In the past, I’ve only ever visited The Flyer for a pre-Bishopston Supper Club drink but had never sampled the food. A Mitchells & Butlers pub (the same family as The Mall in Clifton Village, among others), we weren’t quite sure what to expect.
Price-wise, the menu is fairly standard for pub fare. Mains are priced from £8 to £15, with starters around the £5 mark and menus changing seasonally. With the statement that the menu ‘is based on carefully sourced ingredients and all dishes are cooked to order’, we were also pleased to see some local ingredients starring in this season’s dishes: Gloucester Old Spot sausages, West Country beef burgers and Cotswold lamb leg steaks all taking centre stage.
A starter of potted beef with a horseradish and chive creme fraiche (£5.50) hit the spot: the beef well seasoned and the flavour of the horseradish distinctive but not overpowering. No sign of the chives, sadly, and the potted beef suffered from an excessive amount of butter on the top, as many tend to do. Minor complaints, though.
Having heard praise for their burgers in the past, I chose the handmade West Country beef burger with mature Cheddar, smoked bacon and chips (£8.75) as my main. The thick cut chips were perfectly crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle (and with the skins on – just the way I like them!), and the red cabbage coleslaw (seemingly homemade) which accompanied my main was a nice counter to the more salty elements. The burger itself was enormous, served in a generously proportioned bun and a slightly redundant piece of striped greaseproof paper. While well-seasoned, the meat was a little over-charred on the outside, and more well-done than I’d normally go for in the middle.
My dining companion enjoyed her generous portion of oak smoked salmon with beetroot creme fraiche and rye bread (£5.25), followed by a perfectly-cooked, melt-in-the-mouth shin of beef (£11), served with a rich red wine and oyster mushroom sauce and an enormous portion of horseradish and chive mash.
As far as pub grub goes, it’s not bad, but a little hit-and-miss in places. It’s worth signing up to their mailing list if you’re interested – they quite often send out emails with newsletter subscriber-only offers, including completely free meals from time to time when they’re testing their new seasonal menus…
Find The Flyer on the Bristol Bites Directory…
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