Restaurants / Reviews
The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes – restaurant review
The clue is in the name: if this new Bristol opening gets a few things wrong, they only have to point to the sign above the door on Silver Street.
Those errors at The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes will be made by its kitchen and front of house staff who have all been diagnosed with dementia.
On a recent lunchtime visit, however, that never felt like a conceit.
is needed now More than ever
This is a real restaurant for paying customers; just one that will be featuring in a primetime Channel 4 documentary due to be broadcast next year.
All the staff at The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes have been diagnosed with dementia
Josh Eggleton of the Pony & Trap, Salt & Malt and Root has been brought in to drill the new members of staff, many of who have never worked in hospitality before this unique experience.
A key question is that with an aging population, could this model be a new way of retaining and recruiting staff living with dementia?
Taking over what is usually The Kitchen until the middle of December, foliage drips from the walls with new design features including sparkly silver pineapples and rabbits with golden ears.
Throughout Thursday’s lunchtime service, Eggleton only stepped in when asked, such as working out how to use the till when one table paid for another’s bill.
Wine is served by the glass, either prosecco, white or red; with Independence from Bristol Beer Factory the only choice of beer, at £5 for a 500ml bottle.
“It’s rather nice,” said a waiter sporting an Eggleton-style flat cap. “I would recommend it. It’s quite hoppy.”
The Bedminster-brewed beer also went well with a prawn cocktail starter that had been developed by the team under Eggleton’s guidance; a fun throwback to the days before their dementia diagnoses.
The delightfully old-school prawn cocktail starter. Prices are reassuringly simple at The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes: £6 for a starter, £11 for a main and £4 for a dessert.
First out from the kitchen was bread from Joe’s Bakery on Gloucester Road, followed by the delightfully old-school prawn cocktail with juicy prawns and a sweet Marie Rose sauce.
Deciding against the roasted cauliflower steak and baked cod, my main course was glazed ox cheek with celeriac puree, sprout tops and gravy.
Slow-cooked, the meat was tender and packed full of flavour. It was a simply presented plate though and could have done with some crunch like parsnip crisps to add some texture to the dish.
Also delightfully old-school was spiced bread and butter pudding for dessert, which came out of the oven disguised as a creme caramel with a slightly burned top.
Delving beneath the crispy topping were layers of bread, but sadly missing any sultanas which would have given this pudding a much-needed lift, especially as it was also accompanied by a disappointing flat white that was more like a milky latte with none of the usual microfoam.
Glazed ox cheek
Spiced bread and butter pudding
As my wobbly table was fixed by one waiter with a few folds of paper, a waitress was with equal care and attention ensuring that my four-year-old daughter was well looked after.
The kindly waitress let Lois know what menu options were slightly spicy and much to her delight gave her a cuddly toy to play with, which she took underneath the table to sit on the seat opposite her.
The toy was a cartoon character with a smiley face on one side and a confused face on the other; with the predominant emotion at The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes one of happiness, as the team worked calmly and efficiently together under Eggleton’s watchful eye.
If this is the future, then bring it on.
The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes is open to the public until December 12. To book your table, call 07749 883 545 or email trtmm@outlook.com
Read more: The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes opens in Bristol
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