Restaurants / Reviews
Wilson’s – restaurant review
Three-three-three. Not a new football formation that teams at Euro 2016 are being forced to utilise when a player has been shown the red card, but the number of menu items at Wilson’s on Chandos Road in Redland – three starters, three main courses and three desserts.
The choices are all chalked up on a patch of wall painted black in this 24-cover restaurant most recently a short-lived pizzeria which has now been taken over by Jan Ostle, who has moved from just around the corner at the Kensington Arms where he used to be head chef.
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And the choices here will all change weekly, based around many ingredients which Ostle and his wife Mary – who he shares kitchen duties with – have gathered, grown or hunted themselves around Bristol.
A clue to this was in the name of one of the starters – ‘last of the asparagus, ewe’s curd and peas’ – a quite delightful dish and the cheapest of the starters at £6.50, utilising the last of this season’s crop of asparagus, beautifully presented on the plate and enhanced by a few mint leaves.
Lamb sweetbreads and raw mackerel were the other starter options on a recent Wednesday evening, which as one couple walked out warmly complementing Ostle as they went, another guest walked in apologising for the no-shows of the rest of his party but presenting a bottle of champagne as a peace offering doubling up as an opening present.
Inside, the only splashes of colour come from bunches of wild flowers from the owners’ allotment in the windows, with whitewashed walls and wooden floorboards painted black. Also in the window is a piece of stained glass spelling out Wilson’s, the name of a London restaurant that Mary’s parents used to run.
A main of pork belly (£15) was presented as a rectangle the size of a chunky old Nokia phone with a deliciously crispy skin on top and then layered like a sample geologists take from deep beneath the ground in Antarctica, the meat precisely cooked.
A carrot purée had crushed black sesame seeds sieved on top like soil. And then there were long thin carrots that looked as if they had just been plucked out of the earth, given a quick wash, a burst of heat and then placed immediately on the plate.
Left on the bench among the main courses this time were the cod, Jerusalem artichokes and chicken juices (£16); and the leek, hen egg and chestnut mushrooms (£14).
From the upfront options to continue the footballing analogy, a crème brûlée (£6) was the galactico. A delicate caramel topping needed just the lightest of taps to crack like the ice on top of a frozen lake, revealing a rich custard underneath.
Rhubarb, roses and yoghurt (£6.50), and Riseley cheese with truffle-enthused honey (£7) were the options that will have to wait until next time – if they feature on the menu.
Chandos Road has had a cluster of new openings recently making it one of Bristol’s go-to food and drink destinations with the likes of Wilks, No Man’s Grace and Aron’s Jewish Deli – with micropub Chums next door to Wilson’s offering the perfect opportunity to have one for the road.
With the arrival of Wilson’s, this gastronomic treat of a street now has a neighbourhood bistro of which Ostle and his small team should be immensely proud.
Wilson’s, 24 Chandos Road, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6PF
0117 973 4157