My Favourite Foodie City: Romy Gill MBE on where to eat in Bristol

Romy Gill MBE is a serial multi-tasker. She runs her Indian restaurant, Romy’s Kitchen in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, which she has owned since 2013, leads regular cookery demonstrations, does pop-up dinners in London and writes about food.

At the end of this month, she launches a guest dinner series where each month she will invite someone special to cook with her in the restaurant. Having grown up in India, she moved to the UK in 1994 and after living in Southampton, Newcastle and Scotland, she, her husband and their two daughters settled just outside of Bristol. "It wasn’t too crowded, it was easy to go anywhere, and there were shops to go to and lots of things for mums," she says of her first impression of the city.

"When I first came to this country I’d left all my friends and parents and food behind. Similarly, here, with two little kids I'd had to start from scratch because I didn't know anyone. I started joining mum groups, a running club and took small steps meeting people. Luckily I also had the kindest neighbours which really helped, because that’s what it was like in India.”

Here she shares her favourite food tips from the city she knows so well.

What do you like about Bristol’s food scene?

It is a hub of independent restaurants - rates are still high, as it’s not a cheap city, but the local people really support and care for them. You'll also find locally sourced produce in many of them, as we are incredibly lucky with what we have here - really fresh fish in the morning, and great meat, from wild boar to venison, goat and pork.

Which restaurant do you always return to in Bristol?

Lido - the owner Freddy Bird is a self-taught chef and he understands what works - which is why I go back all the time. One that stands out is Bellita, owned by the food and drink writer Kate Hawkins. Her wine list, made up of female wine growers, is so good, they serve a changing tapas menu and they like chatting to their customers.

Somewhere where you don’t have to sit down and eat is Pear Cafe, owned by Elly Pear. She uses good quality produce and makes lots of veggie stuff, which are beautiful but not a lot of money - you can buy a really filling slice of frittata made that morning for £2.50. What I like about Elly is that she has worked so hard in her cafe over 12 years and her success didn’t come overnight - nobody handed it over to her, but she’s really stuck to it and she's done well.

Where would you go in Bristol for drinks and people watching?

The harbour is so beautiful and the restaurants used to be amazing but it’s all chains now. However Paco Tapas is owned by Peter Sanchez-Iglesias who also owns Casamia and it does really good food which you can sit and eat overlooking the canal. Casamia is on the other side and they also have a good inexpensive pizzeria to take the kids to or sit and watch the world go by from.

Which edible things would you recommend visitors bring back home?

You must to go to Hart’s Bakery near Temple Meads train station, and eat what you buy on the way home. Everything they make is delicious, from sourdough bread or toast, to brownies. Chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Angela Hartnett have both visited, and loved it.

Do you have any other tips or recommendations?

See Clifton Bridge - you can sit and see it from the Observatory. You should also go and explore Gloucester Road, with all the Banksy graffiti, and then eat at Tom Hunt’s lovely ethical tapas restaurant nearby.

Overall my recommendation is the huge number of outstanding independent restaurants that we are so lucky to have in Bristol - you could come here and have a whole weekend of eating out.

As part of a new guest series starting on March 22, Romy has invited Melissa Hemsley to come and cook at her restaurant, Romy’s Kitchen. Dinner costs £40 - book by calling 01454 416728 or emailing eat@romyskitchen.co.uk. For more information visit romyskitchen.co.uk