AD – INVITE: Over the past few weeks, we have been exploring some of the festive things to do in Bristol thanks to Visit Bristol. As well as the many events, exhibitions, markets and walking trails, there’s also plenty of yummy wintry food to enjoy. Among them is Coconut Tree. We were invited to try out the restaurant’s Christmas menu and popped along to the branch on the Clifton Triangle in Bristol.
Taking its roots from Sri Lankan traditional cuisine, The Coconut Tree promises “an explosion of flavours and fiery cocotails” — We were excited to experience it.
With its colourful decor, wall paintings, tribal masks, convivial benches, welcoming staff and tapas vibes, The Coconut Tree made us feel relaxed straight away. We forgot about the rain and cold while seated under the coconut leaf-covered ceiling.
The menu at The Coconut Tree in Bristol
The menu offers plenty of options for us veggies and we decided to tuck right into some festive flavours with a Sri Lankan twist. We opted for a Ho-Ho-Hopper (a tasty savoury pancakes tinged by beetroot red and filled with cranberry, onion relish, coconut and curry leaves) and a new take on that festive classic, Split Sprouts and Cashews.
We also picked the Cheese Colombo (fried cheese cubes mixed in lightly spiced sticky sauce) and Brinjals (lightly fried aubergine with coriander and onion). For drinks, we had two cans of Lion, a Sri Lankan beer we hadn’t tried before.
It all went down really well and we both have to report a new found love for sprouts! We felt the Cheese Colombo could have included something extra such as lime but the spicy kick of the sprouts actually complimented the cheese perfectly. The Ho-Ho-Hoppers were a hit too. I loved their saltiness and Dan also opted for the sweet version with coconut ice cream and treacle for dessert.
The music got louder as the evening went on, giving a fun atmosphere to the place as tapas plates flowed around the room while happy diners chatted away.
After enjoying our meal, it was time to give the cocotails a try! Our lovely mixologist knew just the right one for us. It was the Sriri-Tiki, with golden and coconut rum, pineapple, guava, lime and raspberry. It was quite the experience watching it being made, especially the firey finale! See a video below. It was a cheeky way to end our Sunday, but it is December after all, so we’re allowed to feel festive!
There are so many things on the menu that we want to try: Polenta Battered Mushrooms, ‘Fat Sister’ Pumpkin cooked in coconut cream, curry leaves, pandan leaves and mustard seeds, Sri-Tato and the Stir-fried Chickpeas to name a few. This can only mean one thing; we’ll be back!
A massive thank you to the lovely team for their warm welcome.
This visit was provided free of charge but all views are our own.
