If Camden Town had a big brother, it would be Bristol, right down to the colourful shops, smell of weed and the face tattoos. I have been to Bristol a couple of times before, but never really spent too much time in the centre, but we had a few days staying at Hart’s Townhouse on one of our cheapo Young’s breaks, so we had a bit of time to explore: And it felt like I was exploring the early 90s when I misspent a few years living on the 29 bus route, a stone’s throw from Camden Sainsbury’s (in those days apparently the top cruising spot in London) and a number of flea-bitten but excellent cinemas.

One of my overriding memories of the time was the incredible selection of great, good value, food. Bar Ganza, the Crown and Goose, Primates, and a whole bunch of others meant you could eat out well almost every night and still afford the highest mortgage interest rates in history. Camden is now one of London’s top tourist destinations, with all that entails (not one, but two, Gail’s!), so for a couple of days, I was looking forward to a 90’s rewind, with some great food, at a good price.

And one out of two ain’t bad.

Bristol Docks Regeneration

Bristol has worked hard on its regeneration. Clifton was always the place posh people retreated to get away from the hoi polloi down towards the docks (It is not a coincidence that the University is perched high up on the hill), but these days the docks have been transformed into a series of restaurants and museums, and even a working steam train in the summer. The M Shed museum is an interesting if random selection of Bristol life, which looks like a partly curated raid of every shed in Bristol.

But for me the crowning glory is not the beautifully preserved and working cranes, but the “BoxPark” of restaurants tucked round the back, stuffed into old shipping containers, as is the modern way.

And this is where we found Ragu.

It has a very large outdoor seating terrace (under cover this time of year with heaters), but we opted to eat inside. It is pretty small and you definitely need to book.

Service was excellent. Our table wasn’t ready, but we were seated at the bar, and a drinks order taken. It did take a little longer than I might have liked, but it arrived in time for us to take our seat for dinner.

Yet another ok-ish Negroni. I have reached the conclusion that overthinking the Negroni, and sticking strictly to pub measures, is where the problem lies. I had all but given up hope, until I went to Vasiniko near Covent Garden this week, and watched someone slop a Negroni together, and it was near perfect: Probably highly illegal, but to the best of my knowledge, Westminster Council don’t read my blog.

But how was the food at Ragu?

Probably best to skip this paragraph, as I am about to complain about the small plates/large plates thing again. I am just zoning out now when people tell me how I should order from their menu which is clearly starters and mains, and instead I am focusing on what looks really yummy. Yes, ordering more small than large is also generally more cost effective, but honestly, small plates often hit the mark far better in terms of taste.

In an unusual twist, the drinks were actually very reasonable, with a very well curated selection by the glass. It was the food that we felt was a bit toppy in price terms. 23 quid for a cheese plate is Ritz prices (and while it was pretty good, it was not Ritz quality). But once you get over the cost, and look at the whole thing in the round, it was an excellent meal.

If I had one criticism, and this again is an old chestnut, the food was underseasoned. And yes, I get that different people like different amounts of seasoning, and that scientists think salt is more toxic than lead etc etc, but I like to be able to taste the flavours in my food, and they are wonderfully enhanced by a pinch of salt. And it’s not even the lack of seasoning that actually ticks me off, it’s the look that you get when you ask for some. A sort of withering pity, followed by a slight eye roll and then a production with the kitchen while sea salt is procured from the kitchen, prised out of the hand of a 25 year old sous chef who is weeping “But what about their children?” as he pleads for our health and blood pressure.

But with that in mind, and with NaCl procured, what were the high points?

The lamb was superb. It was our one and only “large” plate, but absolutely worth having. Melt in the mouth and (with a tiny sprinkling of salt) delicious. The anchovies were defnitely worth it (and by current standards, well priced, having once been given a single anchovy for the same price), the artichokes were very good, as was the trout which worked really well with the orange (and I got Mrs Nigel to eat raw fish, which was worth the trip, just for that). I also liked the greens (albeit 30p down the market when not destined for the pigs), which worked well charred. I would have preferred chard, just for the pun, but nonetheless, really tasty.

As I said, not wowed by the cheese (which I think was more the cost, than the cheese itself: I even felt the honey on the taleggio was worth having, and I am very anti-sweet stuff near my fromage), but overall, it was an excellent meal, and if I found myself in Bristol again, it would be high on my list: Certainly higher than the Clifton Sausage, where I ate the night before, which served Iceland sausages on a bed of wallpaper paste posing as mash).

And given that the loos were communal with the other containers (only so much you can fit in one 40 foot High Cube), they were surprisingly clean, so hats off to the management of “Cargo” in Wapping Wharf.

It all worked really well as an intimate meal à deux in the confines of a container (never thought I’d write that sentence! Sounds like we were kidnapped on Valentine’s Day…). Whether the kitchen can cope with a full terrace in the height of summer and produce the same vibe and quality, I honestly can’t say, but I recommend you go and find out…

Conclusion

Overall Rating: 5/5

• Food: 5/5
• Drinks: 4.5/5
• Service: 4.5/5
• Ambience: 5/5
• Value for money: 4/5
• Price: £££
• Would we go back?: Yes

Ragu: https://www.ragurestaurant.com/