Heaneys, Pontcanna, Sunday roast review

Some dishes are more suited to different seasons than others.

It's hard to beat chicken souvlaki and Greek salad in the sunshine or a hearty bowl of chorizo and butterbean stew and some crusty bread on a crisp autumn day.

However, if Pillars on Cardiff's Queen Street deems steak and kidney pie and lasagne to be "lighter options", then I'm fully backing my unorthodox decision to visit Heaneys in Pontcanna for a Sunday roast in the middle of a heatwave.

I’d heard great things about their roast dinners for ages and their well-priced Sunday set menu offers three courses for £35 with dishes including BBQ Welsh lamb, salt baked pork belly and whole Cornish place a la Meuniere.

Their newly revamped terrace area is a lovely spot to enjoy a meal and a few glasses of wine in the shade too.

Excellent house sourdough had a dark caramelised crust that was teetering on the right side of charred. With a compelling chew and light crumb, it was served with their unmistakeable whipped marmite butter that packs a big umami punch.

Buttery golden lamb sweetbreads was a robust dish masquerading as a light summery plate. Peeping out from a light and savoury manchego foam were briny cockles, tender coco beans, al dente pieces of fennel and onion, and a sticky meat sauce.

A summery gazpacho was perfect for the heat. Packing a vibrant hit of fresh vegetables, it was zhushed up by the addition of creamy goats curd and the texture of spiralised courgette.

There are few people around who can cook a piece of fish as well as Tommy Heaney and a crisp-skinned and flaky fillet of cod was the perfect exemplar. Accompanied by a vivid green seaweed butter, beurre blanc and crisp gram flour balls that were a clever riff on scraps / scrumps / scranners (delete as regionally appropriate), it was a corker of a dish.

A rose pink slab of dry aged beef had a lovely meaty intensity and a layer of flavoursome fat running around its edge. Slow-cooked shreds of oxtail were packed into a dinky croquette and a behemoth of a Yorkshire pudding was crisp whilst retaining a soft interior.

A selection of side dishes, which covered the entirety of our table, were all on point.

Airy and buttery whipped potato was served with a tender braised carrot with a compelling sugary sweetness.

Duck fat roast potatoes were shatteringly crisp with a fluffy interior.

Buttered cabbage was punctuated by salty shards of crispy bacon.

Thick cauliflower cheese was equal parts brassica and rich burnished cheese.

An extra jug of thick meaty gravy meant that no part of the dish was spared and a pot of creamed horseradish delivered a throat tickling punch.

 

For dessert, a light and crisp choux bun was stuffed to the edges with a silky and rich dark chocolate cremeux. Topped with whipped cream and a blob of cherry puree and served with a scoop of airy ice cream with a whiff of kirsch, it was a cracking pud but I reckon it could have taken a bigger hit of cherry and booze to make it even more Blackforest gateaux-like.

Baked yoghurt had the silky texture of a posset combined with the tanginess of a cheesecake. Accompanied by crunchy honeycomb, macerated peaches, and a thick raspberry sorbet, it was very good indeed.

As if we needed any more to eat, pieces of soft fudge with the savoury twang of miso accompanied the bill.

Technically accomplished yet generous at the same time, this was one of the most memorable meals we’ve had at Heaneys. And at £35 for 3 courses, it's great value for the quality too. It's fair to say that Heaneys Sunday roast more than lived up to expectations; it's easily one of the best in Cardiff.

The Details:

Address - Heaneys, 6-10 Romilly Cres, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NR

Web - https://www.heaneyscardiff.co.uk/

Telephone - 029 2034 1264