Sure, we’ve been for a fabulous Sunday roast since, but it was high time we checked out their tasting menu to see what the kitchen is capable of when it’s at full throttle.
I’m pleased to say that the cooking at Heaney’s is better than ever and its certainly at the level of many Michelin-starred restaurants we’ve been to.
Their technically precise food was pitch perfect across the board with a strong emphasis on fish, smoky barbecue notes and Asian ingredients.
Whilst there’s a very good value set lunch on offer at Heaney’s (seven courses for £35), we went for the full-blown 8 course tasting menu (10 courses for £80).
On the day we visited it was the Ellis Barrie guest chef night later on, so we were slightly apprehensive that the kitchen would be more focused on prepping for dinner service than lunch. We really shouldn’t have worried at all.
Snacks set the tempo. As neither Mrs G or I eat raw oysters, we requested a cooked alternative (£4 supplement) on the fly, and it was an absolute corker. Panko crumbed with a dollop of comforting katsu curry sauce and crispy seaweed, it had all the comfort of the Waga’s classic with an extra level of refinement. Apparently, they’re a mainstay of the menu at Uisce so we’ll be heading there for a plateful sharpish.
An aged comté cheese and onion tart saw the most delicate of pastry cases filled with sweet-caramelised onions, a light cheese foam and flurry of aged comté cheese.
Dainty mushroom macarons were sandwiched with decadent chicken liver parfait and the sweet sharpness sanbaizu jelly.
Heaney’s sourdough with Marmite butter needed no introduction. The soft crumbed bread with its toasty caramelised crust and the creamy umami rich dairy are pretty much a dream combination.
Our first proper dish was my pick of the meal. If Tommy ever opens a sushi bar then I’ll be first in the queue. Sushi rice topped with cubes of oily chalk stream trout sashimi was elevated by soy, citrusy yuzu, crunchy puffed rice and a clever dash of coil oil, which imbued the whole dish with a barbecued smokiness.
Another delicate tart was filled with barbecued green and white asparagus. Accompanied by creamy smoked ricotta, a vivid wild garlic sauce and crispy chicken crumb, it was another cracking combination of flavours and textures.
Lightly cooked scallop slices, twanged with meaty beef fat in which they were cooked, were sat on blobs of intense smoked cod roe that were contrasted by tangy rhubarb and a light yet flavour-packed scallop and ginger dashi.
Another standout of the meal was a fillet of Cornish bass with the crispest of skin, accompanied by Jersey Royals and sweet-savoury teriyaki shitake mushrooms. What really made the dish sing was an iberico pork velouté – I mean what’s not to love about a porky and creamy sauce.
BBQ Welsh lamb was the only meat dish of the meal but what a dish it was – a big hunk of blushing pink smoky loin was joined by a fat rich slab of crispy belly. Purple sprouting broccoli, compressed pear, a sweet and sharp pear and wine vinegar puree, and the glossiest of sauces all complemented the meat beautifully.
A riff on rhubarb and custard was a belter of a palate cleanser. To be fair, you can put rhubarb on pretty much any dish and I’ll be very happy indeed. I think there was a light yoghurty custard, tart cubes of poached rhubarb, a fruity Sauternes ice cream, and a fragrant blood orange granita.
For dessert, a bar of silky dark chocolate delice had a good level of bitterness. Sweet banana puree with the savoury twang of miso, earthy Jerusalem artichoke ice cream with crisp artichoke skin crisps, coffee cream, and a crunchy biscuit disc all provided pops of contrast and complexity.
Post meal treats were an ice cream filled riff on a Ferrero Rocher and a thick salted caramel filled chocolate.
We had a brilliant meal at Heaney’s and it’s somewhere I’d always be happy to recommend without hesitation. At the top end of the market, Cardiff has never had such strong options, but it’s great to see the team at Heaney’s constantly pushing on.
The Details:
Address - Heaneys, 6-10 Romilly Cres, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NR
Telephone - 029 2034 1264
No comments:
Post a Comment