As mentioned in a previous post where I made my brother a dino birthday cake, birthdays around Christmas time just suck. My poor brother and Dad have had to celebrate their birthdays while everyone is either building up to Christmas or recovering from New Year’s Eve. Normally my Dad’s birthday the weather is so dire and we are so into lockdown in our PJs surrounded by Toblerone wrappers and box sets that we don’t make it out of the house to celebrate. Yes, this is a poor show for Captain Oddball.
This year, the rentals came to me in Bristol and I found a nice place that Captain Oddball could open his presents and be pampered with a delicious meal. We headed over to Bird in Hand, Long Ashton after seeing great plates of food on of course social media I knew Oddball would like this place.
The food was sourced as local as possible and treats made on-site such as the delicious warm seeded bread with browned butter. Now I’ve tried brown butter, there’s now no going back. Creamy and nutty, great start to a great meal.
To start, I went for the Crispy Pig’s Head with cauliflower, apple and watercress. Damn it was incredible. Tender slightly fatty pork, crisped to a divine level of contrast of textures. The freshness of the raw cauliflower and apple helps to balance the dish with the aid of the peppery watercress. Definitely one of those dishes that you just want to eat again as soon as you have finished the last morsel from the plate.
So bear in mind that it was the third of January and most people are three days into new year’s resolutions, what do I go and order after the Crispy Pig’s Head? Ox cheek of course! Not just any ox cheek but slow-cooked to the point where just by simply looking at this hunk of beefy beauty it would fall of the fork that impaled it. Served with caramelised shallots, tender and iron-rich kale and salsify added to the rich meaty love of the dish. Not forgetting the pile of creamy dreamy mash. Well played.
And you would be silly to think that after all that meaty delights, that I couldn’t possibly manage a dessert. If that’s what you think, you couldn’t possibly know me. I went for the delightfully simple but perfectly executed Chocolate Mousse with guinettes cherries and creme fraiche. Deep chocolate flavour, lightened with the sharpness of the creme fraiche and the brandy from the cherries.
Dad had a great time and loved the food at Bird in Hand, who will become a firm repeat favourite. Hopefully next time we visit the weather would be brighter and the curse of the Captain Oddball’s birthday weather won’t cloud the views of Bristol.
After all the delicious food, I took a stroll around Bristol harbour and was nice to discover new places in your adopted hometown. I may have stumbled upon a Banksy….
Address Book
Bird in Hand
17 Weston Rd, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9LA
Tel: 01275 395222
Website: http://bird-in-hand.co.uk/
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