I’ve had a rather decent brunch at Cote Bistro in the bay previously. So when Mrs G and I went for a midday promenade in the spring sunshine we thought we’d give them a punt for lunch. The restaurant was bustling, I’m guessing as a result of the rather excellent value lunchtime and early evening menu offering 2 courses for £9.95. I went for the set lunch whilst Mrs G ordered from the regular menu.
Warm sourdough baguette (£1.85) was perfectly fresh with a crisp exterior.
My starter of breadcrumbed calamari arrived swiftly and was crunchy, well seasoned and un-rubbery. The lemony tartare sauce was packed with gherkins and capers.
For mains I ordered the steak frites (£2 supplement). The steak was well flavoured with a good char and the melted garlic butter was perfect for dipping the crisp frites. The menu described the steak as being served pink. Unfortunately it was very much served brown. It wouldn’t have been a problem if it hadn’t been mis-advertised.
Mrs G’s main was catastrophic. Her chicken and walnut salad (£9.95) had plenty of chargrilled chicken breast but was lacking the walnuts and avocado it should have contained. We sent it back and whilst waiting for a replacement I polished off my entire main course. This served as a reminder why we’re always so reluctant to send food back - it ends up spoiling the occasion of eating out further. When her salad returned it contained walnuts and avocado but now lacked mustard dressing. As you can imagine we couldn’t be bothered to send it back again.
A bit of a shame really. I had a pretty decent lunch but Mrs G ended up with a bowl of undressed leaves. If there’s a moral to this story it’s to order red meat and anything deep fried instead of salad. This is a mantra I’ve happily lived by for many years.
The details:
Cote Bistro, 25 Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5BZ
Tel: 029 2045 3780
Tel: 029 2045 3780
Visit No.5 and yet another blindingly good meal here, in fact four blindingly good meals, making the total consumed by myself, with friends and family, to eighteen!
ReplyDeleteExcellent food, served exceedingly well, by very friendly and efficient staff.
Great value for money and even better with the free wine vouchers given away in December, which have taken £18.50, £18.50 and £21.75 off the last 3 bills.
Côte certainly know how to keep their customers satisfied and coming back.
@John - Glad to hear you've had so many good meals at Côte; those are some pretty impressive discounts on the wine!
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