I don’t think I’ve ever opened a review by talking about a restaurant’s cocktail selection.
But, then not every restaurant has a mixologist of the calibre of Matthew “Welly” Jones like Rhiwbina’s Mesen. The former general manager of Cardiff’s Lab 22 was part of the team when it was named best in the UK in the Top 50 Cocktail Bars in 2022 and won Best Cocktail Menu in The World’s 50 Best Bars in 2021. Not a bad CV then.
Welly has firmly put his stamp on Mesen’s cocktail menu with understated sounding creations like WKD Spritz, Old Fashioned, and Lowball. But, you can be assured that each one has its own twist, using ingredients like ash baked beetroot juice, pickled peach and toasted honey.
A stellar raspberry daiquiri (£11) was far removed from the saccharine red fruit slushy most places serve up. Combining rum, sweet and creamy cacao blanc, the sharp fragrance of raspberry and the added complexity of white miso, it was so good that Mrs G’s mum had one for starter and one for dessert.
A fresh and fragrant gimlet (£11) was equally impressive. Combining gin and Lillet Blanc with the clever aroma of apricot and grape, it was extremely well balanced and dangerously gluggable.
But, enough about the cocktails… I should probably talk about Mesen’s food.
Since opening in 2023, Mesen (which means Acorn in Welsh) has built a strong reputation for its globally influenced flame cooking. Sharing dishes on their weekly changing blackboard include sweetbreads with turnip and prosciutto; prawn dumplings with rib broth; and padron peppers with blue cheese and panko crumb.
Their Mariachi band soundtrack, live fire cooking and Palace streetwear inspired merch, certainly brings something hip to the traditional suburb of Rhiwbina.
On a Sunday lunchtime, Mesen serves a compact menu of one starter, four mains and three desserts. When we visited, there was a choice of three meats for main, a T-bone steak for two to share (£70), pork belly (£35) and chicken (£27), all of which included the usual Sunday roast trimmings.
A minor frustration, but it shouldn’t be impossible to track down a restaurant’s menu in advance of visiting. Whether it’s on the website or social media, it’s one of the main things that prospective customers are looking for… still at least I’m going to get some good blog traffic for people googling “Mesen Sunday lunch menu”.
A T-bone steak was a handsome beast. We weren’t asked how we’d like it cooked but thankfully there was absolutely no need.
Served a beautiful medium rare with a uniform pinkness throughout and a good salty crust, it was nicely beefy with a good tenderness. This was an excellent piece of meat and thankfully Mrs G and her mum had a few spare slices that I could pilfer.
Two pieces of pork belly appeared generous, had excellent shatteringly crisp skin and deliciously juicy and tender flesh. But, around half of each piece of meat was comprised of fat, meaning that its value for money was certainly questionable in comparison to the whopping steak.
Sharing sides were very good, with a few real standouts.
Sweet roast carrots had a bang on amount of bite and were topped with a savoury flurry of cheese and sat in a pool of vivid pesto. They were excellent.
A heaped plateful of roasties were commendably crisp and light and fluffy on the inside.
A large jug of steaming thick and meaty gravy ensured that there was no rationing required.
Cabbage had a nice lick of smoke; it was a good reminder that we were in a flame cookery restaurant.
Yorkshire puddings were crisp and soft, but I must admit that I rather craved their giant sharing version that I’ve seen doing the rounds online.
We washed it all down with glasses of a red fruit and liquorice twanged Negroamaro and Malvasia blend (£11 for 250ml) and coupes of prosecco (£8) before moving onto a pair of honeyed Cerons (£6.50) and Tokaji dessert wines (£9) to accompany dessert.
Oaty, salty and sweet hobnobs (£8) were lovely paired with creamy brie and a drizzle of truffle honey. It was a corking combination that I’ll certainly emulate at home.
Toasty, smooth and creamy Basque cheesecake (£8) was lush too. But it didn't need the accompanying dollop of creamy crème fraiche as it was better on its own.
We had a delicious and generous roast dinner at Mesen with very good service. However, whilst it’s hard to fault the value for money of such an excellent steak with sides for two for £70, I’m really not so sure about the pork.
Judging by the full house on a Sunday lunch, Mesen has clearly been embraced by the local community, and for good reason. I’d be very keen to go back for dinner to work my way through some of their more exciting dishes. Of course, I’ll be going ordering a clutch of their cocktails too.
The Details:
Address - Mesen, Heol-Y-Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6HF
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