441 Gloucester Rd
BS78TZ
My Sister recommended a Thai Restaurant to me the other day so we decided to check out ‘Jeans Bistro’ for ourselves.
Jaki and I called in to book a table on a very wet overcast Tuesday morning which didn’t show inner Bristol in its best light.
The streets were crowded with cars, parked bumper to bumper on every side road.
The Gloucester road was congested and there are literally road works everywhere which makes getting round almost impossible.
So when we found Jeans Bistro wasn’t open for another hour we decided to sit and have coffee rather than stroll down Gloucester Rd, which was our original plan.
Anyone who doesn’t know Gloucester Rd a former coaching route which eventually leads to Stokes Croft, is missing a treat.
It is full of independent shops and some of the best Cafe’s and restaurants in Bristol.
There are hundreds of places to eat and the choice is vast.
You will never go hungry on Gloucester Rd!
When I first got divorced I was forced to rent a very small room in a shared house just off Gloucester Rd so I was a regular user of the shops, pubs and cafes.
There was a shop on the corner of Gloucester Rd/Ashley Down Rd called ‘Carpenters’ which was run by an Irish family.
They sold amongst other things ‘Flagons of Natch‘ ( Natural dry cider that came in large glass bottles of maybe 2-3 pints I cant quite remember now) which was a staple diet for us drinkers in those days.
You had to pay a deposit on each bottle and one day we returned 52 bottles.
We chose to sit in Grounded (not usually one of my favourite places) a chain of Cafes here in Bristol and we were pleasantly surprised at the vibe. It was pretty busy with lots of ‘Arty/Student y types, some busily working on their lap tops, other recovering from a hard nights drinking.
I was most impressed with the notice board which advertised so many different activities available to the community, from Tai Chi to bespoke Lampshade courses, Pizza making and a Hunger games weekend.
I wanted to do it all.
When it was gone 11 am we wandered up the road to the restaurant.
It didn’t look much from outside and on a gloomy morning it didn’t look very appealing inside either.
There were some ordinary looking tables in a very plain looking environment. It didn’t look too impressive and we wondered whether this was a good idea.
However, a nice Thai Lady came and spoke to us, took our details, had a problem spelling Hendy in her book and gave us a menu to take away.
So Wednesday evening Steve and Kathy came and picked us up at 7 pm and we drove rather circuitously due to the fact that Gypsy Patch Lane ( a major artery for us) was closed so they can raise the railway bridge to accommodate the new Metro Bus route.
Steve dropped us outside the restaurant and went off to find a parking space.
When we went in the transformation was amazing.
With the tables laid, the lighting on and about a dozen customers already seated the place came to life.
We were seated at a rather small (for four) oblong table close to the counter and very close to the table of four next door.
This would have been hopeless if we had wanted to talk privately but we soon settled down and relaxed.
This is a Bring Your Own wine (BYO) venue so we had a couple of bags of beer and wine sat under the table.
They advertise a charge of £1.50 per person corkage which initially I found a bit offensive but on reflection , I didn’t mind as during the course of the evening they gave us wine glasses, beer glasses and water glasses, all of which have to be purchased, washed and dried, and all come at a cost.
The menu isn’t vast but it has a good selection of items and some looked very authentic which is important as all four of us have spent a lot of time in Thailand and we know our Thai grub.
We chose Spicy Soy Chicken (£5.50) and Crispy Beef in Sweet & Sour Sauce (£5.50) as a starter to share and it was very good, the Chicken being slightly hotter. I got so excited I forgot to take any pictures but I can assure you they looked as good as they tasted.
Then for Main it was a real dilemma because we wanted everything.
In the end I chose Thai Green Chicken Curry (£8.50) and an extra portion of Noodles.
Steve chose the Thai Red Chicken Curry (£8.50) and had a discussion with the server about which would/should be the hottest.
It seems in Thailand the Green is hotter but here in the UK they make the Red hotter but hey, that could change from place to place, from Chef to Chef. I have to say mine was just right and Steve enjoyed his too so it couldn’t have been too hot?
I really wanted to try the Massaman Beef curry (£8.50) but I’ll save that for next time.
Kathy went for the Pad Thai noodles with Prawns and it looked and tasted (she tells me) great. There were some pretty big Prawns on her plate and the only negative is that you have to peel them which means you get in a bit of a mess and there was no hand wash or wet wipes available.
Jaki chose the Beef with hot chilli & sweet Basil Sauce and again it looked fantastic (if maybe a bit too much lettuce) and tasted perfect.
Rice or noodles are extra and cost up to £2.50 a portion but it was good sticky rice and the noodles were perfect.
The food had those real Thai flavours which brought back so many memories.
The venue was cute and being slightly under stated it had a very authentic Thai feel, Like one of them little road side cafes in Samui?
Service was professional, knowledgable and friendly without being over bearing.
Seating was comfortable and being a small place it had a really intimate atmosphere.
We paid £30 per couple and that included a tip though I wish I had saved the bill so I could give you a bit more information, but I didn’t.
We were keen to get into The Drapers Arms before they closed (9.30pm they call last orders).
This is a quirky little Micro pub at 447 Gloucester Rd. Its a one room venue (Max 40 people) that offers a range of real ales (sadly they have stopped selling real Cider as they just didn’t shift enough, so ignore what it says on the web site). They don’t have a Juke Box, a TV or Wifi, they don’t sell hot food but you can get a pickled egg.
Whilst we were in the Thai one guy kept popping out to the Drapers buying a pint and bringing it back to enjoy with his meal. Everyone, including the customer seemed very happy with this arrangement.
Steve sampled 3-4 different beers before settling on one but he has forgotten its name, so it seems we have to go back again to check it out.
This was a great night, I really recommend Jeans Bistro and we are already planning to come back.
Food was great, company good and the Drapers was a real Gem.
Come on and give it a try, you know you want to.
In search of a great Breakfast 