It’s been a couple of months since my last review on the blog, had a little break from what seemed a series of mediocre dining experiences. I was craving a full ticking of boxes, the kind of meal where you leave with a smile on your face, and a feeling of satisfaction of having been looked after by people that know what they are doing. Needless to say, I found this at Heaneys. Heaneys opened in 2018, 5 years of hard work by Tommy Heaney, his partner Nikki, and their team have firmly established the restaurant as one of Cardiff’s premier culinary destinations. Nikki even sporting her new ‘Hean ..read more

I’ve always held a soft spot for Usk, perhaps because it’s the birthplace of my father, or It’s the nostalgia of trips to see relatives living in the dwelling of a former bakery. Whatever the reason, at just 30 mins drive from Cardiff it’s well worth a visit. A walk around this medieval town will uncover plenty of blue plaques, each giving you a history of the buildings origins, and as well as having it’s own castle, it also has plenty of places to eat and drink. I visited 5 venues at various times of the week and will state this for each place, each visit was a walk in. I’ll try to be as bri ..read more

I took a quick mid week drive East to try out the highly rated Vittorio’s situated in one of Newport’s more leafier suburbs. Most people eating out in Newport head straight to the Indoor Market, I love the market, but on my recent visit there I was getting a bit disillusioned with the cost of the food for what you received. I don’t mean in quality, just amount, especially when compared to offerings in Cardiff Market. Anyway, I had heard good things about Vittorio’s, and as I am a lover of all things Italian I knew I needed to go, but as you’ll see, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. On ent ..read more

It took a little longer than I would have liked to write this review, always worried things will get a bit hazy if I don’t get it down soon after the event. Thankfully, this was a meal I wasn’t going to forget, and for all the right reasons. Thomas by Tom Simmons has become quite a regular posting by other reviewers/bloggers we follow on social media, never seemingly criticised, and always held in high regard by those that know. Plenty of times I have gone to book but the time was never right, I wanted to be in the right headspace, I didn’t want to go just for the sake of a review. Walking i ..read more

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t aware of The Gaff’s existence until I stumbled upon it on a recent visit to Abergavenny, it looked my kind of place, and a peruse at the menu and a quick Google search affirmed this. I know Abergavenny is a growing culinary destination, partly down to it’s annual food festival, so was suprised I hadn’t heard of it before. Opened in 2019, it nestles at the back of The Courtyard in 3 converted sheds, owned and run by former staff of the Michelin-starred Walnut Tree, it should be somewhere that demands high standards. Being recognised in The Michelin guide gives provenan ..read more

December became an accidental Italian dining fest for me, I guess I was unwittingly craving that deep, rich, flavour filled goodness to balance all the ‘Festive Menu’ Christmas parties we all need to attend. Don’t get me wrong, I love a Christmas dinner as much as the next person, but they’re not exactly an attack on the senses, and the less said about The Cricketers dismal effort, the better. My 2nd Italian visit of the month took me to Cafe Citta, a family owned restaurant which opened in 2009, you will have probably walked past it several times and not noticed it. It’s small, very small, b ..read more

It was a wet, miserable Saturday afternoon and we had a reservation 30 minutes before Wales kicked off against New Zealand just a street away. Was this a good idea? Wiping intermittently at the steamed up windows of the bus ride in, this was a journey only made bearable by the thought of returning to Pasture, a year after my last visit. Since opening 2 years ago, Pasture has firmly established itself as a front runner in Cardiff’s dining scene, if you want to book on a Saturday evening in the 6pm-9pm slot, you’ll be waiting months, and what other restaurant can claim that? They can cater for ..read more

I booked the day off work today, for no other reason than I fancied just mooching about town, bit of shopping and the chance to have a nice lunch. I had a good peruse through my socials the night before to decide on a venue and noticed Bar 44 were doing a lunch offer, £13 for 3 tapas 12pm – 4pm (Thurs and Fri). That was that then, decision made. Bar 44 is part of the 44 group which also consists of Asador 44, Mercardo 44 and the newly opened boutique hotel Parador 44, all held in high regard. A former canal warehouse, it’s subterranean rooms and arched brick ceilings offer a real sense of atm ..read more

Is it in Cardiff? Is it in Caerphilly? You’re never quite sure, perched at the top of Caerphilly mountain it’s within easy access for whichever side you ascend from. It’s picture perfect exterior, thatched roof, small doorways, stone floors and fireplaces certainly make it feel like somewhere you can escape the elements and find refuge. If you’re a Cardiff or Caerphilly native then you’ve probably been here at least once in your life, I used to come quite regularly but a 7 year gap meant I was keen to try and reaffirm it had become the pub I wanted it to be, unfortunately it hadn’t. My last f ..read more

After spending most of Saturday morning in the rain trying to get small white balls in to holes in the ground, I needed something to cheer myself up. As the skies cleared and the sun revealed itself again with far less aggression than last week, I dropped down the other side of the mountain in to Caerphilly town centre. Casa Mia had been on my radar for years, I have previously eaten at the rated Italian Volare, and the Wetherspoons The Malcolm Uphill so took this opportunity to down my next target. Casa Mia is described as a Mediterranean restaurant and cocktail bar, found on a first floor ..read more