Tom's Smashed Burgers, Penarth review

Mrs G and I supposed to be training for a long hike later this year.

However, what with the shit weather and our mild laziness, we’ve only managed to achieve one 12 mile yomp so far in the last few months.

So, on the second day of sunshine since January, Mrs G and I set off to Penarth with our eyes on a lunchtime pitstop halfway on our walking route.

Our destination of choice was Tom’s Smashed Burger in Penarth, which has been on my radar for many a year and is often in the mix when south Wales’s best burger is discussed. 

It’s located in Crafty Devil Cellar, the taproom for a very good Cardiff craft brewery – I’m always a fan of their Mikey Rayer session pale ale and Lush hazy pale ale. 

But, as we had another seven miles still to walk, we stuck to Born Free (£4.80), Craft Devil’s alcohol-free beer. Brewed with citra and mosaic hops, it was a deliciously juicy yet refreshing drop.

 

Tom’s Smashed Burgers menu comprises of ten different burgers (including chicken, veggie and vegan options) that are available with single, double or triple patties as well as loaded fries and sides like halloumi fries and corn ribs.

Having placed our order at the bar and plonked ourselves in in Crafty Devil’s sunny courtyard area, there wasn’t long to wait for our food to arrive.

I kept it simple with the double Tom’s Classic (£12) and it was a handsome burger indeed. A pair of deeply beefy smashed patties with compellingly crisp lacy edges spilled over from the edges of the bun.

Topped with a good ooze of American cheese, a thick and tangy burger sauce, and cleansing zingy pickles, it was a big-flavoured bit of junk food and you could taste the quality of the dry-aged beef which had been used. 

The only thing I wasn’t fully sold on was a sweet brioche bun which was fine but reminded me a bit of the kind of you can pick up at the supermarket.

Mrs G had called dibs on the double bacon burger (£14) and as suspected, it was even better than my classic burger. Topped with herb-flecked umami-charged bacon mayo, crisp streaky bacon, pickles and crispy onions, it was a belter of a burger.

Just as tasty as the burgers was a whopping portion of buffalo chicken dirty fries. We ordered the small (£8), so I’d love to see what their large portion (£12) is like.

A basket of golden fries was topped with a bevy of potently flavoured toppings – crisp crumbed chicken pieces, nuggets of pokey stilton, fiery jalapenos and a saucy trio of nacho cheese, tangy blue cheese mayo and vinegar-twanged buffalo sauce. It was an absolute mess of a dish, and I was fully on board with it.

We really enjoyed the burgers and fries from Tom’s Smashed Burgers. All their flavours are on point and it’s exactly the kind of food which pairs well with a few craft beers. Next time we’re back in Penarth on another training hike, we’ll be sure to get stuck into Crafty Devil’s tasty beer selection as well as Tom's burgers.

The Details:

Address - Tom's Smashed Burgers, Crafty Devil Cellar, 17 Windsor Rd, Penarth CF64 1JB

Web - https://instagram.com/toms_smashed_burgers

Barry Sidings Cafe, Pontypridd cafe review

It’s easy to see why some cafes in popular parks just phone it in. 

After all, with a captive audience out for a stroll, swing or pedalo, there’s always a plentiful supply of people to whom you can flog a sad panini or a dried-out scone. 

This is certainly not what Barry Sidings Cafe have decided to do.

Located between Pontypridd and Porth in Barry Sidings Countryside Park, their menu of burgers, loaded fries, and baked goods makes a big deal of the Welsh produce they use, name checking local butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, brewers, and coffee and tea suppliers, amongst others.

There’s also a distinctly non-corporate feel to the place, with its country and western soundtrack, acoustic guitar adorned walls and pallet panelling. 

With their massive outdoor seating area, plentiful cycle parking, and bike repair shop next door, they’re also clearly catering to the multitude of mountain bikers enjoying the local area. 

Despite there being a sizeable queue when we arrived on a sunny Saturday lunchtime after a yomp up Mynydd Gelliwion, our order was served within 25 minutes. 

A black coffee, from local roastery Big Dog, was impressively smooth.

A pair of burgers were both very tasty and showcased sturdy yet soft crumbed rolls from Ivey Patisserie in Church Village and double 4oz smashed patties from The Gourmet Butcher in Whitchurch.

Both patties had a good crusty caramelisation and a juicy pink interior. Considering the burgers each cost just over £11, they delivered plenty of bang for our buck. 

I had the bacon double cheeseburger (£11.25), topped with a good ooze of American cheese, crisp streaky bacon and the freshness of sliced lettuce and tomato. It had a high end Whopper vibe but perhaps would have been even better with some burger sauce to bring it all together. 

The clear winner was Mrs G’s Oklahoma burger (£11.50), with the double patties smashed into a pile of white onions and mustard to deliver a good hit of umami sweetness, mustardy warmth, and oozy cheesiness. It was altogether a naughtier and more intensely flavoured affair. 

From the selection of loaded fries on offer, we plumped for the Teriyaki chicken version (£9). The plentiful chicken had a good tenderness and the sticky sauce a tasty sweet savoury flavour. But both the fries and batter would have benefited from more crispness. And, I’m sure the advertised garlic chives and kohlrabi microgreens that were absent would have added an extra dimension. 

We had a very tasty lunch at Barry Sidings Café, with their burgers most definitely being the standout. If you’re out for a ride, walk or twitch in the local area, then it’s well worth a pit stop. 

The Details:

Address - Barry Sidings Cafe, Porth, Pontypridd CF37 2PE
Web - https://www.barrysidings.co.uk/

Fire & Flank, Tiger Yard, Cardiff review

Steak doesn't seem like the best idea when it comes to street food.

Typically requiring ‘à la minute’ preparation, there's nowhere to hide with how precisely it’s cooked or how well rested it is. 

With orders to churn through at a rate of knots, the last thing you’d want to do is serve something overcooked and resembling a piece of shoe leather. Or something so badly rested that it exsanguinates all over the rest of the dish. 

So, it's a testament to the ingenuity of the team at Cardiff's Fire & Flank that they've adopted a technique which means that they can consistently knock out beautifully cooked steaks time and time again. 

Initially cooked sous vide in a 57˚C water bath, Fire & Flank’s flank steaks are then finished on a griddle (or with a blow torch depending on health and safety rules). The result is a steak with a beautifully pink interior and a golden, caramelised crust. 

Despite setting-up shop in 2021, I only tried Fire & Flank for the first time earlier this year. However, I've been craving their steak and mash ever since. 

Fire & Flank currently resides at Cardiff Bay’s Tiger Yard as well as Kong’s Bar in Cardiff City centre; although the latter seems so lightly publicised that I keep on forgetting it exists, much like the fact that Kong’s has one of the best craft beer selections in town. 

Both times I’ve tried Fire & Flank have been at Tiger Yard in Cardiff Bay, a rather nice street food venue with a mixed bag of vendors. Fire & Flank is undoubtedly the standout of their residents.

Winner of the best main course at the British Street Food Awards in 2021, Fire & Flank’s steak with cheesy garlic mashed potato (£12) is a corker of a dish. Thick slices of their blushing pink, deeply beefy and well-crusted steak are served on a giant mound of smooth, garlicky, butter slicked, and cheese twanged mashed potato. It’s everything you want mashed potato to be, but it so rarely is. The dish’s richness is somewhat offset by a vibrant chimichurri that’s packed with fresh herbs, a zip of acidity and hint of chilli. 

Their steak and chips (£12) are just as good. This time a plentiful portion of their steak and chimichurri is piled on top of crisp paprika dusted fries. What’s particularly compelling is the mingling of beef juices and chimichurri oil with the chips, lending them a spicy beefy note. Some how they manage to remain crisp at the same time. 

However, Fire & Flank don’t just know how to cook a steak. Their burgers are excellent as well. 

Their Flank Burger (£12) is a proper five napkin job. A pair of seriously juicy and gnarly edged smashed ex-dairy beef patties have a real rich beefiness and savoury umami hit. Topped with oozy American cheese, a smoky house burger sauce, and more slices of that excellent flank steak, it’s only held together by the grace of all the juices which soak into the glistening brioche bun. 

I don’t normally write reviews of individual street food traders, but it’s worth singling out Fire & Flank for what they’re doing. They serve one of the best steak and chips in Cardiff for £12 and one of the city’s finest burgers too. Whether it’s Tiger Yard, Kong’s or wherever they end up next, Fire & Flank are most certainly worth seeking out. 

The Details:

Address - Fire & Flank, Tiger Yard, Plot A Porth Teigr Way, Cardiff CF10 4GA
Web - https://www.fireandflank.com/
Email - hello@fire@flank.com

One O'Clock Gate, Dinas Powys restaurant review

The business model for One O’Clock Gate in Dinas Powys seems like such a good idea that I’m surprised it’s not more common in villages, towns and cities across the UK.

Take a rarely used function room in a golf / rugby / lawn bowls / cricket / snooker club and let it out to a fledgling food business, thus providing an additional revenue stream and improved food and drink offering for the venue whilst helping a new venture get off the ground when overheads are so high.

Located in Dinas Powys Golf Club, One O’Clock Gate (named after a well-known landmark on the golf course) started as a pop-up takeaway during the pandemic. On the back of its success, it transformed into a sit-in venue in April this year. I don’t know what the space looked like before but they’ve done a lovely job of creating a modern lounge-restaurant-bar space which is as suited for daytime brunching as it is for evening dinner and cocktails.

Whilst there’s smashed avocado and toast available in the mornings from Wednesday to Sunday, really it’s all about their daytime and evening menu of Asian-inspired burgers and small plates. Influences are drawn from Korea, China, Vietnam and Japan with miso caramel fried chicken, Hoisin BBQ beef burgers, edamame beans with togarashi salt, and banh mi all featuring.

The booze selection is a cut above the pedestrian, with local craft beers on offer from Crafty Devil and Tiny Rebel, whilst a creative selection of cocktails included a mango margarita (£8) with plenty of tropical fruit and citrus.

On the Saturday night we visited, the large dining space was packed meaning that it took a fair amount of time for our food to arrive. We didn’t mind as we were catching up with a group of mates but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re planning on visiting during peak hours.

However, everything we ate was worth the wait.

A handsome Korean-style fried chicken burger (£11.95) was the clear winner of the two burgers. A sturdy yet soft toasted challah roll was filled with a hyper-crisp crumbed and exceptionally tender chicken thigh coated in a sweet, sticky and slightly spicy gochujang glaze. Toppings added layers of flavour from a fresh Asian slaw, to micro coriander and pink pickled onions.

A Teriyaki beef burger (£12.95) wasn’t short of flavour either. A thick and deeply meaty dry-aged beef patty had an excellent crust from its dalliance with a ferocious heat and it was dressed with a savoury and sweet Teriyaki glaze. Whilst the patty was served a still juicy well done, it would have been even better with a bit of pinkness. Tangy cheddar, slaw, pickles and Kewpie mayo completed the lovely burger.

An overflowing bowl of crisp fries (£2.95) were dusted with chilli salt with a good poke of spice.

Apple sesame slaw (£6.95) had heaps going on from its crisp batons of Fuji apple, red and white cabbage, carrot, beansprouts and coriander to a toasted sesame and lime dressing with plenty of zip and zing.

Honey sriracha cauliflower (£6.95) was another of the standouts of the meal. The meaty brassica pieces were coated in an impeccably crisp panko crumb and drenched with a sweet, sticky and spicy chilli glaze.

Onto dessert and sadly they’d sold out of an ube (Filipino purple yam) ice cream cookie sandwich. So, I had to make do with a chocolate brownie (£5.95) from Cardiff’s Cup & Cake Bakery. With a crusty exterior, gooey centre, and good hit of chocolate, it was accompanied by miso twanged caramel and thankfully not too sweet white chocolate ice cream.

An affogato (£4.50), made with decaff coffee on request, was also lovely served with that smooth-textured white chocolate ice cream.

One O’Clock Gate’s spice-packed street food, good selection of booze and friendly atmosphere makes it a great place to spend an evening. I hope some more sports clubs in and around Cardiff take a leaf out of their book and let exciting food businesses* take over their unused spaces.

 

*Since writing this blog post, Kapow Ribs have announced they're opening a restaurant in the clubhouse at Pencoed Rugby Club.

The Details:

Address - Dinas Powys Golf Club, Highwalls Rd, Dinas Powys CF64 4AJ

Web - https://www.oneoclockgate.co.uk/

Telephone - 029 2051 4128

Pasture, Cardiff bar and terrace menu review

To say that Pasture has been a success story since it opened its doors in Cardiff in 2020, is probably a bit of an understatement.

In fact, they’re nearly fully booked for dinner on Saturday nights until the end of November and if you want to visit at all in the next couple of months then you’ll be scraping the barrel with a freakishly late lunch.

It’s a testament to the quality of Pasture’s cooking and its broad appeal - their dry-aged steaks and crowd-pleasing sides are top drawer and their classy dining space transports you a few thousand miles away from Cardiff.

However, as I don’t usually plan to eat a steak six months in advance, I was very pleased to find out that they also offer a terrace and bar menu which is walk-ups only.

Whilst it doesn’t include their signature steaks, it does have a selection of their indulgent small plates, a burger, a dessert and an umbrella. Really, what more could you want?

When we pitched up around 5pm on a Wednesday evening the restaurant was impressively almost completely full but there was still a few tables available in the bar.

With a few more drinking destinations planned on our night out, we supped a couple of halves of deliciously crisp and bready Lost and Grounded Keller Pils.

A stack of wings (£7.50) were categorically epic. Tender of flesh, crisp and rugged of crumb and coated in an addictively sticky, savoury, sweet and complex soy and bourbon glaze with a drizzle of pokey and garlicky kimchi mayonnaise, they were some of the best wings I’ve eaten anywhere.

A 45 day dry-aged burger (£14.95) was an intensely rich and delicious affair. A hugely meaty, juicy and fat-dripping patty was stuffed into a light and soft bun alongside tangy secret sauce, baconnaise and oozy and savoury Ogleshield cheese.

Crisp and refreshing dill pickles provided essential cut through for all that protein and fat whilst a bowl of crisp skin on fries were excellent too.

On a separate visit, a quartet of short rib croquettes (£5) were just as memorable as the first time we tried them. Tender beef shreds in a thick meaty gravy were coated in a crisp crumb and accompanied by gochujang aioli with a lovely thwack of chilli.

Striking looking black crispy squid pieces (£7.95) were impeccably tender and served with a dollop of aioli with a good hit of roast garlic.

Dessert was equally indulgent but didn’t quite hit the same level as the savoury dishes.

A soft and squidgy sticky toffee pudding (£7.95) with a scoop of light and creamy coconut ice cream was topped with a thick miso caramel sauce with a good hit of toasty dark sugar. However, I wasn’t quite sold on the sauce's slightly gloopy texture and the savoury complexity of miso was hardly noticeable. 

We've had a couple of excellent experiences of the bar and terrace menu at Pasture. It’s a great way to visit one of Cardiff’s best restaurants without any of the faff of planning months in advance.

The Details:

Address - Pasture, 8 - 10 High Street, Cardiff CF10 1BB

Web - https://pasturerestaurant.com/locations/cardiff/

Telephone - 07511 217422

Honest Burgers, Cardiff review

You don’t see many chain restaurants on this blog.

It’s not that I don’t have a soft spot for a McMuffin, a Greggs sausage roll or a KFC bargain bucket.

But, these guys don’t need the publicity when they already get wall to wall coverage from Wales’s mainstream media.

And, it’s not really that interesting writing about restaurants which you can visit in any other city up and down the UK.

But, I don't mind featuring Honest Burgers, because I enjoyed it so much.

With 36 branches across the UK, this chain has grown a heck of a lot since opening its original branch in Brixton Village in 2011. They’ve also received backing from venture capitalists Active Partners who’ve put dollar into other interesting brands such as Finisterre, Chick N Sours and Northern Monk.

Honest’s ethos very much focuses on quality and local produce; their chips are made in-house daily and they’ve made a point of sourcing local craft beers in each of their restaurants from Gipsy Hill in London to Moor and Good Chemistry in Bristol. 

 
Tiny Rebel Church Street Pale Ale (£5), brewed especially for Honest Burger, was seriously sessionable. Super light and hoppy, I knocked back a pint and a half without it even touching the sides. 

 
A mountainous bowl of onion rings (£4) with crisp and well-seasoned batter (cumin seeds, I think) arrived well before our mains. They made for a lovely starter. 

 
In contrast, a bowl of Buffalo wings (£5) arrived quite a bit after our mains. Tender of flesh and with a good lick of vinegary and fiery Franks red hot sauce, they were let down a little by their crumb which could have been a touch crisper. 

 
Onto mains and we all ordered beef burgers. Made using grass-fed Scottish beef that they butcher themselves, it’s worth highlighting just how good Honest’s patties are. Cooked medium as standard and made using a blend of chuck and rib cap, they’re loosely packed, coarsely chopped instead of ground, ridiculously beefy and seriously juicy. We were all very impressed. 

 
My Tribute (£11.50) saw the cracking patty topped with crisp streaky bacon, an ooze of American cheese, cleansing dill pickles, tangy burger sauce, French’s mustard and token salad. It was all tucked into a ridiculously squishy steamed bun which held together throughout. 

 
Mrs G’s Cardiff (£12.50) saw a tasty combination of nutty Hafod cheddar, crisp candied bacon, mustard mayo and soft sweet leeks cooked in Tiny Rebel Cwtch ale. She didn’t let me have a taste but reported that all of the flavours worked well whilst allowing the beef to come to the fore. 

 
As standard, both burgers were served with rosemary fries. These chips come with the baggage of some serious hype. Golden and salty with the fragrance of rosemary, they were very good chips but not game-changing. In fact, they could have been touch crisper.

However, they were pretty awesome when dredged through a bowl of thick beef and bacon gravy (£2) which delivered on its billing of meat squared. 

 
I really enjoyed Honest Burger and was seriously impressed by their patties. Alongside, Hoof and Nomad Kitchen, they’re knocking out some of the best burgers in Cardiff. They just happen to be a chain.

The Details:

Address - Honest Burgers - Cardiff, 10 Church St, Cardiff CF10 1BG
Web - https://www.honestburgers.co.uk/food/burgers/cardiff/
Telephone - 029 2130 3446