The Coconut Tree, Cheltenham Road – restaurant/bar review

The newest addition to Cheltenham Road may have only recently opened, but word has travelled fast, and The Coconut Tree is packed out on a recent Wednesday evening.

The shiny red front of a tuk tuk sticking out onto the street does make the restaurant hard to miss and it can’t hurt that it comes with a stellar reputation, having perfected an award-winning formula at its Oxford and Cheltenham premises.

Started by a group of Sri Lankan friends in Cheltenham before opening a second restaurant in Oxford and now a third (soon to be followed by a fourth) in Bristol, the concept here is all about casual, friendly dining.

The décor is cosy and vibrant, with plenty of low-hanging lights casting a warm glow and large walls of statement street art adding a generous dash of colour.

The Coconut Tree has taken over premises most recently occupied by the short-lived Edit

Stepping inside The Coconut Tree at peak evening dining hour is an assault on the senses: tantalising scents waft from the kitchen, fast-paced staff scurry round with trays of food, drinks are flowing at the bar – and the volume is loud with music and chatter.

Met at the door by a supremely friendly waitress, we are shown to the last remaining table – wooden planks extended from the wall by chains, with two tall wooden stools on which to perch.

The clientele is mostly young, with large groups happily tucking into the tapas-style plates around big wooden tables and couples snuggled in the compact wall-side spots. Rolls of kitchen roll sit in place of napkins and the odd candle in a half coconut shell adds to the warm atmosphere.

“Can you hear me Harry or is the music too loud?” one diner half shouts to his friend opposite, mainly in jest, but making a fair point about the volume. And the sound levels only increase as the restaurant fills to capacity.

The menu offers a vast range of Sri Lankan street food options, including plenty of meat, veggie and seafood, all designed to be shared and – in this case at least – enjoyed with cocktails from the beautifully illustrated menu.

A ‘two cocktails for £12 deal’ seems a fair option for a Wednesday night. Two mojitos duly arrive, which are perfectly pleasant, but lack much zest or flavour.

With names as inventive as the flavour combinations, this is a menu just begging to be explored – resulting in some hits and some misses.

(Back L-R) Cheesy Colombo, ladies fingers and rotti, with two egg hoppers at the front

The ‘must have’ hoppers (£3) are a signature dish for The Coconut Tree – a traditional staple that consists of a coconut milk pancake, served with dollops of coconut sambal, seeni sambal (caramelised onions with a hint of cinnamon) and a Sri Lankan salsa called Lunu Miris. Add a fried egg in the middle for an extra 50p, roll up like a burrito and enjoy.

First to arrive, the hoppers are thin, crisp and delectable around the edge, the flavours delicate. By the middle though, the pancake turns a bit too thick and spongy leaving an lasting taste of disappointment.

The cheesy Colombo (£5), a dish of fried cheese cubes coated in a rich, sticky marinade is a winning concoction that proves deliciously moreish. The ladies fingers (£3), a generous portion of okra ‘fried and jiggled’, served at room temperature with onions and tomatoes, is fairly plain in taste, but a refreshing accompaniment to the spread of fuller-flavoured dishes.

(Back L-R) Ladies fingers, rotti and pineapple curry. (Front L-R) fat sister and dhal

Pineapple curry (£4.50) – literally pineapple chunks in a coconut curry – shouldn’t work on paper but somehow does. The ingredients complement each other well, but it is a dish best eaten in small doses for all but those with the sweetest tooth.

The Parippu (dhal) (£2.50) is served as a staple side, but is a stand out favourite, with the subtle blend of spices creating a wonderfully comforting dish. The fat sister (£4), a pumpkin curry cooked in coconut milk and turmeric adds a nice bit of heat to the meal.

Small triangles of parota rotti (£2.50), a Sri Lankan flatbread, served fresh, hot and crisp in a basket are a mighty fine accompaniment to the meal, just perfect for mopping up any leftovers.

The toilets aren’t working this particular evening, meaning a trip to a nearby pub to use the facilities, some of the dishes could do with a bit of fine-tuning and cocktails didn’t quite hit the spot; but The Coconut Tree is proving extremely popular nevertheless.

The vibrant, friendly vibe, exemplary staff and inventive menu is undoubtedly a magic formula for many diners.

Which is a good job, because yet another new restaurant is set to follow hot on the heels of this Cheltenham Road joint, as The Coconut Tree empire expands to the Clifton Triangle, taking over the premises formerly occupied by Illusions Magic Bar.

The Coconut Tree, 237-239 Cheltenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5QP
0117 924 0284

www.thecoconut-tree.com/bristol-glos-rd