Avenue Cafe - South Gloucestershire

We were on the eve of an overseas holiday leaving very early the following morning, so we were not keen to cook anything for our main meal of the day. Fresh-food stocks had been run-down and so we decided that lunch-out was a good way to usher-in our holiday. We decided we should walk the 0.6 of a mile to this lovely café. We hadn’t made a reservation, but it was well-before 13:00 so there was a good chance that we could get a table. Fortunately, although the café was very busy, we were able to do just that. We took some time to study the menu and the specials board; but although tempted by the all-day breakfasts, and one or two of the ‘Daily Bites’ (particularly the ‘Cajun Sundried Tomato Beef Burger’ , we both opted for the same special plate. This was the ‘Creamy mustard garlic chicken with bacon pieces, spinach and new potatoes.’ After placing our orders we sat and chatted and people-watched, whilst my Partner had a really great Americano coffee (with hot milk . I enjoyed a ‘Mango Mania’ smoothie, the latter was excellent; so refreshing! As it was busy, it took some time for our food-orders to arrive, but the plates were well-worth the wait. The chicken and the potatoes in the flavoured cream sauce was excellent, and served with really lovely fresh sprigs of thyme. This was a delicate dish and although much enjoyed we agreed that we would have been a little more generous with the mustard; a personal preference as we do like strong flavours. The meal was certainly enough for us. Service here is invariably pleasant and efficient, and on this occasion it was ‘business as usual’.

This café normally only opens during the daytime, but currently opens on Friday evenings. Very occasionally the café hold special events on Friday evenings. When this happens the café is transformed into a delightful restaurant, with live music. The popularity of the events is such, that you need to book as soon as you learn about them. We were very pleased to be able to dine here this evening, and arriving promptly at 20:20 we found that we were seated at a table right in front of ‘the band’. This wasn’t a problem as the band were an acoustic duo, and the amplification was not too loud. We did feel a bit like honoured guests as we took our seats (the last two available) and then the band commenced to play. Tonight it was a Small Plates menu (a.k.a. Tapas) and a good selection to choose from too. Pricing was very reasonable at £6.95 per plate or £18 for 3 plates. After deliberation and debate we selected: Bread and Olives Garlic King Prawns garlic butter, parsley, lemon on toasted crouton (2 servings) Chicken Skewers Greek style marinaded with yoghurt (2 servings) Lamb kofta balls with tzatziki dip (2 servings) Vegetable Spring rolls crispy, crunchy rolls filled with savoury mix of vegetables Mozzarella, tomato and basil salad with a balsamic drizzle Patatas Bravas crispy potatoes in a salsa brava with a creamy aioli We didn’t order sides of rice or fries; a wise decision as we had chosen well, and were well fed by the time we finished. We took dessert; with both of us having an Affogato using a single scoop of the delicious Marshfield Ice Cream and excellent coffee: strong, bitter and caramel flavoured. Wine: we chose a bottle of the ‘Pringle Bay’ Sauvignon Blanc (a steal at £22) from the Western Cape, South Africa, and later I had a large glass of ‘Definition Pinot Grigio’ from north eastern Italy. Both wines were very much enjoyed, the Pringle Bay was very good and very refreshing. Of the two wines I thought the complex Pinot was excellent; in fact it was the best Pinot I have tasted in a very long time (if ever). Of the plates we had chosen the chicken skewers vied with the lamb koftas for being my personal favourite. My Partner really enjoyed the prawns (albeit the croutons were a tad soggy). We both really enjoyed the veggie spring rolls; they provided a good texture change. I didn’t have any bread and olives, or the mozzarella (but I stole some of the balsamic glaze from the latter). On the flipside we found the Patatas Bravas was neither crispy or spicy enough.

A lovely cafe and a gem in Emersons Green. But, the inability to order at the table is really frustrating. The cafe is understandably very popular and often really busy so there is invariably a little wait for the lovely fresh food. This means the drink you've ordered at the till with your breakfast has gone by the time the food comes out. Not an issue if the waiting staff could take a further drinks order at the table when they deliver the food, but for some reason they don't offer that service. So you're left with the option of either just eating with no drink, or re-joining the queue to order another drink and watching your breakfast go cold. This is a relatively minor point and is intended as constructive criticism rather than a gripe. The food, service and atmosphere are otherwise lovely. I just think tightening up this quick fix would make the cafe even better.

My wife is a regular here for breakfast and has nothing but praise for it so we tried it out on an evening with two other couples. I don't think the name does it justice as I had visions of it being a standard cafe but it is more like a pub restaurant. It is very tastefully decorated, modern and clean. On the night we went they had live music, a guitarist singer, who was very good but because of this the place was full. The staff were great but probably short on numbers as the service was a quite slow. However, the food, we all had tapas at 3 dishes for £18, was very good and overall was a very good evening. If the service had been quicker then I would have probably stretched to a 5 star. Will go back.

This, our local café, normally closes in the late afternoon about 17:00 this time of year; but occasionally it opens up on a Friday evening, until late, to provide a tapas evening with live music. These are occasions which we try to support as much as we can. Tonight was the latest of three such events that we have enjoyed supporting; it was also the last of the, I believe, four summer events have been held. The format, was as before, to stagger table reservation times to allow the kitchen to efficiently produce plates to order. This reservation system helps avoid what could be bottlenecks, that would surely result, if too many orders flood in at the more popular times. The menu is the same for all of these events; our preferences were again to the fore for certain plates, as follows: Chicken Skewers Greek style marinaded with yoghurt. Vegetable Spring Rolls with sweet chilli dip crispy, crunchy rolls filled with savoury mix of vegetables. Lamb kofta balls with tzatziki dip. Patatas Bravas crispy potatoes in a salsa brava with a creamy aioli. Skin on fries. It was once again a much enjoyed meal and, on this occasion, we had invited my Son to join us. He really enjoyed the plates and the atmosphere. Wine: we chose a bottle of the ‘Definition Pinot Grigio’ from north eastern Italy: very complex and much enjoyed: excellent. This bottle was my Son’s contribution to the evening (apart from, of course, his company). We followed that with a bottle of the ‘Pringle Bay’ Sauvignon Blanc from the Western Cape, South Africa: this was very good; wonderfully refreshing. My Partner and I paid for that one! Wine here is not too expensive, especially bearing in mind the quality. A note to say that the Patatas Bravas plate was excellent on this occasion, because the potatoes were indeed crispy. Our favourite plate, for all three of us, was however the ‘Vegetable Spring Rolls’. These were absolutely fabulous, such a great texture. If this plate was regularly featured on the menu, I am sure it would be a very popular choice. The provision of a sweet chilli dipping sauce is a masterpiece of culinary inspiration. The music for all of these events was a duo singing covers of popular songs accompanied by acoustic guitars. They use guitar mics to amplify the music an their vocals. On previous occasions the band have not been too loud; sadly tonight they were. There were times that we couldn’t hear each other speak, and my Partner had to twice ask the band to tone it down. There is a time and place for loud music and this wasn’t it.