Pane Olio, Rhiwbina, Cardiff Italian restaurant and deli review

Rhiwbina doesn’t exactly have a reputation for being one of Cardiff’s liveliest suburbs.

Well at least it never did when Mrs G grew up around there.

Until fairly recently, the Juboraj and Deri Inn were about as exciting as it got when it came to places to eat and drink.

But, over the last few years there’s been a string of exciting independent hospitality openings.

First, the Rhiwbina Tap opened in 2021, followed by Mesen in 2023, and a branch of Pettigrew Bakery in 2025.

And just last month, the long-awaited Pane Olio finally opened its doors.

This Italian restaurant and delicatessen is owned by chef David Thomas, a Rhiwbina native with an impressive CV to his name. He initially trained under Stephen Terry at the Hardwick before working in top kitchens in Tuscany for eight years. Returning to Cardiff during the pandemic, David then cooked at the brilliant Casanova for five years before finally striking out on his own.

By day, Pane Olio’s deli serves freshly baked bread, cold cuts, and pantry items whilst the next-door restaurant offers a set lunch menu with three courses for less than thirty quid.

When we visited on a Wednesday evening, the outside terrace was humming with people enjoying aperitivi. The classy dining room, which is less pile-it-high pizza pasta joint and more classy Tuscan trattoria, quickly filled to capacity.

Pane Olio’s compact focuses on a tight selection of antipasti, primi and secondi. Dishes include panzanella (£10), fresh taglioni pasta with king prawns and chilli (£21) and sirloin steak with rocket and parmesan (£30).

On the booze front, a red-focused all Italian list, includes a few well-priced house wines by the glass. Fruity Fiano (£7 for a medium glass), super gluggable Chianti (£7), and prosecco (£7.50) all very much did the job.

Airy crumbed focaccia and toasty crusted sourdough (£5.50) were accompanied by a bowl of grassy olive oil.

A golden arancino (£7), which was sat on a pool of fruity and creamy tomato and mascarpone sauce, was the standout of the starters. Beneath its hyper crisp exterior was a layer of courgette-flecked and mint-scented rice surrounding a core of compellingly molten cheese. Classy yet hearty, it was a sign of things to come.

Caponata (£8) saw soft aubergines and crunchy celery bound together with a palate enlivening sweet and sour tomato sauce. Nuggets of crumbly ricotta cheese and toasted almonds provided flavour and texture contrast.

I can’t see mortadella (£9) on a menu and not order it. Here, the thin slices of luxury Billy Bear sausage were nicely flecked with pistachios. Each mouthful transported me back to last year’s guzzling trip to Bologna.

Wild mushroom risotto (£18) was a decadent bit of comfort food with a bang on texture that balanced intense umami and funky mushroom flavours with luxurious cream and cheese notes. I suspect a background kick of booze might have added even more complexity.

Coarse and meaty sausage ragu (£18) was accompanied by al dente trottole pasta and a generous dusting of fresh parmesan. It was very tasty but less memorable than the risotto.

A lot of care had gone into a side salad (£5) too – mini cucumbers, baby plum tomatoes, thinly sliced shallots and an interesting mix of leaves all had plenty of flavour, were properly dressed and precisely plated.

Just the two desserts were on offer on our visit during our meal as they’d run out of panna cotta.

Thankfully, there was no shortage of tiramisu (£9). Light yet decadent, it was very good indeed. A big dollop had just the right ratio of coffee-soaked sponge, mascarpone cream, and bitter cocoa.

 A ramekin of rich and thick chocolate mousse (£9) dusted with crushed hazelnuts hit the spot too.

We had a lovely meal at Pane Olio and their classy yet big flavoured Italian cooking is another welcome addition to Rhiwbina's restaurant scene. This North Cardiff suburb has most definitely found its groove when it comes to independent hospitality.

The Details:

Address - Pane Olio, 2B Heol y Deri, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6HF
Web - https://paneolio.co.uk/

Manteca, Shoreditch, London restaurant review 2026

Such is the never-ending carousel of newly hyped restaurant openings in London that it's very rare that we revisit anywhere.

But, on our last trip to the Big Smoke, it was Mrs G’s turn to pick where we were going for lunch and Manteca was the decision.

To be fair, Manteca has relocated from Soho to Shoreditch since we last had a brilliant meal there back in 2020. So, it almost counts as a new restaurant.

Co-owned by chef Chris Leach and restaurateur David Carter (who’s also behind the immense Oma and SmokeStak), this nose-to-tail Italian restaurant serves a menu of in-house salumi, hand-rolled pasta and sharing plates of fish and meat.

With an upstairs dining space centred around a bustling open kitchen and a downstairs room that’s dominated by a contemporary art installation-like charcuterie hanging chamber, they’ve really managed to squeeze in the covers. So, I can see how they’ve been able to secure a Michelin Bib Gourmand for “exceptional food at great value”. But, it’s still fascinating to compare the inflation in prices since our last visit in 2020, when our crab cacio pepe cost us £8.50. This time around it was almost twice the price at £16.

I stuck to Manteca’s wines on tap, working on the theory that I’d get more bang for your buck. I kicked off with a complex and slightly funky Garganega and Trebbiano blend (£6.50), followed by an excellent juicy Stellenbosch, made in collaboration with Manteca and Craven Wines. Mrs G smashed back a couple of glasses of light and citrusty Verdicchio di Matelica (£8.50).

Focaccia (£5) was a statement of intent. Super crusty with a light and bubbly crumb, it was the lovechild of a focaccia and a sourdough. Pooled on the plate was a just so amount of grassy olive oil.

Porchetta tonnato (£9) was so far up my street it was through the front door and curled up in my bed. Thin slices of fatty fennel-spiced pork were drenched in a creamy tuna mayonnaise and dotted with pops of zingy caper.

A stuffed olive (£4.50) was no such thing, but it was arguably better off for its false advertising. A mix of rich sausage meat and diced vibrant olives were coated in the crispest of crumbs. A squeeze of lemon was a necessity to balance all that fried richness.

I think we might have been slightly forgotten at this point as it took a good while for our final starter to show up and other tables who arrived well after us began to see their dishes pile up. Thankfully, when a plate of asparagus (£12) finally pitched up, it was worth the wait.

Served cold, the tender and charred shoots were sat on a bed of rich and poky aioli and topped with an intensely savoury and spiced salami XO sauce. If all veg dishes tasted this good, then there wouldn’t been any need to encourage people to eat their greens.

Pasta dishes were just as memorable as our last visit.

Dinky almost gnocchi-like textured shells of malloreddus pasta (£15) were served with a thick, meaty and herby leghorn chicken ragu that was richer and more intense than any other poultry dish I’ve encountered.

Slippery tonnarelli (£16) with a lovely bite were coated in a decadently peppery and savoury cacio e pepe sauce whose intensity was dialled up to 11 by the addition of earthy brown crab.

I’d envisaged that the pasta dishes were going to be the highlight of our meal but little did I know how remarkable our meat course was going to be.

Two steaks of beautifully pink and well-crusted hogget steak were gorgeously tender and huge in flavour. If that wasn’t enough meat for £35, then an accompanying juicy and dense fennel twanged sausage was the icing on the cake.

The dish was brought together by leaves of wilted wild garlic and a first-rate glossy lamb sauce, which was the kind of thing you normally only get a few drops of in a fine dining gaff. Here it would have been rude to let this nectar go to waste. So, when I asked for a spoon, the waiter was on the same wavelength as me and very kindly brought some small chunks of bread to assist in my endeavours.

On the side, a zingily dressed cabbage slaw (£7.50) was enlivened with nutty grains of farrow and shavings of savoury pecorino. It was just what was needed to balance the rich meat.

Stuffed, I couldn’t even muster the appetite for a single piece of beef fat fudge for dessert.

We had a remarkably good lunch at Manteca and I commend Mrs G for insisting on a return visit instead of opting for one of London’s latest hype joints.

As an addendum, whilst were busy enjoying lunch we remarked how similar Manteca’s food and vibe is to Cardiff’s Ember. So, if you can’t make it down to the Big Smoke then Dave Killick's excellent restaurant in Pontcanna is most definitely worth visiting for their homemade salumi, pasta and sharing plates of meat and fish.

The Details:

Address - Manteca, 49-51 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3PT

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

Telephone - 020 7139 5172
 

Pizza Pilgrims, Cardiff city centre review

Whilst I’m most definitely not the biggest fan of chains, things are undoubtedly more nuanced than the simplified view point that independent restaurants are good and chain restaurants are bad.

So, despite Pizza Pilgrims now having 26 restaurants across the UK, including a Cardiff city centre branch which opened just over 12 months ago, and having recently sold a majority stake to German Italian restaurant group L’Osteria, it’s worth remembering that they started out as an indie that helped popularise Neapolitan style pizza in the UK.

And unlike so many chains, it’s hard to deny that they’ve maintained their focus on quality ingredients. Caputo flour, Latteria Sorentina fior di latte and Solania San Marzano tomatoes are all name-checked on their menus. Pizza Pilgrims were also recently named the 6th best artisanal pizza chain in the world behind well-respected names like Da Michele and Big Mamma Group.

On a Saturday night in January, it was pretty much a full house in Pizza Pilgrim’s eclectically decorated dining room. Despite the bustle, the jovial front of house team provided swift service.

Pizza Pilgrim’s menu offers fifteen different varieties of Neapolitan pizza as well as eight different sides and salads. A kids meal option was very well received by a junior member of the group with its offer of a half-sized pizza, drink, scoop of ice cream and activities for a cut price £8.

On the booze front, there’s a compact wine selection of just two whites, reds, and fizzes, and one rose. A bottle of Ilauri Bajo Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (£32) was a delicious accompaniment to the pizza with its balance of red fruit, light oak and a bit of bright acidity.

Out of the two snacks we ordered, cacio pepe balls (£8) were the clear standout. I mean, what’s not to love about a turbo-charged mac and cheese ball? Stubby spaghetti coated in a runny cheese and pepper packed sauce were encapsulated in a deep-fried crumb.

Tender panko crumbed artichokes were good but a lot less exciting in comparison. However, an accompanying creamy garlic and herb dip was vampire deterring in its potency.

Onto the pizzas, and they all had well-mottled crusts with good aeration and a light chew.

The crusts were tasty on their own, but even better dipped in a trio of crust dippers (3 for £5) – a sweet and fiery hot honey, a fragrant basil aioli, and more of that honking garlic and herb.

The clear standout of the pizzas for me was the You’ve Got Maiale (£15.95), a classy yet filthy combination of potent ‘nduja, course ground Italian sausage, fatty pepperoni, thinly sliced red onion and a sweet yet tangy balsamic drizzle that delivered a similar effect to BBQ sauce.

An Aubergine Parmigiana (£13.95) was also very good with its combination of soft and meaty aubergine, smoked mozzarella and a good dusting of salty pecorino romano. But, I felt the topping was a bit sparse in places.

Finally, a simpler ‘nduja (£14.50) hit the spot, relying on the combination of fiery spreadable sausage with fruity San Marzano tomato sauce and creamy fior di latte.

For dessert they only had takeaway portions left of their enticing sounding Nutella tiramisu (£8). So, they kindly did us a two for one deal. I certainly wasn’t complaining as whilst it was served in a slightly unattractive carboard box, it was a mahoosive portion.

The delicious riff on the Italian classic combined light mascarpone cream and espresso-soaked sponge fingers with a thin layer of addictively sticky Nutella and a crisp biscuit crumb. Arguably it could have taken a bigger hit of bitter coffee to balance the sweetness, but it's a minor quibble.  

I really liked Pizza Pilgrims. It’s a fun and informal spot that serves good quality Neapolitan pizza. Despite its chain credentials, if you’re looking for a pizza in Cardiff city centre, then it’s well worth a visit.

The Details:

Address - Pizza Pilgrims, 1 - 4 High Street, Cardiff, CF10 1PX

Web - https://www.pizzapilgrims.co.uk/pizzerias/cardiff/
Telephone - 029 2002 8660

Ember, Pontcanna, Cardiff set menu review

In an alternate timeline, I’m a man who lunches.

During the working week, I’d go for a spot of bird spotting before enjoying a set lunch at one of Cardiff’s best restaurants with a glass or two of wine. Of course, I’d then head home for an afternoon nap.

In this parallel universe, one of my regular haunts would be Pontcanna’s Ember. 

With a daily changing set lunch and early evening menu offering three courses of Dave Killick’s cooking for £30, including bread, there aren’t many better deals on offer in the city. 

And with its cream and contemporary art bedecked dining space, it’s a stylish yet informal place to lunch. 

Whilst Ember’s main menu offers sharing plates like braised Welsh lamb shoulder with green sauce (£48) or British seafood stew with fermented chilli (£32) as well as a selection of fresh pasta dishes, their set menu is more focused on the latter. It makes sense, with pasta being cheaper to make compared to more expensive meat and fish. 

To drink, glasses of grassy Sentidiño Albariño (£8) and appley Vinho Verde Loureiro (£6.50) were both delicious.

Piping hot focaccia had an excellent crisp crust and airy structure, and it was delicious dredged through a silky smooth, hummus-like, white bean and roasted garlic dip. But it was perhaps slightly too drenched in olive oil and its crumb a tad dry compared to the last time around.

Both starters were belters. A gorgeously juicy and light crumbed piece of boneless buttermilk quail was cooked with care when it’s so easy to dry out. It was accompanied by a coarse and zesty salsa verde and char-licked baby gem. 

A mountain of shatteringly crisp light-battered courgette batons sat on a terracotta pool of smoky, nutty and savoury romesco sauce. It was an understated yet whopping flavoured dish.

Both our pasta dishes were big hitters on the flavour front too. 

Linguini was bathed in a sweet white and earthy brown crab laden sauce with a big wallop of chilli and garlic, savoury hit of anchovy and fragrance of parsley. A dusting of pangritata provided welcome crunch.

An even bigger portion of fettucine was bathed in a creamy sauce flecked with wild mushrooms and courgettes and dressed with slithers of salty air-dried ham, more crunchy breadcrumbs and a flurry of savoury cheese. 

Our desserts were both befitting of one of the last hot days of the summer.  

A warm, light crumbed lemon sponge had excellent caramelised edges, a bit like a madeleine. Combined with sweet macerated strawberries and thick coconutty fig leaf custard, the pudding had a luxury trifle vibe. Mrs G was planning on giving me most of it, but it was so delicious that I barely got half… 

Across the table, the lightest and crispest of meringues was topped with thick vanilla-scented whipped cream and crowned with finely diced sweet peaches and raspberries. Slivers of fresh mint add a compelling freshness to the dish. 

We had an excellent lunch at Ember. Their technically accomplished yet understated cooking, warm service, and stylish setting make it one of Cardiff’s best openings in recent years.

In an alternate timeline, I’d be going back next week for lunch to see what’s new on their set menu. 

The Details:

Ember’s set lunch and early evening menu is available from Wednesday to Friday 12.00-2.30pm and 5.30-6.30pm.

Address - Ember, 5 Romilly Crescent, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9NP

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

Telephone - 029 2297 2274