Restaurants / Reviews
Poco, Jamaica Street: ‘Every mouthful is better than the last’ – restaurant review
I must have walked past Poco on Jamaica Street countless times, but this time I’m very glad to have finally stopped in.
With a low-level hum of Motown and soul ringing out as we browsed the drinks menu, Poco struck the perfect balance between upscale cooking, simplicity, and unpretentiousness, making for an ideal dining experience.
After settling in with a spicy lemon drop (£12) and an old fashioned (£14), we were entirely spoiled for choice with Poco’s seasonal dinner menu.
Poco’s seasonal tapas menu reflects their close relationship with local suppliers and produce
An artful combination of traditional English cuisine with a tapas twist, it was a menu from which I would’ve happily had one of every plate.
With our server’s guidance, we finally whittled our choices down to a representation of their ‘veg’, ‘meat’ and ‘fish’ categories.
First came the sherry-glazed pork jowl (£16), a dish which took melt-in-the-mouth to the next level.
A dish of pork jowl with pommes anna and beetroot ketchup was the perfect start to the meal
You could cut through the meat like butter and, when paired with crispy pommes anna and beetroot ketchup, it was a decadent, brilliantly curated plate.
The team at Poco jumped from strength to strength, meeting the incredibly high bar set by the pork with a grey mullet crudo (£13.50).
Cured for 20 minutes in salt water, then served raw with garlic, capers, turnips and clementine, every bite felt fresh and bright.
Poco acheived astounding variety with their winter menu selection
We also tried the poached cod (£16), which, at the risk of hyperbolising, may well be the best fish I have ever eaten.
Next came a braised butter bean dish, topped with pangrattato, preserved lemon and whipped feta (£9).
A perfectly wintry addition to the menu, it was rich, creamy and warming and left us fighting for scraps and scraping the bowl for every last molecule of the sauce.
We finished off with a couple of desserts, which were every bit as incredible as their tapas selection.
Their poached pear (£8.50), served with brioche custard and tuiles, was beautiful, while the vegan chocolate ganache with quince and chocolate soil (£7.50) was the ultimate indulgent end to our meal.
As we sipped on homemade limoncello, we fruitlessly tried to pick a favourite plate but found no conclusive answer.
Every mouthful at Poco was better than the last, and demonstrated how effortless great menu design can feel.
Combine that with a friendly team and great tunes, and it’s no wonder that the tapas bar has been an institution of the Stokes Croft area for so many years.
Poco, 45 Jamaica Street, BS2 8JP
All photos: Susie Long
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