Tucked away opposite the Mayflower in the row of shops beside the Bearpit, Mathilda’s Chilli Bar may not be in an area that has high footfall, but has already developed a reputation as a hidden gem. Bravely focusing on just one main dish – chilli – husband and wife owners Sally and Oliver Tidman know that if they’re only doing one thing, they need to do it well.
We headed down there recently, using a deal from Bristol-based app Wriggle, which offers Bristolians last minute, same-day deals at some of the city’s finest independent venues. Our deal included a bean chilli (served with rice, guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos) plus a portion of ice cream for £6.95 – not too bad at all.
Walk into Mathilda’s and you’ll find yourself faced with a small, minimalist restaurant: white tiles clad halfway up the walls, while black walls and floors continue the venue’s feel of simplicity. We dined at school-style tables and chairs beside the open plan kitchen – which is small, but perfectly functional for the size of the menu. The only splash of colour was in the row of cacti and Tabasco bottles on the dividing wall between the kitchen and the dining area.
It’s refreshing to see a menu so short that mains, sides, desserts and drinks are all covered on one side of a piece of paper – and it also meant that it took a far shorter time than usual to decide on our meals! We both decided to upgrade our bean chilli to a half and half (half bean, half Texas beef brisket) for an extra £1, and added a sprinkling of grated cheese for an additional 50p.
Having already heard great things about the deep fried pickles at Mathilda’s, we weren’t going to leave without trying these either. £3.50 got us a bowl filled with six generous slices: the batter beautifully seasoned, the pickles still juicy and tender. The batter did have a tendency to fall apart in our hands, though, which made it hard to dip them into the pot of pungent blue cheese sauce that complemented them perfectly.
The main event was just as impressive. We loved the enamel camping-style bowls in which everything was served, which added a retro touch, and it was these bowls that housed a generous portion of perfectly fluffy rice and a steaming portion of chilli, topped with plenty of cheese, guacamole and a few jalapenos.
The chilli itself packed a decent punch, its spice levels above what I’d normally make at home but the sour cream doing its job in calming my tastebuds between mouthfuls. We loved the fact that the chilli featured tender pieces of rich beef brisket as opposed to the standard mince, and the combination of the meat and beans was definitely a good choice, offering a variety of flavours and textures.
For me, the guacamole – a simple combination of avocado, lime, coriander, salt and pepper – was another highlight of our meal, with a flavour that was far more zesty and herby than creamy and soft: beautiful.
Our Wriggle deal included a dessert of a choice of three varieties of ice cream from Copoazu Ices. Based in Bristol, Copoazu sell their homemade ice cream directly from their bike and cart, as well as supplying to businesses that include Mathilda’s and The Steam Crane. With the salted caramel for me and the lemon curd for Chris (there was also coconut on offer), we loved the smooth and luxurious consistency, the level of salt in the caramel and the zing of the lemon curd. However, both varieties could possibly have done with a few more swirls of salted caramel/lemon curd as they were fairly scarce.
Even without the Wriggle deal, our meal would have been a bargain: simple comfort food done well. If you do pay Mathilda’s a visit, be sure to order the deep fried pickles along with your chilli – they’re well worth the visit on their own. And with free ice cream or beer on some evenings (follow them on Twitter at @MathildasChilli to stay up-to-date) and a new dessert menu featuring a range of ice cream sundaes to come, there are plenty of excuses to keep going back. Recommended.