Bar 44 Cardiff, Spanish bar & restaurant review

I doubt there’ll be a better restaurant to open in Cardiff City Centre in 2015 than Bar 44 Cardiff.

In fact, I doubt there’s a better restaurant in Cardiff City Centre full stop.

Whilst eating out in the the suburbs of Pontcanna, Canton, Cathays and Roath has improved immeasurably in the last couple of years, the number of decent independent restaurants in the middle of the city can still be counted on one hand.

The arrival of Bar 44 Cardiff, a sibling to the award-winning Spanish restaurants in Cowbridge and Penarth, means I now have a go to restaurant in the city for all occasions:

Times when I’m in the mood for a table-top’s worth of impeccably cooked tapas washed down with a glass or two of sherry poured from the barrel.

And nights when I’m hankering after a lighter snack of jamón washed down with a pint of lager.

Bar 44’s two kitchens mean their menu is divided into two sections. Firstly, La Despensa - charcuterie, jamón, bread, olives and snacks served from a small pantry kitchen. Secondly, De La Cocina, more involved tapas dishes which weigh in around the £5 to £7 mark. 

Whilst making the impossible choice of which tapas to order, we picked at brilliant Alex Gooch sourdough (£3.60) served with grassy olive oil and whopping, juicy Gordal olives (£3.50).

A board of the daddy of all hams, the acorn-fed Jamón ibérico de Bellota (£11.50) was as good as it gets - mouth-meltingly rich fat and blushing pink flesh.

A Bikini (£4.50), named after the concert hall in Barcelona, was as sexy as its name suggests - a dainty toasted sandwich of jamón and salty manchego topped with a quail’s egg and a drizzle of cep oil. 

Slow cooked octopus (£7.25) was as tender as can be. It was served with smooth potato puree and a sweet sauce tempered with smoked paprika and garlic. 

A quartet of gigantic prawns (£6.50) were coated in a light tempura batter and served with airy, lightly-spiced Moorish mayonnaise.

Al dente broccoli (£4.50) was flecked with the delightfully savoury combination of anchovy and capers. A pepper puree and crushed nuts provided extra dimension.

Golden chicken thighs (£5.70) were joined by charred padron peppers and sweet Romesco sauce. 

A kaleidoscope of beets (£4.75), served with crunchy hazelnuts, deftly balanced sweet and sour.

Croquetas (£4.50), filled with the silkiest of ham-studded béchamels, were every bit as incredible as I’ve come to expect from Bar 44. They’re definitely a buy. 

Flavour-packed lamb rump slices (£7.50) were matched with chorizo-like pieces of chistorra, griddled fennel and salsa verde. 

And lastly, rare slices of uber-tender iberico pork fillet (£7.25) sat atop Pembrokeshire Earlies and a vibrant watercress puree. 

We finished off the meal with a pair of killer desserts.

A Spanglish trifle (£4.50) was familiar yet different - fresh raspberries, sherry, chocolate sponge, fruit jelly and chewy meringue were all in the mix. 

Santiago tart (£4.95) with crisp pastry, a sweet almond filling and fragrant quince jam was paired with the freshest of orange sorbets. 

Bar 44 Cardiff is brilliant. I want to go back now.

Disclosure - I visited Bar 44 during the soft launch period - a donation to charity was made in lieu of payment for food.

The Details:

Address - Bar 44 Cardiff, 15-23 Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1DD

Web - http://www.bar44.co.uk/
Email for reservations - Cardiff@Bar44.co.uk