FUEGO is starting in Bristol in mid-February – bringing the fun, fiery spirit and flavours of Latin America to Broad Quay. The new café, grill and cantina will offer a whistle stop tour of Latin America, through its market and street food culture: from Cuba to the Dominican Republic, Mexico to Miami, Colombia to Brazil. It will also be serving Bristol’s first “Mofongo” – created in our city this is an improved interpretation of a Latin Caribbean classic.
FUEGO co-owner, Gonzalo Trujillo, says: “Latin America has so much more to offer than the burrito. There is a huge range of big bold flavours that aren’t widely available and we’re going to change that. We’re bringing food that has never been served before in Bristol. We want to immerse the people of Bristol in the energetic, soulful culture of the Latin Americas and put some extra fuego in their souls!”
From early morning, FUEGO will be fuelling its customers with rich Arabica coffee. Lunchtimes will offer those in a hurry something new to chew on – Hispanic street-food style snacks and bites. And during the evening, the pace will slow and diners can soak up the Latino vibe in a colourful and lively setting. Much of FUEGO’s food is sociable – it’s served to be shared, also echoing the Latin culture.
The energy behind the venture comes from Gonzalo Trujillo, originally from Colombia, and Esmeralda Martin-Rivera from Spain. They were introduced by a mutual friend who knew something special would happen if they combined their talents and Latino fire.
No strangers to the Bristol food scene, Gonzalo was involved in setting up Pieminister and Grillstock and Esmerelda was one of the founders of My Burrito; the previous occupants of 7 Broad Quay.
The dishes are currently being road tested and FUEGO favourites are already being identified. Over a three week period, FUEGO is popping up at 40 Alfred Place – the pop-up restaurant venue in Kingsdown, while work on the Broad Quay venue takes place.
Each week has a different theme: Maya Madness kicked things off with the ‘slow and low’ cooking of croquetas and empanadas and using flavours like chipotle, jalapeño, coriander, lime and cocoa. In week two, the Mofongo arrived as part of the Cool Revolution theme. This dish is a Caribbean favourite using chicken, chorizo and plantain. For the final week, Carnivore Carnival spirit will be invoked and diners will enjoy a fusion of dishes from the first two weeks, including a mouth-watering smoked pork belly and carnitas .
Five special FUEGO sauces and salsa verdes have been developed with varying degrees of heat and spice. They can be found in bottles on the tables and are also available to buy so customers can take a bit of FUEGO home with them.
Gonzalo says: “Bristol is the perfect city to begin the FUEGO journey. It’s full to the brim with people who are rebellious, maverick and who do things differently.”
Home grown in Bristol, FUEGO will spread like wild fire across the country.
For more information about FUEGO, visit www.fuegoquay.com.