Restaurants / Reviews
Souk Kitchen, North Street: ‘Endless ways to eat pomegranate seeds’ – restaurant review
It is, quite frankly, a travesty that I had never eaten at Souk Kitchen.
Having lived in Hotwells and passed the North Street institution countless days of my life since it opened in 2010, plus working from the Bristol24/7 offices at the top of the Tobacco Factory, I really have no excuse other than the restaurant feeling so much like part of the furniture of Southville that I have taken its presence for granted.
Finally and thankfully, that wrong has now been righted with a recent weekday visit to sample Souk’s Middle Eastern-inspired small plates.
Hummus and flatbread: the measure of all Middle Eastern restaurants
As I step through the threshold for the very first time, I am struck by the warm lighting, matched by an understated decor that gives it the intimate feel of a living room, save for some humungous jars of olives, pickles and oil adorning the shelves.
The menu is pleasingly simple and divided into ‘nibbles’, ‘mezze’ and ‘dessert’.
We ask for recommendations, and it’s testament to a well-rounded menu that our server struggles to pick the most popular dishes, as “they are all somebody’s favourite”.
We opt for Zatar flat breads and hummus with Turkish chili butter to start, because if anything is a judgment of a Middle Eastern restaurant, it’s the much-loved chickpea dip.
It swiftly arrives and delights us: the combination of warm, fluffy bread and zingy yet earthy hummus a textural and flavour winner.
Our choice of small plates came thick and fast on a recent visit to the much-loved restaurant
We are licking our fingers when suddenly the saliva-inducing whiff of chicken is in the air. Our small plates have arrived, and we know, from the merest glance, that we have chosen well.
In my opinion, there aren’t many dishes that a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds doesn’t improve, and that’s a philosophy Souk and I clearly share.
We dive into a halloumi dish, served with honey and pear (£9.50): the thick slab of cheese squeaks in our mouths and leaves behind a pool of honey jewelled with black seeds.
There’s fun to be had in being experimental, flitting between plates and trying different combinations of ingredients, dips and drizzles.
Chicken at Souk Kitchen is served on a skewer and dressed with chillis, aioli and, of course, pomegranate seeds
The showstopper is the Aleppo chicken sheesh served with slaw and luminescent saffron aioli (£15). Pure succulent ‘meatiness’ is too basic a description, but it’s true —the chargrilled texture gives the word a whole new delicious meaning.
You know the food is good when you’re making sure it’s precisely divided in half with your dining partner.
The hispi cabbage with whipped feta and harissa butter (£9.50) is the weakest of our selection as it lacks crunch despite the promise of garlic crumbs.
The cheesecake was made with labne: a thick, creamy cheese made by straining yogurt
It doesn’t matter, however, as our attention turns to the arrival of our desserts: labne cheesecake with figs and sesame brittle (£7.50) and two scoops of date syrup ice cream.
Subtle and satisfying, the two dishes are the perfect end to a visit to a restaurant which I promise to myself I won’t leave another 15 years to visit.
277 North Street, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1JP
All photos: Betty Woolerton
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