Byzantium Bites

Simon Stabler disputes the claim that lunch is for wimps

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Although it’s not unusual for a restaurant’s menu to be inspired by the ingredients that are grown and produced locally, few are influenced by the architecture of the buildings they occupy. The Granary in Bristol is in the latter, select camp, with its building’s Bristol Byzantine architecture informing a menu that puts a Bristolian twist on Mediterranean cuisine.

Built in 1869 as a grain store, the Grade II* listed building has seen many uses, with the ground floor previously being a Loch Fyne fish restaurant, while the basement cocktail bar was once a rock club, which played host to bands such as Slade, Mott the Hoople, Thin Lizzy, Status Quo and Motörhead.

The interior decoration was created by an all-female design team, upcycling and repurposing materials to create a warm, inviting atmosphere that mixes the ancient of a colonial-style club with the modern of an industrial-style theatre kitchen that contains a wood-fired oven in which dishes such as the popular sourdough flatbreads — which use a house blend of organic flours from Gloucestershire’s Shipton Mill — are freshly baked.

As well as strong ties to local producers, The Granary has a low-waste ethos, which is evident in the cocktail menu, which incorporates surplus ingredients and byproducts from the kitchen to create unique textures and flavours. Other drinks from the well-stocked bar include beers from Lost & Grounded and a cider from Branch — all of which are brewed in Bristol — and a sparkling wine from Stroud’s Woodchester Valley Vineyard.