A family-run restaurant group has rebranded one of its restaurants into a French-style grand café. Aqua Grand Café reopened in Whiteladies Road in Clifton with brand new interiors and a different menu.
Aqua has traditionally served Italian-inspired food across all its three sites, which had seven restaurants in the south west at its peak. The first Aqua was founded in Bristol in 1998 by proprietor Richard Smithson and remains an independent family business with his son and restaurant manager Ben joining him at the helm. It has its flagship site on Welsh Back and another restaurant in Portishead.
Aqua's refit saw the installation of an elegant new chandelier along with a mixture of booths, tables and bar seating. The new venue is described as "a neighbourhood grand café restaurant serving food all day inspired by our working travels visiting the great cafes of Paris".
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If you are looking for an early morning breakfast, leisurely lunch, afternoon tea, intimate dinner or cocktails, the menu at the Aqua Grand Café offers a huge selection of classic French bistro recipes.
Each menu has plenty of options that follow a Parisian style. Breakfast is served from 7.30am until noon offering pastries from £4.50, yoghurt and granola for £8, eggs Benedict (£14.50) up to signature cooked breakfasts for £15. At lunchtime, you can order a croque monsieur, club sandwich (both £16) and traditional onion soup (£8).
The a la carte menu offers a touch of class including oysters (£3.50 each), souffle suisse (£18), boeuf bourguignon (£25) and a rib-eye steak for £36 as well as a lengthy list of desserts and patisserie for those with a sweet tooth. Afternoon tea offers a selection of sandwiches, scones and pastries for £25 - and upgrade to a Champagne version for a supplement of £10.
On top of all this, Aqua Grand Café has a separate Sunday lunch menu served from noon until 6pm, with the choice of chicken, lamb, beef, pork or a vegetarian wellington. One course costs £22, two for £27 and three for £32. The new restaurant has a separate child-friendly menu.
Bookings can be made through their website or by calling 01179 733 314.
Aqua Grand Café is located at 153 Whiteladies Rd, Redland, Bristol BS8 2R - open seven days a week.
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