As somebody who’d rather ask my cat for an opinion on Bristol restaurants than rely on most unverified online reviews, I didn’t know Blue Ginger was still so popular. The long-running Indian restaurant in Whitchurch, which I last visited more than a decade ago, is currently number ten out of 1,166 Bristol establishments - who knew there were so many in the city? - with an impressive average score of 4.5 from 478 reviews.
Part of its enduring popularity may well be because it’s one of the few Bristol restaurants still offering diners the much needed money-saving option of BYO (bring your own alcohol). It was certainly packed on the drizzly Wednesday evening when I turned up with my bulging carrier bag of bottles.
Sandwiched between an estate agents and kebab shop on Gilda Parade, Blue Ginger is a contemporary Indian restaurant devoid of the usual trappings. There are no pictures of Indian temples, no sitar-based pop in the background and I didn’t spot any tealight food warmers.
