Restaurants / Food and drink
Tis the season to be jolly
Whether you’re booking for work or can’t be bothered to wash up after a celebration with friends or family, plenty of venues are offering delicious menus and fabulous entertainment to make your Christmas party go off with a bang. Here’s a round-up of some of our favourites.
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Having opened in Clifton at the start of the year, this is The Mint Room’s first Christmas in Bristol. Offering modern Indian cuisine with serious flair, their festive menu is tempting in the extreme. If you insist on turkey you can have it – albeit tandoori-grilled with coriander, mint and green chilli – while the less traditional may prefer to start with lamb or shrimps. Main courses include fillet of sea bass with fine beans and a sauce of mango, tamarind and tomato, and to follow there’s a choice of Christmas pud with brandy custard or poached peaches with rose ice cream. The restaurant – cosy, elegant and very friendly – has recently teamed up with champagne marque Jacquart, so there’s no shortage of bubbles for those ready to celebrate the season in style.
After the success of an Alice in Wonderland theme last year, Hype is back at the Passenger Shed for a carnival-tastic extravaganza fusing African, Brazilian and Caribbean cultures into one giant, indoor street party. With less than 5 weeks to go until the transformation of The Passenger Shed. Hype Agency are proud to announce the return of the brilliant ‘Invisible Circus’ to help bring ‘Carnival Christmas’ to life this December. Carnival will start from the moment you arrive with fire eaters to escort you from the street to the vibrantly dressed tables. Enjoy the procession of colourful acts and spontaneous dance. Four shared nights are now sold out and only four dates are left with limited availability so if you’re booking, make it snappy.
Tickets from £40+VAT
Christmas at the Spiegeltent have now announced the full line-up for their 2015 run and the programme is looking stronger than ever. Limited spaces are left for their legendary Christmas parties which offer a delicious 3 course dinner, bespoke cabaret show, great live music (from the Hot Tin Roofs) and DJ & dancing till late, all in this magnificent pop-up venue on Bristol Harbourside. Other events include appearances from top comedian and pub landlord Al Murray, the delectable Puppini Sisters, the absurdist British musical comedy troupe Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, electro swing from White Mink, and UK dance music veteran & DJ Greg Wilson. Ladies, some magic words: “Prosecco on tap”….
Returning to the Paintworks for another year, the Masquerade Ball by ‘Best Parties Ever’ should be another spectacular. Decorating the banqueting hall with living statues, Venetian street theatre acts, candelabras, masks and feature bars carved from stone, organisers serve up a four-course dinner accompanied by song, dance and aerial acrobatics. Post-dinner, you can carelessly gamble away your Christmas money over a game of Black Jack in the casino.
Tickets from £37.50+VAT
The zoo dons its festive attire in December to host Enchanted Christmas lunches and dinners in the Clifton Pavilion. Guests can gorge on a two-course lunch and walk it off with a stroll around the gardens. Evening visitors can party the night away with the hoot and chirp of Bristol’s most exotic residents drifting over the DJ’s tunes. Shared parties are available for smaller groups; private parties can accommodate up to 120.
One of Clifton’s finest Georgian hotels with sash windows, open fires and subdued lights, No. 4 makes a sophisticated Christmas party backdrop. Head chef Nick can cater for up to 50 seated guests with his festive menu including honey baked figs with Roquefort and walnuts, salmon en croute, and Egg nog crème brulée, alongside the standard favourites. Up to 100 can be accommodated for drinks parties and special provision is made for those who are too tardy prefer to book their Christmas party in January.
For a Christmas feast of Hogwarts proportions, try Relish Festive’s masquerade offering, hosted in Bristol Grammer Schools Great Hall. Organisers have crafted a night around the theme of an imaginarium, Monsieur de Winter and his daughter Violetta your MCs; “embrace sequins, sparkle, shimmer and shine without any reserve,” they say. It promises to be an evening of theatre, mystique, fine food, music and dancing, perfect for a work Christmas party with a bit of razzle dazzle.
Tickets £45+VAT
There aren’t many restaurants that capitalise on Bristol’s watery heritage quite like the Glass Boat, and when the halls are decked and lights twinkling on the river it’s fully festive. Whether for friends, family or work, Glassboat can be booked for Christmas lunches and dinners, offering views across the floating harbour as well as French-inspired fare. The December menu runs from 30 Nov to 24 Dec.
“If you’re looking for turkey and Christmas party hats, I am afraid you will be disappointed,” says the Rummer. “However, if you are looking for exciting dishes, presented exquisitely, crackling open fires and the best cocktails in town, then we need to talk.” Sitting in the heart of one of Bristol’s most unique features – St Nick’s market – the Rummer is a stylish and central choice for a party. Just want drinks? The Library is available to reserve for up to 20 people at no cost.
Decking the halls with boughs of holly could be written for Ashton Court’s Mansion once done out for Christmas, the deer grazing outside just adding to the greetings card picture. Make the grand Music Room the scene of your winter banquet this year at one of their Christmas parties, with casino entertainment and DJ alongside a three-course meal with all the trimmings.
Tickets £39
With a dusting of snow or crisp winter’s air and lights illuminated, the Suspension Bridge is like Bristol’s biggest Christmas garland. It’s a perfect setting for a seasonal get-together, whether at lunch, dinner or afternoon tea. The private dining menu offers three courses for £30 per person including prosecco and mince pies, with options including game terrine and pear chutney, roast turkey and all the trimmings, pancetta wrapped pheasant breast with chestnut stuffing and clementine posset with cranberry compote. Meanwhile,The Bridge Café offers a three-course lunch for £19.95.