Vines is Alex Vines, a cook in his late thirties who’s plied his trade in Cardiff, Manchester, London and France. Milkwood is a restaurant in Pontcanna – where Vines grew up, coincidentally or otherwise – which opened in 2017 and is currently serving its own menu in the daytime, handing Friday and Saturday evenings over to guest chefs. Neither Milkwood or Vines, who has previously popped up at Ground and Hard Lines in nearby Canton, know how long this partnership will be in place: as long as each party feels like it, is the vibe.
With that in mind, my recommendation to get along to Vines @ Milkwood has an added ‘with haste’. It’s a fairly small room and, on the Friday night we’re there, fills up by about 8 pm. Vines cooks everything and dishes come out in the order they’re written on the menu; this is a nominally small-plates setup but the options further down the blackboard (priced between £14.50 and £17) more closely resemble what most would consider a main course. Sharing is suggested, and done, although in many cases there’s a long-cooked, liquescent element that makes equal division a big ask.
A small dish of Gordal olives and a plate of root vegetable fritto misto, its batter paper-thin, can be picked at with barroom-style informality. On the other hand, you’ll want to get your fair share – or more – of the chickenskin-crispy edges on a fillet of gurnard, which is paired with purple sprouting broccoli, soupy lentils and a pea puree-adjacent green sauce. A piece of pork belly has been confited, given quickfire crispness on the grill and draped over a bed of celeriac remoulade (dotted with tiny capers) and cubed swede (braised in pork and duck fat). Two puffed-up pork rinds have gone pliant in the foundational broth, the only element that isn’t spot on.
Vines stuck to vegetarian cooking for a portion of his career, and if there’s one item that drives this tendency home it’s a Jerusalem artichoke daube, braised with patience akin to the more traditional beef version of this stew and spooned into the centre of a wild garlic aligot the colour of wasabi and consistency of fondue. It’s top-shelf comfort food you’ll be thinking about for a long time afterwards: if this meeting of two repainted trad French dishes stems from the chef’s time there, it’s an advert for going off-piste.
We have a dessert each, dispensing with the sharing thing: rhubarb sorbet with buckwheat shortbread (me; a textural combo that works once actively combined) and a tart of chocolate, hazelnut and preserved cherries (him; reputedly a total belter despite getting very little hazelnut). A small but interesting wine list includes a ‘natural amphora rondo’ from the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border which resembles an especially wonky kettle sour beer and definitely won’t be for everyone but is certainly for me.
Alex Vines’ return to Cardiff is an unequivocally positive development as regards local restaurant culture, not least as he intends to open a space of his own soon. As and when that happens, hopefully, Milkwood will keep the train rolling with another similarly great guest chef.
Vines @ Milkwood, Pontcanna Street, Cardiff.
Info: 029 2023 2226 / vinescardiff.co.uk
words NOEL GARDNER photos NOEL GARDNER / OWEN MATHIAS
