My Bristol favourites: Will Clarke

Will Clarke is the co-owner of Biblos, who next year will be opening their third restaurant on the Gloucester Road in what used to be Zazu’s Kitchen (which has moved a few doors down into the former Delmonico).

Biblos began on Mina Road in St Werburgh’s in 2010, opening its second premises on Stokes Croft – with both serving a fast-food fusion of Middle Eastern and Caribbean cuisine.

Here are Will’s top-five Bristol favourites:

The Mayflower
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled around china several years ago and fell in love with real Chinese cuisine. I found The Mayflower to be the closest to anything I have experienced on mainland China here in the UK, using good ingredients and not opting to adopt the the trend as many other fast food Chinese establishments in the UK who use the horrid MSG flavour enhancer. Their food is fresh, service friendly and the mayflower serves food until 3am which can be very handy if you are working in hospitality. They also have the addition of their tasty dim sum menu from 10pm. I love this place so much that myself and my business partner will be taking our staff there for our Christmas party at the end of the year. I highly recommend soft shell crab, roast duck (on the bone) and chilli salt squid.”

Stokes Croft
“Always been a hub for artistic and cultural diversity and forever evolving. My earliest memories of visiting the area when visiting Bristol in the 90s was of urban decay and the abundance of derelict spaces. Over the past few years there has been some massive changes but most importantly for me it’s great to see some really inspiring independent success stories establish themselves in the area, from Boomtown, who have now relocated, The Bristol Games Hub, Pearl Bespoke Dressmakers, The Gourmet Sandwich Club, The Little Shop, Idle Hands, Shambarber, Team Love of the Love Inn and Love Saves The Day, Dapper signs who have also relocated and the array of aspiring creatives at Jamaica Street Studios and Hamilton House. With its graffiti, varied architecture, bars, cafes and easy dining, Stokes Croft is always alive. All of which leads to a colourful extension to Gloucester and Cheltenham Roads and a direct link to the city centre.”

Breathing Fire
“A group of African / Caribbean descent who are committed to the empowerment of those who have historically been denied a voice. Breathing Fire use a unique form of interactive theatre, which enables the audiences to tell their stories. It could be the trip to the theatre that day or it could be a memorable moment. The group members then briefly signal to each other their respective roles then re-enact the storey through various forms of expression. For our communities this is significant? by sharing individual and collective stories Breathing fire tap into the ‘griot’ (Afrikan storytelling) that is grounded in all our history.”

Bristol summer time
“Street parties, house parties, St Paul’s Carnival, St Werburgh’s City Farm fair, Love Saves The Day festival, Tokyo Dub festival, Harbour Festival, Bristol Food Connections, Grillstock and too many more to mention. In fact, there are amazing things happening every weekend in the city from May right through to September. Bristolians, new settlers and OGs really know how to have a good time. Not only are our local residents putting on amazing local parties and events but our people are also involved in putting on some of the Best festivals in the UK and Europe: check out Boomtown, Bestival, Camp Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Shambala, Starry Skies. Bristol is really leading the way when it comes to putting on amazing events outside the city.”

Music scenes
“How could I forget? This was my initial love for the city and got me out the sticks in my youth. At the age of 14 in the mid 90s I used to travel by train to Bristol to buy vinyl. There used to be an abundance of good independent record stores around the city, sadly none of which exists today. My musical tastes, however, were very one dimensional at the time and it was only when I moved to the city in 1999 that I really started to appreciate its musical diversity. Hip hop, funk, dancehall, reggae, soul, rock, blues, house, techno, grime, garage, jungle and dare I say it a little pop. After 20 years of collecting (although the past nine years have been modest due to the additions of my three kids) Bristol’s cultural diversity has massively impacted on my record collection all of which is prevalent today. Not all genres are at abundance but I am a believer that every genre has a gem.”