Stepping into the Flora on the night of a Six Nations match was pretty similar to walking into my students’ union around a quarter of a century ago.
Standing room only, everyone seemed to be wearing a combination of baggy jumpers, snow pants, flared jeans, puffy jackets and logo t-shirts. And, a poster in the toilet advertised three Jagerbombs for a keenly priced £8.50.
Add to that the fact I’ve already reviewed the Flora around seven years ago (by which time my blog was already six years old) and you’ll realise that I’m very much an OAP when it comes to this blogging lark.
The reason we were back visiting the Flora in 2024 is because Steve Bennett, former head chef at the brilliant Heaney’s in Pontcanna, took over cooking responsibilities last year.
If someone with that level of ability is turning their hand to pub grub, then it’s definitely going to be worth checking out.
The Flora’s menu features an internationally influenced menu of dishes, which all sound like ideal accompaniments for a few pints. There’s grilled chicken thigh satay, Algerian style merguez sausages, quorn keema naans, and pumpkin and onion bhajis.
Having elbowed my way to the bar, we settled down to a couple of halves of the always reliable Beavertown Neck Oil.
My first mouthful was a strong indicator of what was to follow. A deeply beefy and fat-rich ex-dairy cow beef burger (£11) was topped with super savoury soy ketchup, a tumble of tender AF slow-cooked shredded brisket, and slices of funky, cleansing kimchi. A soft yet sturdy nori-seasoned bun was an impressive piece of handiwork in comparison to the ubiquitously bought-in brioche bun.
Even better was a lamb barbacoa kebab (£10), which saw a beautifully soft flatbread topped with generous hunks of fall-apart tender lamb in a rich, meaty, and warming-spiced mole sauce. Xni pec, a fresh salsa that was reminiscent of pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapenos were top drawer toppings to go with that decadent meat.
Crisp fries (+£2) were seasoned with salt and pepper, but the kicker was a pot of fried egg mayonnaise, which impressively delivered on its savoury eggy intensity.
Mrs G’s pick of the night was a pair of short-crusted samosas (£8) filled with impeccably tender and comfortingly spiced beef shin rendang. A tumble of pickled onions, crispy onions and a curried mayonnaise all added extra layers of flavour and texture.
In a token nod towards health, we ordered tenderstem broccoli (£5). Little did we realise it was deep-fried. But how well fried it was, with a beautifully light grease free batter, and then topped with a sweet and fiery gochujang-based sauce and nutty sesame seeds.
A further blow to my svelte physique was dealt with the arrival of a portion of buttermilk chicken tenders (£8), which had been accidentally mixed up with the tenderstem broccoli. We were very kindly given them, and I ended up with two more deep-fried dishes than I’d planned.
I’m pleased to report that they were epic – the impeccably juicy boneless chicken pieces were coated in the crispest of grease-free crumbs with a savoury seasoning which did a fine imitation of the Colonel’s. They were topped off with a rather good Thai green curry mayonnaise.
We had a corker of a meal at The Flora. If you’re looking for high class pub grub and a couple of pints in Cardiff, then it’s most definitely the place to head.
The Details:
Address - The Flora, 136 Cathays Terrace, Cardiff CF24 4HY
Telephone - 029 2009 0525
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