Restaurant review: Hermanos

Thursday 4th February 2010

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

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

It was the soup that first caught my eye when I walked past Hermanos, a café bar on Clifton Triangle.

The small menu in the window started with the words ‘Moro’s beetroot soup with black cumin’, a reference to a dish that appears at one of London’s best restaurants.

And then, a few lines below it, I spotted ‘Homage to Stephen Markwick – blue cheese and onion marmalade tart’ – a tribute to Bristol’s best chef.

Something was clearly going on here so I returned the next day to investigate.

Hermanos has been open for a while and although it has always been a place to get a decent cup of coffee by day, it is better known as a lively bar in the evening.

As far as the food goes, it had never realised its full potential and was simply another average lunchtime venue serving the usual fare.

And then at the end of last year, the owners decided to advertise for a chef to take over the kitchen.

They ended up getting two for the price of one in the shape of mother and daughter team Liz and Sorrel Ferguson.

A former nurse, Liz had been running a catering business called Heaven’s Cake for 13 years, cooking for private functions, weddings, and other events.

Sorrel returned from Leeds University to work for the Chandos Deli chain and delicatessens and cafés and they simply fancied a change and the challenge of running their own kitchen. Younger daughter Livvy helps out on Saturdays.

The aim is to cook strictly seasonal dishes on the short menu, which changes every week.

Liz and Sorrel are clearly passionate foodies and they wear their influences on their sleeves by cooking a number of dishes from their favourite chefs and food writers and proudly naming them on the menu.

And they certainly have impeccable taste when it comes to which chefs and restaurants they look to for inspiration.

When I called them the next day to organise a photoshoot, Sorrel told me how much she loved Yotam Ottolenghi, Skye Gyngell, Mark Hix and Fergus Henderson of St John restaurant – four of the chefs/food writers who have a permanent shelf of honour in my kitchen. It was like talking to a kindred spirit.

Situated opposite the recently closed Borders bookshop on The Triangle, Hermanos is a deep, narrow room with a small, raised area at the back with low tables.

There are a few high tables with stools and more stools along the mirrored wall.

It was clearly designed for drinking more than eating which might be something that needs looking at. Bending over low tables or sitting on high stools and eating from what is essentially a shelf doesn’t make for the most comfortable eating experience and there is room in front of the bar for ‘proper’ tables should there be demand.

And, judging from the fact the place was packed to the point of people standing at the bar, the food is clearly going down a storm.

The menu is short and features a soup, a stew, a tart, a platter, a ploughmans and a selection of baguettes.

I started with the ‘Mark Hix’ spiced parsnip and apple soup with white  croutons and a hunk of Hobbs House bread (£4.50) – a dish that paid tribute to the former Ivy chef who now runs his own acclaimed restaurants in London and Lyme Regis.

The thick, pale yellow soup had a pleasingly sweet edge to it and the mild curry spice was subtle and added a real warmth to it.
It was a substantial dish and a meal in a bowl.

Although the daube of beef with seasonal vegetables and fresh penne (£6.50) and the platter of cured meats, cheese and Sorrel’s homemade membrillo (£7) looked tempting, I had to go for the Stephen Markwick blue cheese and onion marmalade tart with dressed baby leaves (£4.95). Served as a square, rather than a triangular slice from a round tart, it boasted a blistered, caramelised top and a warm, wobbly filling that was slightly sweet from the onion marmalade but very tangy from the cheese.

The pastry was a tad soft and soggy – hinting that it had been reheated in a microwave rather than an oven – but it was certainly a very decent stab at the Bristol chef’s celebrated tart. And I’m sure he would be flattered that it was even on the menu.

The tart was served with a generous salad of lamb’s lettuce, matchsticks of beetroot, whole walnuts and a drizzle of balsamic dressing. For under a fiver, it was excellent value.

To finish, a warm chocolate brownie (£2) with a cracked, glossy top and the right balance between sweet and bitter.

With a small glass of Errazuriz Carmenere Aconcagua Valley (£3.80) and an espresso (£1.50) afterwards, there was plenty of change out of £20 but it would be quite possible to enjoy a substantial lunch for half that and with baguettes only £3.75, a £5 lunch is also possible.

Liz and Sorrel Ferguson spotted an opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands. They cook intelligent, well-sourced food with passion and I for one will be going back again and again.

It’s only the first week of February and I think I may have already found a contender for one of the meals of 2010. It might be a good year after all.

MARK TAYLOR

Wheelchair access: Yes, but toilets are downstairs
Prices: Soup £4.50; tart £4.95; ploughmans £5.75; baguettes £3.75; cakes from £2

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