We spotted La Cuina recently in a Wales Online “top 50 Cardiff restaurants” list and we’re amazed that we had never come across it before. We assumed it must be a new venue but it turns out it has been open since 2012. One look at the website was enough to convince me a booking was required as soon as possible so a visit from my brother was the perfect excuse to make a reservation.
Tucked away off Cowbridge Road East, La Cuina is an understated but classy little venue. The decor reflects the unfussy nature of the dishes on offer – no frills, just bloody good food
We were offered both the main and tapas menus and all elected to go for the main menu (but I’ve no doubt we’ll be back to try the tapas menu soon).
To start I tried the scallops with Catalan black sausage. The scallops were perfectly cooked, moist and delicate, and were the perfect foil to the earthy flavors of the black sausage which was similar to but lighter than a black pudding.
The others opted for the octopus with aioli on a bed of potatoes and black sausage. Another excellent dish. I’m not often a fan of octopus add it can be rubbery but this was perfectly cooked with a delicious smoky flavor.
I tried both starters and they were equally good.
For the main course I chose the Lamb – which is a sharing dish for two. It was a stunning dish and a very generous portion, a whole roast lamb shoulder. Again – no frills, the quality of the ingredients were allowed to speak for themselves. The meat was so perfectly cooked it melted in the mouth like butter. Superb.
The other two diners both went for the dish of the day which was hake served on a bed of roast vegetables together with samphire and a delicious saffron sauce. Another perfectly cooked fabulous dish.
We decided to push the boat out and to order desserts as well. We shared a Crema Catalan and a “Pa amb xocolata”. The Crema Catalan was similar to a creme brulee topped with strawberries. A little runnier than we expected but delicious nonetheless
The “pa amb xocolata” consisted of a couple of quenelles of chocolate ganache with sea-salted bread and olive oil (!). A highly unusual sounding flavour combination but spot-on. Delicious.
Together with a couple of half bottles of wine, a few beers and coffees the meal came to about £45 pounds per head. Not cheap but well worth it for the quality.
As they say in Catalonia “A vegades una gallina cega troba un gra” and by picking La Cuina for a meal last night it looks like even this blind pig occasionally picks up an acorn. On this showing La Cuina is an absolute gem.
Highly recommended.
Eat see hear Cardiff 