71 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna, Cardiff. 029 2037 1929 / www.bravacardiff.co.uk
Brava has been a Pontcanna institution for the last decade and is well known for its breakfast and brunch. Recently, though, it’s developed into something of a night-time destination too. Despite having an alcohol license, after 5pm they encourage people to bring their own wine and there’s no corkage fee. This couldn’t be more ideal for my husband and I, as I’m a little bit of a fan of a nice glass or two whereas my husband is more at home with a glass of lemonade or a fruit smoothie. And if I’m making him pay for dinner, sometimes the tiniest element of guilt slips in when he has to fork out for my expensive wine taste.
The evening menu consists of the current day menu with a few additional specials. My husband went for the Brava burger, a chicken breast served with salad and chips (£8.45), and I decided on the rib-eye steak with chips and a salad (£13.45). Both the steak and the chicken had been nicely seasoned and I was pleased to see the steak was actually served as requested, medium rare. It never fails to surprise me how many chefs cannot cook steaks properly.
After a half-hour break and half a bottle of wine, we were ready for some desserts. Our attempt to pick one to share fell through, as we couldn’t decide between the chocolate brownie with ice-cream or the apple crumble with custard (both £4.25). In hindsight one between us would definitely have been more than enough as the portions were huge, but not at the expense of the quality.
Neither of us could find fault with anything on our plates. The food was simple, delicious and very well cooked, and the atmosphere is perfect for a low-key evening out, and if it’s good enough for Brava fan and Grand Slam winner Jamie Roberts, it’s good enough for me. ANGHARAD BROWN