Park Plaza Hotel, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff.
029 2011 1103 / www.lagunakitchenandbar.com
As part of a city centre hotel, albeit an award-winning one, Laguna restaurant doesn’t automatically spring to mind as the first port of call when choosing a restaurant to dine in. However, given the interesting menu choice, excellent wine list, and informed staff, Laguna is not one to be ignored. The spacious dining area is very well designed overlooking a decked balcony and across to the city hall to create an inviting and cosy experience. The thoughtful positioning of the lighting adds to the mood – no end of restaurants get this basic necessity very wrong. Nobody likes to feel as if they’re dining in a dentist’s waiting room, bathed in florescent strip lightning.
As it was a particularly gloomy evening, comforting food was needed and we choose a small plate of gnocchi, pearl las, walnuts and watercress from the specials menu, and celeriac and coconut soup for our starters. For mains we opted for baked cod fillet with Cornish crab mash and a tomato and fine herb butter sauce; along with a Breconshire venison burger, red cabbage slaw, tomato and apple chutney, and a potato and celeriac salad. Desert came in the form of a Jersey cream crème brulée and homemade shortbread biscuit. There are no complaints throughout the meal as the choice, quality and attention to detail is still as consistent as when it first opened. Laguna retains a distinct personality of its own, remaining fresh and dependable. A welcome treat if you want to escape the bustling city centre. ANTONIA LEVAY