On a recommendation from friends (and about 800 people on Trip Advisor), we popped over to Easton for a Friday night of fusion food at this family run, East-meets-West restaurant. With a current place in the #2 spot of Bristol restaurants, we were keen to see what the fuss was about. The food was good, but I’ll get to that later (that’s what you came for, right?). The shining star here is the service.
I’d like to introduce you to Kerps. Kerps is the owner of Pipal Tree, which he runs alongside his wife, son and daughter. From the moment you step through the door, you’re greeted like an old friend, and believe me, he wants a chat. After our meal he joined us for a drink and provided thoughts on everything from politics (I don’t want to get political here, but we were in a Bristol independent restaurant, I think you probably know the vibe) to fairy lights (he put A LOT of them up himself, when confronted with how much someone else would charge him). Many restaurants snatch at the “family run” tagline, but here, you really are stepping into a family home. His daughter proudly tells us that one of the dishes is her Grandma’s recipe when we mention how good it is.
One last thing about the great service: In a restaurant, I love when waiting staff don’t try and up-sell to you. If anything; here at Pipal Tree they actively discourage you from ordering too much food. Kerps explained that psychologically, he thinks if people don’t clear their plates, they leave thinking less of the food they just ate. I’d never really thought of it like that before, but it was a refreshing take. The staff pride themselves on personal service – and this is one of the reasons they haven’t succumbed to doing deliveries.
I should probably talk about the food. The menu is decidedly eclectic with a few Punjabi dishes (think lamb Subji, tandoori chicken, chana aloo) and a few “fusion” dishes (pork belly with a Punjabi twist, tharka mussels). There’s more choice than the website suggests, and the food changes with the seasons. I had the Dawkins IPA pakoras which were SO good, followed by Shimlya Mirch, a curry style dish made up of veggies, potatoes and a lightly spiced masala sauce.
Sticking to their home cooking ethos, the dishes are pretty straightforward and are served up with sides of rice or rotis – the food is done well, but a little underwhelming given the super high praise you’ll read on Trip Advisor. The take home here is that a good ambience and a unique style of service make a difference; it’s a fun way to spend an evening with some good, honest Punjabi cooking. Maybe don’t head there if you’re after a romantic evening or want to have a one-on-one chat with your significant other. Unless you want Kerps’ opinion on something of course, I’m sure he’d be happy to chip in!
Overall, I do think Pipal Tree has earned its accolades and is worth a visit. Where else in Bristol can you go out for pheasant goujons, a bizarre bit of chat and a Ferreo Rocher milkshake to finish?