On a surprisingly sunny October Saturday, Curry boy and I planned to go to the BOP photobook festival in Totterdown, so we chose the nearby BANK to have a nice lunch.
BANK promotes itself, serves contemporary food cooked over fire, made for sharing. I was imagining their food had bursting with charred flavour, so I had a high expectation, while their Google rating was quite good.
We also got hooked on its great lunch deal.
BANK Lunch Deal: £20 for 2 Courses
This deal is available at lunch and early evening – £20 for 2 courses, £24 for 3 courses.
Clearly explained, you’ll have 1 small plate + 1 large plate for £20; you’ll have a dessert if choose 3 courses. Although the size of the food would be adjusted to fit the deal, overall we felt the quantity was enough for us, a normal eater.
Here’s what we ordered.
Cured Loch Duart Salmon, Smoked Beetroot Borscht, Burnt Wasabi Yogurt, Dill, Cucumber
To be honest, the sauce and wasabi were strong enough to overpower the delicate flavour of salmon, which I didn’t feel I was eating cured salmon. And the shape of the cucumbers was distracting.
Grilled Pork Cheek, Burnt Leek, Barley Larp, Cider, Jalapeño
It was an interesting combination of food where you got some crunch from the chicory (maybe not leek???) and some bites from the barley, then comes the pork cheek. The texture was a bit chewy, which was fine, but the flavour fell short. I was expecting something cooked over fire but I was wrong.
The large plates were much better. Look at them!
Cornish Brill, Jerusalem Artichoke Velouté, Girolles, Puy Lentils, Sesame Rayu
‘The brill is nicely cooked, need to be careful of the bones though…maybe that’s why I like the chanterelles more!’ Curry Boy said. So…I can’t comment much as I only tasted the fish, but it looks like Curry Boy did enjoy it!
Whole Roast Quail, Smoked Roasted Celeriac, Red Cabbage Kimchi, Trotter + Bacon
And…voilà! Legs-up-ballet quail! It was rich in flavour and tender, while the celeriac puree was perfect as it offered natural sweetness to the dish! I also like the fried bacon that highlighted the contrast to the puree.
Millefeuille, Apple, Labneh, Pumpkin, Butterscotch
A lovely millefeuille. Overall, not too sweet. The crunchy and soft elements were on a nice balance. I especially like the sweet pumpkin and butterscotch sauce. I spooned everything until nothing was left.
BANK is located in a high-ceilinged building with a warm and welcoming setting.
However, if a large group(6-8 people) is there, even they are sitting on the other side, like the day we visited, we found it was quite noisy that my partner couldn’t hear me a few times. It’s minor though, and you really don’t have control over it, so just give it a try! Hopefully, by the next time we return, it will be quieter and the small plates will be as great as the large plates too!
