Park Life
With The Potted Pig wowing locals and food critics alike, it seemed that no restaurant was close to stealing its crown as the place to eat in the city centre. Then along comes Park House Club to nail its flag to the mast with a special lunch time set menu promising 2 courses of delicious sounding food for £9 cooked by Grady Atkins (formerly of Le Gallois).
Attending a special tasting night, Managing Director Adam Pledger explained his vision succinctly and boldly - Cardiff doesn't have a Michelin starred restaurant and with Grady at the kitchen's helm he believes Park House has what it takes to get one. The surroundings themselves, a Grade 1 listed building designed in the 19th century by William Burgess, are grand and Adam wants the food to live up to this. Over the night we sampled several dishes which he and Grady are confident will become the signature dishes of the Club.
Canapes of Hereford Snails and Perl Las, wrapped in filo and topped with a red onion marmalade, were a disappointing start. Whilst not many of the assembled guests seemed tempted to try them, my partner and I dove in. Having had some excellent snails at Le Gallois' baby brother, Garcon, we knew they'd probably be chewy but these were overcooked, rubbery and a little greasy. For those who hadn't tried snails before it was almost too much. Luckily the Smoky Punch (a heady concoction of Penderyn, noilly prat, lemon juice, saffron syrup and vanilla salt) washed it all down nicely.
Grady continued to push the boundaries with a beautifully cooked Onsen egg, its just set white giving way to an oozing yolk against the rich boudin noir, delicately smoked mushy peas and foie gras sauce. The solitary crouton added some much needed crunch but the dish turned a little soupy and was in desperate need of some starch to mop up all that sauce. I was also disappointed by the dry, crumbly blood pudding which failed to live up to its competitors.
The second course was a more pleasing dish, perfectly cooked fish with just a hint of the miso, the crunch of vinegary vegetables and a pool of salty, iron-rich laver sauce combined into a delightful Japanese-Welsh fusion dish.
As the main course was being served, Adam cheerfully explained that the rare-breed pork, sourced in Ross-on-Wye, arrived at the kitchen whole. The kitchen team then proceed to work their way through the beast over the course of service, ensuring all of the animal is used. This is by far the most effective way of using meat but it does mean you don't get a choice of cut - it could be shoulder one day, belly the next. We needn't have worried though as it was meltingly beautiful - the belly in particular was butter-like and the accompanying sausage was perfectly seasoned and wonderful winter fodder. The oriental theme continued in the lapsang glazed vegetables but, not being a cabbage fan, the greens weren't great. I also didn't appear to be served any shallots, which my partner enjoyed muchly and helped to cut the fattiness of the pork. Not that I was too put out, the crackling atop the dish more than made up for it.
Next up came the cheese course. In the invite this had been billed as a camembert and I was very much looking forward to the pairing of soft, creamy cheese and a truffle honey. The last minute alteration left me more than a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, Hafod cheddar is amazing - a big, salty, pecorino-like kick in the teeth. I love it. But anything than can completely obliterate the taste of truffle is too strong to be served with it. The honey was completely lost in the mix - a real shame.
After a much needed palate-cleanser of lemon granite (complete with lemon curd) came a tiny jar pudding. We eagerly munched through the honeycomb (with guests discussing its similarity to a well known chocolate bar) and tucked into the sweet sharpness of the ice cream, spiked with the rich taste of sherry. An extra glass of sherry was served on the side and we all agreed it tasted like Christmas. The meal ended with coffee and some superb Valrhona milk chocolate truffles filled with a sour caramel.
Some elements of the meal didn't work but when it did it was delightful to eat. With a few tweaks here and there this could be a great menu. If chef can carry this forward into the main menu and, more importantly, the fixed-price lunch time menu then it'll certainly be worth a visit.
As for that elusive Michelin star, only time will tell.
Attending a special tasting night, Managing Director Adam Pledger explained his vision succinctly and boldly - Cardiff doesn't have a Michelin starred restaurant and with Grady at the kitchen's helm he believes Park House has what it takes to get one. The surroundings themselves, a Grade 1 listed building designed in the 19th century by William Burgess, are grand and Adam wants the food to live up to this. Over the night we sampled several dishes which he and Grady are confident will become the signature dishes of the Club.
Canapes of Hereford Snails and Perl Las, wrapped in filo and topped with a red onion marmalade, were a disappointing start. Whilst not many of the assembled guests seemed tempted to try them, my partner and I dove in. Having had some excellent snails at Le Gallois' baby brother, Garcon, we knew they'd probably be chewy but these were overcooked, rubbery and a little greasy. For those who hadn't tried snails before it was almost too much. Luckily the Smoky Punch (a heady concoction of Penderyn, noilly prat, lemon juice, saffron syrup and vanilla salt) washed it all down nicely.
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| Onsen egg, boudin noir, smoked mushy peas and a foie gras sauce (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
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| Miso marinated whiting, pickled vegetables and a laver butter sauce (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
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| Middle-White pork, lapsang glazed vegetables [Missing: Sweet & Sour Shallots] (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
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| Hafod cheddar, white truffle honey and oat cake (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
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| Honeycomb, buttermilk ice cream and Pedro Ximinez sherry (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
Some elements of the meal didn't work but when it did it was delightful to eat. With a few tweaks here and there this could be a great menu. If chef can carry this forward into the main menu and, more importantly, the fixed-price lunch time menu then it'll certainly be worth a visit.
As for that elusive Michelin star, only time will tell.
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