Poca, Canton, Cardiff restaurant review

I think I’ve finally cracked the code to enjoying small plates restaurants.

The secret? Don’t under any circumstances share a small plate with more than one other person. And make sure there aren't any fuzzy boundaries of social etiquette between you and the person you share with. 

If not, a meal quickly becomes a frustrating exercise in dissection (can I really slice a langoustine into five pieces?), genuflection (of course, it would be my pleasure if you have the last eighth of the lamb chop), and introspection (I’m sure Jim had a bigger bit of the mackerel than I did).

It’s fortunate I’d worked out this winning formula before a visit to Cardiff’s newly opened Poca as a group of five. Mrs G and I successfully shared six small plates with minimal fuss whilst our trio of friends were busy dividing a piece of toast into thirds.

Poca, which is located on the former site of La Cuina in Canton, is the newly opened restaurant from chef Antonio Simeone, who built his name at Dinas Powys’ Humble Onion by creating comforting plates of food using less glamorous cuts of meat. His second restaurant, the excellent Alium in Barry, has sadly recently shut its doors, demonstrating the current precariousness of hospitality.

It’s probably fair to say that the intimate setting of Poca, which means little in Italian, is a far more appropriate setting for Antonio’s cooking than the gargantuan Pumphouse in Barry. In Canton he’s got an all-star team which includes Lali Suto, formerly of Nook, heading up the kitchen and Ollie Banks, a familiar face from Ollie’s and Arbennig, in front of house.

Limoncello spritzes (£8.50), ice cold and packed full of fragrant and tart citrus, were bob on for a warm summer’s eve. We followed them up with excellent bottles of creamy Crémant de Bourgogne (£38) and bright and zippy vinho verde (£30) with a delicate fizz.

An individual focaccia (£5) wasn’t the softest crumbed example I’ve eaten. However, the clincher was that it was served hot and was absolutely delicious dredged through a bowl of sticky sweet balsamic reduction and grassy olive oil.

A whopping trio of sweet king prawns (£12) were de-shelled at their waists for easy access but with their heads left on for maximum juice suckage. Sat in a creamy shellfish bisque with a lovely intensity, we had to request a spoon so I could guzzle every drop.

The oozy decadence of an excellent Welsh rarebit (£9.50) was topped with sweet white crab meat and salty samphire. 

A brick of beef shin fritter (£9) was the only dish of the night which underwhelmed. Whilst the crumb was beautifully crisp and an earthy mushroom ketchup and zingy pink pickled onions were tasty garnishes, the long-cooked shin was a little bit dry. I think it probably would have benefited from being bound together with a sauce for added flavour and unctuousness. Also, I'm not really sure what purpose pea shoots ever serve other than to add a tangle of bland greenery to a dish. 

There was no such moisture issues with a stupidly tender piece of rolled lamb breast (£11) that was bathing in a bowl of glossy sauce dotted with sweet peas and soft courgettes. A well-judged seasoning of vibrant mint and a salad of raw courgette added much needed brightness to the plate.

The first of two stars of the meal were a pair of top-drawer teriyaki chicken thighs that were gorgeously savoury, crisp of skin and juicy of flesh. They were great by themselves, but a potent kohlrabi kimchi was an excellent condiment to balance the meat’s richness.

Secondly, cauliflower cheese croquettes (£7.50) are such a good idea that I’m surprised I’ve never seen them before. Filled with a thick, rich and cheesy cauliflower puree and blobbed with mustard, they were my favourite Sunday roast side dish in a handheld format.

Desserts were pretty things but no less flavour-packed than the small plates.

A perfectly wobbly panna cotta (£9) had the lactic tang of yoghurt to cleverly temper its richness whilst a fragrant forest fruit compote and the crunch of ginger biscuit were lovely pairings.

A silky-smooth quenelle of chocolate ganache (£8.50), with a good level of bitterness and sweetness, was served with the classic flavour pairings of crushed pistachios and tart raspberries. A rectangle of pastry served as a handy shovel.

We had stonker of a meal at Poca. With its comforting, big-flavoured cooking, intimate setting and first-rate front of house, it’s another feather in the cap of west Cardiff’s enviable restaurant scene.

The Details:

Address - Poca, 11 Kings Rd, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9BZ

Web - https://pocarestaurant.co.uk/