Bristol vs the world

Unless it’s work-related, I have issues making decisions. It takes me longer than most to decide whether to take a colleague up on the offer of tea and I have to decide on my outfit the night before so I’m not late for car share. This is part of the reason we organised a wedding so quickly – if we’d looked at too many venues, considered too many dates, thought too much about any of it – then it wouldn’t be happening. I don’t even want to know what would have happened if I’d gone to more than one dress shop. (Seriously, you didn’t see the conversation I had with my bridesmaids about trying to choose a dress fabric for them.)

So long menus can send me into something of a spin, often leading to making a decision under pressure. Sometimes this works out well, but on many occasions – even if I enjoy my own meal – I have ended up with food envy of the person/people who ordered the other dish/es I was considering.

Chomp is therefore something of a relief. As you might expect from a restaurant (and former food cart) that sums itself up as ‘beef. beer. bourbon’, it has chosen to do a few things, well. Those few things being steak and burgers (vegetarian and beef), with the option of two starters and one pudding to bookend the meal.

We delved into one of those starters, the black pudding beignets – essentially balls of black pudding coated in batter with (if I remember rightly) a Bearnaise dipping sauce. The black pudding possibly had the smoothest texture of any I’ve ever tasted, and the batter was perfectly crisp with no greasiness to it.

The portion was relatively generous; we shared between three, which was fine if you just wanted to try one or two – but if you’re starving hungry then maybe order a few more.

However you’ll want to still be full enough to enjoy your main: the burger at Chomp is up there as one of my all-time favourites, juicy and served perfectly pink (though you could, I think, ask for them to be more well done). Refreshingly, chips and house ‘slaw are included in the price (£10 before toppings) – both of which were delicious. We unanimously concluded that the chips were the best of the burger restaurants we’d tried between us in the area. And while we all went for the meat option so I can’t offer an opinion on the veggie burger, I’ve read equally good things about it.

And although the menu options are limited, there are a few toppings options that you can add to your burger for £1 each, from black pudding to Stilton to jalapenos. You can also add a second patty for £2, or sides of onion rings and/or chilli cheese fries if you’re really starving.

The drinks menu is even more extensive. There’s a good selection of beers and bourbons and a few wines. My only criticism would be that there’s only one cider on offer (and in Bristol, too), but I did like that you can order 2/3 of a pint (give me a whole one, and everyone will be staring at me, waiting for – and willing – me to finish, by the end of the meal). They’re not cheap either: draft pints start at £4.50, and a small (125ml) glass of wine will set you back at least £3.

The only other negative was that it was a little dark in there (for some reason, the seemingly-very-in-at-the-moment industrial lighting didn’t seem to be on). On the plus side, I did like the addition of the fake grass along the back of the booth-style seating, and the friendly-but-not-intrusive service.

So while Bristol isn’t exactly short of burger restaurants, Chomp definitely deserves to be high up your list next time you’re looking for a place to enjoy a patty.

The Details
Chomp
10 St Nicholas Street, Bristol, BS1 1UQ
http://www.chompgrill.co.uk/

Opening Hours
Tues-Thurs: 12-2:30/6-11:30 (last food orders 9)
Fri – Sat: 12-3/6-11:30 (last food orders 10)
Sun: 12-3/6-10 (last food orders 9)
Closed Mondays

Booking
Email jake@chompgrill.co.uk/Call 01179 293322
(I got a speedy response via email)

Picture Credits
Once again, I forgot my camera, so pics are shamelessly borrowed from the following:
Header – Chomp Interior: Bristol Post
Black Pudding Beignets: HannahVJones on Tripadvisor
Classic Burgers: Don B on Yelp
Second/Final interior pic: Bristol 247