked identical
For starters, we ordered the pork and plum, and celeriac and plum (both £7), which quickly made the short distance from the kitchen to our table. Both the pork and celeriac were soaked in a luscious umeboshi plum sauce and tasted like little bites of heaven (little being the operative word)
Our main course – miso glazed aubergine (£18) – was much more generously portioned. A huge aubergine had been sliced in half, glazed with miso and cooked to perfection.
The soft aubergine was paired with baba ganoush, harissa, white cabbage salad and a Turkish bazlama bread drenched in roasted garlic butter.
The spice from the harissa and the nutty texture of the baba ganoush were an intelligent combination with the mushy aubergine; and was something that stunned my taste buds.
The aubergine dish is living in my heart rent-free
My taste buds were thrilled furthermore when I bit into the butter-drenched bread that tasted just as wholesome when paired with the paste and dip.
Moving onto dessert, however, I wasn’t a fan of the chocolate ganache (£7) with blood plum jam and brûléed plum on the first bite. The portion again seemed too small and the chocolate was too bitter.
This was until I hit the jackpot when I had a bite of the charred plum, ganache and jam. All those put together were nothing short of divine.
Ganache and blood plum jam at Other
If Hitchman reverts to his old ways, he will be the only one writing bad reviews of Other.
My own positive review of his and Emma’s restaurant? It’s cosy, colourful and deliciously chaotic; and already on my list to visit again as its menu changes every week.
Within a former cafe next to a tanning salon, there is now a wonderful opportunity to explore global flavours with not a black wall in sight.
Other, 32 Cannon Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1BN
www.otherrestaurant.co.uk
All photos: Karen Johnson
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
