Located just across the road from Clifton Down station, A.B.O.E is a vibrant and buzzy restaurant serving international snacks and sharing plates, creative cocktails, as well as a standout Sunday roast. The light green interiors are joined by an indoor mezzanine level and a secret outdoor garden area, the perfect spot for al fresco dining.
Owner and mastermind chef Sebastian Merry has curated the contemporary fusion menu with the aim of showcasing the best fresh produce from the around the southwest. The idea is to offer diners ‘a bit of everything’, hence the name A.B.O.E. Chef Merry, who you may recognise from MasterChef: The Professionals, is trained in classic French cooking, and has worked in one, two and three Michelin-starred restaurants across London and France. He worked at the renowned fusion restaurant in Mayfair, Magpie, for five years.
A meal at A.B.O.E typically starts with a dish from the snack menu, such as Jersey oysters with chicharron, blood orange and jalapeno, or cheese doughnuts with mornay sauce, caviar and shallot. The mains are all sharing plates, and feature plenty of vegetarian and plant-based options, such as a winter salad of kohlrabi, kale, blood orange and truffle. The 'French Dip' dish comes highly recommended and consists of smoked sourdough, rare roast beef, horseradish, French onion soup and nori, and there are also fish-based dishes like halibut with miso, hazelnut pesto and Jerusalem artichoke. Finish your meal with a typically British dessert like rhubarb and custard with amaranth or a chestnut cheesecake, which is also vegan.
Be sure to visit on a Sunday to make the most of the Sunday roast menu, which features mains like umami short rib and ponzu glazed duck breast served with all the classic trimmings. If you're lucky, you might even catch some live music in the garden!