A restaurant dedicated to cheese is surely something that, for most people, only exists in their fantasies. There are a handful of cheese bars in London and other cities across the UK, alongside cheesemongers and delis offering sharing platters and tasting boards, but very few are offering a three-course meal centred around cheese.
Fortunately, Bristol can now say it is home to its first cheese-inspired restaurant - a fitting location in a region known for its incredible dairy produce. New restaurant owner Joshua Doyle is the brainchild behind this innovative concept in Redland, offering a fine dining experience centred around some of Britain's best cheeses.
The Cheese Platter opened on Friday, November 18 in The Vincent on Redland Hill, a 19th-century building which was once home to a maternity hospital and now houses luxury retirement accommodation. The restaurant itself oozes sophistication, with diners gaining access by ringing a doorbell to enter a dining area that overlooks a chic, open kitchen, which made it quite relaxed.
Read more: Cheese-centric restaurant launching in old maternity hospital
My starter was easily one of the best things I've eaten in Bristol this year, and certainly the best "salad" I've ever had. The salad element was fortunately completely lacking and centred around the creamy Golden Cross Soft Ash goats' cheese with a wonderfully gooey, blowtorched top. It was dressed to perfection with a smooth olive tapenade, slices of sharp, pickled red onion and a thin crouton for £8, and I never wanted it to end. Next time I'd be tempted to have this a main course for an additional seven quid.
Other starters included smoked haddock and Applewood croquettes for £8.50, offering understated flavours elevated by a homemade tartare sauce. Sticking in the Mediterranean, there was also Manchego cheese and chorizo arancini with a spicy arrabbiata sauce for £8.
For the main event, I ordered a wintery vegetable wellington baked with Pitchfork cheddar, sweet potato and celeriac (£15). The buttery pastry needed a touch more time in the oven but was paired well with a moreish sweet purée. As delicious as it was, for me, this dish didn't make the cheese element sing as the other plates did. Other main course dishes included a luxurious macaroni cheese with smoked Pendragon and blue cheese (£16) and a succulent rump of lamb and Bath blue cheese gratin (£22.50), which my dining partner happily devoured.
To finish, we shared white chocolate and passionfruit cheesecake (£7), something that I've been waiting to order in a restaurant since Wagamama knocked it off of their menu several years ago. As ludicrous as this sounds, it really is a divine flavour combination, and I'd welcome any other tip-offs of where to get it. The cheesecake perfectly balanced sweet and sour with dollops of zingy lemon curd and sharp orange sorbet, making it a decadent yet refreshing end to the meal.
The Cheese Platter has had some delays in securing its alcohol licence but it is set to be in place for the start of December. Diners were offered free corkage for the evening - I brought my own cans from some of Bristol's finest brewers, a Kokomo session IPA from Good Chemistry and 'Wanna Go To The Sun', a pale ale from Lost and Grounded. When the bar is up and running, The Cheese Platter will stock a similar locally sourced offering featuring a robust wine list, but will also seek to educate diners on the best cider, beer and spirit pairings with its cheeses.
Its food menu follows suit with most of the dishes celebrating the very best produce from the British Isles, with many cheeses provided by the Bristol Cheesemonger for breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday roasts. Our food bill came to £61, which was certainly a reasonable price to pay for quality ingredients, and it's worth noting that the lamb amounted to over a third of the total price.
I'm curious to see what the future holds for this new restaurant, which is owner and maître d'hôtel Josh's first venture in the hospitality industry having quit teaching this year. The staff were so kind and the chefs had an eye for presentation as well as flavours. It will be intriguing to see how the menu evolves with the seasons, perhaps an indulgent fondue in the colder months and more cheese-orientated salads in the summer.
The Cheese Platter is located at The Vincent, Redland Hill, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6BJ - open Wednesday to Sunday. Follow The Cheese Platter on Facebook and Instagram
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