Tom embraces the blessed simplicity of the dishes on provide at this West Nation restaurant
Anchovy fillets ‘swimming in a golden oregano-infused oil’
Let’s begin with the sausage, a meaty masterpiece, the type of sausage about which odes are written and paeans sung. Do-it-yourself within the kitchen of Bristol’s Marmo, the divine sweetness of the pig is tempered by a grumble of chilli, every mouthful imbued with tight-textured Mangalitza magic. There’s a blob of quince purée with that sly sharpness, and radicchio, coolly bitter, and thick slices of crisp potato cake. It’s solely January, and there’s already a contender for my dish of the yr.
However there’s extra to like at Marmo, way more. Anchovy fillets, swimming in a golden pool of oregano-infused oil. I lay them atop crusty bread, unfold thick with chilly butter. A ball of burrata, pure and clear, spilling its runny core throughout the plate. Gnocco, ethereally mild dough pillows, contemporary from the recent fats, wrapped round silken salame rosa. Fried pig’s head is fashioned right into a compressed finger of flesh, the outside caramelised and crunchy, the within lasciviously mushy. It sits beneath slivers of fennel, and segments of juicy mandarin. Texture, steadiness and depth. Mussels, gloriously plump, swim in a cider-rich sauce, speckled with dulse and wild leek, the place Somerset orchard meets West Nation seashore.
Chef and co-proprietor (together with his spouse, Lily) Cosmo Sterck skilled at London’s St John and Brawn, and it reveals. There’s a purity to his cooking, a blessed simplicity, a respect for components that verges on devotion. Chalkstream trout, nonetheless translucent inside, is garlanded by pickled cucumber and shavings of contemporary horseradish. Gently strident, the entire dish is immaculately conceived. For pudding, a terrific scoop of chocolate mousse and an additional layer of whipped cream atop to cease the entire thing floating away. St Helena cheese, lushly seductive, is available in a pool of native honey.
The high-ceilinged room was as soon as an insurance coverage workplace, then a images gallery, then Bar Buvette. The kitchen is open, the partitions evenly panelled and coated with posters of wine. And whereas the wine record veers in direction of the pure (one thing I’ve but to embrace), there’s magnificence inside. Particularly an astonishingly floral white from Samos in Greece.
Higher nonetheless is the worth. For lunch, three programs right here value an astonishing £19, which is kind of stupendous worth for cooking this assured. Dinner is booked for weeks prematurely, however lunch is slightly much less busy. January could also be bleak however Marmo makes it higher.
£19 for a three-course lunch. Marmo, 31 Baldwin Avenue, Bristol; marmo.restaurant
DRINKS: Olly’s mild reds
To ease you gently again into the rhythm of sipping splendidly, mild reds are fabulous. Nearly on the level the place rosé turns to the darkish facet, these wines from much less well-known grapes resembling Cinsault and Perricone are fruity and chic – the daintiest excellent to sit back for half an hour. Cooling emphasises fruit so, so long as the pink is mild sufficient, it makes a perfect lunchtime sip or night refresher. The one one right here that I wouldn’t put within the fridge for too lengthy is Clos de La Bonnette which squeaks into the ‘mild’ class for its sheer scrumptiousness.
WINE OF THE WEEK Domaine Dubost La Ballofiere Morgon 2019 (13%), £12.99, Majestic. Silky and contemporary as black cherry sorbet, that is beautiful with a brambly increase of fruity attraction.
Best South African Cinsault 2020 (13.5%), £7.50, Tesco. A steal with the perfume of roses and cola – vibrant, mild and beautiful. Pair with salami.
Beloved and Discovered Perricone 2020 (13.5%), £7.99, Waitrose. Scented, tangy and lightweight, this distinctive Perricone is brilliant and
Viento de Invierno Mencia 2020 (13.5%), £8.25, Co-Op. Do that with a tuna steak for a silky positive pink with tantalising tea-like depth.
Syrah Vieilles Vignes Clos de la Bonnette 2019 (13.5%), £29.50, leaand sandeman.co.uk. Beautiful. Deep damson-like delight with the smoky sheen of a distant bonfire.