Gorse, Cardiff pop-up restaurant review

Recalling a lengthy tasting menu to write a review often feels like trying to play a memory game.

I went for a dinner and I was served… suckling pig topped with kumquat reduction, trout skin crisps, dehydrated huckleberries, foraged oyster leaves, aerated blonde chocolate, and sashimi of Chilean spider crab. 

It’s especially tricky when your dinner is cooked by Tom Waters, a chef whose modern Welsh cooking incorporates techniques, ingredients and flavour combinations which are new to my many years of being greedy. 

With an impressive CV which includes stints at Odette’s under Bryn Williams and the Square with Phil Howard, Tom was also sous chef at the Michelin-starred Bonhams in Mayfair and junior sous chef at Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck. 

After his illustrious stint in England, Tom has returned home to South Wales with the ambition of opening his own restaurant and in the meantime he’s running a series of pop-ups under the name Gorse.

Having heard rave reviews from trusted sources who visited a Gorse event at Glory Stores, Mrs G and I swiftly booked in for a pop-up at Tom Simmons’ Ground in Pontcanna. 

Offering a single 8 course tasting menu for £65, it seems like a fair price considering the chef’s pedigree. 

Gorse’s wine prices are reasonable too with a small selection on offer by the glass starting from £3.80. We shared a very enjoyable bottle of crisp and fresh Bodegas Arousana Luzada Albarino (£21). 

We were the second of the staggered tables to arrive for the night but the dining room eventually filled to capacity and it was seriously impressive to watch Tom single-handedly cook for 20 people, aided by two friendly and knowledgable front of house staff. 

A trio of pretty, flavour-packed snacks were a statement of intent.

Cubes of trout tartare and a throat-tickling horseradish cream were loaded into a crisp pastry case whilst an ultra-fine crisp topped with a hunk of oily mackerel, a sliver of pickled ginger and a herbal shiso leaf delivered a sushi-like mouthful. 

A slice of carrot tart, with its crisp flaky pastry and deeply caramelised sweet-savoury root vegetable, reminded me of a savoury tarte tatin. 

The ultimate tear and share buttermilk loaf was served steaming hot. Its golden crust was a lovely contrast to a seriously soft crumb and it was delicious slathered with creamy salted butter which delivered a very subtle after note of sea-like nori. 

Isle of Mull scallop was one of the first standouts of the meal. Huge slices of plump and sweet raw scallop were joined by pear slices and juice with a nice acidity, smoked creme fraiche, and a cracking Amalfi lemon and British jalapeno kosho (a Japanese ferment) which delivered a hit of fragrant citrus and a deceptively fiery finish. 

A clever riff on a cacio e pepe was the meal’s other highlight. Made with daikon radish instead of pasta, the tender yet al dente root vegetable brought lightness to the dish as well as a mild peppery and earthy complexity. Coated in an umami-rich, buttery and peppery sauce made from 32 month aged Parmesan and Sarawak pepper, it was a gorgeously decadent plate.

A chunky and flaky piece of North Sea cod would perhaps have benefited from a little bit of colouring in a pan (Mrs G disagreed) but is was delicious accompanied by a vin jaune sauce, which was at once creamy, dry, fruity, savoury and a little bit funky. The crunch of walnut and cutting acidity of preserved turnip brought balance the dish. 

Exceptionally tender and well-flavoured Rhug Estate venison was joined by the silkiest of chestnut purees and a tart, intensely-fruity and salty damson puree, sweet charred onions and a glossy sauce. Arguably the only unnecessary element on the plate was a piece of overly-salty and under-shroomy hen of the woods mushroom. 

Dessert was the only less-than-excellent dish of the meal. A light and creamy mousse flavoured with the merest hint of floral jasmine was topped with excellent soft-textured sheep’s milk ice cream and a bright and citrusy clementine and olive oil soup. It was all very tasty but it felt like it needed both a bigger oomph of flavour and more texture contrast. 

But, it was lovely accompanied by a glass of light and fizzy moscato d’asti (£5.50) which was twanged with honey sweetness and stone fruit. 

Petit fours ensured the meal ended on a very high note. Crab apple pâte de fruit was soft and wobbly with a lovely fruity tartness and a pebble of soft and buttery caramel was sprinkled with salt. The star of the show however was a warm and toasty brown butter cake with a soft crumb and crusty caramelised edges that was dotted with sharp plum puree and fragrant coriander seeds. 

Our meal at Gorse was one of the most memorable we’ve eaten in Cardiff this year. Tom Waters is a huge talent and he’s certain to make a big name for himself on the capital’s restaurant scene. 

When he pops up again, I highly recommend booking in pronto. Handily, he's just announced two more dates at Ground this December. 

The details:

Web - https://www.gorserestaurant.co.uk/
Telephone - 07864 923 231

Grano, Birchgrove, Cardiff, Italian cafe and bakery review

From the moment you walk through the door at Grano and are met with fridges of Italian cheese and charcuterie, a hulking bread oven with racks of freshly baked focaccia, and an impressive display of cakes and tarts, it’s clear that it’s a place which puts quality produce front and centre.

This Italian cafe, deli and bakery, which has recently opened in Cardiff’s Birchgrove on the former site of Organicafe, serves a compact menu of salads, focaccia sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie boards.

From the outside, there’s little indication of the modern and roomy seating area which opens up once you get past all that produce.

To drink, a bottle of assertively herbal Galvanina Chinotto (£3.95) was reminiscent of sweetened cough syrup - I always love it but I'm not sure why. Mrs G enjoyed an oat milk latte (£3.60) - the fruity Sumatran coffee not too roasty and bitter as I often find in Italian gaffs.

My sandwich (£7.45) was a simple combination of three components, but what a trio they were. Two pieces of freshly baked focaccia with a lovely crisp exterior and soft, airy crumb, were stuffed with soft and seriously creamy burrata and garlic-twanged mortadella, the best mystery meat known to man.

A runny-centred burrata (£10.95) was the star of another simple yet very effective dish combining peppery rocket, wafer thin slices of Parma ham, a sticky balsamic glaze, extra virgin olive and hyper-crisp toasted house sourdough.

To accompany the dish, the menu suggested a choice between focaccia and sourdough bread and when Mrs G requested the former they weren't sure if there was enough available - as a nice touch a bowl of the stuff soon appeared at the table.

Finally, a whopping tuna salad (£10.95) was made with plenty of well-dressed leaves and mixed olives.

With an impressive selection of fresh bakes on offer, including a rather delicious looking ricotta and pistachio tart, we stuck to two classics.

A crisp and brittle cannolo (£3.50) was packed with smooth sweetened cream cheese dotted with dark chocolate buttons.

A brilliantly comforting tiramisu (£3.50) had a good oomph from the booze and coffee soaked sponge which was tempered by a light, silky and rich custard. It's a dish which I often find too heavy from the over-use of whipped cream; this was the antithesis.

We had a delicious lunch at Grano. It's the kind of café anyone would be glad to have in their neighbourhood and I'll certainly be back for more of their mortadella. 

Update - November 2024

On a recent visit to Grano, they’d added a selection of pinsa to their menu. The super light, thick and airy crisp crust reminded me very much of Roman style pizza by the slice. I ordered the piccante (£12.50) topped with sweet and earthy pumpkin puree, fiery and fatty 'nduja, melted smoked cheese, and crisp salami. It's easily up there among the best pizzas I've had in Cardiff.

Grano are also now open on Friday and Saturday nights when they serve a special pizza menu. If they're anything like their pinsa then they'll most definitely be worth checking out. 

The Details:

Address - Grano, 104 Caerphilly Rd, Birchgrove, Cardiff CF14 4AG

Web - https://www.instagram.com/grano.cardiff/

Telephone - 029 2233 8255

Saraztro, Roath, Cardiff Greek restaurant review

More than any other cuisine, Greek food has the power to transport me to sunnier climates.

One dip of a bowl of pitta and tzatziki and I’m sat in a seaside taverna in Crete.

One munch of a gyros and I’m taken back to Faliraki and the memory of my brand new white Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, which I soiled with kebab grease on day one of a reluctant lads holiday when I was 18.

On a sunny autumnal day, the window seats at Wellfield Road’s Saraztro are a lovely spot to watch the world go by.

With a menu focused on well-priced Greek cooking, dishes include grilled whole calamari (£11.95), vegetarian moussaka (£12.95), and grilled halloumi (£10.95). There’s also a few wildcard options in there including a handmade cheeseburger (£8.95) and a chicken salad (£11.95).

Bottles of crisp Mythos (£3.80) and Efes (£3.80) sent us on our way to sunnier shores.

Out of our two small plates, a trio of meatballs (£5.95) were the star. Gloriously tender, light-textured and well-seasoned, they were coated in a thick, fruity tomato sauce and served with crisp and soft griddled pitta bread.

Thick taramasalata (£4.50) was good too, nicely balancing salty fish roe, olive oil and a balancing zip of lemon juice.

Onto mains, and a pair of chicken souvlaki (£11.95) skewers were nicely golden and delicately charred yet still commendably juicy. Served alongside thick and creamy fragrant dill-twanged tzatziki, super crisp paprika dusted chips and a half moon of olive oil fried pitta bread, which was pleasingly reminiscent of fried bread, it was a very enjoyable dish.

A good Greek salad (£7.95) was well-loaded with cubes of tangy feta, fresh tomato, cucumber, yellow pepper, kalamata olives, and red onion that was dressed with olive oil and oregano.

We had a very tasty lunch at Saraztro. Their Greek food hits the spot when you’re looking for a spot of summery cooking on Wellfield Road.

The Details:

Address - Saraztro, 57 Wellfield Rd, Cardiff CF24 3PA

Web - https://twitter.com/saraztro

Telephone - 029 2049 0600

Nighthawks wine bar and Mad Dog brewery tap, Cardiff review

When I saw that both Nighthawks wine bar and the Mad Dog brewery taproom, located just about 50 metres apart from each other in Cardiff city centre, were both serving delicious looking toasted cheese sandwiches, the opportunity for a pun-tastic blog post theme seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

So, I present to you a tale of two toasties.

First up, is Nighthawks. Located on a glass-fronted corner entrance to the Castle Arcade, this wine bar’s name must surely take inspiration from the famous Edward Hopper painting. 

With an interesting selection of 14 wines by the glass (I won’t pretend to know what I’m talking about), each option is accompanied by an evocative description which helps a lot when choosing what to order. If wine isn’t your bag then there’s also Welsh Mountain Cider and beers from Wiper & True and Brooklyn.

Working our way through a couple of glasses each, I enjoyed a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc (£6.95) with plenty of citrus and gooseberry, and a really excellent Puglian negroamaro (£6.95) with heaps of raisins and soft tannins. Mrs G was a big fan of both a natural granacha blanca (£6.95) and a Uruguayan petit manseng (£8.95) which lived up to its apple pie crust billing.

With a menu of elevated snacks, which include posh paprika crisps with sour cream and fish roe; anchovies with garlic oil; and cheese and charcuterie boards, their toasted cheese sandwich is very much the eye-catcher. It certainly lived up to its billing.

Top drawer crisped and buttery Pettigrew sourdough (£7.50) cosseted a thick ooze of creamy mozzarella, tangy cheddar, Rutland red and lubricating white wine bechamel sauce. Pieces of spring onion provided a hit of allium whilst a pot of thick and fruity tomato chutney had just the right amount of acidity and the addition of nigella seeds provided unmistakably naan bread like seasoning.

With one excellent toastie under our belts, Mad Dog Brewery had a lot to live up to. 

Having relocated from Monmouthshire to a spot opposite the castle earlier this year, I was interested to read that one of the owners had experience of working in the kitchen of the three Michelin-starred Fat Duck.

So, the signs were more than promising and it translated into a delicious sounding menu of small plates and sandwiches, with dishes including padron peppers with sumac yoghurt, duck croquettes with mustard mayo, and buttermilk fried chicken with chilli mayo.

With beers on offer including the brewery’s own marmalade IPA and a guest amber ale from Crafty Devil, Mrs G and I both enjoyed a light, crisp and juicy Hair of the Dog American pale ale - it’s the kind of beer I could happily have a few pints of.

Once again, top drawer crisp toasted sourdough bread provided the foundation for the sandwich (£9).

This time, it was loaded with a looser creamy cheddar cheese sauce, which provided a lovely coating for a fine dice of soft and sweet leeks. It was a deliciously filthy and rich toastie but I think the Nighthawks toastie edged it due to its ooziness.

We supplemented our sandwich with a portion of mushroom fritters (£5) - a fine dice of seriously savoury mushrooms were bound together by bechamel (I think) and coated in a extremely crisp panko crumb, which was perhaps just one shade of brown too dark. An accompanying bowl of delicately sweet and savoury miso mayo completed the delicious snack.

We had excellent toasted sandwiches at both Nighthawks and Mad Dog so it’s a story with a happy ending. I'll certainly be going back to both places to explore more of the snacks and booze on their menus.

The Details:
Nighthawks

Address - 47-49, Castle Arcade, Cardiff CF10 1BW

Web - https://www.instagram.com/nighthawkscardiff/?hl=en

Mad Dog Brewery

Address - 17-19 Castle St, Cardiff CF10 1BS

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

Telephone - 07500 225616