I’ve been going on a lot of foodie outings recently and it just feels wrong to neglect any mention of them on my blog. Eating out is something we all love to do, but sometimes you don’t get to hear much from an allergen perspective in the newspapers, so i think it’s nice to read Gluten free/ allergy sufferers opinions on their blogs as our dining experience can be much more different to others.
My first outing would be to meet some of Bristol’s finest foodie bloggers (i’ll do a post about them soon ;). ‘Harvey Cellars’ in Bristol City Center is a wonderful little place when you arrive, it’s like an Aladdin’s cave for funky decor. Some people hate the sound of blue LED lighting and fairy lights but let me tell you, i was in love with these touches in the Music room space. It made me want to boogie with maracas. It just has a good vibe, not pretentious in any way but lovely and inviting. With mingling, snacking and drinking to do, it was the ideal venue for this evening’s antics.
Tapas the Gluten free saviour.
Harveys has had a complete menu revamp, so we were able to taste from their new Tapas menu. I’m a huge Tapas fan. Sometimes a tapas place can really save the gluten intolerant food spot search. So our evening started with our amazing waiter/barman/sherry expert extraordinaire Dutch who took us through the menu, another blogger was also gluten intolerant and he was happy to take us through the menu and offer any recommendations and even though the menu states ‘Gluten Free’ next to each item, it was nice to have it confirmed in person as well.
I ordered the Chorizo with Honey and Saffron, Chicken Pinchitos with Aioli and the Asparagus dressed with Olive Oil and Parmesan. The low lighting was difficult to produce any enticing photographs but it was all very yummy to look at.
The Chorizo had this really lovely blend of sweet fragrant flavours enhanced from the saffron and it was a delight to eat- i could have finished that sauce with lots of bread till there was not a drip left. So my only criticism really, was the lack of Gluten Free bread! This would have really put it up there for me as one of the best gluten free aware places in Bristol. I did speak to Dutch about the possibility of getting Gluten free bread in and it definitely seems like this is something in their minds so i hope they do!
The Chicken Pinchitos with Aioli i found a bit small- but maybe it’s because they were so yummy and i’m greedy; they are definitely worth a taste anyway for the tenderness. The Asparagus was a fresh way to end the meal for me, i like to put a vegetable somewhere in my meal to break it up (and feel less guilty) although i felt their wasn’t enough Parmesan for me to really taste with every part of the stalks which was a bit of a shame.
Dutch also kindly took us through a very informative sherry tasting throughout the night. I would recite back to you some facts but i’m afraid i think the sherry kicked in a bit too early to remember 😉 He also likes to set things on fire:
But seriously this guy knows his stuff and he really is a great host- i mean he offers free hugs! Seriously. So if you’re looking for a place to go with a big group or to celebrate i couldn’t recommend more highly Dutch and his sherry tastings.
It’s these kinds of nights that you remember because of the laughter, the food and the company. Harveys has really found itself with the Tapas menu and providing the ultimate type of atmosphere to accompany it. Bring your gluten intolerant and alcoholic friends pronto.
