These are all some of life’s biggest questions and the latter has cropped up time and time again since I've started this blog.
One place that I’m always quick to recommend in the Bay is Yakitori #1, an independent Japanese restaurant that’s been a longstanding fixture for over a decade.
Despite having only been to Yakitori #1 a couple of times since I last reviewed it over ten years ago, I’ve continued to hear good things from people whose opinion I trust.
This time around, we visited early on a Saturday evening before a trip to Wales Millennium Centre, and it was great to see the understated dining room packed with people enjoying stir-fried noodles, sushi platers, katsu curries, and bowls of ramen. With swift and efficient service, we were in and out within an hour, making it an ideal pre-theatre option.
During dinner, I knocked back a couple of bottles of crisp and malty Sapporo lager (£4.75) whilst our friend who wasn’t drinking tucked away a few glasses of Yuzu Mitzu (£3.95), a super refreshing mix of yuzu and honey.
Vegetable tempura (£7.50) was made up of a toothsome combination of aubergine, pepper, sweet potato, and mushroom in an airy and grease-free batter. It was accompanied by a light and savoury tentsuyu dipping sauce.
A Yakitori #1 nigiri special (£20.50) hit the mark on all accounts with its well-seasoned, unclaggy and room temperature rice. Meaty salmon, tuna and yellowtail, sweet prawns, and sweet-savoury inari tofu were all delicious. We ordered another portion of the inari tofu (£4.60) as it’s always Mrs G’s favourite.
A bowl of plump and fatty salmon sashimi (£9.95) was served in thick tranches over crushed ice.
Unagi maki rolls (£13.95) were topped with barbecued teriyaki eel with its addictively sweet, savoury, fatty and smoky properties.
Alongside their chi-chi delicatessen and restaurant, they serve a belting range of cocktails which are mixed by an alumnus of the acclaimed Lab 22.
My favourites were a glasslike take on a White Russian (£11.50), made with coffee distillate, cream soda, and vanilla.
A pitch perfect whisky sour (£11.50) was cleverly scented with bay leaf and a spritzy take on a pina colada (£11.50) was super refreshing on a muggy evening. All the other cocktails we ordered were great too.
Picton & Co's dinner menu of small and sharing plates also sounds very good, but it's worth noting that they're not served till 6 pm, so sadly it's not viable as a pre-theatre option.
If you’re the kind of person who lies awake at night wondering whether there are any good independent hospitality businesses in Cardiff Bay, then sleep soundly because Yakitori #1 and Picton & Co are the answers to your worries.
The Details:
Yakitori #1
Address - 10 Mermaid Quay, Cardiff CF10 5BZ
Address - 10 Mermaid Quay, Cardiff CF10 5BZ
Telephone - 029 2049 5050
Picton & Co
Address - Unit 9, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff CF10 5BZ
Address - Unit 9, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff CF10 5BZ
Telephone - 029 2066 2080
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