Indian restaurant, a couple of tapas bars and, most recently, the Michelin-rated No Man’s Grace, the building on the corner of Chandos Road and Cowper Road has been home to several food businesses over the years but for older Bristolians, it will forever be linked to flamboyant TV chef Keith Floyd.
This was where the late Floyd had one of his French bistros in the 1980s and if walls could talk, there would surely be some fruity tales to tell about that particularly colourful period of the building’s life.
A man rarely seen without a cigarette and glass of wine, Floyd would have certainly approved of the fact the restaurant’s latest incarnation as Snobby’s takes its wine seriously and allows smokers to frequent its sunny terrace.
When I arrived for dinner, most of the outside tables were already taken with locals and students sipping wines and puffing away. There wasn’t an e-cigarette or vape to be seen.
I can only assume that owner Nick Bethell had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he decided to call his first restaurant and bar Snobby’s.
Of course, the world of wine can certainly be a place full of terrible snobs which may be why Bethell hasn’t printed a list of his 60 or so wines, just chalked prices on bottles behind the bar.
Bethell tries to pair the wines with the food being served and he certainly displayed some decent knowledge when he chose a white Burgundy and Italian Dolcetto d’Alba red to match my food.
With its framed vintage corkscrews and window ledge of pot plants - including a cheese plant, how wonderfully 1970s - there is a homely feel to Snobby’s.
A couple of secondhand Floyd cookbooks on a shelf are a respectful nod to the restaurant’s former owner, and some of the dishes on the menu wouldn’t have looked out of place on his TV shows.
The menu is choice between pizzas and small plates and prices are well-pitched considering the strong competition in Chandos Road with the likes of Wilson’s, Wilks and Otira/Chandos Social all nearby.
The food is straightforward and without frills. It’s essentially the sort of stuff you could knock up at home if you had the time and inclination. But then with prices so kind, why not let somebody else do the hard work when you can sit back and enjoy a decent wine or two?
A warm and meaty nduja Scotch egg (£6) the size of a cricket ball had a welcome kick to it and the egg’s golden yolk was rich and runny. It was served with a bosky mushroom ketchup.
Next, cured ham and pecorino croquettes (£5) were enormous for the price, their crisp-crumbed exteriors barely able to contain the creamy, ham-flecked filling.
Meatballs (£7) made with a coarse mix of pork and beef were firm and well seasoned, the accompanying arrabbiata rich, silky and gently spicy.
For £18, these three dishes were generous and arguably too much for one person to finish without reaching for the Gaviscon. Two dishes per person should be ample to start with and you can always order more.
To finish, a caramel pannacotta (£6) had the requisite silicone implant wobble and the flavour was gentle and fudge-like. A slice of full-flavoured gingerbread and a cluster of ripe strawberries completed an enjoyable dessert.
THE VERDICT:
The food at Snobby’s may not be groundbreaking but it’s generous, well-priced and backed up by warm, friendly service from an owner with a genuine interest in wine. I think Keith Floyd would be looking down on his old restaurant - and its smoking terrace - with a wry smile and a large glass of red raised high to its new custodian.
RATINGS:
Overall: Four
Food: Three
Service: Four
Ambience: Three
Value: Four
Snobby’s, 6 Chandos Road, Redland, Bristol, BS6 6PE. Tel: 0117 9070934.
For the latest news in and around Bristol, check back on Bristol Live's homepage
