Paysan, pop-up French restaurant, Bloc Coffee, Cardiff

“My mentor chef for instance [Grady Atkins in Cardiff] he’s better than me — he taught me everything. He hasn’t got [a Michelin Star] and he should have been awarded one obviously.”

The above quote from Tomos Parry, one of the UK’s hottest chefs, and the holder of a Michelin Star for his Basque-Welsh cooking at London’s Brat, sums up the high regard he holds for chef Grady Atkins.

Parry trained under Atkins whilst he was head chef at Pontcanna’s Le Gallois (now Heaney’s) and instilled him with a passion for farm to table cooking.

Nowadays, alongside running an ethical soup company, Atkins has recently launched Paysan (French for peasant), a Friday night only French pop-up restaurant in Bloc Coffee, a converted public toilet in Cardiff’s Victoria Park.

With the addition of white tablecloths, Bloc makes for a surprisingly intimate dining venue.

Paysan offers a choice of 2 or 3 courses for a well priced £20/£27 and matching wines for £8/£12. Starters and desserts take the form of no-choice sharing platters whilst for main there’s a choice of meat, fish or vegetarian.

All of the wines we drank were very neckable including a berry rich Laroche Mas La Chevaliere rosé and a big pour of golden honey-like Domaine de Durban Muscat de Baumes de Venise dessert wine.

A pretty platter of Cwm Farm charcuterie and cured seasonal vegetables kicked off the meal in fine style. Smooth textured and big flavoured wild boar liver pate was the star of the show and ably supported by soft textured fennel twanged salami and mildly spiced spreadable 'nduja.

Lightly pickled carrot shavings, dressed roast carrots and purple sprouting broccoli, and a velvety white bean puree brought freshness to the plate. We inhaled a warm and super crisp ficelle bread (like a thin baguette) and thankfully a second loaf was swiftly delivered to the table without asking.

Onto mains and we plumped for the meat and fish options.

A meaty and nicely bronzed (but slightly tight-textured) fillet of monkfish was served with golden caramelised cauliflower, a nut butter and citrus-based meunière sauce and a crisp crouton topped with a luxurious slow-cooked egg with a just set white and perfectly runny yolk.

An Oriel Jones confit of beef was heroically good - crisp of crust, seriously beefy, yielding of flesh and coated in a thick and glossy beefy reduction.

It was served with a filthily good bowl of cabbage coated in a rich cream and mustard sauce.

I can hang my head in shame and say for the first time in 8 years I forgot to take a photo of a dish. That's what happens when Mrs G takes a night off and I lay the blame squarely at my mate Jim.

A top drawer selection (£7) from The Cheese Pantry included the brie-like Baron Bigod, creamy and tangy Ashlyn goats, unsurprisingly hoppy Worcestershire Hop and the Welsh blue classic Perl Las. Soft and fresh seed bread and compellingly different garam masala pickled celery completed the plate.

A trio of desserts was a who's who of comfort food classics.

Thick and creamy fragrant rhubarb custard was topped with a properly shatterable brûléed caramel. Warm bread pudding was light and moist with tangy interest in the form of a cassis sauce. Finally an airy and smooth not-too-sweet chocolate mousse was topped with candied hazelnuts and soft poached pear.

Rather charmingly, a takeaway goodie bag comprised of a generous wodge of onion tart, the vegetarian main option. Buttery pastry was loaded with a soft sweet caramelised onion quiche filling. We made short work of it with a pint in the pub after dinner.

Paysan serves delicious, technically accomplished good-value French food in an intimate atmosphere. I highly recommend it.

The Details:

Address - Bloc, Cowbridge Rd East, Victoria Park, Cardiff CF5 1JN
Web - https://www.instagram.com/paysan.food/
Bookings - email info@bloccoffee.co.uk

The Black Bear Inn, Usk, Monmouthshire restaurant review

I hate social media.

I love social media.

I hate the fake news, fake followers, lack of nuance in any discussion, blaggers, bots and undisclosed freebies.

I love how it can help you find out about hidden gems which don’t have a PR machine behind them.

A few nights ago I disappeared down a social media rabbit hole when I saw a local food writer had posted about a meal they’d eaten at the Black Bear Inn in Usk.

A swift trip over to the Black Bear’s Instagram and I was sold by the snaps of their lush looking seasonal food and a message from the acclaimed Coombeshead Farm team exclaiming they were looking forward to a visit.

A few days and a 40 minute drive from Cardiff later and Mrs G and I found ourselves sat in the cosy dining room at The Black Bear.

Under new ownership since November last year, it’s run by a couple with plenty of restaurant experience; chef patron Josh was most recently at Bristol’s Bar Buvette.

The Bear’s chalkboard menu is enjoyably compact with just 3 starters and 3 mains alongside snacks and desserts.

The wine list is interesting too (unsurprising given Bar Buvette’s wine focus). We drank a bottle of Slobodne Jantara Slovakian orange wine (£42) with lovely citrus and mineral notes.

Delicious house sourdough was enjoyably tangy and soft of crumb with a caramelised crust. The butter, however, would have benefited from sitting out of the fridge a little longer.

Snacks were both crackerjacks.

Such was the runniness of the filling of a quartet of ham and cheese croquetas (£3.75) that I couldn’t tell if it was a ridiculously cheesy bechamel or just a ridiculously large amount of melted cheese. It was the former and they were delightful with their flecks of salty ham and golden crumb.

Welsh rarebit (£3.75) with a thick oozy slick of a savoury mustard and beery cheese concoction was very tasty indeed.

An overflowing bowl of mussels (£7.50) were perfectly plump and juicy without a shrivelled bivalve in sight. Soft and sweet leeks and a slightly boozy, buttery and shellfish-twanged cider broth completed the lovely combination.

A mound of tender purple sprouting broccoli (£8) were coated in a tempura style bubbly and super crisp batter. By chance or design, some of the leaves had extricated themselves from the batter and become crunchy giving the effect of crispy seaweed. A liberal dusting of funky Welsh truffle shavings and savoury cheese whacked up the luxury levels whilst a vibrant dill, parsley and sage mayonnaise brought freshness and acidity.

Onto mains and a meaty and golden-tinged fillet of cod (£18) was upstaged by a pair of beautifully crisp and caramelised yet perfectly tender cauliflower pieces. They were accompanied by herby green lentils with just the right amount of bite and a butter sauce which could perhaps have done with a bigger hit of the richness balancing punch of caper.

A gloriously pink Madgett’s farm duck breast (£18.50) was tender of flesh, well-rendered of fat and full of flavour. The skin could have been crisper but it was still a top drawer piece of meat. Alongside moreish braised red cabbage it was joined by a pair of genius accompaniments. Pear mustard was the lovechild of apple sauce and mustard - sweet and warming in equal measure. A fried potato cake was ridiculously crisp on the exterior with soft buttery thin layers of spud on the interior.

Onto the home stretch and dessert didn’t let the side down.

Apple and cider sorbet (£3) was as light and airy a sorbet I’ve eaten with a luxury cider lolly vibe.

A pear and almond tart (£6) ticked all the boxes. Thin, crisp and golden pastry - check. Light and moist frangipane - check. Soft and fragrant fruit - check. A big jug of double cream - check.

With its warm welcome and delicious seasonal cooking, the Black Bear is a lovely addition to the gastronomically well-endowed wilds of Monmouthshire. I seriously recommend a visit.

The Details:

Address - The Black Bear Inn, Bettws Newydd, Usk NP15 1JN
Web - https://www.theblackbearinn.co.uk/
Telephone - 01873 880701