Is Haymarket Walk Bristol’s new food gem?

Could Haymarket Walk – a dual-level concrete walkway tucked between the Bearpit and the bus station – become Bristol’s unlikeliest new food hub? With the incoming addition of Flow, a vegetarian restaurant set up by East Bristol Bakery founder Alex Poulter, the area might be on its way to culinary prolificacy. 

Arriving in the late morning, the scene is unpromising. Whilst vintage clothes store, Loot opens its doors to reveal stacks of brightly coloured clothing within, the restaurants themselves are closed and the area mostly deserted.

Next to the ominous tunnels and dubious crowds in the Bearpit, Haymarket Walk is less than enticing at this time. I am told by Jake Voeckler of Jake’s Bikes, an independent bike repair shop on the bottom level: “It’s a bit dead in the daytime, but quite up-and-coming in the evenings and on the weekends.

“It’s nice that it’s not part of a huge commercial shopping area like Cabot Circus, but is really central and still has small, local independent shops and restaurants.”

True to Jake’s word, when I return later in the day it’s a different story altogether. Lights illuminate the area and customers filter out of three restaurants which come to life around 6pm.

The intimate Korean restaurant on the top floor, Sky Kong Kong, plays host to a number of guests who tuck into an array of colourful dishes.

Mayflower on the bottom floor, hailed by many as Bristol’s best Chinese restaurant and a late-night haunt of many hospitality industry professionals, is an Aladdin’s cave of large round tables and hanging lanterns.

Mathilda’s Chilli Bar has been located on Haymarket Walk for the past 18 months, and owner Oliver Tidman says that since moving to the area, his restaurant is “slowly but surely improving”. He is enthused by the introduction of a new restaurant in the area, saying: “The more the merrier!”

As for Alex Poulter, a quick look at his Tumblr page shows he is truly passionate about food. “A lot of what we do in our bakery is about a genuine love of food,” he says.

“I wanted to be more creative, and as we couldn’t do that with the bakery, I wanted to extend our possibilities in general.

“Haymarket Walk is already home to some fantastic food, and we wanted to be a part of that,” he continues. “We want to bring something new and build upon something which has so much potential, but which has been slightly ignored.”

Long-term residents of Haymarket, the family-run Mayflower, also have something to say about the burgeoning food scene on the Walk. Chi Kuan, son of owner Chong Kuan, describes their experience at Haymarket since settling there in 2003:

“It was quite quiet back then, but since the new developments in the Bearpit it’s getting a lot busier. I’d say it’s picked up in about the last five years.

“Stokes Croft has such a wide variety of people, and I think they’ll definitely be attracted to [Flow]. That’s what’s in at the moment – vegetarianism.”

Korean chef Hwi Shim (Wizzy to her friends), the owner of Sky Kong Kong, is equally happy about the arrival of Flow.

A Michelin-starred chef who moved from London to Bristol to concentrate on her artwork alongside her cooking, Wizzy was attracted to Bristol for its spirit of independence and focus on local produce.

“I love the art in the city, and the focus on small businesses and local ingredients. I go to my allotment every day before work, and grow salad and tomatoes for my restaurant there.

“[Flow] is going to be great. We have all kinds of different restaurants here which complement each other, so I think it will work well. When I moved in, the people in the Mayflower were very kind to me and helped me settle in to the area.”

With such an eclectic range of restaurants, Haymarket Walk looks set to flourish. As it continues to cater for a range of foodie fetishes, who knows what success this understated area will enjoy next? Perhaps we will find out with the arrival of Flow.