Cardiff Arts Institute
Occupying a prime spot adjacent to the museum, The Cardiff Arts Institute is indeed a cultural hotspot in its own right. Describing itself as a “Canteen, Social Club & Music Room” and hosting live events ranging from poetry readings to comedy nights and the obligatory gig, as well as housing its own art gallery, it’s easy to see why.
The menu, promising fresh and contemporary food, is kept simple and ranges from sandwiches and tapas to burgers and larger meals – with each section having just a few options. For anybody who finds it hard to choose when presented with a large menu, this is a lifesaver and avoids having to spend twenty minutes just reading the menu, let alone deciding what to eat.
It was Saturday lunchtime so we kept it light with a Warm Black Mountain spicy sausage with tomato salsa (£5.95) and Haddock Burger with tartar sauce (£6.75). Our waitress duly gave me a choice of brown bloomer or sourdough for my sandwich and after a bit of deliberating I opted for the bloomer.
She needn’t have bothered giving me a choice as, when it arrived, it appeared to be a standard white baguette. Tucking in regardless, I found a spicy and well seasoned chorizo style sausage, perfectly complimented by a tomato and jalapeno salsa – hot and heady and not for the faint hearted.
The Haddock was slightly more disappointing, arriving at the table lukewarm and tasting watery. I suspect that the fish had been frozen and not really in keeping with the cooked from fresh ethos promised by the menu.
The chips were also a let down – cold and strangely chewy as if they’d been reheated from an earlier order.
To cheer us up I ordered a White Chocolate Tart (£4.45), an egg custard tart, flavoured with honey and white chocolate. It was thick, rich and creamy – perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Overall, we should perhaps commend CAI for keeping it simple but there are definitely a few areas to iron out before they achieve a truly great menu.
Cardiff Arts Institute, 29 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BA
Tel. (029) 20 231 252
The menu, promising fresh and contemporary food, is kept simple and ranges from sandwiches and tapas to burgers and larger meals – with each section having just a few options. For anybody who finds it hard to choose when presented with a large menu, this is a lifesaver and avoids having to spend twenty minutes just reading the menu, let alone deciding what to eat.
It was Saturday lunchtime so we kept it light with a Warm Black Mountain spicy sausage with tomato salsa (£5.95) and Haddock Burger with tartar sauce (£6.75). Our waitress duly gave me a choice of brown bloomer or sourdough for my sandwich and after a bit of deliberating I opted for the bloomer.
She needn’t have bothered giving me a choice as, when it arrived, it appeared to be a standard white baguette. Tucking in regardless, I found a spicy and well seasoned chorizo style sausage, perfectly complimented by a tomato and jalapeno salsa – hot and heady and not for the faint hearted.
The Haddock was slightly more disappointing, arriving at the table lukewarm and tasting watery. I suspect that the fish had been frozen and not really in keeping with the cooked from fresh ethos promised by the menu.
The chips were also a let down – cold and strangely chewy as if they’d been reheated from an earlier order.
To cheer us up I ordered a White Chocolate Tart (£4.45), an egg custard tart, flavoured with honey and white chocolate. It was thick, rich and creamy – perfect for those with a sweet tooth.
Overall, we should perhaps commend CAI for keeping it simple but there are definitely a few areas to iron out before they achieve a truly great menu.
Cardiff Arts Institute, 29 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3BA
Tel. (029) 20 231 252
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