The Albion (Clifton Village, Bristol). 3rd May 2009

The Albion was incidentally the very first pub I visited in Bristol, (to celebrate finding a house and housemates after a chance conversation outside a shop), which was the story I recounted to Joanna, as we decided to head there for lunch.

When I lived in Bristol, lunch in Clifton Village (fashionable but quaint area, home of expensive independent shops, frequented by girls with pashminas and posh accents), usually meant a trip to The Primrose Cafe. Their organic, ethically sourced, mostly vegetarian food is flavoursome, but inevitable queues and the crowded seating area, made us opt for The Albion, which is just opposite, tucked just behind the main throughfare into the village.

We opted to sit outside with our glasses of Rose, enjoying the sunshine and watching the Cliftonites pass by. The daily-changing lunch menu was modern and minimalist in the sense that there were no elaborate descriptions of the dishes, but there was ample choice, and the ingredients were organic and locally sourced in most cases.

I went for 'Duck eggs + chorizo + potato' (yes the description really was that basic), and Joanna chose the 'Roman Gnocci + beetroot + goat curd.' We had a small inevitable discussion on what made gnocci 'Roman', but we didn't linger on that for long, especially as the plates of food being delivered around us looked so good.

However, (as Graham knows) 'flashy on the outside can lead to subsequent disappointment' ... However, the food tasted just as good as it looked:

Jo's gnocchi (pictured above) was light and fluffy (and consisted of two large pieces, so not like any other gnocchi i'd experienced before), with the goat's curd adding creamy richness, offset by the beetroot. It was delicious and extravagant and the combination of flavours worked perfectly.

My duck eggs had the intensely yellow soft yolks I associate with the eggs of the extremely-free-range chickens that my parents keep, and the chorizo had just the right level of spicyness, balanced nicely with the potato wedges, and full of really robust flavour. It was served straight from the pan, and disappeared quickly!

So all in all, we had a fantastic lunch which set us up nicely to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Tobacco Factory, watching an energetic and passionately acted performance of 'Antony and Cleopatra.'

Atmosphere: A little dark and quiet indoors, but the outdoor seats were ideal for people-watching, and it felt relaxed despite almost all the tables being full.

Service: It took a while to get noticed and seated, so not amazing, but no we had no complaints on the service during the meal.

Value for money: It depends - the gnocchi cost almost twice as much as the duck egg dish!

Marks out of 10: 8/10 - Food that tasted as good as it looked, ample portions and great atmosphere outside.