Ferry Station

Thursday 29th January 2009

This is a Crackerjack review of Ferry Station. Do you agree? Rate and review this venue.

Food and drink: 7 / 10.
Service: 8 / 10.
Atmosphere: 7 / 10.
Value for money: 8 / 10.

The yellow and blue ferries of the Bristol Ferry Boat Company have become an integral part of the city’s harbourside landscape.

As they glide through the historic docks, dropping off commuters or carrying tourists and sightseers on river trips, they add a splash of colour to the slate grey water.

The ferry boats are run by Jane Salvidge, whose husband Rob is the former Radio Bristol-turned- salty-sea-dog now in charge of the Matthew.
They also have an involvement in the Ferry Station, a replica Severn Trow boat moored at Narrow Quay, alongside the landing platform for the ferries.

The boat originally opened as a cafe a couple of years back under a different name and different owners, but it was short-lived and soon went on the market, its future uncertain.

It reopened last year as the Ferry Station and it has already gained quite a following, judging from the number of people there when I visited for lunch.

It’s not just a cafe and bar. It also doubles up as a bike hire, and for £2 an hour (£7 for half a day or £12 for a full day), you can finish your coffee and get on your bike, perhaps using one of the traffic- free cycle paths that start outside (maps are available). What a fine way to spend an afternoon.

In summer, the boat’s large sun deck is sure to be a very popular option for those looking to soak up the rays and/or indulge in a spot of people-watching, but with ice on the water when I visited, the cosy downstairs was far more appealing.

With large windows looking across the water to the Watershed and portholes on the dock side of the cafe, it’s a light and airy space. Although there was an occasional murmur, the boat doesn’t move so there is little chance of seasickness, even for those with the most sensitive stomachs.

At the far end, there are black leather sofas and a bookcase of well-thumbed paperbacks and travel guides.

On the tangerine walls, there are colourful photos of Bristol and the free wi-fi available makes this an ideal place for a coffee as you check your emails (as one of the growing number of people who works more from a laptop in cafes than from the home office, free wi-fi is now de rigueur for any cafe).

You order your food at the bar (made out of reclaimed wooden doors) and the staff – many of whom used to work at the cafe in the museum – are friendly, chatty and unflappable.

In the subterranean kitchen, head chef Ian Haywood (ex-head chef at Brown’s) offers a menu that should appeal to all tastes and pockets.

There’s a traditional breakfast for £5.50, brunch sandwiches
from £2.50 (for the bacon sarnie), jacket potatoes from £2.95, salads from £4.95 and a short selection of main meals and daily specials priced from £2.95 for soup to £6.95 for chicken breast stuffed with sundried tomato, pancetta and olives, served with sautéed potato, roasted vegetables and salad garnish.

On the day I visited, specials included a warming beef and vegetable broth with French bread (£2.95), Spanish omelette with salad and garlic mayonnaise (£4.95), and linguine with a creamy gorgonzola sauce and salad (£4.95).

On Sundays, a traditional roast is available until 3.45pm, and the choice includes roast topside of beef, roast chicken or vegetarian toad in the hole, all served with a selection of vegetables, potatoes and “traditional trimmings”.

I ordered the salmon fishcakes (£5.95) which were homemade and generous in size (all three of them) and contained a decent amount of fish in ratio to potato.

They were served with a mountain of salad packed with crunchy green beans, chunks of celery, cucumber, olives, red pepper, lamb’s lettuce and a splodge of home-made tartare sauce, spiked with capers and gherkins.

I followed this with a dense, fudgy hazelnut praline cupcake (£1.95), one of several cupcakes in the fridge (the chocolate and beetroot one sounds worth a return trip), washed down with a very good cup of coffee (all of the coffee and tea is organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and all the other right buzzwords).

Although essentially a daytime venue, on a Friday and Saturday evening the Ferry Station opens as a bar, serving tapas, organic beers and ciders.
With its waterside location and chilled ambience, it has the potential to become one of central Bristol’s more quirky venues, offering good food at a sensible price.

Mark Taylor
 

Prices: Sandwiches from £2.50; jacket potatoes from £2.95; salads from £4.95; main meals from £4.95.
Wheelchair access: No.

This is a Crackerjack review of Ferry Station. Do you agree? Rate and review this venue.