If you have read our blog or follow us on social media, you'll have realised by now that we love travelling and go to as many different places as we can manage. But sometimes I wonder whether we forget the gems that are on our own doorstep.
With that in mind, as we had a Saturday evening planned visiting my sister and brother in law in Portsmouth, we thought we would take the opportunity to have a night in Bristol on the way down from Swansea.
As such, we went straight from work and arrived at Brooks Guest House by St Nicholas Market. The hotel was modern and well appointed with cool features such as an honesty bar in the lobby and caravans on the roof which you can stay in for the night. We had a more conventional room – it was a little on the small side but this was more than made up for by the great location.
We headed straight out in search of Pepenero for pizza and pasta. I had read good reviews about the food online but all said it had more of a takeaway feel. We decided to risk it anyway, which was a great decision.
It appears I must have been reading outdated reviews as when we arrived we found the restaurant was actually located in the cellar of the Beer Emporium on King Street. This meant it had not only a cosy atmosphere but any number of craft beers on tap and in bottles to choose from. Perfect.
On top of that, the vegan range was extensive so Rhian decided she would fill her boots and have three courses.
Between us we managed to make our way through a garlic flatbread, a pizza, a vegan lasagne, a portion of chips and vegan chocolate cake with hemp ice cream. It doesn't sound quite such an achievement now but the portion sizes were such that we were stuffed by the time we left. Plus the food was as tasty as it gets, definitely worth checking out for great grub and choice of beer.
We waddled our way back to street level and decided to make our way through the quayside area and over for a drink in the The Bag of Nails. I've heard a lot about this place from a workmate so thought we should go and check it out. Plus the walk was a good way to wake up from the food coma.
Whilst the exterior was fairly unassuming it was like an Aladdin's cave inside, with retro memorabilia and cats on the bar (which served a damn good pint by the way…the bar, not the cats). There are even house rules which are imposed by the landlord with the help of his nerf gun. I took one to the back for wearing a "trendy beer tshirt" – all in good humour of course. The ironic thing is that the pub couldn't be trendier for its desire not to be! Definitely worth poking your head in for a drink.
Anyway, we made our way back to the hotel via the Small Bar (back on King Street). We loved the one they have in Cardiff so thought it was worth a go. It won't disappoint if you're after a cool bar with a good atmosphere and even better pint.
The next morning we headed onto Corn Street and perused the various bric-a-brac stalls that were setting up for a morning of trading. There we found a map stall and were unable to resist buying a couple for our wall. We did however managed to drag ourselves away in time to have breakfast in Cosy Club.
It is located in an imposing old building which is even more impressive when you go inside. The menu wasn't bad either, with plenty of vegan options. They even serve dairy free milk for your tea. I went for pancakes whilst Rhian had avocado on toast. Both meals were good so it's definitely a decent shout for breakfast (or just a look at the decor!).
We just had time to have a browse around the labyrinth that is St. Nicholas Market, which is worth a wander around, before heading for the south coast.
I'm glad we finally got to spend a bit of time in Bristol. Although we could easily have stayed longer, it was nice to have a proper night out there. We will definitely be returning soon as there's so many great bars and restaurants to sample.
Visit Bristol, you won't be disappointed.