Mike
Many* people have asked me how we go about choosing our venues. It’s often really very simple: we pick somewhere to meet, a direction to walk in, and proceed until we find somewhere we like the look of.
Places such as The Elephant stand in good stead, due to recommendations and seeing them when we were at that other bar (that one over there) put them on our radar, so to speak.
*at least, like, two people
At about 18:55 of a Thursday evening, Rich and I were wandering along St Nick’s in an unprecedented Adam-less blog venture. We stopped outside The Elephant and took note of a sign telling us that their happy hour offers were available 4-7pm weekdays. With nary a second thought we bolted in.
Sod’s law struck, and we were too late to the bar for cheap cheap drinks. I say cheap cheap, this place has a kind of fancy feel to it, and just a single ‘cheap’ might have exaggerated the £3-not-£4-a-pint offer. The barkeep was kind enough, however, to offer us the lower price as recompense for the Cask Marque pub having not a single ale left on, the last half-pint being poured before our very eyes.
Ale pumps, ale pumps everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
As I was saying, fancy looking place. Rich and I drank Estrella and Peroni respectively. I’m a big fan of elaborately branded glassware. I was also much in need of food, so we grabbed a menu; one of those A4 sheet on a clipboard jobs, as pictured above. I’m in two minds about the aesthetic of prices written as simply a number: “5”, “7”, “11”. One thing I can tell you is that it is incredibly displeasing to see, on such a menu, only a single non-integer price. I’d rather they charged £6 for the £5.50 starter than break form like that. I mean really.
Story of my life.
Once I had put the typographical mayhem out of my mind, I ordered a rib-of-beef burger, thus accomplishing a second of the three pillars of ‘Great Times’ described by the blackboard beside us. Great times, indeed, as a ‘rib-of-beef burger’ is as hefty as it sounds, and is a serious contender for best burger I’ve had in the course of writing for this blog.
My ‘eat a burger like a burger’ rule prevailed, despite the temptation of the steak knife that had been deftly stabbed right through the centre of the thing. Someone had gone to town on the thing; it took considerable effort to remove it from the wooden board on which the meal was served.
Served on wood, bucket of fries… what do pubs have against plates?
St Nick’s is great for its variety, so where does Elephant fit in? It’s certainly toward the ‘upmarket’ end of the spectrum, and stands proudly aside from the chain pub/bar/restaurants further down. In fact, it actually has quite a bit of history to it, even though you might not feel the weight of those centuries past from its interior. Likely a popular spot for post-work drinks (particularly given happy hour prices), and their menu is certainly worth a look.
The Elephant (20 St Nicholas St, BS1 1UB) is open from noon daily, until 11pm Mondays through Thursdays, until 2am Fridays and Saturdays, and until 7pm Sundays. http://www.theelephantbristol.co.uk/
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