Asiad, Porthcawl set lunch review

The last time I visited Porthcawl's Cosy Corner Lounge, I remarked that its chain-like name didn't really reflect their menu of big flavoured pan-Asian cooking.

Fast forward a few months and they changed their name to Asiad.

Following a walk along the coast on one of the nicest days of the year, we pitched up at the restaurant formerly known as Cosy Corner Lounge (TRFKACCL) for a last-minute midday lunch. Impressively, the place swiftly filled up.

It’s understandable as Asiad’s set lunch menu is a cracking value thing, offering three small plates for £16.95. From a selection of nine, we ordered six to share.

But first, alcohol free cocktails, which I remember being excellent last time too. Yuzu shandy (£6.50) combined a big wallop of citrus with a malty hit of alcohol-free lager. A chilli and lemongrass smash (£6.50) was a more complex number, balancing the fragrance of lemongrass with apple, lime and vanilla.

With one eye on a blowout dinner, we ordered the least carb heavy of the dishes on offer. I have *no regrets* about not ordering their brilliant triple cooked chips.

First up crisp lettuce cups were home to a sticky, spicy, sweet and sour minced chicken laab topped with the fragrance of mint and crunch of nut. With their huge flavours and contrasting textures, they really demonstrated what Asiad is all about.

A pair of whopping crisp crumbed croquetas were filled with silky squid ink stained bechamel. The savoury hit of mollusc balanced well with a big hitting aioli seasoned with the umami hit of crispy chilli.

Long cooked and charred soft aubergines were a delightfully meaty vehicle to soak up a super savoury soy and sesame sauce whose spice was dialled up by the presence of crispy chilli. This was Mrs G’s pick of the meal.

Korean fried cauliflower saw al dente florets coated in a shatteringly crisp batter drenched in a sticky sauce seasoned with the savoury and spicy hit of gochujang.

A bowl of impeccably fresh and crisp whitebait were lovely dredged through a wasabi charged mayonnaise.

Lastly, gorgeously tender slices of lamb were coated in a Mongolian sauce which seemed to be hoisin and five spice based. Lighter notes were provided by the fragrance of basil and heat of red chilli slices.

We had a belting lunch of excellent value pan-Asian cooking at Asiad and there’s no doubt that their new name is a much better fit for what they’re doing. If you're visiting Porthcawl and looking for something other than fish and chips, then Asiad should be top of your list. 

The Details:

Address - Asiad, 33 Esplanade, Porthcawl CF36 3YR

Web - https://www.asiadfusion.co.uk/

Telephone - 01656 503245

Asiad (Cosy Corner Lounge), Porthcawl restaurant review

Update - 23/11/2024 - Cosy Corner Lounge has rebranded as Asiad and they're still serving the same delicious menu of Asian influenced small plates. 

Porthcawl’s Cosy Corner Lounge is an independent restaurant and bar that sounds like it should be part of the 250 strong Loungers chain, with its name an uncanny cross between the Cosy Club and Juno/Ocho/Fino Lounge (delete as appropriate). 

In fact, during our Saturday lunchtime visit to Cosy Corner, a couple of groups who were clearly expecting something more run of the mill like the above establishments, came in, sat down, looked at the menu, got up and left. 

It was very much a case of their loss as Cosy Corner is far better than any chain restaurant or bar that we’ve ever visited.

With its combination of wooden beams and industrial metal fittings, Cosy Corner has a warm and relaxed nautical vibe. In keeping with the maritime feel, their star attraction is the sea view, which we admired on a characteristically grey 2024 day in Wales. On a sunny day, I bet it would be lush to sit outside on their terrace and watch the world go by. 

Cosy Corner Lounge’s lunch and dinner menu consists of Asian influenced small plates, which are thankfully more like medium plates in portion size. Influences range from across China and Japan to Korea and Cambodia, with dishes including tempura soft shell crab with Japanese pepper sauce (£10), satay chicken curry with jasmine rice (£14.50), and Chinese lettuce wraps (£9.50). Traditionalists will be happy to see that the menu pivots towards roast dinners on Sundays.

An equal amount of thought has also clearly gone into Cosy Corner’s cocktail menu, which features creative concoctions like a Yuzu 75, Coconut & Szechuan Mai Tai, and Thai Spiced Pineapple Daiquiri.

As we were about to set off for a decent hike after lunch, neither of us wanted to get on the booze. However, both alcohol-free cocktails we tried were excellent. A Yuzu Shandy (£5) delivered on its promise of crisp alcohol-free lager twanged with a fragrant hit of citrus whilst an Elderflower Mule (£5) combined the warmth of ginger beer with fruity apple and fragrant elderflower.

With its seaside location, it’s great to see that fish cookery is a real strength at Cosy Corner.

We were advised to order the Portchawl caught seabass (£14.50), which had been brought ashore just over the road, and it was a fine recommendation. The thick fillet of fish was beautifully flaky yet hyper-crisp of skin and accompanied by a rich and silky chilli and tomato sauce and crisp and cleansing kimchi with the most delicate of funks.

A meaty octopus tentacle (£13) with a crisp, lightly charred exterior was coated in a well-spiced marinade. Chilli ponzu dipping sauce, served in a pot on the side, delivered a big savoury note of soy and fragrant citrus.

Cosy Corner’s meat dishes were very good too. A trio of boulder-like beef croquetas (£9.50) were stuffed with cubes of tender slow-cooked beef that were held together with a meaty gravy cum bechamel. They were dotted with blobs of gochujang alioli which added a lick of spice.

Mammoth nuggets of Korean crispy chicken (£11.50) were exceptionally juicy and coated in a light crisp batter which was drenched in a sweet, savoury, sour and spicy, and sesame-twanged gochujang-based sauce.

A bowl of golden triple-cooked chips (£4), which were all rugged gnarly edges and fluffy interiors, were accompanied by a flavour-packed alioli which had been spiked with Cosy Corner’s homemade Indonesian sambal. The chips also came in very handy for mopping up all the delicious sauces on our other dishes.

Rather stuffed by this point, we ordered a single dessert to share. A knickerbocker glory glass of the creamiest yuzu posset (£8.50) was cut with just the right amount of sharp citrus whilst a frisbee of crumbly and buttery shortbread was the ideal pairing.

If Cosy Corner was on our corner we'd certainly be regulars. We're both big fans of their huge-flavoured small plates, creative cocktails and friendly service, and it's definitely worth a trip down the coast to Porthcawl to check it out. 

The Details:

Address - Asiad, 33 Esplanade, Porthcawl CF36 3YR

Web - https://www.instagram.com/asiadasianfusion/

Telephone - 01656 503245

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