Bristol Sunday Roast review at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer
Posted on: 2014-11-22
Our rating:
At three courses for £20, a Sunday Roast at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer is fantastic value, and I will definitely go back to try more things! There's several more icecreams I need to try?
A good Sunday roast is one of my absolute favourite meals, so I was very excited to try the menu at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer on King Street in Bristol.
Luckily, my dining partner was happy to have a different starter to me so that I could try both the things I wanted. I went for the pigeon. It was served perfectly pink, with a velvety texture and rich, earthy flavour. It was complimented by the wonderfully tart apple, and a slice of black pudding. I'm not the biggest fan on black pudding sometimes, but this was excellent. The three flavours were fantastic together - quintessentially autumnal. Perfect on a brisk, cold sunny day!
The second starter that had called to me was the scotch egg, and this didn't disappoint either. It was an absolutely textbook execution; the yolk was perfectly cooked, a moist sausage layer and a wafer thin crust with brilliant crunch.
On to the mains, I had chosen the lamb, and Simon chose the pork.
Both roasts were served with roasties, seasonal veg and parsnip purée. I chose to add a yorkie to mine. The parsnip purée was gorgeous! It was very, very rich and creamy. I could have eaten a bowlful! The seasonal veg was a simple mix of cabbages and carrots. It was good to see a variety of leaves being used. The roasties were tasty but rather pale. We also couldn't detect any of the flavours of rosemary and garlic, as mentioned on the menu.
My lamb was tasty, but it had been cut into very thin slices. The portion was generous, but if it had been cut as one thick slice instead of three thin ones, I think it would have been more moist. The pork was a fantastic choice; it was thickly cut and was served with a delicious buttery stuffing and perfect crackling.
To the yorkie; it was very tasty but a really unusual texture. The closest thing I can liken it to is a savoury meringue. It worked brilliantly soaking up the excellent gravy, and softened up as it did so, but the other bits were a bit too dry and brittle.
We managed to find room for a pudding and again we were spoiled for choice! Simon went for the peanut butter and chocolate tart, and I went for a trio of ice creams.
The tart was wonderful! It looked great, and it was equally delicious. I loved the classic combination of peanut and chocolate, and both layers were velvety and there was just the right amount of both. The tart and tangy mixed berry sorbet was the perfect accompaniment, providing freshness and a bright note to the pudding.
On the far left you can see the blueberry and maple ice cream. The fresh blueberry flavour really sang through, and it had a lovely, subtle violet colour. On the far right is the peanut ice cream which a great combination of sweet and salty, with chunks of peanut butter in it. In the middle was the star of the show; the gingernut. All three ice teams were great, but this one was my clear favourite. It really did taste of gingernut biscuits without being gritty or grainy.
At three courses for £20, a Sunday Roast at The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer is fantastic value, and I will definitely go back to try more things! There's several more icecreams I need to try…
4.5 out of 5
Reviewed by Sarah Millington for 365Bristol
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
