Saturday, 21 December 2024

Silures, Roath, Cardiff Sunday lunch review

On the Sunday after the onslaught of Storm Darragh, I thought it would be a fine opportunity to check out the Sunday lunch at Silures on Wellfield Road on my own.

Whilst this was partially under the guise of supporting local hospitality after taking yet another battering, it was primarily because I’m exceptionally greedy and Mrs G was busy working.

One of the few swanky restaurants on my side of Cardiff, Silures was beautifully decked out in its festive finery. Combined with the excellent front of house from familiar Cardiff hospitality faces Ollie and Andrew, a visit to Silures always feels a little bit special.  

Silures’ compact Sunday lunch menu offers a well-priced two courses for £30 or three courses for £35. There’s a choice of three starters, five mains (including roast pork, beef and chicken), and four desserts.

I’ve recently completed a wine course so in theory the quality of my wine tasting notes should move kick up a gear from abysmal to woeful. A large gluggable glass of Pays D’oc Merlot (£7) was packed with red fruit and had good acidity. Nope, same quality of commentary as usual then.

To start, silky smooth and thick chicken liver parfait was partnered with some excellent garnishes - sweet date chutney, crunchy candied walnuts and zippy pickled mushrooms.

It was cracking spread over a slice of lightly toasted brioche, which was served in a rather absurd bowl of grain. This was a classic dish executed with class.

A roast dinner is best judged in terms of its individual components and this basis, Silures’ pork belly and cauliflower cheese are two of the finest examples that I've eaten anywhere.

A plate length piece of pork was impeccably juicy and tender and topped with shatteringly light, thin and crisp crackling. Bag this crispy pork skin up and it would be the best pork scratching on offer in Cardiff. 

Silures have clearly taken all the key learnings from their excellent macaroni cheese and brought them to bear on the brassica. A bubbling cauldron of golden cheese was home to dinky cauliflower pieces that were well-coated in an ultra thick and cheesy sauce. 

I’ve never had a version like it, and it was far superior to other examples where massive bits of cauliflower are barely coated in an underpowered sauce.

A light and crisp Yorkshire pudding, roast heritage carrots, fruity braised red cabbage, and greens were all unfussy yet hit the mark. Tender roast potatoes could have been more assertively crisp, but really that’s my only criticism.

A jug of thick glossy gravy ensured that there was ample saucing on hand.

Stuffed, I thought I'd crack on with a light dessert, a whopping bowl of rice pudding. Thick and creamy with a warming winter spice of cinnamon and cardamom, it was adorned with toasty honeycomb pieces and a dollop of richness balancing dark berry compote.

I had a corker of a Sunday lunch at Silures and it’s definitely up there among the best I’ve eaten in Cardiff. Whichever part of the city you’re in, it’s worth a trip over to Wellfield Road for a little bit of luxury.

The Details:

Address - Silures, 55 Wellfield Road, Cardiff CF24 3PA
Web - https://www.silures-amh.com/
Telephone - 029 2280 6369

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