One of my favourite restaurants in Bristol was the Market Place but I regret that I never dedicated a post to it. The restaurant deserved more than an aside to a Myristica-edged bit of nostalgia.
My first visit was with my friend Adele last summer and I had the loveliest whole plaice in a butter sauce. The prawns starter was made up of peeled salted king prawns which were incredibly good. The only thing that was just normal was the dessert selection which left only the treacle tart as the preferred choice. Not bad but a little stodgy as a way to end a light, seafood based meal.
The second visit was a fish and chips meal before a visit to the Old Vic and a third one was with family friends in February. The food was special enough to follow the champagne we shared to celebrate a PhD graduation. I had a main of Jacob’s Ladder, mash and cabbage. The starter was of herring roes on toast with garlic butter and the dessert was a bitter chocolate tart.
The beauty of the Market Place was a food focused, bar and restaurant, with a small selection of dishes. It’s a format that worked beautifully but the option to visit is no longer there. Following a fire in the cellar last February the place was put up for sale. The Market Place has now moved on to the Star and Dove in Totterdown apparently.
On St Nicholas St, the new Elephant public house opened up two weeks ago in the bright, white building. Ben Bartrip and his partner Sarah Eskins opened the bar after returning to England from Melbourne, Australia. The refurbishment already makes the place look lighter with the purple of the bar stripped back to the light wood underneath. Food is still being served and the bread is home made apparently so I’ll reserve further comment until I visit. Keep a look out for a review.
The Elephant Public House, 20 St. Nicholas St. Bristol BS1 1UB. 0117 929 3561, info@theelephantbristol.co.uk
Ephemeral digest 
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