Europa
37-38 St. Stephens St, Bristol, BS1 1JX
Tel:0117 929 7818

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Just opposite comedy club Jongleurs, on a warm evening the large open windows of Europa make it ideal for people watching. Indeed when hemmed in by a party of twelve, the windows make a very convenient exit route from the table! We were not the only large party that Saturday evening as the next table was taken by a mischief of red and black clad Minnie Mice out on a Hen night. There was a good atmosphere and all the the tables in the main ground floor level of the restaurant were taken, with only about 3 unoccupied in the smaller first floor dining room.
To the food. This was, on the whole very good, but every member of the party who wasn't eating pizza agreed there was too much sauce. A popular choice was Steak Forestiera, sirloin steak topped with a tomato based sauce of mushrooms, onions and ham. This was piled onto the steak effectively drowning what taste it had. The same topping on chicken received only a minor grumble because chicken is less tasty alone anyway. My duck was similarly drowned in its berry jus and Nick's veal was totally overpowered by the white wine, garlic and sage sauce. A whole portion would have been inedible, but we swapped plates half way through and had a very pleasant meal. The pizzas, however, were universally acclaimed, and from my seat I could see the pizza chef slaving over his oven all evening. I can't help thinking though that with the right equipment and a modicum of attention to detail it is very hard to produce a bad pizza. The pudding menu was uninspiring - cheesecakes, gateaux and various other easily produced in advance and frozen type items, so we left after the main course. With some garlic bread, a glass of wine, a cocktail and a contribution to the grat. we paid £40.
August 2009