PITCH | FOOD REVIEW
Mill Lane, Cardiff. 029 2022 8882 / www.pitchcardiff.com
Pitch, which opened in late February sporting a name that implicitly hollers “we want your matchday money,” has been lauded as Cardiff’s first restaurant whose menu emphasises both Welsh produce and Welsh culture. This strikes me as questionable – The Armless Dragon, in Cathays, didn’t enjoy a spotless reputation, but surely answered to that description. It’s gone now, though, so Pitch can – at a push – claim singular status, even if its menu isn’t exactly striving for innovation.
Reviewer and guest take a window seat downstairs, the polo-shirted lager bustle of Mill Lane happily being absent on a Thursday, and order a glass of decent, berry-tinged cabernet sauvignon each. Glancing round in an effort to absorb the decor, well, there’s almost nothing to say about it. Some exposed wood and a sky blue and white colour scheme doesn’t exactly ignite the palate; as it goes, though, the food is pretty good. A salad of roast butternut squash and Pant-Ysgawen, an organic goats’ cheese, is made more bucolic by fresh blackberries; smoked mackerel pate comes with toast and deep-fried capers, which would be well worth cultivating a piggish, decadent addiction to (think Elton John’s cockle binges).
For mains, you can get lamb in shank or cawl form, Welsh rarebit, or various steaks and burgers. My guest picks cod – on a crushed potato bed and served with beans, peas and fresh mint, the latter cutting through coolly. My pork belly has a marmalade glaze, and is tough round certain edges but mostly pliant; two bits of crackling snap decisively and pork liquor gives the potatoes added creamy depth.
Similarly, the best part of my dessert – elderflower fruits with champagne foam – is found at the bottom of the glass, where the (frozen, out of season) berries have soaked in the bubbly. A chocolate brownie is pleasant but perfunctory. Pitch’s location, friendly and unfussy demeanour and appeals to the collective public’s badge-kissing nature should serve it well, and as long as you’re not expecting fireworks you’ll likely not be disappointed. A meal for two plus three large glasses of red comes to just over £60.
words NOEL GARDNER