O perfil de pubking

'Papa Ji's house of teas' to give it it's full name, used to be Tequila Max until it was recently purchased and refurbished by husband wife team Stef and Andy Dodd.

You won't recognise this as tequila max any more. Stef and Andy have really gone all out and the decor is contemporary, minimal and very high quality, they even have a garden out the back. This really is a wonderful place to relax, dine and party in.

Papa Ji's offers soemthing very different, on top of being a cafe / restaurant as well as a superb cocktail bar (the owner Andy used to manage the park bar on the triangle when it used to be amazing) it has over 30 different teas to try.

These aren't your typical earl greys or even strawberry and mango infusions but a selection of green, black and white teas all the way from darjeeling.

The food is excellent, drink quality and selection is second to none and the service is impeccable.

To sum this place up it's got everything, you could bring the family here for breakfast lunch and dinner. Have a family or work function, or a late night of cocktails. Expect Papa Ji's to be the place to be seen when it gets dark as one of, if not the finest bar in Bristol.

Called the Picture House as it is situated next door to once was the ABC Cinema on Whiteladies. The picture house is one of those restaurents that if you tend to go out on Whiteladies road will consider going to.

The best way top describe this place is a poor man's 'Browns' which is no bad thing. By this I mean the decor is no where near as extravegent but the food and drink selection all though not as diverse as Browns is similar.

The food is very nice although the portions are too small for my liking, especially the lunches.

It's a good place to go for a quick drink, a romantic meal, or even friends and family.

I've tried to spend a whole night here drinking but it doesn't have enough about it to make me want to stay. The staff are generally helpful it's clean and well decorated but it's lacking anything that makes it stand out. There's nothing wrong with it but nothing that makes you want to come back time and again.

The Victoria (next door to the Lido) is part of the absolutely superb Dawkins group of pubs which inlcudes some of, if not the best pubs in Bristol (eg the Portcullis in Clifton and the Hillgrove Porter Stores in Kingsdown).

The Victoria is very similar to both these pubs, in terms of style(local pub / victorian), size (tiny) and beer selection (fantastic).

The staff are friendly but don't offer the quickest service. There's a good selection of non drinking related things to do board games, magazine to read etc. Food wise they don't do meals but there is a nice selection of bar snacks with the typical 'fancy crisp, basic crisp' sections whcih has become a prerequisite at dawkins pubs.

They do a quiz on a tuesday which is good fun but not everyones cup of tea (or pint of beer) get a seat very early on as this pub fills up fast and there's not much room.

This is the only pub i know in Bristol that sells Branigans crisps (ham and pickle are my faves) so if you're a fan (they also sell beef and mustard) make sure to come here.

Overall I like the Victoria, as a real ale pub it ticks all the boxes. As part of the Dawkins group it's well run and supported, this pub has grown on me and like it's dawkins brethren deserves 5 starts

The Shakespeare, is a bit of an institution in redland but pretty much unknown to the outside world. A few years ago this was the best pub for one square km, not so any more with places like the cambridge arms, the kensington arms and some fairly decent pubs on whiteladies in the near vicinity.

The first and only good thing here worth mentioning is the beverages, they have made a real commitment to stocking real ale and have a widely changing variety, they had a dark mild recently which was the pick of the bunch.

They are making a real effort to provide entertainment. They do a quiz on a Monday which is pretty good, and I understand that things like poker nights (if you excuse the pun) will be on the cards (I thank you) are coming soon.

There is a pool table, quiz machine. The food here has never been great, I once ordered a ham and mustard sandwich which had the most intricate lattice pattern of mustard over it.

Unfortunately it was English mustard (about half a jars worth) and I nearly died. It's got slightly better but is very much pub grub, eg burgers, curry, sarnies etc.

The interior is olde English and it's a reasonable size. It has a concrete beer garden outback which gets little sun as there are large walls each side.

As for clientele it's locals which by locals i mean students when students are around or the over 40's. It's generally quite busy in the evening though.

UPDATE
A nice enough pub once but now under new management as of sept 09, the service and food are pitiful they have film nights once a week but i can't imagine wanting to watch a film here. So much wasted potential.

'Papa Ji's house of teas' to give it it's full name, used to be Tequila Max until it was recently purchased and refurbished by husband wife team Stef and Andy Dodd.

You won't recognise this as tequila max any more. Stef and Andy have really gone all out and the decor is contemporary, minimal and very high quality, they even have a garden out the back. This really is a wonderful place to relax, dine and party in.

Papa Ji's offers soemthing very different, on top of being a cafe / restaurant as well as a superb cocktail bar (the owner Andy used to manage the park bar on the triangle when it used to be amazing) it has over 30 different teas to try.

These aren't your typical earl greys or even strawberry and mango infusions but a selection of green, black and white teas all the way from darjeeling.

The food is excellent, drink quality and selection is second to none and the service is impeccable.

To sum this place up it's got everything, you could bring the family here for breakfast lunch and dinner. Have a family or work function, or a late night of cocktails. Expect Papa Ji's to be the place to be seen when it gets dark as one of, if not the finest bar in Bristol.

Bell’s Diner is a truly wonderful restaurant. Unfortunately the prices restrict me to only coming here for special occasions but whatever the occasion it makes it that extra bit special.

The food is superb, it’s impossible to order a bad dish here. The wine list is extensive and very well sourced. The restaurnt itself has a french seaside bistro decor which makes it an enjoyable place to be and doesn’t require you to don a tuxedo / ball gown to fit in.

The staff are very attentive and helpful when it comes to ordering and really come across as being passionate about the food they serve.

As mentioned it’s expensive if you have wine you’ll be looking at £50 per head for a three course meal. It is worth every penny though.

You’d be hard pushed to find a better restaurant in Bristol

The Lansdown is a well hidden pub(like many others in Clifton)despite the fact painted in large letters down the side of the building it says Lansdown.

It’s certainly a pub worth tracking down though. The first thing that will strike you when you enter is the decor. It has a Edwardian style that is very warm, comfortable and welcoming any time of the year. The selection of drinks is superb with lots of wines, spirits and most notably five real ales on tap.

Being a fan of real ale what is especially welcome at the Lansdown is that the beers aren’t your standard Bombardiers and Bass, but a good mixture of local brewery fare, Mild West from the excellent Arbor Ales being the pick of the bunch on my last visit.

The standout featue of the Lansdown is it’s large heated and covered beer garden (surely cigarette garden would be a more appropriate title?). There are a dozen tables and even a sound system out there for quizzes, gigs and other entertainment.

I haven’t really experienced the food form the Lansdown, but I understand from reliable sources that the portions are a good size and is to a very high standard.

Finally they do a quiz every Wednesday which is one of the most fun I’ve been to in Bristol. It has a touch of 'Have I got news for you’ to it, and the quiz master is very entertaining.

To conclude the Lansdown is a nice pub in every department which there really aren’t enough of. I would normally give a pub like this five stars but it is slightly on the expensive side (not surprising given the location) and it can take a while to get served. Four and a half stars

I travel a lot as part of work and have visited a number of airports. Most of the time if I can I fly out of Bristol which is the smallest, basic airport you could imagine for a major UK city. Charles de Gaulle is worse.

It’s big but badly laid out and with terrible directions to complicate matters. The food stalls, restaurants etc are expensive with rude staff a poor selection of food and drink at very low quality. The minute you step outside to the car park / bus terminals you’re greeted by a concrete jungle with no obvious means of escape, the guy that did the sign posting clearly didn’t even make it this far.

Possibly the most awful part of this airport is the seating. Not an obvious problem at first, but they’re all individual seats with arm rests so there’s no chance to lie down and stretch out which given the amount of time you may spend there is a real problem. A few sofas would help dramatically.

If you can avoid this airport espeically if you’re flying air France (worst airline EVER) then do.

Sequoia Lodge is in the theme of a American national park. Having visited a national park in America (fyi Yosemite, it’s fantastic go there) it really isn’t very similar at all. But this is diseyland so nothing is all that realistic. The hotel itself has nce enough decor the best being the huge stone chimney and log fire in the main bar. As for thelay out of the hotel it is confusing badly signposted and prety unremarkable. The rooms are very standard for a European Hotel with nothing to excite or stand out.

The breakfasts provide a good selection but it does get incredibly busy given the size of the hotel compared to the relatively small restaurants. Be prepared to que unless you get there very early.

The best over all of this hotelis the swimming pool which is not especially big but a good enough size and shape with an excellent slide + jacuzzi and the changing rooms have a sauana and steam room.

Personally I would want more from a hotel if it were any else. Of course you will only go there for disneyland and with the parks being 10 minutes away you won’t be spending too much time there (fortunately).

Finally the prices of anything in the hotel are horendous. Sadly so are all the surrounding restaurants and shops.

If you’re going to spend all your time at the parks come here, if you want a place to retreat after a hard day rollercoasting and hugging cartoon characters go elsewhere.

One of the trendier places on Whiteladies this place was actually quite a let down. But first the good points or point. The food is nice and prety inexpensive. A good selection as well, the lamb tagine is especially tasty.

Unfortunately the drinks are not cheap. Two pints and an apple juice cost £10. No wonder there’s a credit crunch with those prices. Also the staff are very rude and unhelpful. I found two long hairs in my pint as soon as it had been served which upon informing him, the bar man found hilarious. Not only would he not replace it with another pint, he suggested that I had put them in there.

Perhaps this is a one off but I would expect better service from a porta-kitchen serving truckers on the side of a lay by.

If you’re on whiteladies road and looking for a drink I’d recommend you go pretty much any where else then here.