We arrive in Bristol, parking up on the top of Whiteladies Rd, hangover worn like dirty overalls on my face, sun beating down on one of the hottest days of the year. It’s been a long drive, quite the way away from the gentle saunter we planned, with nice outdoorsy drinks at The Clifton, dinner at Bosco, and a few cocktails at HMSS before bed. The plan has changed. We now have less than fifteen minutes til lunch, there will be no cocktails after lunch, it will be straight to Mollies Motel to catch some much needed sleep. I even debate not drinking until we reach Bosco and see another tables negroni. A couple won’t hurt I suppose.
Negroni down we set to work on Bosco. They have a big reputation in a city that does pizza extremely well, which is further compounded by the sight of arguably the best chef in town eating with his family two tables away. There’s courgette matchstick fries that are dainty and crisp, and meatballs that have firmed up a little too much in the red-hot skillet. The flavour of those meatballs are good; the rich and direct flavour of the tomato sauce even better. It makes me look forward to the pizza.
The pizza really is very good. A product of fermentation and high heat, it wears all the hallmarks we’ve come to expect from this style of pizza; blistered crusts, leopard spot underwear, a centre soppier than a Richard Curtis movie. There is the tang of soured dough backed-up by that brilliant tomato sauce. One with artichoke, olives, and tallegio that’s wonderfully savoury, and another with roasted peppers, a smattering of Tuscan sausage meat, and the rubble of pangratto. It’s all very well done. Large glass of rose, a soft drink for the driver and seventy-quid. Done. The 7pm sleep was excellent, thanks for asking.
I write this post as it’s announced that Bundobust is closing its doors in Birmingham, in doing so following a growing list of businesses who have failed to capture the Brummie audience in the same way as their other locations. I didn’t like Bundobust and I think we can leave it at that, but my overall opinion is this; the people of Birmingham are savvy when it comes to restaurants. The ones that have settled (Rudy’s, Dishoom) are as good, or better, than what we already have, adding to the rich tapestry of food that we have and celebrate in this city. I know that Bosco would add to that success list, and if they were to find themselves looking at that particular site on Bennett’s Hill, they’d be an instant upgrade on Rudy’s and Franco Manca as the best pizza in the city centre. I would love them to come here.
8/10
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