STAFF at one of Stroud’s most beloved independent bistros are celebrating the venue's fifth birthday in style, and with five fresh menu additions.
No. 23 Bistro in Nelson Street, owned by Alex Jamieson since April 2012, specialises in tapas and Mediterranean cuisine.
All dishes are made from either authentic Spanish produce via their supplier from the country’s northern Burgos region or from local sources such as quality seafood from New Wave in Cirencester.
The fun-loving, mellow and laid-back atmosphere in the venue has been a popular fit among Stroudies with many residents moving from tentative tapas tasters to regular visitors, as Alex says, “It’s like walking into someone’s house.”
No 23 occupies a cosy spot in Stroud's Nelson Street
Alex invited the SNJ to try all five of the new dishes at the weekend, she said: “It’s all been a team effort and has been pushed by our love of food, we wouldn’t put anything on the menu that we wouldn’t eat ourselves – we’ve all tried every dish.
“We believe that you should either do things well or not at all.
“We’ve become a great social space over the years, hosting a monthly book club and live music.
“All our food is ethically sourced, and of the highest quality – but through our European suppliers we have felt the recent impact on the EU and the prices of our imported wine and beer.
“We’ve spent these last five years trying to grow and learn, trying to please a wider audience and to support local businesses like Stroud Brewery.
“We do like to ring the changes and change our menu to cater for gaps it may have – that’s what these new additions to the menu aim to do as well.
“We use our specials board to experiment with new dishes, which also keeps things exciting for our regulars.
“One of the challenges over the years has just been that we are all very social people and we’ve had to fit the business around that, we’ve kept a great work ethic and like to think that none of our staff ever really leave, and most only leave to go to college or university.”
The downstairs seating provides a cosy and warm atmosphere
The venue has attained a proud spot of number one among 113 restaurants in Stroud on TripAdvisor and sits in the top one per cent in the Cotswolds (14 out of 1687), the venue have always maintained a five-star hygiene rating.
All of their dishes are available to takeaway throughout their opening hours and on Sunday’s they provide a roast dinner delivery option.
A skeleton crew of staff run the show, led by head chef Laurence Kapoor and second chef Mercy Gondwe who run a fast-paced and efficient kitchen in what is a very confined space where effectiveness is key.
On any given service they can produce 300 dishes on their six-ring hob, due to a table of four typically ordering 10-12 options from their 40+ dish menu.
They are looking to expand on the business by doing more outside catering for live music and culinary events.
Laurence told the SNJ: “The emphasis is on working as fast as possible but being consistent as wellto maintain the high quality.
“We’re always trying to work out ways to improve things, to make them better and fresher – to strike a fair balance.
“It’s the kind of food that people link with summer and a having nice bottle of wine with your friends – we try to make sure that all of our menu choices change with the seasons to keep it authentic.
“I’ve learnt a lot while working here and have had a chance to try different things, I’ve been able to learn more about the cuisine and our customers throughout the area, what they like and don’t like – we’ve been able to vary our dishes and have gained a large customer base.”
Head chef Laurence Kapoor reguarly produces 300 dishes in one service out of No 23's tight kitchen
No 23 hosts Paella Tuesdays each week for the small fee of £5, they open from 5-late on weekdays and from 11am till late on weekends and bank holidays.
The venue can cater for around 40 people at any one time though this varies with table layout, their space upstairs also features a snug terrace with a lovely view across Stroud.
Their menu offers something for everyone and make sure that those with dietary requirements are all catered for, including dairy free dishes and gluten free – their vegan dishes are more nutritionally balanced than most to provide plenty of protein.
No 23’s party to celebrate their fifth anniversary is this Friday from 9.30pm, expect plenty of great music, food and drinks.
The independent bistro’s five new dishes are:
- Very slow braised ox cheeks in Pedro Ximenez on a bed of pureed cauliflower
- Pollo a la Parilla en Sofrito – grilled chicken in No 23’s tomato sofrito
- Almejas a la Marinera – claims in white wine with optional toasted serrano ham
- Champinones al Ajillo – mushrooms in olive oil and white wine, flavoured with garlic, red chilli and parsley
- Moroccan chickpeas with spinach and pomegranate molasses
For more information visit their website at www.no23stroud.com or sign up to their mailing list via hello@no23stroud.com
The five new menu additions, back to front, listed in full above: Mushrooms, ox cheek, chicken, clams and chickpeas
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