The Bristol Beacon has reopened to the public after a controversial £132m revamp, and with it, a swanky new restaurant has totally transformed the original arched entrance hall to the state-of-the-art music venue.

The Colonnade restaurant is the latest opening from Graysons, known for their grand contract catering and restaurant operations at concert halls, museums and weddings including the Holburne Museum in Bath, the British Library and City Hall in the Royal Docks in East London.

The Colonnade is certainly grand, but eerily empty only a week after opening. There is one other table finishing up when we arrive, and our voices echo and skitter across the vast expanse of tables laid immaculately for evening service.

One would expect a grand fanfare around the opening of the Colonnade in true Bristol Beacon fashion. But in fairness, Bristol Beacon’s music season had not yet started when the restaurant opened its doors on January 5, which could explain the dearth of diners. And opening in the first week of January is a risk under any circumstances, at a time when people are looking to save money after post-Christmas spending.

It’s a shame, because one can imagine the buzz and excitement amongst concert-goers mingling in the Colonnade and the bar above, eager to take their seats to experience whatever majestic symphony orchestra or New-Age jazz musician is about to perform.

Instead, as one of two tables present that evening, we were enthusiastically doted on by a bounty of waiters that tried desperately to look busy in whatever capacity they could, from meticulously folding napkins and swiping dust off tables to carefully adjusting the positioning of chairs and aligning the menus.

The food was a solid selection of small plates ranging from £5 to £9 and large plates from £12 to £22. And there were plenty of vegan and vegetarian options too. Plates came as and when, in typical contemporary dining fashion, and the portions were generous.

The burnt sweetcorn fritters (£8) were hearty and filling in portion sizes and flavour, although not particularly crispy or light. The pumpkin and cheddar bon bons with romesco sauce (£8) were crispy balls of rich flavour resembling a lighter arancini.

Houmous (£6) came over salted and with nothing to mop it up with, but luckily we’d ordered some sourdough (£5) earlier. We’d also ordered some house pickles (£4), which to our disappointment felt limp and like they had been rescued from a jar, despite the use of creative veg like fennel, celeriac and romanesco cauliflower.

The burrata (£14), the winning dish in a game of small plates bingo, was surprisingly novel, with delicate curls of shaved pear encasing the generous ball of gooey cheese, with a lemony buttered crumb an oddly satisfying addition.

By the time we’d reached the salt baked celeriac (£16) as our large plate of choice, we were up to our five a day. Served as a solid chunk, the dish felt a bit too easy, but the moorish crispy kale and potato puree added enough elements to make this a solid stand alone vegetarian meal, although the chimichurri was sadly missing from ours.

In all, it’s clear Grayons knows how to cater for big audiences. There’s a quiet confidence to their delivery and knowledge of their clientele, and the beautiful transformation of the space means the restaurant doesn’t feel like too much of an add on.

The Colonnade is a satisfying pre-gig dining experience, with efficient service, a variety of options on the menu, and in time, a good ambience, even with minimal covers. If this is its job, its a job done well.

The Colonnade, Bristol Beacon, Trenchard Street, BS1 5AR
www.colonnadebristol.com

All photos: Mia Vines Booth

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