The Cow & Sow: ‘Ideal for entertaining but with a corporate edge’ – restaurant review

It takes courage to open a restaurant in January. Even more so a steak and pork based affair.

Mark Warburton, the owner of the Cow & Sow, has gone from running country pubs to inner city dining, but will this chophouse on the corner of Queen Square make the cut?

Warburton has had great pubs in his family for years. Following the success of his other ventures including the Bear & Swan in Chew Magna, he dreamt up the name and concept of Cow & Sow during lockdown.

Graze had previously occupied this building (which once upon a time was a Post Office) for more than a decade, and the white cow sculpture that still stands guard over the door will be familiar to those who pass by regularly.

The interior has had a light facelift from its Graze days but the décor remains similar; plush, light and comfortable. There’s a slightly ironic helping of plants and organic artwork to balance the meaty menu.

It’s somewhere you could quite happily wile away a few hours but doesn’t have the instant charm that you can find in some of the smaller Bristol establishments.

Service was good on a recent visit, but it was a Wednesday lunchtime so I only had a smattering of suits to compete with for the well-dressed waiter’s attention. Either way, the warm welcome did not go unnoticed.

The drinks menu is comprehensive; this is a restaurant born to entertain. The cocktail menu features both classics and a few signatures including the Cow & Sour (£9.50), and the lengthy wine list divides the offering into helpful tasting categories for those of us who rarely stray from the middle shelf.

The menu is designed for all-day dining, and the main courses start at £14.25 but sides are to be ordered separately.

The short rib starter (£8.95) was pleasing on the eye and full of umami; imagine granny’s greatest meat pie just underwent a major glow-up.

The braised meat was tender, the crispy waffle-style ‘game’ chips invoke a pleasing playfulness not dissimilar to the childlike joy of eating potato smiley faces or curly fries – exactly what a decidedly gloomy day called for.

The sauce was what really delivers the major punch; with sufficient red wine content to make the dry-January gods frown and check their rule book. I’d happily eat it again, immediately.

Braised short rib with kohlrabi, horseradish and ‘game’ chips – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

The chicken lollipop (£16.95) was recommended by the waiter but it felt somewhat disingenuous to visit a beef and pork restaurant and order neither.

However, it’s clear that they have endeavoured to write a varied menu, and I’m pleased to see that there are a handful of vegetarian options. I opted for 280g medium-rare flat iron steak (£19.95), with a side of ‘iceberg wedge’  (£3.95) – it was lunchtime, after all.

The steak arrived more on the medium side of medium rare and sliced into strips. It was everything a steak aspires to be; melt in the mouth with ample beefy flavour.

The discus of garlic butter (it was my last appointment of the day) sitting atop it will give the Pizza Express across the docks a run for their money ,and it complimented the steak wonderfully.

The flat iron steak was a textbook example of expertly treated meat – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

The aptly named wedge of iceberg was a well-dressed addition topped with truffle mayonnaise, brisket and hazelnuts.

Is it weird to be strongly reminded of Nutella when eating what is essentially a fancy Caesar salad? I think that’s more a reflection on me than anything else, although I am generally of the opinion that nuts are a welcome addition to most dishes.

Sadly, the truffle was too ambiguous and the brisket shards chewy and dry. It was light and crisp but felt like it was experiencing something of an identity crisis. But then again with the advent of a new year, who isn’t?

The iceberg wedge was beautiful to behold but slightly underwhelming – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

To finish, a chocolate delice (£8): a dark chocolate and cream creation. Served with a hazelnut crisp, chocolate aero, coffee cream and yuzu gel, it was rich but not overpowering, enjoyable but not adventurous.

My only wish for the delice is that the chef had played more on the contrasting sharpness of the yuzu than the comfortable coffee and hazelnut.

The yuzu was intriguing, sharp enough to break through the dull grey of the last week of January and paired well with the rich chocolate.

The yuzu gel atop the chocolate delice added a tangy kick – photo: Meg Houghton-Gilmour

The Cow & Sow is an ideal venue for entertaining. It’s somewhere I would recommend if good steak is what you seek, but it has a slightly corporate edge to it.

I’d come back under the right circumstances and will be thinking about that short rib for weeks to come.

In the meantime, bring on February and my new slightly late resolution to take myself out for lunch more often.

The Cow & Sow, 63 Queen Square, Bristol, BS1 4JZ
www.thecowandsow.co.uk

Main photo: Cow & Sow

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