MARCO PIERRE WHITE STEAKHOUSE & GRILL
Indigo Hotel, Queen Street, Cardiff. 0871 9429104 / www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk
Food *** Atmosphere ***
Afternoon tea is, I feel, an indulgence, and one I rarely have the time in which to partake, but having a spare hour recently allowed a bit of me time. Marco Pierre White’s Cardiff establishment is the latest to offer a choice of afternoon teas: £19.95 per person with tea or coffee, £24.99 with prosecco or £29.95 with champagne.
It’s fairly traditional – a selection of Severn and Wye smoked salmon with cream cheese; Wiltshire ham with Colman’s Mustard; sliced cucumber and cream cheese; rare roast beef with horseradish on dainty little granary squares. This is followed by pastries – macarons (vanilla and particularly delicious pistachio offerings), sachertorte, strawberry and clotted cream cheesecake and carrot cake, plus freshly baked scones with clotted cream and preserves, plus a selection of tea and coffee. The offering is sound enough, the prosecco hit the spot and everything was fresh and arrived as promised – delicately arranged with a decent variation of fillings and sweets.
The space where afternoon tea is served is in the more relaxed side of the MPW Steakhouse & Grill restaurant: low tables and huge wing back chairs with many images of Marco staring down at you menacingly. The warm lighting and a cosy set up does soften the, erm, very grey colour palette. It’s well designed, with high end objets d’art adorning the walls and, being perched on the top floor, Marco’s commands an enviable view across the city. The lunchtime deals are good value and the look and style is very modern boutique which, despite being part of a chain, fills a gap in Cardiff.
MPW has put his name to this and it works for the majority of the time. Like most places, it’s hit and miss, but mainly hit ultimately. Don’t expect him to come charging out of the kitchen: you’re more likely to find him at Rudloe Arms, tending his livestock and walking his dog. A pleasant way to while away a few hours and listen to a cracking soundtrack. ANTONIA LEVAY