Restaurants/bars
Face11, Cardiff
Duck Egg Bleu, Cardiff A capital city lacking a Michelin starred restaurant? Unacceptable in this day and age. We have stadiums, theatres and galleries galore, but how can Cardiff ever attain the status of European capital of culture without a beacon of world-class gastronomy to call our own? The gourmand with a plan to put Cardiff on the map is Gareth Dobbs, top-dog at Canton hot-spot Duck Egg Bleu. Having travelled the world, following a baptism of fire in the kitchens of London’s Pétrus and Le Gavroche, the Penarth-born chef has come home to Wales to share his ambition with us. Following months of pre-launch hype, and some minor teething problems, I was truly blown away by my first visit to Duck Egg Bleu. I was thrilled to return, for the purpose of this review, and I wasn’t disappointed; it was an experience to savour while rejoicing in contemporary Welsh cuisine. The well-considered menu highlights local, seasonal produce at a price that beats most central fine-dining venues. For £32.50, the three course a la carte menu includes an amuse-bouche and pre-dessert which adds to the all-round air of wonder to be found at Duck Egg Bleu. A fantastic first course - the “ duck egg bleu” ham, peas, egg and chips - is already one of the restaurant’s stand-out stars; a multi-textured treat that brought a stunning savoury trifle to mind. The underlying saltiness of the braised pigs cheeks was neatly balanced with a lucious, sweet pea sauce - topped with a poached hen’s egg and finished off in style with a pair of pain perdu soldiers. Having thoroughly enjoyed a glorious Gressingham Duck as a main upon my first visit to Duck Egg Bleu, I opted for the pan-fried rump of lamb, from Penrhiw Farm near Merthyr; it was expertly prepared, and was given an added depth thanks to a winning combination of sweet beetroot and strong cumin flavours. The creme bulee and ginger shortbread was a perfect pre-dessert, whilst the Calvados and cinnamon Savarin that followed was a triumph. The cinnamon-flavoured rum baba-style cake and apple panna cotta topped with a ravishing apple sorbet - underlined the artistry at work at Duck Egg Bleu. Believe the hype, book a table there at once, and don’t be surprised when Chef Gareth Dobbs proves to be Cardiff’s Michelin man. 435 Cowbridge Road East Victoria Park Cardiff CF5 1JH 029 2022 0993 info@duckeggbleu.co.uk
64 REDHANDED
New bar on the scene Face11, located on Cathays Terrace, Cathays - an area synonymous with young professionals and students breaking free from uni-halls life - has quickly become a hub for all who want something a little bit different from their downtime. Owners Matt and Paul set out to create an evening more personal and individual for their customers than that offered by the beer-by-numbers city watering holes. They have certainly succeeded creating a hangout where they can take time to get to know you and make you feel like a proper regular because they seem to take genuine pride in chilling you out. The look of the place is not too dissimilar to an apres-ski bar, with skiing kit and paraphernalia pinned to the log cabin-esque interiors. In fact the name itself comes from an infamous Alpine run that the owners tackled and defeated together. My partner J and I visited on a damp and cold Tuesday in January and were treated with great care by Paul and his team, feeling like we’d stumbled into a warm and happy safe-haven away from the winter blues. We headed mouth-first into the no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point menu - burgers, pizzas, cooked breakfasts, oggies and ribs being the order of the day. Interestingly they also cater for those following a Paleo diet - which mimics the meals that would have been eaten by our cavemen ancestors - said to have huge health and nutritional benefits. We both plumped for very non-Paleo options, J went with the BBQ Chicken pizza – made fresh with a thin light, base. Interesting fact: the sauce is made from a recipe handed down from Paul’s Nan, which adds a real individual and personal taste to the dish. It would have gone perfectly with one of the cold Peronis behind the bar, but we were both doing ‘Dry January’ - so our waitress concocted a bespoke virgin cocktail with refreshing mint. My main was the signature Face11 Burger. Homemade beef patty with your choice of cheese buried inside. I went for blue cheese and was absolutely in love with every mouthful. Each bite not only released the salty, earthy and juicy flavours of the gourmet burger - but with the almost-bitter aftertaste of the blue-cheese it made you really savour and take time with every mouthful. Too stuffed for proper dessert, Paul made a mini cheesecake concoction to accompany our coffees – a nice touch. With burgers and pizzas of this quality, I’m genuinely excited about coming back here and working through the menu. Now that Dry January is well and truly out of the way I’ll also roll my sleeves up for the drinks menu as well – with a signature Face11 draught cider catching my eye. One of the beauties of this place is all the little quirks and personal touches, from the food and drink on offer to the decor – something a punter will never get from a big chain venue. Come here and come here often – there’s a lot to get to know. 105 Cathays Terrace Cardiff CF24 4HU 029 2022 822 www.face11.co.uk