Sunflower and I

Another amazing find in Cardiff Bay thanks to GourmetGorro’s blog, “Sunflower and I” is an old bank branch office in Mount Stuart Square which has been lovingly converted into a combination flower shop and coffee shop which also hosts ad hoc opera/cabaret events.

The interior is an Aladdin’s Cave of bric-a-brac, chandeliers, beer pumps, paintings and sketches and all sorts of wonders.

When we arrived the owner was in the middle of prepping flowers for a wedding but he broke off to prepare our food and then chatted with us for ages about life, love and Kaiser Rolls – of which we had two (ham and cheese salad variety – lovingly made in a local Polish bakery).
We also shared Sponge Omelet – which sounds dodgy but was aaaaamazing. Folded light-as-air sponge filled with vanilla custard and cherry jam.

Sat in a cosy corner we absolutely loved our post-run coffee, brunch and chat with the owner.

Another fab indie cafe for the bay and an utter delight.
We’re looking forward to going back already.

Bill’s Cardiff Bay

We’d not seen my parents for far too long and getting both the girls into the same room at the same time was becoming impossible unless food was involved so we bribed them all with the promise of edible goodies and trekked off to Cardiff Bay to give the new Bill’s a try.

Opened on the site of the old Pilotage Building, previously the home of Wood’s Brasserie, this is the second Bill’s in Cardiff, the first being in the Hays near the library.

The food is good, simple and hearty with appetizers such as Gordal olives , breaded haloumi,  hummus and tzatziki and a selection of grilled meats, fried fish, steaks, burgers and salads.

The lime and coriander chicken was a very popular choice for our group and I can testify that it was juicy and delicious.

My choice of ribs was huge, meaty and slathered in barbeque sauce – all just as it should be. The coleslaw portion was a little meagre and under seasoned but all in all a fine meal. Similarly for the fish-finger sandwich, a good dish but a little under-seasoned. But again nothing that a little salt couldn’t fix.
The desserts, Eton Mess and hot chocolate brownie were very good – the highlight of the meal.
Great service with a smile, a sideline in quirky grocery goods and a sublime setting all added up to a very very enjoyable afternoon

Carluccio’s, Cardiff Bay

Just a quick post to say the new Carluccio’s in Cardiff Bay has opened and looks rather spiffing.

We did a 10km round the Bay today so decided we could indulge in a few bits from the deli’ section. We shared a ciabatta roll with mortadella and provolone, a focaccia roll with prosciutto and mozzarella and a roasted veg pastry, which we finished off with a three way split of a lemon tart. It was all delicious for barely more than you’d expect to pay due a few dodgy Tesco sarnies. Eaten on a bench looking out across the water, I suspect our bay runs will never be the same again.

Street Food Circus

So Cardiff is definitely having a moment. There seems to be so much good stuff going on, so many “happenings” that it’s hard to keep up. One of the latest is the Street Food Circus

Head down past the Radisson Blu Hotel, past the pugnacious Peerless Jim Driscoll, under the railway bridge and you’ll find it tucked away behind “No Fit State’s” home:

There’s pretty much something for all tastes, Meat and Greek’s souvlakis cooked over open coals, Hangfire’s award winning slow BBQ offerings, Anand George’s wonderful spicy wraps, the Hokkei Box Boys with their Asian fusion offerings. And so much much more. Pizza, fish, burgers, slow pork, churros…. Too much to take in in one visit:

Inside the big top they have plenty of tables and benches, cosy lighting, and two (count’ em, two) bars selling cocktails and real ales.

We shared a Souvlaki from Meat and Greek and a wrap from Anand George’s Street Kitchen. Both were delicious, generous servings and excellent value. Couples with Margeritas and lashings of ginger beer – top nosh.

There’s a rumor of circus acts too but we had to dash before that happened – maybe we’ll get to see that tonight when we go again.

Great stuff

The Deck – Cardiff Bay

We went for a run in Cardiff Bay on Sunday and then spoiled ourselves with lunch in The Deck – a little cafe serving meals, cake and coffee tucked away on  Harrowby Street just off the old main drag.
Upstairs is what appears to be a quirky coffee indy coffee shop:

But hidden downstairs is a secret little Forties world. When you go you’ll know how Nicholas Lyndhurst’s character must have felt in “Goodnight Sweetheart” stepping back in time. There’s bunting on the ceiling and chintz wallpaper.  Big band music plays, sounding like the aural equivalent of a warm blanket.

Tiered plates of cup cakes are served up with pots of teas of all types while Noel Coward and Vera Lynn warble away in the background about London town.
We ordered a couple of omelettes with various filings but we could have gone for one of the all-day breakfasts, or chosen from the selection of sandwiches and salads. The mains are simple but always freshly prepared and cooked, generous and tasty – just what you need after a run.

But what they really excell at in The Deck are cakes. The do all sorts of cup cakes and brownies and cookies , all home made. Fabulous – and just right to accompany the excellent coffee:

It’s one of our favorite places to eat in Cardiff and we go there whenever we get the chance.
Highly recommended.

Sunday in the (Cathay’s) park without George

Me, the wifeness and daughter no 2 spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in Cardiff National Museum.

We had a bite of lunch in the Oriel cafe where they really seem to be making an effort to make good food sourced locally – I can recommend the bhaji burger, the quiche and salad and the fish-finger sandwich.

The we resisted the draw of the dusty but almost irresistible animatronic woolly mammoth and instead spent a few hours wandering around the astonishing collection of art.

We did however first make a brief stop to check out the one truly priceless exhibit. The moon rock.
No that’s not it – that a fabulous meteor.

The moon rock is the much smaller unassuming chunk of grey stone alongside it, not much bigger than an apple core.

Widely ignored now, when it was first placed in the museum it had a huge police escort and people queued for hours to look at it. When you think three men strapped themselves to a liquid fuel bomb a third of the height of the Eiffel Tower and had themselves blasted into outer space in order to retrieve it then it must be the must remarkable piece on view.

The arty bit…
Did you know that Cardiff Museum has
a number of paintings by Turner? Or that it has an outstanding painting of Six Bells at Abertillery by LS Lowry?
It also has an extensive collection of pre-Raphaelite art including works by Ford Madox Brown,  Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais.
It has sculpture by Degas and by Rodin including a huge version of The Kiss and a bust of Augustus John who’s works are also represented – as are done of those by his sister Gwen.

It has more outstanding works of sculpture by modern giants such as Barbara Hepworth and Jacob Epstein.

There are some stunning large scale works by John  Singer Sargent and Stanley Spencer.

The ever popular Impressionist Movement is strongly represented with works by, amongst others Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Renoir. In fact name a famous artist and you’ll probably find a piece by them in the museum –  Rene Magritte? Check. Max Ernst? Present. El Greco? Botticelli? Frans Hals? Rubens? Canaletto? All present and correct.

Which is why it was all the more disappointing that I couldn’t find anything by George Seurat to make the title of my blog entry work…..

After that explosion of culture we staggered out onto the coffeeopolis that Queen Street has become for refreshment – there seem to be new cafes opening every other building. We sat and chatted amongst the noticeable numbers of Spanish, French and Italians that we had also seen in the museum and shopping centre – presumably as a result of cheap flights to and from Cardiff Airport. And very cosmopolitan it all felt too.
All in all a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon.

But no George