Pubs and Bars / Bars
Bar of the week: Bar Buvette
The blackboards hang high from the tall ceilings of the reopened pop-up treat that is Bar Buvette, where pendant lamps hover just above the old scaffold board tables.
“Magret de carnard”, delicious slices of salt-cured duck, “Endives, oil and salt”, crunchy, seasoned chicory, and that old French classic “cheese toastie”, stand out in rough chalk above the busy bar on a recent Wednesday night.
There’s an unfinished look to the bar which was opened again in the same spot in November after its roaring success last year.
is needed now More than ever
The owners wisely take a break to France to run a restaurant in the back end of nowhere in the summer months before returning with organic wines, charcuterie and cheeses – and some genuine French waiters, it seems.
Customers and staff have a fair prod at pronouncing the mix of English and French on the menu at the bar where ordering food is often a small but enjoyable challenge.
The “sheeze tostis” come out in quick succession from just below the tall domed windows, landing on crowded tables with a garnish of mini pickles – “cornichons”, in case you were wondering.
On the bar along the back, wine is plucked from the wall and glugged neatly into carafes to be whisked away and sloshed back between tiny bites of rare delicacies.
The buzz of chatter under the low light is a constant as the tables remain full throughout the evening – with some of the larger ones shared between groups. It may have gone away for a while after it burst onto the scene last year, but Bar Buvette’s popularity hasn’t waned.
“I’ve always wanted to open a cheese and wine bar in Bristol,” one conversation goes from the busy tables.
If a permanent move isn’t on the owners’ minds already, perhaps they should take note or risk being beaten at their own fantastic game.
Bar Buvette, 31 Baldwin Street, Bristol, BS1 1RG
NB Bar Buvette will be closed from December 20 until January 5, 2016