Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin'
The Promised Land has certainly come a long way since I first visited back in 2010 - mixing its deli-style menu with live music events galore. Speaking with Amy Shaw, manager of the venue, it became apparent she was a lady after my own heart - both being rather fond of night's out involving good company, bottles of wine and small plates of food to pick over. This love of informal dining coupled with the arrival of a new chef, formerly of Pica Pica, has seen them develop a tapas menu and I was lucky enough to go along and preview some of the dishes.
Amy was very keen to stress that whilst the dishes may seem familiar at first glance, they do have a twist which keeps them unique to Promised Land. This was a relief as my initial thoughts were how similar the preview menu was to chef's last venue.
The Pan con Tomate was disappointing. Not because it was bad, more because I'd had such excellent stuff in Barcelona. Forgoing the Catalan style that I love, this was more of a bruschetta - fresh and tasty enough but the tomatoes could have done with a bit longer at room temperature before serving.
Patatas Bravas were truer to their origins - being crisp, with a generous dose of paprika and set off by a spicy tomato sauce. Spanish Baked Prawns were perfectly cooked but could have benefitted from chef being a tad more generous with the advertised chilli and sherry.
The Chicken Croquettes divided opinion on our table - I loved the contrast of crisp crumb and creamy chicken but my fellow diners found them too sloppy.
One thing we all agreed on was how amazing the chorizo was - thick slices, soaked in Monte Haro rioja, herbs, spices and a twist of lemon zest before frying. These were lip-smackingly good.
The Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates were similarly enjoyed, though it did take chef two attempts to perfect them. The first attempt (below) was slightly overcooked meaning that the almond inside the date had hardened, the goats cheese had vanished and the whole thing was a tad disappointing. Luckily chef brought us another plate of properly cooked dates and they were heavenly - chewy fruit, crunchy almond, creamy cheese and crisp bacon (because we like our adjectives beginning with a 'c'!) .
Next followed Garlic Mushrooms, which were firm, moist and packed with garlic - pretty much what you'd expect, and the Cinammon, White Wine and Paprika Brushed Chicken Skewers. Like the prawns there was a danger (almost an expectation) that these would be overcooked so it was a delight (and a relief!) to find that the chicken was juicy and with the warm flavour of the cinammon coming through, managing to evoke thoughts of Morroccan tagines rather than Christmas cake.
We finished off the night with some brightly coloured dips - a spicy pumpkin (very nice) and a vibrantly coloured beetroot (lovely flavour but the texture of jarred baby food), and another appearence of the chorizo, this time paired with some beautifully cooked cod.
Chef had obviously enjoyed experimenting in his new kitchen and for the most part it worked. Dishes such as the chorizo, chicken skewers and croquettes were far better than I'd eaten at other venues in the city, whereas the dates, prawns and the tomato bread possibly need a little bit of tweaking over the next week or so before you lot get a chance to sample them.
This is definitely worth a visit and with an anticipated price of £7.50 for 3 plates plus bread, a bargain to boot.
Amy was very keen to stress that whilst the dishes may seem familiar at first glance, they do have a twist which keeps them unique to Promised Land. This was a relief as my initial thoughts were how similar the preview menu was to chef's last venue.
The Pan con Tomate was disappointing. Not because it was bad, more because I'd had such excellent stuff in Barcelona. Forgoing the Catalan style that I love, this was more of a bruschetta - fresh and tasty enough but the tomatoes could have done with a bit longer at room temperature before serving.
Patatas Bravas were truer to their origins - being crisp, with a generous dose of paprika and set off by a spicy tomato sauce. Spanish Baked Prawns were perfectly cooked but could have benefitted from chef being a tad more generous with the advertised chilli and sherry.
The Chicken Croquettes divided opinion on our table - I loved the contrast of crisp crumb and creamy chicken but my fellow diners found them too sloppy.
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| Red wine soaked Chorizo (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
The Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Dates were similarly enjoyed, though it did take chef two attempts to perfect them. The first attempt (below) was slightly overcooked meaning that the almond inside the date had hardened, the goats cheese had vanished and the whole thing was a tad disappointing. Luckily chef brought us another plate of properly cooked dates and they were heavenly - chewy fruit, crunchy almond, creamy cheese and crisp bacon (because we like our adjectives beginning with a 'c'!) .
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| First date jitters (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
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| Cinammon Chicken Skewers (Photo: Cardiff Bites) |
Chef had obviously enjoyed experimenting in his new kitchen and for the most part it worked. Dishes such as the chorizo, chicken skewers and croquettes were far better than I'd eaten at other venues in the city, whereas the dates, prawns and the tomato bread possibly need a little bit of tweaking over the next week or so before you lot get a chance to sample them.
This is definitely worth a visit and with an anticipated price of £7.50 for 3 plates plus bread, a bargain to boot.
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