I really have to learn to speed up my reviews. Probably a month ago now, we had dinner at The Plumed Serpent Cantina during their pop up at Matilda’s Chilli Bar just near the Bear Pit in Bristol. It was excellent. Don’t go and book a table – the pop up is finished (missed that boat didn’t I?). However, do not fear – they are in residency at the high grove pub just up from Stokes Croft for at least another 3 weeks… yippee!
The reason for our trip out was that our mate Ali was down for the weekend from Nottingham (incidentally, she’s the editor for LeftLion a wicked culture mag there) so we needed to go somewhere special. All three of us loved it so this will be a pretty short and sweet review. We ate some excellent Mexican food from a simple, delicious menu and loved every single morsel.
The simplicity of The Plumed Serpent spoke volumes to me, from printed paper menus (with items sold out scribbled through in pen) through to paper napkins, tins of cutlery and jars of homemade salsa. The focus was very firmly on the food without a hint of style over substance.
The menu was small – with a few starters/sharers/sides to choose from and then a simple torta & taco section for mains. With a jug of something tequila-fuelled and fruity to hand we began with chipotle & lime chicken wings and half and half tortilla chips with black bean & feta and guacamole – because we just couldn’t decide.
The black bean with feta was a revelation, a great dip for tortillas and completely delicious. The guacamole was very heavy on the garlic (no problems with that here) and smooth in consistency, which made a nice change to the chunky way I tend to make it at home.
At the end of our meal, we chatted to one of the owners Ed. I’d read a little about their backstory and was pleased to meet him and find out more. The Plumed Serpent is the perfect example of a pop-up. Started by a couple who just love cooking and in this case, love Mexican food too. Until recently they were both working full time in the medical profession but Ed told us that he’s now quit his job to work on the food business full-time.
