From its name onwards, there is knowing coolness, a certain intentionality to what COR is seeking to achieve. It’s a place to watch in an upcoming district of Bristol. And if COR is seeking to ape what is arguably the best restaurant in England (Clare Smyth’s Core in plush Kensington, London), then why not? The team at Michelin have already awarded COR a Bib Gourmand; stars may beckon.
Your reviewer and his dining comrade enjoyed their stroll from town through to Bedminster, in Bristol’s southern reaches. We encountered street art, old school boozers, charity shops and tattoo parlours. But amidst this vibe, something is changing. Whisper it, but Bedminster is slowly gentrifying. Shabby chic is a well-trodden path for restaurateurs and the team behind COR have experience from venues in Bristol’s glossier districts such as Clifton. Thought has clearly gone into the venue, both in terms of its strategic location (on a corner and large glass windows for people-watching) and its décor (counter-top dining plus tables nestled by shelves of assorted cookery books and food jars). The vibe here is almost more New York or Tel Aviv than southwest England.
The culinary angle at COR reflects the zeitgeist, an adherence to the ‘holy trinity’ of seasonal, local and sustainable mixed with a tapas-Mediterranean crossover. In other words, it’s a menu explicitly aimed at sharing. Lots of small dishes are great for experimenting, even if there is a danger that costs can creep up. What impressed at COR was how the kitchen seemed to excel both in the very simple (such as a Wye Valley asparagus dish in lemon butter sauce) and the much more complex (fire-cooked cuttlefish, as an example). Spanish and Italian influences intermingle regularly at COR. The Iberico pork with a panzanella of Firenze tomatoes (pictured) perhaps constitutes the best example. It was novel, deft and flavoursome. A skate wing meuniere was executed less competently, but one fail across a meal can be excused.
Throughout, staff seemed willing to indulge. COR is the sort of place where diners can comfortably linger. We were almost the last guests to leave, having enjoyed a wonderful bottle of Judith Beck white wine from Austria before sipping a pleasing PX nightcap. Even better, the financial damage is reasonable, at least by London standards. COR certainly deserves to be going places.