‘It looks like a stage set, and the food is every bit as dramatic’
It was a barney that brought The Wilderness to my attention. When chef Alex Claridge’s former pop-up went permanent back in May, its name was Nomad, but a hotel in New York called NoMad (New York, in actual America, ffs) was having none of it. In a move I can describe only as a massive, childish hissy fit, it issued a cease and desist, and Nomad was no more.
The upshot – something that even the most visionary marketing guru couldn’t have orchestrated – is that in its new identity The Wilderness is a smash. “Our first free Saturday is 2017,” our server says, chest swelling with pride. But don’t confuse these bums on seats for a David v Goliath sympathy vote (at 100 quid a head for the tasting menu with drinks pairing, that would be quite the investment in sympathy). Claridge is a talent: a serious, serious talent.
Related: The Cauldron, Bristol: ‘Mad: a bit. Delicious: absolutely’ – restaurant review | Marina O’Loughlin
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