I fully intended to review somewhere new this week, I promise.
But then Mrs G reminded me that Bar 44’s set menu was now available in Penarth on Saturday lunchtimes.
And well frankly, it would have been ridiculous to go anywhere else for lunch when there’s a deal that good on offer.
Available in Bar 44 Penarth at lunchtimes from Thursday to Saturday and dinner time on Wednesday and Thursday (serving times are more limited in Cardiff), Bar 44’s set menu offers a choice of three tapas dishes and an alcoholic or soft drink for £20.
Pound for pound, I can’t think of a better value set menu that I’ve come across in south Wales. Or the rest of the UK for that matter.
At full price I normally think Bar 44 is good value for the calibre of the cooking they serve. So, to be able to get a hefty lunch for two including booze for £40 is an absolute steal.
On the booze front, I enjoyed a glass of super smooth and crisp Estrella Galicia. It’s unquestionably a cut above the UK-brewed Madri and Cruzcampo, which are both everywhere at the moment. A chalice of ice-cold and fruity Sangria was a lovely sunshine drink.
It took a bit of negotiation with Mrs G to decide which dishes we were going to order but finally we reached a resolution.
A cooling salad of lightly zingy and earthy sherry vinegar roasted beetroot was sat in a pool of creamy garlic-twanged ajo blanco that was scattered with the crunch of crushed almonds. It was a lovely summery dish and the tiniest nod towards health before we moved onto the fried stuff.
A quartet of jamon iberico croquetas had the perfect goo factor. Studded with nuggets of salty ham and fragranced with the warmth of nutmeg, they were as good as you’d find anywhere in Spain.
A golden edged tortilla had a beautifully soft and oozy golden interior laden with soft potatoes and sweet caramelised onions.
Whopping pieces of impeccably crisp-battered white fish (hake, I assume) fell apart into massive tender flakes. A vibrant piquillo pepper salsa and silky alioli were bang on accompaniments.
I’ve said it time and time again, but Bar 44’s duck and morcilla burger is unquestionably one of the best burgers in Cardiff.
A delicately sweet toasted bun was home to a beautifully crisp, fatty, smoky and meaty melange of confit duck and smoked morcilla. It’s the toppings of an addictively sweet and delicately spicy piquillo pepper ketchup and creamy yet richness balancing apple and fennel slaw which take it to the next level.
Finally, Arabic spiced juicy Morunos chicken thighs sat in a pool of creamy yoghurt which tempered the chilli heat of a slick of Mallorcan sobrasada. Chicken skin crisps, which perched on top, provided a lovely bit of crunch.
For dessert, the only bit of money I spent over my £20, was £4.50 for a scoop of the thickest and smoothest salted Catalan almond and caramel ice cream. I’m always a sucker for the combination of salt and sugar.
We had a brilliant lunch at Bar 44 and I can’t sing the praises of their £20 menu highly enough. I’m genuinely considering giving up this blog and just eating at Bar 44 once a week instead.
The Details:
Address - Bar 44, 14 Windsor Rd, Penarth CF64 1JH
Telephone - 0333 344 4049
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