Flinty Red

When the partners behind wine merchants Corks of Cotham set up this informal dining room with husband & wife cooking team Matt Williamson & Claire Thomson, wine was always going to be at the heart of things. Recommendations on the list vary with the seasonal menu, & there are always plenty of offerings by the glass; the guys also do tutored wine & food tastings covering everything from regional vineyards to nose-to-tail butchery. To eat, you might be offered a well-balanced endive salad with mimolette cheese & toasted almonds or, perhaps, fat scallops with morcilla & chard. The setting is modest & simply decorated with foodie collages – most of the effort & love has obviously been channelled into the kitchen & the cellar. Indeed, that most Bristolian of words ‘lush’ could almost have been designed for their dessert of salted caramel mousse, dark chocolate mousse & gingerbread.