food / drink
1861 ****
Cross Ash , Abergavenny . 0845 3881861 / www . 18-61 . co . uk Abergavenny is awash with excellent restaurants : The Walnut Tree , Foxhunter and the lovely Bell at nearby Skenfrith . 1861 has slotted neatly into this bracket and has earned an enviable reputation in the relatively short time Simon Wright and his wife Katie have been at the helm . Simon ’ s credentials are of the finest pedigree : a stint under the Roux brothers at Bray and continuing under the Viking-esque Martin Blunos at Lettonie , in Bristol and Bath . After meeting Katie at Llansantffraed Court , he settled in Wales and they opened 1861 . We recently went for Sunday lunch , and as driving constituted a three-hour round trip , an evening meal was a bit of a stretch . However , the drive is very picturesque and a warm and homely welcome awaits you on arrival . All produce is fresh , many items from Katie ’ s father ’ s nursery or nearby farms and suppliers . The tasting menu ( from £ 49.50 per head ) was a considered option of seven surprise courses , created daily with the best ingredients available , but we chose from the Sunday lunch menu . To start , cauliflower soup with a stilton mousse , and wild garlic risotto . For mains , roast topside of beef and Yorkshire pudding in a red wine gravy with beetroot and roast potatoes ; plus escalope of turkey in a sage cream served with a mini hotpot . Desserts were all tempting , but as we were both quite full we shared caramelised pineapple with rum and raisin ice cream . Everything was tremendous : beautiful homemade bread , the sensible cutlery and serving dishes , as opposed to a wobbly , inappropriate piece of art / slate which seems to be the craze , the service , food and experience were all above average . For us it ’ s too far to make a regular trip , but worth it for a special occasion or if you live nearby . ANTONIA LEVAY
THE SMOKE HOUSE ****
77 Pontcanna Street , Cardiff . 029 2034 4628 / www . facebook . com / smokehousewales About halfway through this meal , it strikes me that The Smoke House has timed its arrival extremely judiciously . Only open since March , in Diner 77 ’ s old building in Pontcanna , Buzz and dining pal visit on one of the first warm , or even non-cold , evenings of 2013 . Not that The Smoke House ’ s fare – burgers and steaks , plus signature meat mountains cooked at tectonic pace in a hickory smoker – wouldn ’ t suit a chilly day , you realise . It ’ s a barbeque joint , though , and barbeque is pretty self-evidently summery . Obviously , this type of burnt offering bears very little resemblance to the puny efforts of 99 % of British BBQers , which is all the more reason to welcome it in . The Smoke House , whose walls are bedecked with either unvarnished wood panels or bottles of bourbon and American beer , is impressively full on a Tuesday night . Not even Cardiff ’ s promotionally triumphant 0-0 can keep the big , blokish table away . Our starters of southern fried chicken and grilled halloumi are both perfectly fine ; not quite revelatory but moist / squeaky respectively . Even if that is an uncomfortable juxtaposition of adjectives . Come the mains , slow-smoked beef brisket sits across the table from barbeque pulled pork on barbeque beans , both served in an iron skillet and teamed with fries , coleslaw and onion rings . Both meatpiles ( I ate nearly half my guest ’ s ) fall apart pretty much when you look at them , and have an impressive depth of flavour . The ‘ fries ’ are chips really , not noticeably seasoned as claimed and a bit underwhelming , but I ’ ve no real issue with anything else . Cardiff , as ever , follows where ‘ hip ’ Americanised London places lead , but I think this place should do the biz for a while . A meal for two plus a bottle of house red was just under £ 50 . NOEL GARDNER
THE BLUE PELICAN CAFÉ ****
Hamptons , 10 Ludlow Lane , Penarth . 029 2070 5391 / www . hamptons-design . co . uk Penarth is now something of a destination point for those searching for a decent bite to eat . As we walked around on a sunny Saturday lunchtime the majority of the restaurants and cafés were brimming with people , and as we climbed the stairs to the Blue Pelican Café on the first floor of Hamptons , the popularity of this spot was obvious . We arrived just after 1pm and the dining space was full , with a queue of people waiting for a seat . Despite there being plenty of other places to eat in the area , the fact that people were happy to wait demonstrated to me how good the café must be . After a short wait we were seated by our waitress who quickly took our orders . I had a large cappuccino and an incredibly delicious halloumi salad (£ 7.99 ), which included the obvious salad components as well as artichokes , olives , sundried tomatoes topped with warm slices of halloumi . I ’ m not sure what kind of kitchen witchcraft the chef used to cook the halloumi , but it was without doubt the nicest I ’ ve ever eaten and even when cool it avoided being chewy . My husband opted for the soup and sandwich combination . He chose the roast chicken and smoked bacon sandwich with tarragon mayonnaise and the homemade tomato soup (£ 7.99 ). Both parts of his meal were fresh , tasty and hastily devoured . For dessert we could ’ ve easily been tempted by any of the cakes displayed on the cake table , but to celebrate what was hopefully the start of spring , we opted for the Eton mess (£ 3.99 ). Served in a tall glass , it was creamy and fruity , but perhaps it could ’ ve done with a touch more meringue . But that is a minor grumble in what was otherwise a perfect informal lunch . ANGHARAD BROWN
BUZZ 30