My view of the toasted cheese sandwich was expanded this week by James Bridges. He bakes astonishingly good sourdough bread in a little kitchen above the Playground Coffee House in St Nicholas Street, Bristol. He then works some kind of cheese alchemy to create a menu that stretches the horizons of toasted snacks to a new world of meltiness (which is now a word).
No ordinary toaster.
The second of five courses.
Bitesize portions.
Each of five different sourdough cheese sandwiches was matched with a different beer.
Melting.
Going.
Patience required.
Cider rye sourdough, cheddar, Ginger Beard‘s chilli, apple and Severn Cider jelly was paired with Floris Apple Wheat beer.
Beer three of five.
Playground customers take the menu very seriously – but not themselves. Board games are available on request. Swings come as standard.
The creative indulgence didn’t stop with the cheese toasties. The espresso, salted caramel and triple chocolate brownie was off the scale.
Sticky fingers unavoidable.
And as for the wild Peruvian chocolate crostini – that’s another story.
Nutella will never be quite the same again.
