All hail the picky bits.
I’m a big fan of Spanish and Italian bar culture where you can enjoy a couple of drinks accompanied by some tapas or cicchetti.
It’s a very civilised way of getting sozzled and a fine way to enjoy lots of little different things to eat as you meander between bars.
Which brings me to Vicino, the new Mediterranean tapas, wine and cocktail bar from the team behind Sonder. Meaning ‘neighbour’ in Italian, it’s unsurprisingly located across the road from its vibey Pontcanton mothership, a restaurant which has taken the city by storm since opening twelve months ago.
Billed as “somewhere small bites turn into big nights”, the cosy venue was already buzzing in the middle of the afternoon of their first Saturday in business.
Vicino offers a big selection of cocktails and wines by the glass as well as a few beers and ciders. Mrs G got stuck straight into the Veuve Cliquot champagne (£13) whilst I tried a couple of their long drinks. A grown up yet refreshing Garibaldi (£12) was the standout, combining Campari, blood orange and basil. A slightly less complex Levriero (£12), made with grappa, white port and grapefruit, was still lovely.
Vicino’s food menu is a collection of mostly cold nibbles, charcuterie and sandwiches. It’s a lot less involved than the food on offer at Sonder and most definitely the kind of thing you can pick at over a few drinks.
The first thing to turn up was a slice of tortilla (£5) and it was the first dish that had caught my eye on the menu too.
The combination of golden eggs, caramelised onion sweetness, a dusting of salty cheese and poky aioli was very good. But, I thought there was a bit too much bite in the spuds so that it didn’t quite cohere into a soft textured whole. Mrs G of course disagreed and enjoyed the texture contrast.
Tuna tartare crostini (£7.50) were my favourite of the dishes we ate. Crisp and fatty golden toasts were topped with a meaty dice of raw tuna and avocado that were seasoned with the zing of lime and fresh coriander. I could have smashed a dozen of them.
Home fried earthy crisps (£5) were delicious dredged through a light and creamy dip with a good funk of salty and smoky blue cheese. A salsa of tomato, olives, peppers and onion brought freshness to the plate.
A sweet and flavoursome salad of heritage tomatoes (£5) were well dressed with good quality olive oil and vinegar.
From the sandwich and toastie section of the menu, we ordered a couple to share.
A pressed grilled cheese and leek sandwich (£7) was laden with oozy dairy and soft, sweet allium. It didn’t necessarily need the pot of sweet and umami burn onion ketchup on the side, but I gladly forked it straight into my gob.
Even better was a light and airy focaccia sandwich (£9) that was stacked with creamy stracciatella, salty cured prosciutto and grassy olive oil.
Vicino is another vibrant addition to Pontcanton’s hospitality scene and the team behind Sonder have hit the mark once again with their follow-up. We had a lovely time grazing and boozing over lunch but it’s most certainly the kind of place you don’t need to go for a meal. You could just as easily pop in for a drink and a snack, then see where the rest of the evening takes you, which might happen to be across the road to Sonder.
The Details:
Address - Vicino, 72a Llandaff Rd, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NL
Address - Vicino, 72a Llandaff Rd, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NL
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