We tried the new Christmas set menu at the refurbished Côte restaurant in Bristol 

Côte restaurant in Clifton Village reopened last month with a smart new look after a major refurbishment just in time for Christmas.

The doors also reopened just in time to launch the ‘menu de Noel’ set Christmas menu, which costs £37.95 for three courses.

We visited on a Saturday evening when every table seemed to be booked. Along with Turtle Bay, which we recently reviewed, it must be one of the busiest Bristol restaurants when it comes to pre-Christmas meals.

The revamped layout at the new-look Côte provides extra space around tables and there are new warm lights, plants, mirrors. There’s also a brand new bar and a counter filled with stinky French cheeses.

The festive menu caters for all tastes, with a vegan choice for each course. There are also traditional Christmas options like parsnip soup with chestnut, pear, parsley and white truffle oil; turkey breast with pork and apricot stuffing wrapped in streaky bacon, and a crème brûlée spiced with star anise, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and topped with poached clementines and redcurrants.

I tried the prawn thermidor, a retro French classic with six king prawns cooked in a lobster mornay gratin with Comte cheese.

Still bubbling and sizzling in its dish when it arrived at the table, the rich and decadent prawn and cheese dish was served with a crisp and refreshing apple and herb garnish, with toasted sourdough baguette for dipping. It was a serious start to the meal.

Sticking with Côte convention if not Christmas tradition, I followed it with an 8oz sirloin steak with frites and green salad (a main with a £3.50 supplement).

The steak was perfectly cooked medium-rare as requested and the knife sliced through the pink meat with considerable ease. The frites were crisp and generously seasoned, the green salad was well dressed and the creamy peppercorn sauce boasted a properly peppery tingle.

I finished off with the pain perdu - a sweet brioche pudding with a sugary crunch, generous lashings of cream and a scoop of delicious salted caramel and vanilla ice cream.

Service throughout was spot on - waiting staff were swift and smiley despite the fact they were flat out on a particularly busy evening.

I’m a huge fan of Côte - it’s the best restaurant chain as far as I can see - and this year’s Christmas menu is good value and full of interesting dishes that should satisfy a wide range of customers and ages. It's an ideal venue for a big family meet-up.

And if you really want to celebrate in style, finish with the Blanc Noël (£10.25) - a potent cocktail of vodka, coffee liqueur, Norfolk Nog whisky cream garnished with cinnamon stick and dusted with cocoa powder.

If that doesn’t get you into the spirit for a Joyeux Noël, nothing will.

Côte Clifton Village, 27 The Mall, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 4JG.