Kirsty Davenport & Tamsin Godfrey from Dalia Cocina
A business on Keynsham High Street will feature on Channel 4’s Come Dine with Me: The Professionals, which is set to air next Tuesday (28th June).
Mexican restaurant Dalia Cocina will be one of three Bristol-based restaurants featured in the show.
Come Dine with Me usually sees a range of not so professional cooks compete against each other, but the concept has a twist with a new series featuring professionals cooking for one another “in a bid to be crowned the best independent restaurant in their town, county or city,” says Channel 4.
Dalia Cocina is owned by Kirsty Davenport, who describes it as a “small indie business”. The restaurant has a beautiful, hidden garden, with seating available giving a real holiday feel, and the quirkiness of the restaurant is a breath of fresh air.
We met up with Kirsty to talk about her experience on the show which she described as “pretty surreal”. She explained: “An advert went out on Facebook and someone tagged me in it and it was trying to get people to come on Come Dine With Me… and I just thought, don’t be daft.” About 20 minutes later, she received a call from Channel Four asking her to be on the sho and Kirsty said she couldn’t turn down the opportunity.
Three Bristol businesses ended up competing over three nights, with Dalia Cocina going first. Bambalan and Fi Real were the other two competitors.
Bambalan is a big restaurant, especially in comparison to Kirsty’s, so it was a massive achievement for her to compete next to them.
On Kirsty’s menu was Chilli Nachos to start, a Green Chilli Pork Stew (traditional Mexican dish) for main, while for dessert she made a Mango, Coconut, and Lime Cheesecake.
Tune in to Channel 4 at 6pm next Tuesday to watch the episode and see who is crowned the winner.
Sophie Mead
