I have to say it was a real experience – I would recommend that everyone try ZaZa Bazaar once, I’m not sure if I would go a second time (although I can certainly see the appeal)

It’s a crazy atmosphere – you walk in to a huge hubbub of noise – conversation, clinking cutlery, cooking and plates. Whilst having “sittings” makes everything I’m sure very efficient, we did feel a little bit like cattle being herded as we queued at three separate points before being shown to our table.

Our server was unfortunately not as accommodating as Meg’s – we really could have done with someone to explain to us how things worked, whether we paid on exit or at the table and who took our drinks orders. Instead we were left feeling a little confused but decided to just dive in!

The food – everything was nice enough. There wasn’t anything I disliked. However I didn’t eat anything which blew me away either.

Tex Mex – the Fajita as Meg said was OK albeit a little sloppy and underwhelming. The chilli was nice enough however I’d have liked it richer and spicier. Guacamole, salsa and sour cream were all OK with the nachos. The liquid cheese freaked me out though – I’m soooo not down with that.

European grill – Piri Piri chicken was pretty tasty however again the sauce was lacking spice and flavour. I think the chicken was over-grilled as well; even though it was on the bone it was still a tad dry. Corn on the cob tasted good though as did the ratatouille.

Curry – these were all pretty good. My friend Katie raved about the lamb curry and my boyfriend had no complaints. There was one over-seasoned yet under-spiced kofta which he wasn’t that impressed with but all in all it was a winner.

American Stylee – chicken nuggets, onion rings, chips – it was what it was, which was junk food. great if thats your thing or for fussy eaters.

Sushi – Nice, it was mainly vegetarian, the only fish I could make out was crab cakes. Slightly too sticky but not much to complain about.

Desserts – I liked the desserts, unlike Meg’s experience the dessert cart was well stocked, we had mini creme brulee, mini cheese cakes, profiteroles, ice creames, jelly, sweets, gateaus and tirimasu – all of which was tasty. Not gourmet. But tasty!

Vegetarian – My veggie friend Ceri found the whole thing rather stressful – with so many people crowding round each “pod” of food she really struggled to see what dishes were vegetarian and what dishes were meat. In her words, it was just too difficult to read the labels of all the dishes whilst you were surrounded by so many people.

Overall its pretty cool. Chaotic yes, but its done very well the decor is awesome and everything feels very modern. The food was all OK – but then when you go somewhere which mass produces on this scale (6000 covers on their first Saturday open!) then you kind of expect the quality to be compromised somewhat – after all an all you can eat is not meant to be gourmet, its meant to be pure quantity, plate after plate.. after plate. And for the amount you can eat, £15 for an evening meal isn’t too bad.

Definitely try it once

you can see our zaza pics on facebook here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.187394594699379.33087.166436663461839&type=1

Gemma
Bristol Foodie

Glad you liked it and thanks for other recommendations. We are in the middle of ‘project roasts’ at the moment and plan on updating this post asap with some new suggestions!

Hatchet and Urban Wood have now been added to the list :)

Thanks
Becci
Bristol Foodie

The Cadbury’s food and service were also very good but the local ‘reggae roast’ cliental were a little bit scary! (and stoned) a bit rough and ready for us! But again food was top drawer.

‘The Hole in the wall’ just off Queens Square offer an excellent Sunday lunch platter (beef/pork/chicken) for £10.50 and we’ve found the food quality and service to be consistently good. A purely subjective gripe is that it appeals to families. So if your after a quiet lunch, probably not the best venue. 1 out 3 customers will have a baby/child in tow.. In their defence the place has two floors so you can usually find a quit corner.

We also like to visit the Hatchet inn on Frogmore Street for a roast. You can find a cosy corner to enjoy generous portion sizes of hearty food,it’s just how your mum makes it! Only downside can be the jukebox. it seems to be whatever the bar staff fancy that morning. So find a seat away from the music and your sorted.

Lastly ‘The Urban wood’ on Colston Street has recently started opening Sundays. used to be called the Wild wood but changed last year. Fantastic service and a cosy back room. I found the roast beef ( I asked for medium) quite rare for my taste, so ask for well done! But generally very good!
Thanks again!
P.S Please do another Sunday lunch post!! :)