Double Super Happy, Dim Sum and Cocktail Bar Review

Sunday 23 September 2012

Double Super Happy, Dim Sum and Cocktail Bar Review

Update 23/02/2014 - Double Super Happy has closed. It will soon be replaced by BrewDog, Cardiff.

I haven’t stopped smiling since last night. Double Super Happy is chuffing awesome.

Double Super Happy is the latest venture from the owners of Tapas and Cocktail bar, Pica Pica. So it’s no surprise DSH also specialise in nibbles and cocktails. Their menu of pan-Asian Dim Sum is the kind of thing I could eat all day long. Lunch, afternoon snack, post-work snack, dinner or late-night snack, anytime is good for me. The mixologist clearly knows what he is doing too. Everything we ordered from the menu of Asian twists on classic cocktails was on the money.

DSH are currently only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5pm and they’ve kept a low-profile during their soft-opening period. Their full launch is in a couple of week’s time when the opening hours will extend, another large room downstairs will open and there’s even talk of karaoke booths…..

Mrs G and I started with a couple of cocktails whilst we restrained ourselves from ticking every box on the dim sum menu. I had a deceptively strong Tokyo iced tea made (£6.90) with midori and the usual blend of white spirits. Mrs G started with a Mango Collins (£6.90) made with mango puree, gin and lemon juice.

The first dish of our small plate marathon was vegetable tempura (£3.00). Broccolli, mushrooms, courgettes and sweet potato were precisely cooked and coated in a light batter. An accompanying pot of sweet chilli sauce added a kick.

Next up was salt and chilli squid (£4.50). Tender pieces of squid were coated in delicate batter seasoned with salt, pepper and chilli.

Crisp cabbage and peanut salad (£4.00) is the kind of dish I wouldn’t normally give a second glance at on a menu, especially as it was in the section labelled 'salad'. However, I’m glad Mrs G picked this out. Finely shredded cabbage was scattered with peanuts and dressed with a zingy dressing of fish sauce, chilli and coriander.

Cantonese roast pork buns (£4.00) were as good as I’ve had anywhere. Soft pappy buns were filled with sweet and tender meat.

Pork and chive potstickers (£4.00) were ace but 3 little dumplings for £4 seemed a little stingy.

Agedashi tofu pieces (£3) were delicate, creamy and coated in fine, sesame-flecked batter. The accompanying bowl of chilli oil was on the bland side (it was so bland I’m not even sure it was chilli oil) and we thought the tofu worked much better dunked in a pool of salty soy sauce.

Cocktail round 2 was ordered whilst we decided how many more dishes to order…1…2….3? I drank a Mizu Ushi (£7.10), a stunning blend of bison grass vodka, blackberry liqueur, peach schnapps and apple juice whilst Mrs G had a Basil bramble sling (£6.90) made from gin infused with sweet basil and blackberry liqueur.

Chicken satay (£5) were delightfully tender and had an excellent background note of chilli.

Spicy Singaporean yard long beans (£3.50) were as moreish as a pack of bacon fries. The al dente beans were coated in an oily dressing laced with chilli and savoury bonito flakes.

The only disappointment of the evening came from a plate of Thai red curry corn fritters (£3.50). Whilst these spicy little fried goods disappeared as quickly as the other things we’d eaten, the aromatic complexity of Thai red curry wasn’t there.

Well lubricated and stuffed, Mrs G and I opted for a liquid dessert…and just the one regular pudding. My Flying grasshopper (£6.90) tasted like boozy mint choc chip ice cream whilst Mrs Tiger’s milk (£6.90) made from brandy shaken with vanilla, cinnamon, milk and cream tasted like Christmas in a cup.

Toffee banana kept up the evening’s fried theme perfectly (£4.50). Crisp, soft, sweet pieces of toffee sauce drizzled deep fried banana were served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.