Birch – restaurant review

Tucked away in a residential street in Southville, not far from the busy Tobocco Factory end of North Street but with its own much quieter feel, Birch is a true neighbourhood restaurant named for the adjacent road. A noticeboard on the brick wall tells the community about events and missing cats, and through the window next to it, head chef Lee Bloomfield is visible doing the evening’s kitchen prep.

Having opened in July 2014 and firmly established itself as one of the city’s favourites (Marina O’Laughlin, writing in The Guardian in 2015, said she would “give my eye teeth to have this as my local”), original owners Sam Leach and Beccy Massey made the decision to put the restaurant on sale in February 2018. New co-owners Tom Masters and twin brother Ali stepped in, with Tom teaming up once again with head chef Lee with whom he opened The Seymour Arms in Blagdon, to step into the sizeable shoes left behind at Birch.

Birch’s interior has a retro, slightly kitsch and none-too-serious vibe

During dinner service in their first week after reopening, the restaurant smells amazing and the sounds of cooking drift through to the compact dining room. The formica-topped tables are still here, reminiscent of a retro cafeteria, and have been paired with new lime green booth seating, minimal square white paintings and emerald green enamel lampshades. The whole vibe is a little kitsch and doesn’t take itself too seriously, despite the masterful cooking.

Co-owner Tom is out front with a waitress, and together they chat, put on some plinky-plonky jazz, light candles and polish glasses. Soft homemade bread arrives on lovely speckled grey crockery with beautiful salty butter, along with a menu to peruse and a bold glass of Italian Primitivo di Puglia (£5.20).

The eight dishes on the menu, three of which will be changing weekly as the team settle into their roles, are all the same size, and Tom suggests ordering two or three per person. Ranging from a chilled tomato and basil consommé (£5.50) to pan-fried sea bass with prawn butter and mussels (£11.50) it’s a tough choice.

Birch’s cauliflower salad

The first dish to arrive is the cauliflower salad (£6), which is presented flawlessly, the simple greens and yellows of the dish set off by more lovely glazed crockery. Crisp battered shapes, made from samosa dough with no filling, add gentle heat to the crunchy salad of sharp green apple, celery and fresh pea shoots.

The coddled eggs are perfectly cooked with shiny soft yolk, finished with a light touch of dressing and sprinkling of paprika. A woman at another table asks the waitress what a coddled egg is and chef can be heard giving the answer from the kitchen. Tom comes over to the table: “I apologise for the chef, he’s from the north and he’s got a very loud voice,” he jokes. “You’ll be hearing him all night.”

Courgette fritters with herb mayonnaise

Food comes out when it’s ready and there is a bit of a pause before the courgette fritters with herb mayo (£6) arrive, but they are piping hot when they do. Slices of green and yellow courgette retain their texture – soft but not slimy – inside their casings of light batter, sprinkled liberally with paprika once again, and are lovely with the herby, garlicky mayonnaise that is so fresh and thick you could stand a spoon up in it.

The food is simple, fresh and comforting – the sort of thing you’d eat with your fingers with friends laughing around a table as a late summer evening fades.

Pork belly with burnt apple puree and black pudding

During another short wait in which Tom can be heard bantering with the chefs at the back, totally at odds with his smooth front of house politeness, anticipation builds for the final dish, pork belly (£10). This place is being run by people who are friends first and foremost, and business partners second, with great spirit and excitement for their new venture.

Two generous pieces of pork belly arrive plus extra crackling on the top, the meat perfectly layered and marbled with fat that melts away on the tongue. The rich black pudding mops up some of the sweetness of the burnt apple purée and rich plummy sauce, everything tasting delicious in combination. Without a doubt the dish is the highlight of the meal.

The table of three in the corner has their first course brought over, split up onto three separate plates – “we did put it in the middle to share but it works better this way,” says Tom – and throughout the evening people come in through the welcoming open door to book tables for later in the week and try the thoughtful menu for themselves. Tom and Lee have had big shoes to fill but they don’t seem daunted: high expectations reap high rewards if you’re brave enough, and these two have the confidence and the talent to keep Birch’s name on everyone’s lips.

Birch, 47 Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1QS
www.birchbristol.co
0117 902 8326