BAMBALAN (Bristol)

BAMBALAN
BRISTOL, BS1 4XE
TELEPHONE – 0117 9221880
EMAIL – HOLA@BAMBALAN.CO.UK

First lunch out in Bristol since March.

This weekend i really felt like going out for food & a drink. Probably it’s some sort of pre-labour feeling😅 After reviewing 110 Bristol independent food places, that take part in the government’s new ‘Eat Out to Help Out Scheme’ i really liked Bambalan. I really wanted to go to one of the 110 places to support local business & “best rooftop terrace” was a great selling point.

NOT EASY TO RESERVE A TABLE

I spent quite a lot of time trying to book a table on their website, but didn’t manage to do it. On some attempts website was giving me a weird message, saying that contact form was not working, on other occasions “Next” button was not working and this all was just frustrating. After trying hard for quite few times i called them, sent an e-mail, Instagram & FB messages – no success. Only today, on Sunday 9th of August 2020, when I eventually reached them on the phone at 12PM (opening hours 12pm to 6pm) they took my reservation for 4 adults for 1PM at the side terrace, because their main famous rooftop terrace was closed 🤦‍♀️ I personally think that communication must be improved. These days when people are not quite ready to go out as often as before & when there is a such huge competition between venues i think online customer service is crucial!
My friends arrived few minutes earlier & were told that nothing was booked for 1PM. Another point down! I was very sceptical on arrival & was ready to go elsewhere, but eventually we decided to give it a try. When i came in & said that i reserved a table for 4 adults & a baby at the terrace it really looked like nothing was actually reserved, but as we got a nice big table we didn’t care much.

The actual venue was quite nice, spacious & cosy. They have a lot of highchairs which is now going to be a big thing for us as new parents. Our waiter also allowed me to check the rooftop terrace & take some photos there, which was nice. To be completely honest i wasn’t impressed with the view, but i think after living in London for so long my expectations are a little bit too high.

Total bill for 4 was slightly above £86 including £8 optional service charge.

Here are my PROS & CONS.

PROS

customer service was really good. I loved that they bring tab water to a table by default, so no need to ask. Our waiter was coming to our table quite few times to check & take extra orders. It wasn’t annoying at all!
they have a lot of highchairs, which makes this place child & family friendly.
the food & drinks were really good. I think only one of us found their choice decent & nothing special, but the rest 3 were really satisfied. I personally had a vegan burger (£13 fries comes with all burgers) & raspberry bellini (£7). Loved it!
clean toilets & sanitiser on the way in/out.
general atmosphere was really nice & positive
optional service charge. I don’t generally like service charge, because i believe that staff should really deserve it & customers can choose how much. I have a lot of experience working at bars & restaurants, so i know what i am talking about. Optional service charge is slightly different, but still gives customers more freedom to rate the service.

CONS

poor online communication
not impressed with the view from the rooftop terrace. I guess i would need to visit them again, when it’s open to come up with the final decision
there were quite few big pieces of broken glass across the floor where we sat, which makes it dangerous not just for kids, but for adults too

Overall rating 4 out of 6.
0 – Online Service / Communication
1 – Location / View
1 – Customer Service
1 – Food quality
0 – Cleanliness
1 – General atmosphere