Rick’s @ The Bristol, Bristol

Recently opened on the site of the former Shore bar, this now is now known as Rick’s, and whilst it is still technically part of the adjacent Bristol Hotel, it operates very much independently with it’s own entrance and opening times, and, as far as I’m aware, no direct access through to the hotel. It allegedly has something of a Moroccan theme to it, and takes it’s name from a bar of the same name in the Casablanca film. Personally I’ve never been to Morocco, but if their typical style is 70’s Artex swirled all over the wall, then it does indeed fit the bill. The pub is split across two levels, with the bar counter being on the upper level at the rear. Other than the Artex, the décor consists of dark wood strip flooring with some dark slate style tiling around the bar counter, painted boards cladding the ceiling, much bamboo furniture and a multitude of enormous bamboo lamp shades hanging over the lower bar. Further lighting was provided by cordless lamps with pale shades on each table. Some padded bench seating around the edge of the room was too high to get in and out of comfortably, and this was not helped by all the cushions in the way. I noticed that all the bamboo seats seemed to have cushions on as well. Would it not have made more sense to buy some seats that were comfortable to start with? On approaching the bar we were shooed off to a table with the smartly dressed waiter promising to deliver a menu. Standing at the bar wouldn’t have helped much anyway, as there was nothing on cask and all the keg taps were unlabelled. That said, we of course had to wait for the menu to be delivered, wait whilst he came back top take our order, and wait again for quite some time whilst a different waiter prepared and delivered our drinks. Being able to order at the bar would have been far easier, and for this inconvenience we had a 10% service charge slapped on the bill. There were no cask ales as mentioned, with just Beavertown’s Neck Oil and Gamma Ray on keg. Prices for these seemed extortionate, with a pint of either coming in at £11 if you have the audacity to order them as two halves. A whole pint was little better at £7.70, although that must be the biggest mark up on a half that I have ever seen. The solitary cider meanwhile was Inch’s Medium Apple. Overall, this is really not my sort of place, and the only thing I can say in it’s favour is that it’s a nice and airy at the front with some decent views over the waterfront.

Official site of Rick’s (The Bristol) - www.doylecollection.com

Official site of Rick’s (The Bristol) - www.doylecollection.com

Known for many years as The Waterfront Tavern, this had a makeover a year or so back and has now been rebranded as Shore. Although the basic layout remains unchanged, it’s got a much more contemporary feel to it now. The pub is on two levels – the lower level as you walk in has a nice airy feel with double height, dual aspect windows that over look the harbour and Pero’s Bridge. Upstairs is a little darker and gloomier, without any natural light. There is also a patio out at the front, partly covered and heated which would be a pleasant spot on a sunny day. The lower bar has dark wood flooring and some grey slate tiles. To the left is a fireplace boxed in with some sort of stainless steel fabrication which looks odd. Mounted in this is a trendy type of gas fire that looks to be more decorative than heat producing. A large plasma sits above this. To the right on this occasion was a DJ Deck, and a sign advertised the house DJ that was there on Friday and Saturday evenings. Presumably at other times this may not be there. The ceiling lights are unusual in that they appear to be made from upturned, metal garden bins with a number of extra holes drilled in the sides. The tables are also made from metal dustbins with a wooden top mounted on them and wicker chairs alongside. The paint scheme is a mixture of cream and grey, with a number of generic black-and-white photos on the walls, most depicting a beach scene of some sort. The upper bar is a little gloomier as previously mentioned, but you have to go up here to get your pint. This is a longer, narrower space with unusual stripy wallpaper along the long right hand wall that has metallic stripes on it enhanced by red LED lighting. Completing the furnishings are a few scattered pot plants. The establishment seems to have a bit of a pink theme for some reason, with a very vivid hue covering the menu’s, barman’s shirt and a few feathers that were dotted around. The menu itself looked to be a short selection of pub grub dishes, although from what I could see it looked to be a little on the pricy side. The solitary beer on tap was Bath Ale’s Gem, although this appeared to be keg rather than cask which I’ve not seen before. Ciders were Bath’s Bounders and Weston’s Premium which was a slush version, i.e.; crushed ice is dispensed along with the liquid.