'A rose by any other name'...

A miserable evening in June, obviously. What better way to forget about the delights of the UK's summer rain then to find a good pub serving tasty food with a live band. The destination for this evening, The Rose of Denmark, Bristol.

I booked this with some trepidation having never stepped foot inside the place before and on this occasion I would be 'treating' the wife so it had to be good. Not that she is hard to please but you don't win the same kind of brownie points if the night is a bit of a flop. I had seen on their website that they have live music once a week at 8.30pm so booked to eat at 7pm so as not to miss out. As a result the place was pretty quite, bar one other couple and a few local drinkers. Nevertheless the drink options were good, 4 different guest ales and a range of your regular ciders and lagers on tap, as was the the bar menu. I went for a Masala Burger with fries, my wife the Ploughman's (an option with an array of sub options, she went with porcini polenta, Spanish omelette and brie).

The portions were generous (and I am greedy) and tasty with the presentation in keeping with the overall shabby chic style of the place. The burger was spiced pleasantly to set it apart from a regular beef burger and the fries were proper, crispy fries, not like these massive wedges of potato masquerading as chips. The ploughmans looked great with all the additional sides of pickles and garnishes you would expect and satisfyingly thick cut white bread. Cutlery was served in an old style metal tankard and ketchup in a little glass kilner jar on the side giving the pleasing little touches you hope for when eating out in a pub. The service was from the bar and the staff were very warm and friendly. On top of this it was a great value night, the total bill coming in at just over £30.

As we finished our food at around 8pm the place had started to fill and there was a very easy going, relaxed vibe. The music blended in with this and created the kind of atmosphere that made you feel at home in the surroundings of exposed brickwork fire places and chesterfield sofas. It is not a huge place but there seemed to be plenty of space for people in groups, couples or on their own to find a spot to chill out and enjoy the music. We were treated to a three piece band of piano, violin and trumpet which provided two hours of entertainment without being so obtrusive you couldn't hear each other speak but not so quite they demand silence.

Overall I would definitely recommend this place to fellow Bristolians looking for a good value night of relaxed entertainment.