I did write about it after eating there on the first day it opened<\/a> a month ago, although it was a quick lunch and the review was based around the restaurant\u2019s good value \u00a329 set menu.<\/p>\nSince the opening week, Lapin has seen reviewers and influencers – as well as ‘normal’ diners – flock to this converted shipping container at Cargo 2 in the shadows of the MShed.<\/p>\n
But then head chef Jack Briggs-Horan and co-owner Dan Regan have built up a bit of a cult following on the Bristol food scene in recent years thanks to their award-winning Bank restaurant in Totterdown.<\/p>\n
After my impressive opening day lunch, I was eager to return to Lapin for dinner as soon as possible to try the main a la carte menu.<\/p>\n
On a midweek evening, Lapin was doing a brisk trade by the time we arrived with a couples, larger groups and even a Michelin-star chef quietly enjoying a solo \u2018day off\u2019 dinner.<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_JS366004937.jpg\")
New restaurant Lapin at Cargo 2, Wapping Wharf(Image: Paul Gillis\/Reach Plc)<\/p>\n
The food at Lapin is a contemporary take on classic French brasserie dishes and it\u2019s an extensive menu considering the fact the cramped open kitchen is about the size of a domestic one, albeit one with four sweaty chefs working cheek by jowl.<\/p>\n
We kicked off with a dish of glossy, gobstopper-size Provencal olives (\u00a34) and thick slices of warm baguette with proper salted butter (\u00a34).<\/p>\n
A generous starter of creamy rabbit rillettes (\u00a314) with plenty of shredded bunny meat was served with a jammy, tangy carrot confiture and vinegary cornichons to cut through the richness of the rillettes.<\/p>\n
![\"Brixham](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_Lapin2.jpg\")
Brixham scallops and lobster bisque(Image: Bristol Live)<\/p>\n
Two Brixham scallops (\u00a314) the size of a newborn\u2019s fist were perfectly cooked in their shells and teamed with a robust Lobster bisque and toasted breadcrumbs adding crunch.<\/p>\n
Crisp-skinned and juicy confit duck leg (\u00a327) arrived on a cassoulet of creamy, herby beans with bite-size pieces of kielbasa, a smoky Polish sausage with a real snap.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_Lapin1.jpg\")
The confit duck at Lapin(Image: Bristol Live)<\/p>\n
A super-fresh skate wing (\u00a328) was cooked with real care, the flesh falling off the bones, and covered with a blanket of lightly curried Vadouvan butter and fragrant, salty sea vegetables.<\/p>\n
Crunchy, fluffy duck fat chips (\u00a35) and green beans (\u00a35) topped with garlicky persillade were the only side dishes required, more as vehicles for leftover sauces.<\/p>\n
To finish, a sharp and refreshing apple sorbet (\u00a38) was served with a shot of bracing Somerset apple cider brandy.<\/p>\n
![\"Pain](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_Lapin3.jpg\")
Pain perdu, apples and vanilla ice cream(Image: Bristol Live)<\/p>\n
Buttery pain perdu (\u00a39) was paired with slices of cooked apple and vanilla ice cream for a classic French finale.<\/p>\n
There were wines, too, well-sourced French ones from a large selection by the glass thanks to the restaurant\u2019s use of the clever Coravin system which keeps opened bottles in perfect condition for several days.<\/p>\n
Service from white jacketed waiting staff was sharp, convivial and knowledgeable – it\u2019s always nice to be served by people who have clearly eaten the dishes and sampled the wines they are explaining to diners.<\/p>\n
It was good to be back at Lapin so soon – it\u2019s already one of Bristol\u2019s most talked about new openings and it\u2019s already firing on all cylinders.<\/p>\n
Lapin, Cargo 2, Museum Street, behind the MShed, Bristol.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lapin is already one of the city\u2019s most talked about new openingsLapin head chef Jack Briggs-Horan and co-owner…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67733,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[381,748,393,786,4884,800,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-67732","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-bristol","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-food-and-drink","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-harbourside","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114436894004685925","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67732"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67732\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Lapin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0_Lapin3-Ed-Schofield.jpg\")
Lapin head chef Jack Briggs-Horan and co-owner Dan Regan(Image: Ed Schofield)<\/p>\n