by Louis Hessey-Antell. Find Louis on Instagram here.
**Please note: Fish Tales invited Breaks and Bites in, and paid for our food and drink. This in no way impacted our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and Fish Tales didn’t see this review before publication.**
Helen and I rock up to Fish Tales in Clifton on a lovely Friday evening. Upon arrival, we enjoy a couple of crisp lagers, sip a little water, and peruse the à la carte menu. The service at a TK eatery has always been uniformly excellent, and tonight would be no different. Our server, Andy, is on point as he talks us through the dishes on offer, and we go ahead and order. In the meantime, mixologist James keeps us guessing with his fabulous cocktail suggestions; we decide in advance that some creamy elixirs will replace desserts tonight, and get comfortable. We were in the generous and skilled hands of chefs Ryan and Yordan now. So, on with the show!
A complimentary plate of anchovy buttered sourdough was the first thing out of the kitchen. Little discs of savoury creaminess atop warm, crusty bread; butter still cold to encourage a gentle melt. We spread our knives across the top of them and feasted away.
I opt for the seabass and prawn ceviche (£13.50), which is pleasantly sharp, not too fishy, and boasts a gentle, slightly firm texture; clearly, this protein had been swimming in its acidic bath for just the right amount of time. Orange notes provided some sweetness, while peppery rocket added depth and a welcome touch of greenery. Helen’s butterfly pea risotto (£13.50) was a deep blue something, like a doll’s eyes, from the butterfly pea. This came with prawns, too, but the heroes were the scallops. Nothing goes better with shellfish than butter (it’s what ties Marco’s Tagliatelle of Oysters together, of course), so all it needed was a little beurre blanc to finish the thing off. A good start indeed.
Next up was the main: whole lemon sole (£34) with beurre noisette and a classic garnish of lemon and capers, with asparagus and sautéed potatoes. There are bones to watch out for when you order a whole fish, and I was reminded of this in two seconds and found the rest of the creature enjoyable to devour. The flesh slid off the bones in large pieces, tumbling into the dressing as they did so; the potatoes mopped the rest of the plate up, and everything was gone in slightly more than 60 seconds.
Bouillabaisse (£29) was up next. Mussels, king prawns, hake, red snapper, and more, in a rich, spiced, shell-rich soup. Accompanied by a focaccia crostini and a lighter-than-crimson rouille, each piece of seafood was evenly cooked and worthy of the warm take on the classic French stew they were swimming in.
So it was time to wrap things up. We expected this to be a rather calorific affair, and we made a mistake ordering some extra fries. However, they didn’t go unappreciated. So we nibbled away at these until our cocktails/desserts arrived. I channelled Keith Moon and picked the Brandy Alexander; Helen went for the Italian classic in a glass: a Tiramisu Black Russian. James was keen to show off a couple more, so we also enjoyed the Enzoni and the Espresso Martini. We couldn’t have wished for a smoother finish to a surprisingly reassuring meal.
Verdict
9/10