THE POTTED PIG *****
27 High Street, Cardiff. 029 2022 4817
If you’ve ever looked up while walking along St Mary’s Street, you will no doubt have noticed the beautiful, grand and unique architecture that perches above the many nightclubs, shops and restaurants. But what about below street level?
Tucked away under Zizzi’s restaurant, The Potted Pig now resides in what used to be an old bank vault. The lovingly renovated space has been transformed into a charming restaurant, packed with character and a delicious and original menu to boot. Elements of the old bank vault have been left in place to enhance the restaurant’s unique and intimate character, and far from pokey, the vaulted ceilings make the Potted Pig a surprisingly open space. The restaurant’s bar specialises in gin, and with 20 excellent varieties to sample, a long lunch or evening meal is certainly recommended. The Potted Pig’s modern British menu offers a little something extra for the more adventurous diner. From the bone marrow and duck heart starter, to the beautiful rabbit main course and whole suckling pig (available for groups of eight), the menu is seasonal, unpretentious in its approach, and singularly unique in its offering of quality but reasonably priced British-inspired food in Cardiff.
Braving the duck heart, bone marrow and sweetbread starter, I was surprised by its fantastic flavour. My dining partner also commended his home-cured mackerel with pickled cucumber starter. For the main course, I enjoyed a fantastic rabbit, bacon and pea dish with a liver and kidney sausage. Although I was equally tempted by the 12hr roast pork belly which my dining partner enjoyed with its fantastic crackling and tender meat. A stunning elderflower pannacotta and chocolate tart completed an excellently executed menu.
With beautifully presented dishes, a friendly ambience, a uniquely vaulted restaurant, a regularly changing menu and a fantastic selection of gin to sample, The Potted Pig demands a return visit. GARETH LUDKIN
POTTED PIG | FOOD REVIEW
