Sunday Best @ Pieminister Broad Quay: Review

It’s that time of year again: the weather’s getting colder, the wind’s picking up, and I’m now reluctant to leave the house without an umbrella… At least we had a great summer this year, right?!

There’s definitely one positive to this change in the weather, and that’s the fact that Sunday roasts are back on the menu. I’m not someone who can eat a massive roast dinner on a boiling hot summer afternoon, but drop the temperature a few degrees and there’s nothing better than a leisurely few hours spent in a local pub or restaurant with a hearty meal in front of me.

But what’s your favourite part of a Sunday roast? Is it the meat (or veggie alternative), or is it the plethora of sides that accompany it?

For me, it’s the latter – and so when I heard that Pieminister were offering a new Sunday lunch alternative in the form of their Sunday Best, I knew I had to try it. So last weekend, we headed over to their Broad Quay restaurant to see if the reality lived up to the expectation…

So what is the Sunday Best, I hear you ask? Quite simply, it’s a pie and mash/Sunday lunch hybrid: for £9.95, you can enjoy your choice of pie with mash, along with all sorts of Sunday lunch sides…

Drinks first, though. For Chris, a pint of Pieminister’s own Pie PA (£4.85), which he thoroughly enjoyed. For me (after my first baby-free girls’ night out the night before), a restorative, sugary chocolate milkshake (£4), which was nowhere near as thick and creamy as I’ve had there in the past, and in all honesty, wasn’t worth the money.

We’re both big fans of Pieminister’s pies, though, so we were excited about our meals. For me, the Moo & Blue, packed with meltingly tender beef, tangy Stilton and a rich gravy, was the only choice, and it didn’t disappoint. On the other side of the table, the Moodog, with its combination of beef, bacon and a Brewdog ale, was equally well-received. And the mound of buttery mash was just as good as we’ve come to expect from Pieminister, too.

And our Sunday Best definitely looked great. Top marks for presentation – the Instagrammers of Bristol will be very happy indeed…

The Sunday lunch sides, though? They were a little hit and miss. On the positive side, I LOVED the baby roasties with rosemary: there was just enough of the herb on there, they were beautifully seasoned, and they were super crispy – they reminded me of the chips from the bottom of the bag at a chippy. The carrot and swede mash had tons of texture and was lovely and sweet, and the dense, chewy Yorkie was perfect for mopping up the gravy.

I’ve got to say, though, I’m really not a fan of the Pieminister gravy – to me it just tastes a bit musty, and I stuck with their spicy tomato ketchup instead. The pig in a blanket wasn’t great, either – it had a tasty fruity flavour, but it was SO dry – it seemed like they’d cooked a load in advance and kept them warm.

The crackling was a bit of an odd one too – it was crisp on one side and melty on the other, which was lovely – but again, it tasted like it had been cooked a while beforehand.

One unexpected addition was a stuffing ball – the menu says they only come with the veggie orders, so we were quite surprised. It wasn’t like any stuffing we’ve had before, though – it was more like a rosti. We didn’t really get any of the apparent sage and onion flavour, but loved the addition of juicy cranberries.

There’s no way we could have managed dessert after all that, but there’s a couple of warm options on the menu if you’re still hungry – as well as their pretty extensive ice cream sundae menu (which now includes a vegan option, too).

There’s no denying that Pieminister’s core offering is great (except the gravy – but that’s just my opinion). And the Sunday Best concept is amazing – and it definitely looks the part! If they can just make sure the sides are consistently as good as their main menu, I’m sure it’s going to be a massive hit…

Please note: our meal at Pieminister Broad Quay was received free of charge, 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.