Cor
Aura: “a distinctive and pervasive quality or character”.
Since their inception on North Street in Bedminster 18-months ago, COR have received nothing but positively glowing reviews. People with a lot more talent than me have put pen to paper to gush over what is happening here, and after two visits of my own it’s clear why.
I didn’t plan to write a piece because how could little old me contribute anything further than the wordsmiths that have preceded? But I couldn’t refrain after my second visit, feeling compelled to pour my emotions into this article. And to quote Theodore Roosevelt: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
The term ‘charisma’ is banded about far too often for my liking. It requires someone or something truly unique to be described as possessing the quality. COR has a charisma and personality of seismic proportions. In the future, there might well be scientific studies performed that prove the correlation between sitting in this restaurant and increased serotonin levels.
My first trip came back in September 2023 and was a mere taste of things to come - accompanied by three of my close friends whilst on a day drinking trip to Bristol, we left after an early Saturday lunch feeling immensely satisfied.
Cornish cuttlefish sous vide then cooked over fire, sobrasada, tximitxurri.
Hereford beef bavette sous vide and finished on coals, caramelised Tropea onion, hazelnut beurre noisette, gorgonzola, beef and red wine jus.
A peek into what this restaurant can offer.
I returned 9-months on and it appears the only change is an additional Michelin plaque on the door. COR were mentioned in the guide as the inspectors favourite new restaurant only 4-months after opening in February 2023, and in March of the same year were awarded a Bib Gourmand, which they have retained in 2024 for ‘good quality, good value cooking’. Their upward trajectory shows so signs of stopping.
Welcome drinks are offered to our parties on both my visits: the first due to my good friend Jon of The Plate Licked Clean, who does too much for me and has passed on word that I’ll be in. The second after I was conversing through DM with co-owner Mark about the weekly menu.
Mark has 18-years of industry experience, including a role at Bath Priory Hotel and the Executive Chef positions at Bravas and Gambas. COR is his first business which he has set up alongside his wife, Karen.
The building itself manages to stand out in an already colourful part of Bristol, there is a buzz to their dining area, and their Mediterranean inspired vibrant small plates are a large piece of what makes them so special.
Perching on their window seating gave me a similar feeling to when I dined at Tropea in Harbourne a few months back: complete content. In the space of 2-hours nothing else in the world seemed to matter but the window seating, the conversations, and the food in front of us. Any stress or worries dissipated into the blue skies of Bristol.
Sourdough is airy and porous, soft and dense. The crust contains a bite but enough give. The sweet black garlic butter could benefit from dialling up the intensity.
Croquettes regularly appear on the specials board hung behind the bar: this evening it’s potato and dustings of truffled pecorino.
Canelé is typically a sweet French pastry laced with rum and vanilla. It has a soft custard core, and a dark caramelised crust. It takes the shape of a small cylinder with a depression at the top.
Seasonal savoury canelé are a speciality of COR, where the traditional recipe of rum is replaced with Armagnac, salt, thyme, and bay. Jamon iberico de bellota, Gruyère cheese, and peas is the option previously, and this time around there is a whipped goats cheese centre and sprightly beetroot.
Crispy cubes of polenta tower like a HMRC site in Llanishen, topped with slow cooked pig cheek ragu and a chilli gremolata. If Cardiff Council saw how quickly me and Millie polished off these stacks, they would be handing us contracts for demolition work.
The plates keep coming.
Cornish cuttlefish is still on the menu, but this time with a fiercley acidic pimenton vinaigrette and a cooling aioli. Cuttlefish is cooked perfectly - no rubbery texture which comes with being overcooked - but almost a soft fuzzy crunch, like nibbling through an apple. The meaty tentacles are an added treat.
By this point, we realise that this is very much like a Tarantino flick. It keeps going and it keeps getting better.
Homemade strips of tagliatelle are tossed in wild garlic, almond, calabrian chilli, pecorino, and topped with a confit egg yolk. The word ‘vibrant’ has never been more relevant than to this bowl of pasta: green as spring grass, an egg yolk comparable to a Sorrento sunset, and more balanced than the tension between the Soviets and the US during the Cold War.
One of many creations by head chef Vyckie Colsell, it’s quite possibly the best vegetarian dish I’ve eaten in my life (so far).
Iberico pork presa is served medium rare, as it should be, with an Isle of Wight tomato panzanella, boquerones, olives, and a quince aioli. Described as “a Spanish twist on an Italian classic” it’s salty, sweet, and the bread served beneath is soaked in all the juices from above. It’s a magnificent plate of food.
We finish with a blood plum tarte tartin, star anise, fennel, and creme fraiche. The tarte tartin is both light and skilfully executed, but as my order of chocolate mousse with olive oil for lunch at another restaurant suggests, I have an insatiable sweet tooth. The choux au craquelin with chocolate mousse and praline cream I spotted on the menu is still on my mind as we settle the reasonably priced bill at slightly north of £100.
If you couldn’t tell already, I love this place. The building, the staff, the food. The fine details here matter. It’s laidback, unpretentious, versatile, and can go toe-to-toe with anywhere I’ve ever eaten in my short life (again a reminder, so far). You can come here for a special occasion, a set lunch, or even a couple of plates on their bar stools.
Dining out is about an experience, and the overwhelming sense of happiness I felt whilst sat in this restaurant is testament to all of the work their team have put in.
My little Instagram post 7-months ago is quoted as: “Will be returning as soon as I can and bringing the Mrs!” - I’m certainly glad I did, because Millie now has a new favourite restaurant, and we’re already booked back in for her birthday this summer. COR are rasping at the door to becoming mine too.
When I opened this piece by defining aura, I wasn’t referring to Thierry Henry in an O2 shirt at Highbury in the early 2000s or Daenerys Targaryen freeing the Unsullied army. I was referencing the character that emanates from COR.
‘Cor’ is the Latin word for heart, and they certainly have stolen mine.