Cornering the Market

Opening a new venue on the site of one of Cardiff's most popular gay pubs was always going to be a controversial and unpopular decision.  So when Mitchell and Butler decided that the oldest surviving gay pub in Wales, The King's Cross situated on the corner of Mill Lane and Caroline Street, was no longer profitable as a late night drinking venue and instead should become a gastropub there was understandable outcry from the LGBT community.  A high profile campaign was launched, backed by local councillors and prominent figures from the gay community but sadly it came to nothing.

This week saw the opening of its replacement, The Corner House and I was invited along to a preview night to see if the change had indeed been worth it.

The venue itself has undergone a complete refit and whilst it looks sleek and new, it also looks like every other gastropub I've been to - brown leather chairs, wooden floors, lots of chrome and brown walls.  Our waitress described it as a gentleman's club feel, without a hint of irony towards the venue's former life.  It's nice but kind of bland.

We took our seats upstairs in the "Dining" area and perused the menu - the usual mix of sharing platters and grilled meats.  In fact there are only 8 vegetarian dishes on the menu, 4 of which are main courses.  For starters I opted for the Chorizo and Potato Hash (£6.95) whilst my partner picked the Baked Pinot Grigio Mushrooms (also £6.95).  They couldn't have looked more different.  My hash was delicately presented - a small potato cake with spring onion and chunks of chorizo topped with a poached egg, hollandaise sauce and a thin chorizo "crisp".  It was refined, the hash itself bursting with flavour and texture could have benefited from a little longer on the griddle as it wasn't golden on the outside.  The egg was soft poached and oozing but I found the hollandaise a little heavy on the vinegar, almost obliterating the lemon.

By contrast the mushrooms were served in a far more rustic style - a large ceramic bowl atop a wooden platter with 2 large wedges of Stirata Romana (an Italian flatbread).  The portion was generous and the mushrooms plentiful nestled in the wine and parsley sauce.  

For mains my partner ordered a rare Ribeye Steak (£17.95).  The waitress advised that the kitchen wouldn't serve this cut rare and, after some discussion, a compromise of medium rare was reached. When it arrived it was indeed served medium rare, on one side at least.  The other side had been shy of the flame and remained a little pinker.  The steak itself was delicious but the accompaniments were disappointing.  A horseradish sauce was lost against the beef, the advertised rocket salad turned out to be lambs lettuce and the chips were pale and cardboardy.  Not even the smoked sea salt could lift them above mediocre.

I ordered a Duck Confit (£14.95) but was served roast duck.  Don't get me wrong, it was a very nice piece of roast duck but it was by no means a confit - the meat being too dry and the skin being nowhere near crisp.  The flavours of the marinade however were spot on - ginger and chilli with chunks of hot pineapple for a hot/sweet/sour affair.  The duck was served with sweet potato, butter beans and roasted shallots which again complimented the flavourings.

We both finished the meal (aside from the awful chips) with full bellies but hardly feeling overwhelmed.  It is always difficult to judge a restaurant when it's only been open a day and I'm sure that, with time, the rough edges will be rounded off.  

Would we return?  Maybe, but there a few other venues I'd think of eating at first.