The Lost and Found Bristol opened in April 2018 – I went to their launch and loved the cocktails. The food… not so much. But, you know what? It was their opening weekend, they were super busy and new kitchens always have teething problems so rather than slate them online I chose to stay quiet, hoping it was down to new kitchen, new team, nerves, and so on.
A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I were invited to try their new menu and I accepted, keen to see how things had progressed over the last year. I’ve visited several times for cocktails and knew that they were fantastic but hadn’t been back for food.
I love the space, it’s like a prohibition era gentleman’s club crossed with Miss Haversham’s conservatory. Dark panels, leather, curiosities and greenery. I love it. We sat in the far corner, by a window for the light but if I hadn’t been blogging, the middle dining room would have been my preferred option for soaking up the atmosphere.
Anyway, let’s get on with the food.
To start, I went for the crispy duck salad and Dave had the tomato bruschetta. The presentation on both was gorgeous – mounds of colourful, fresh looking food. Impressive, and they didn’t disappoint when we tucked in either. The duck in my salad was indeed crispy, and there was plenty of it too. The star of the plate was that nutty, rich hoisin dressing. It was delicious and mixed generously through the vegetables and worked really well.
Dave’s bruschetta promised tomato fondue, heirloom tomatoes, pickled red onions and rocket. What came was slightly different but if anything, better; fat basil leaves tucked between pea shoots and the occasional rocket leaf. The tomato fondue was smokey and soaked into the bread which, being a big crusty slice, could take the liquid. My only criticism, if I’m being picky, is that it would have been nice to see a bigger variety in colour and type of tomato.
For our mains, we chose very different dishes and clearly, Dave won. I had the asparagus ravioli which comes with crispy chorizo, asparagus spears, courgette ribbons and broad beans. Sounds nice right? Sadly, for £13.50 it was just a bit disappointing and frankly, over priced. I chose this dish for what I expected to be first of the season asparagus and freshly made ravioli. I got neither. The ravioli though tasty, was clearly pre-made. The asparagus was brown – either old, tinned or cooked to death; I’m still not sure which. Courgette ribbons had changed into soggy circles and the broad beans had no place there. The chorizo was good but then how hard is it to crisp up a bit of chorizo?
Dave had the mussels in a creamy garlic and white wine sauce. They were really good although is swear blind that the sauce had cheese in it too. Lots of plump, juicy mussels in a thick tasty sauce with big wedges of bread to mop it all up. A brilliant main course. Job done. ✅
And to drink…
It’s no secret that I think the Lost and Found Bristol’s skills lie in their cocktail making. I thought that after visiting their Birmingham branch years back, I thought that after their Bristol launch and I still think it now. Interesting combinations, creative menus and unusual ingredients make their cocktails some of the best I’ve ever had. And, on this visit, we continued to be impressed.
We tried four cocktails:
Mr Benedict Pike
Coffee infused Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Antica Formula Carpano Vermouth, Xocolatl Mole & Aztec chocolate bitters, brown sugar & orange peel, QuiQuiRiQui Matatlan Mezcal Espadin spray and hickory-smoke.
A smokey, chocolatey delight, with the added fun of pouring it out yourself. This one was a bit too bourbon-y in flavour for me but Dave (an avid whiskey drinker) loved it. The chocolate got eaten too!
C’est Caberet
Absolut Raspberri Vodka, Lanique Rose Maraschino cherry syrup, cranberry juice, hibiscus syrup, lemon juice & rose water, Franklin & Sons Wild Strawberry & Scottish Raspberry with cracked black pepper.
This was my favourite of my two cocktails (the other was the painter in the poppies). I love the flavours of rose and hibiscus, both of which came through in this drink. One point though – it had a purple feather in it!? Yes, it looked pretty but was it basically just a waste. I don’t see the point of garnish which will end up in the bin.
The painter in the poppies
Hendrick’s Gin, Briottet Coquelicot, Monin basil, apple & cranberry juice, lime juice & cherry bitters.
Just a lovely refreshing long drink. Perfect on a warm summer evening, if only the Lost and Found Bristol had outside space.
Ms Victoria B Darcy
Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Cointreau, Jasmine tea syrup, Apple juice & lemon juice, blossom bitter and Ms. Better’s Botanical Foamer
So clearly, we all need botanical foamer in our lives. Although small, this cocktail was floral and delicious. We both loved the fresh fruity flavour but, although the decoration was pretty, it kind of got in the way and I don’t think you were supposed to eat it. That didn’t stop Dave trying to choke down a dry mouthful though.
In conclusion
We enjoyed our visit to the Lost and Found Bristol but as I feared, some of the food was lacking in skill and flavour. We enjoyed some of our dishes, others were just disappointing. It felt that the menu was a bit scattergun in its approach. There is no real theme there, with dishes like my asparagus ravioli sitting alongside chipotle quinoa chilli, coconut curry, steak and fish and chips. Perhaps the idea is to appeal to a broad market. If that’s it, they’re doing it right but if they want to attract people who are genuinely interested in good food, they’re doing it very wrong.
Would I visit again? Most definitely – but only for drinks and probably for a treat (as is usually the case, with cocktails priced between £8-10). I can’t fault the cocktails. Well made, interesting and always delicious. See the menu here.
Visit for yourself:
*In total our bill would have come to just shy of £78. That was for two starter, two mains and four cocktails. We were invited to eat and drink there for free but all opinions are my own.*
