Bell’s Diner is dead. Long live Bell’s Diner & Bar Rooms.

In the most significant restaurant opening in Bristol this year, the erstwhile Montpelier institution has had a change of ownership, with one of the city’s top chefs in the kitchen.

Since knocking on the door at Quartier Vert after graduating from university and asking Barney Haughton for a job, chef Sam Sohn-Rethel has built up an impeccable CV in both London and Bristol restaurants including Flinty Red, the Lido and Moro.

Before being poached to help open Bell’s Diner & Bar Rooms, Sohn-Rethel was behind the stoves at Manna, cooking what was undoubtedly some of the best food in Bristol.

So that gives some indication of this restaurant’s credentials, which also has had a hand being created by Kate Hawkings, once also of Quartier Vert on Whiteladies Road (now The Town House) as well as its predecessor Rocinantes, and most recently the brains behind permanent pop-up 40 Alfred Place.

Decor at the new Bell’s remains virtually unchanged from when Chris Wicks was here as chef and owner, with a scuffed wooden floor and chairs that need upholstering meaning that despite just being open for a fortnight, it already has a lived-in feel.

So what of the food? Fine dining has gone, to be replaced by a daily-changing menu showcasing Sohn-Rethel’s skills and lightness of touch, with inspiration from Spain, North Africa and the Mediterranean.

When I visited for lunch on Friday, I chose the ridiculously good value three small plates for £10 option, perusing the choices with the help of a glass of Prosecco which is on tap here.

Charcoal-grilled chorizo and morcilla, Spain’s version of black pudding, saw chorizo the size of a chubby finger. And no sauce here, although the smoky chorizo was oozing its own delicious juices.

Chicken oyster pincho was served with liberally slavered harissa yoghurt, but the highlight of my trio of dishes had to be the broad beans, Israeli couscous and cumin yoghurt, a wonderful taste of summer only spoiled by the fact that it was hailing outside.

This was all accompanied by bread and Abernethy butter from Northern Ireland, suppliers of The Fat Duck and Fortnum & Mason, and itself making a bid for the meal’s highlight – slightly unfairly as it’s the only item on the menu not made in the kitchen.

Joining Prosecco on tap are ales from Wild Beer Company and Camden Brewery, as well as Mortimers Orchard cider. The wine list is also substantial, with different picks each day by glass and bottle.

Currently open from 10am until late from Tuesday to Saturday, Bell’s Diner & Bar Rooms has continued the good name of this Picton Street neighbourhood restaurant and has immediately established itself as a new Bristol favourite.

Bell’s Diner & Bar Rooms, 1-3 York Road, Montpelier, Bristol, BS6 5QB
Telephone: 0117 924 0357

Website: www.bellsdiner.com
Twitter: @bellsdiner