Vines, Pontcanna, Cardiff restaurant review

Tom Simmons should strongly consider opening a culinary talent scouting agency.

Because both dinners we’ve had at different pop-up restaurants at his Ground Bakery in Pontcanna have been meal of the year contenders.

Last year it was Tom Waters’ Gorse.

This year it’s Vines by Alex Vines.

Originally from Cardiff, Alex built up an impressive CV in London at belting produce-focused restaurants like Rochelle Canteen and 40 Maltby Street as well as heading up his own kitchen at Lighthaus Café in Walthamstow. Now, he's returned to South Wales with the ambition of opening his own restaurant.

Open on Thursday to Saturday evenings, Vines offers a compact menu of seasonal small plates of big rustic flavours cooked with first-rate technique, some of which are made using vegetables from Alex’s own garden.

There’s also in interesting selection of natural wines by the glass. We kicked off with elderflower packed sparkling Muscat d’Alsace (£8.20) before moving onto glasses of Laurent Saillard Sauvignon Blanc (£7.60), sourced from Wright’s Wines, and an Italian orange wine (£6.20).

Slices of shatteringly crusty and light crumbed Ground Bakery baguette (£3.50) were a welcome change to ubiquitous sourdough. It was served with a halfmoon of top-drawer Glastonbury butter.

A trio of crisp-crumbed croquettes (£7) looked the absolute business. Filled with silky chickeny bechamel twanged with tarragon and studded with pieces of tender meat and melty washed rind Gubeen cheese, they were absolute corkers. A blob of thick, tangy and earthy beetroot ketchup had an addictive smoky hit, but I thought the croquettes were a complete dish all by themselves. Mrs G of course disagreed.

Summery ribbons and slices of cucumber (£7.50) were dressed with a vibrant citrusy dressing and sat on a creamy cucumber fragranced ajo blanco, which I gather was made with sunflower seeds instead of almonds. Slices of tart and juicy gooseberry provided pops of fragrant acidity, but I only got one bit in my half of the dish; such are the perils of sharing plates.

A bowl of tomato rice (£13.50) was described as a paella which had been on holiday to Iran. It was one hell of a good rice dish and that’s speaking as someone who’s just guzzled their way around Alicante eating arroz. The precisely cooked rice was bathed in a sauce which delivered a seriously big umami hit. All the garnishes added layers of flavour and texture – cleansing raw tomato pieces, creamy strained yoghurt, fronds of dill, crunchy onions, and slices of pickled walnut with a restrained acidity compared to those which I eat with abandon at Christmas.

A piece of skate (£17.50) served off the bone was as fine an example as I’ve eaten, lacking any gelatinousness or stringiness. Served with a bouillabaisse butter sauce with a good hit of earthy fish, burstingly fragrant pickled fresh coriander seeds, vibrant cavolo nero, a sweet buttery carrot, and carrot puree, it was a plate of very lovely things. However, it was perhaps stretching the definition of a sharing plate as every component needed to be carefully divided in two.

I’ve never seen kid (£16.50) on a restaurant before and I’ve definitely been missing out as it reminded me of a more delicate version of lamb. Fall apart tender pieces of meat were sat in a meaty smoky broth in which bobbed tender fava beans, charred and caramelised onions and smoky aubergine, all of which were given a big lift by a salsa verde packed with green herbs.

I’m a huge Bakewell tart (£8) fan and this was a stonking version. Served hot, its pastry case was gorgeously short with a good twang of toasty brown butter. It was the home to plump and fragrant cherry halves and a soft and squidgy frangipane. A dollop of tangy crème fraiche added extra luxuriousness.

Frozen lemon parfait (£8) was reminiscent of a lemon posset, such was its combination of intense citrus, sweetness and creaminess. Balanced by a thick blackcurrant compote with a good sharp acidity and light meringue pieces, it was another lovely pud.

We had a fabulous meal at Vines. With their superb seasonal cooking, great natural wines by the glass, and excellent service, it’s a contender for our best meal in Cardiff of 2023. And, with the menu changing every other week, it's the kind of place which demands repeat visits.  

Alex’s return to South Wales is a big win for Cardiff’s food scene. I’d highly recommend booking a table soon.

The details

Address - Ground Bakery, 15 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9HQ

Web - https://vinescardiff.co.uk/
Email - alex@vinescardiff.co.uk