The Stable has been in the picturesque location of Bristol's harbourside for a while now, so I am admittedly a tad late on the up-take, but having been recommended it by some friends, I had to make my debut visit.
I actually chose it as the restaurant of choice for dinner on a day that two of my friends were coming to Bristol (one of which has never been before), and I really wanted them to experience how great Bristol's food is! It completely worked, with one giving The Stable a big "thumbs up", and the other saying; "For my first time in Bristol, this is a succulent ending to a perfect day", which made me laugh. Yes, those were her exact words..
Anyway, I digress! Onto the food:
I actually chose it as the restaurant of choice for dinner on a day that two of my friends were coming to Bristol (one of which has never been before), and I really wanted them to experience how great Bristol's food is! It completely worked, with one giving The Stable a big "thumbs up", and the other saying; "For my first time in Bristol, this is a succulent ending to a perfect day", which made me laugh. Yes, those were her exact words..
Anyway, I digress! Onto the food:
Above is The Fresh Hawaiian (£10) pizza, and a Spice Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash, Spinach, Goats Cheese and Plum Chutney pie (£9). The food took a while to come out, but it was well worth it by the time it came.
As you can see, the presentation is distinctive and careful, but we were all presented with a full plate, and genuinely our money's worth. The bite the chilli provided to a normally more plain option in pizza places in general, made it quite a unique pizza. The chilli in this particular choice is optional though, for the slightly more tame eaters. The ham tasted of real quality ham, and the pineapple chunks were refreshingly generous, which was great as it was a hot day and I wanted something cool.
I am odd for having to admit this, but this was the first time I had ever tasted avocado, ever in my life, but I didn't honestly feel it added anything to this pizza, but maybe avocado-lovers would beg to differ. It looks huge, and it was, but the thinness of the pizza meant that I only began feeling too full on the last piece - luckily!
I did not try the pie (I'm not a huge fan of pies in general) but the friend of mine who chose it described the pastry as 'melting' as he ate it, which he said was a very good thing! To me that indicates that it was moist, rather than too crispy and dry, which sounds great to me! I did, however, try the plum chutney that came with it on the side, and it was delicious. I had half hoped he didn't want it, as I tried a bit on my pizza and it was an incredible cocktail of tastes as a combination, surprisingly.
I hear the cider served here is amazing, and quite unique, but unfortunately neither of us wanted to drink, nor had the budget to, so I have nothing to offer in terms of a cider review I'm afraid. But I trust others that have said it's great.
I have often walked past The Stable during the night, and it has seemed quite dark, in a dim atmospheric sense. But today the beautiful weather outside filled the large windows with light, and showed that the restaurant-come-bar by night can really take on any mood appropriate to the time of day.
The long, communal benches aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they don't squish you up too close when they give you your space on the table, and the use of candles as dividers keeps it relatively private too, if that's what you want. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed - don't expect to have your table waited on - you are very much encouraged to take things at your own pace, helping yourself to tap water and ordering at the bar when ready. The rustic and casual feel to it, and the delicious pizzas make it quite child-friendly, and it being Mothering Sunday meant that there were a few families with younger kids there, though I imagine it is probably like that on any given weekend during the day.
The prices are slightly more than you might want to pay for a pizza, pie or salad, and the choice isn't the most vast, but the staff are open to slight alterations to the menu options, and there does seem to be something for most types of eater. We ate with one temporary vegetarian (lent commitments) who had no trouble finding something she could eat, and I was feeling unusually fussy and neither did I, so the slight lack of choice was not a problem, and I would highly recommend The Stable to all for a hearty and filling meal out.
As you can see, the presentation is distinctive and careful, but we were all presented with a full plate, and genuinely our money's worth. The bite the chilli provided to a normally more plain option in pizza places in general, made it quite a unique pizza. The chilli in this particular choice is optional though, for the slightly more tame eaters. The ham tasted of real quality ham, and the pineapple chunks were refreshingly generous, which was great as it was a hot day and I wanted something cool.
I am odd for having to admit this, but this was the first time I had ever tasted avocado, ever in my life, but I didn't honestly feel it added anything to this pizza, but maybe avocado-lovers would beg to differ. It looks huge, and it was, but the thinness of the pizza meant that I only began feeling too full on the last piece - luckily!
I did not try the pie (I'm not a huge fan of pies in general) but the friend of mine who chose it described the pastry as 'melting' as he ate it, which he said was a very good thing! To me that indicates that it was moist, rather than too crispy and dry, which sounds great to me! I did, however, try the plum chutney that came with it on the side, and it was delicious. I had half hoped he didn't want it, as I tried a bit on my pizza and it was an incredible cocktail of tastes as a combination, surprisingly.
I hear the cider served here is amazing, and quite unique, but unfortunately neither of us wanted to drink, nor had the budget to, so I have nothing to offer in terms of a cider review I'm afraid. But I trust others that have said it's great.
I have often walked past The Stable during the night, and it has seemed quite dark, in a dim atmospheric sense. But today the beautiful weather outside filled the large windows with light, and showed that the restaurant-come-bar by night can really take on any mood appropriate to the time of day.
The long, communal benches aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they don't squish you up too close when they give you your space on the table, and the use of candles as dividers keeps it relatively private too, if that's what you want. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed - don't expect to have your table waited on - you are very much encouraged to take things at your own pace, helping yourself to tap water and ordering at the bar when ready. The rustic and casual feel to it, and the delicious pizzas make it quite child-friendly, and it being Mothering Sunday meant that there were a few families with younger kids there, though I imagine it is probably like that on any given weekend during the day.
The prices are slightly more than you might want to pay for a pizza, pie or salad, and the choice isn't the most vast, but the staff are open to slight alterations to the menu options, and there does seem to be something for most types of eater. We ate with one temporary vegetarian (lent commitments) who had no trouble finding something she could eat, and I was feeling unusually fussy and neither did I, so the slight lack of choice was not a problem, and I would highly recommend The Stable to all for a hearty and filling meal out.