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Exploring Wapping Wharf
It’s Bristol’s latest food and drink hotspot. Meet some of the people behind Wapping Wharf and Cargo 1’s most exciting new shops, restaurants bars and cafes:
Chicken Shed is the latest venture from the team behind Eat Drink Bristol Fashion and Yurt Lush at Temple Meads, co-founded by Michelin starred Bristol chef Josh Eggleton of The Pony & Trap, Amelia Twine, Nick Roberts and organic farmer Luke Hasell. The new restaurant and take-away serves beak to foot of British chickens, using free-range, slow grown and GM free meat from local suppliers.
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The Chicken Shed menu is built around the everso-indulgent treat of delicious fried chicken, with an emphasis on only using happy birds that have been raised to high welfare standards. Eggleton said: “Chicken Shed is about awesome, wholesome chicken and we will be doing the best we possibly can to source happy birds that have been well looked after. We’ll be using every part of the bird in the dishes we serve. Customers can expect delicious roasted chicken, fried chicken legs, soft boiled eggs, curly fries, chicken in a bun and salads. There are some great independent businesses going in with us so it will be a hub of Bristol’s best food and drink teams and we’re proud to be involved.”
Elliott and Tess Lidstone put their life savings into BOX-E, taking up two shipping containers on the first floor of Cargo. The Michelin Guide have already called it a “great newcomer” on Twitter so their bravery looks set to be rewarded. Chef Elliott was formerly head chef at the Michelin starred L’ortolan in Berkshire, as well as working as head chef at The Empress, London, where he was awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand and two AA Rosettes. While he provides the food, Tess works front of house in their new restaurant.
A regularly-changing seasonal menu showcases meat, fish, fruit, veg, cheese and more from local producers, with a rainbow wine list featuring small and biodynamic producers. There are only 14 seats inside the restaurant although a large terrace will come into its own when the weather warms up, and there is also a four-seat ‘kitchen table’ offering an unwritten tasting menu and interaction with the kitchen. Opening times are Tuesday dinner through to Sunday lunch.
The first Pigsty restaurant is brought to you by the three brothers behind The Jolly Hog and current Harlequins rugby player Will Collier. The Jolly Hog is a Bristol based, family run business in pursuit of creating the perfect range of porky treats. With years of experience in hog roasting and sausage making behind them, Michelin starred chef endorsements (“My favourite sausage, best in the business,” said Michel Roux Jnr), and thousands of satisfied customers along the way, launching their own restaurant for the wonderful people of Bristol was naturally the next step.
Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a focus on great tasting and local produce, signature dishes include Breakfast in Bread – scrumptious Jolly Hog sausages and bacon with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket, topped with a fried egg and encased in a lovely sourdough loaf – and the Pig Mac with a Jolly Hog pork patty, slow cooked pulled pork and bacon jam mayo, topped off with fresh salad and pickles.
Olly Kohn, one of the founding partners, said: “My brothers and I have always wanted to have a stronger presence in our home town. Opening up our first restaurant is a real testament to the quality of our products and all the hard work that has been put in by everyone at The Jolly Hog over the past eight years.” The business, which was started by Olly at home with his sausage making machine, has been growing steadily; initially cooked and sold pitch-side at Harlequins games, the delicious, high quality sausages and bacon are now available nationwide in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Ocado.
Bristol Cider Shop will be hosting Cargo-themed Christmas parties at its new Wapping Wharf home in collaboration with neighbouring restaurants. The parties are based on the shop’s popular cider tastings, which have been adapted for Christmas parties with guests able to choose which restaurant they would like to deliver the food during the tasting.
Food choices include Christmas pies from Lovett Pies, pig boards from Pigsty, chicken and chips from Chicken Shed, or Asian street food from Woky Ko. The two-hour cider tasting parties starting at 7.30pm cost £30 per person and include mulled cider and mince pies on arrival followed by a fully-tutored cider tasting with 10 award-winning ciders and food from the chosen restaurant. Parties will be held from Tuesday to Saturday from November 28 to December 22, with a maximum group size of 20 people.
Little Victories means different things for different people. Enjoy your own little victory as it were, over the course of a day. This new cafe and bar is from the same team as Small Street Espresso who make some of the finest speciality coffee in town, so expect the same house blend from Clifton Coffee, a rotating guest espresso, and two filter options. Want a sandwich? Like at Small Street, the options are made on Hart’s Bakery sourdough, with frittatas, salads and cakes also all on display on the counter.
In the evening when Little Victories opens until 9pm, enjoy olives, bread, cheese from The Bristol Cheesemonger and charcuterie from Source. Try the Keller Pills from new Brislington brewery Lost & Grounded, a pale ale from Left Handed Giant in St Phillip’s, or a Flat White – a collaboration brew between LHG and Arbor with an added shot of coffee.
If wine’s more your thing, the selection has been hand-picked by Dan Briggs of Billings & Briggs, including a selection of biodynamic and organic bottles. There is also a cider on draught, and for something stronger try an espresso martini, a cold brew negroni or a Psychopomp gin and tonic. Space is a luxury that Small Street Espresso doesn’t have, so the size of their second home in a corner unit at Wapping Wharf has enabled co-owners Chris Chubb and John Drysdale to offer far more than just exceptional coffee.
Photos by Adam Gasson
Mokoko, founded in Bath in 2014 became the first business to open in Gaol Ferry Steps this summer. With their simple combination of speciality grade coffee and beautifully made products from their skilled bakery team led by Dale Ingram and Anita Tomay, this beautifully designed open plan bakery allows interaction with the bakers as they work. Mokoko is designed to provide a wonderful environment both inside and out, with a menu focused on fresh products made from scratch each day.
Perfectionists to the core, the team have most recently been developing the ultimate in laminated doughs, with arguably the most perfect croissants in Bristol made every morning. Equally enthusiastic about their coffee, the barista team headed up by Jordon Keen, a much respected barista in the industry source coffees from some of the best roasters in the world, of course some of which are from Bristol. Like the croissants they make themselves, this place is a delight built of many layers.
Similar to its two previous businesses in St Werburgh’s and Clifton, it’s both a shop and a cafe. The shop offers different markets of food, all organic and most locally grown, catering to various different types of food preferences from vegan to dairy free. Head to the new Wapping Wharf shop and cafe to try some of owner Phil Haughton’s own favourites, including the scrambled eggs on sourdough with smoked salmon or the orange and cashew granola with vanilla yoghurt and fresh preserved, fermented fruit.
Photos by Courtney Barnes
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