Tim Owen’s made a bit of a name for himself in Bristol. Formerly behind the stoves at The Star & Dove and The Oxford, his sporadic Dinewithi pop-ups have been running for a good few years now, and he’s also at the foodie helm of recently refurbished vintage excursion ship, the MV Balmoral. Now Dinewithi is set to make a regular reappearance during the first couple of months of 2016, but this time in the form of a weekly Sunday Lunch Club.
Tim’s a down to earth chef yet one who’s also opinionated – and that carries through to his food too. Hosted at his home in Totterdown, his Sunday Lunch Clubs will see all of those who attend seated around one table, and served three courses made up of top quality ingredients, with everything freshly made and with a hell of a lot of effort involved.
At the inaugural SLC, we sat down to be presented with thick slices of a fantastic soaked wholemeal bread (made by his neighbour Al, whose breads you can find in nearby Gaines Greengrocers) and a fantastically pungent garlic and parsley butter – a taste of the quality of what was to come.
Our starter: a beautifully textured mackerel pâté, sitting on a mound of apple, dill, red onion and cider vinegar salad, its tangy sweetness adding a lovely lightness to the fish.
The main had a seriously festive vibe (we were there in the first week of December…) – confit chicken that was two days in the making: the gristly bits rendered down nicely making them soft enough to eat, the skin with a crazy amount of flavour. Maybe a touch too dry, but tasty nonetheless. The roasties could have done with a little more crispness but were perfectly soft and fluffy in the middle, and the mulled red cabbage was a revelation, full of festive flavours. No chicken-based Sunday lunch dish is complete without stuffing, and Tim’s had both great flavour and texture…and that wasn’t all. We were also treated to Brussels sprouts pan fried with orange zest and chestnuts, a roasted carrot seasoned with a hint of star anise…and an incredibly rich jus, apparently the result of cooking down 16 chicken carcasses for a hell of a long time until the liquid had reduced almost to nothing.
For dessert, a lemon tart: an impressive homemade sweet pastry crust with a not-too-tart lemon filling, served with fresh cream and a zingy raspberry sauce – a great ending to a great meal.
While dates for Tim’s 2016 Sunday Lunch Clubs haven’t yet been finalised, keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook as they’ll be announced soon. Drinks will be on a BYO basis, and the suggested donation is expected to be around £25 per head for three courses. With so much work going into his food and a wealth of flavours on offer, it’s a small price to pay for a great quality meal. And what’s more, you’ll save yourself the hassle of washing up too…
Find Dinewithi on Facebook, or follow @dinewithi on Twitter to stay up-to-date with upcoming events…
Please note: Our food was complimentary, but this in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the venue did not see this review before it was put up on the site.