Rice and Things Exclusive Jamaican Restaurant
120 Cheltenham Rd, Bristol, BS65RW
0117 9244832
info@riceandthings.co.uk
www.riceandthings.co.uk

A trek up Stokes Croft one evening led us to Rice and Things, the small Jamaican restaurant made famous by St Paul’s Carnival and most memorably, Jamie’s Great Britain a few months back.

The restaurant is simple, basic décor and unfussy. The rope gate which barricades you from the restaurant when you first arrive may seem unwelcoming but is actually to separate takeaway customers from restaurant diners so in a roundabout way is a positive – though slightly off putting on arrival if its your first visit.

The menu was straightforward, just one page (I love a small menu). Our waitress talked us through the dishes which were on and the specials. After deliberating, two of us went for curried goat and two for baked chicken.

Included in the price is a bowl of homemade soup – in our case it was fish. The soup tasted wonderful. Beautifully spiced and warming to the core. A great start.

The main courses when they arrived were humungous! Very generous portions, dare I say it possibly too big! The boys confirmed that their curried goat tasted fantastic, the goat was tender – not in the least chewy.

Our baked chicken was also really good. The sauce was sweet – think cinnamon and nutmeg. The chicken which was on the bone was fantastically cooked. A really tasty dish.

Each main course came served with a salad and a side dish: rice and peas, vegetables, festivals amongst others. I’d recommend if you are a group each of you choosing a different side dish – the portions of rice and peas were simply huge. One could have easily served two people. The festivals were amazing, they’re essentially sweet dumplings (almost doughnut-like) They went amazingly well with my baked chicken.

Our waitress was, a little flustered however extremely attentive. Whilst the service may at times have seemed a little confused, she was very keen to please – something often lacking. Small touches such as talking to us at the end of the meal about how we’d heard of them whether we thought we’d come back is a touch which shows Rice and Things really care about repeat custom.

Price wise it was £14.95 per person which included the soup. Not overpriced when you consider the portion sizes but not as cheap-and-cheerful as you might expect. Drinks seemed a little on the pricey side but nothing too bad.

Overall it was a great experience, best of all they do takeaway too – I can’t wait to eat more of their yummy food at home. I would recommend Rice and Things to anyone looking for something different from their meal out.