St David’s Hotel And Spa, Havannah Street, Cardiff Bay.
029 2045 4045 / www.thestdavidshotel.com
As much as I’ve wanted to try the restaurant at St David’s Hotel, I’ve always been put off by the price – or at least what I thought would be the price. We all know of the hotel as being the place to stay for high-profile celebrities when they visit Cardiff, but I’ve always wondered what there is to offer us locals.
The decor is warm and inviting and could not be further from the white and clinical looking reception lobby. Very few restaurants in Cardiff offer anything of a view, something Tempus At Tides offers in abundance with diners able to look out over Cardiff Bay and towards Penarth.
With five starters and five mains to choose from (plus their signature dishes), it didn’t take us long to decide what to order. I opted for the carpaccio of Venison with quail egg, port jelly and micro rocket, and my husband went for the terrine of smoked chicken and ham knuckle. Both dishes were faultless and set a high standard for the main meals. To follow we ordered ballotine of corn fed chicken and Toulouse sausage, and rump of Carmarthenshire hogget. The hogget was about as full of flavour as you can get from a mouthful of meat and according to my other half, the chicken was moist but the sausage filling was perhaps a touch too overpowering.
Realistically, for the quality of the food, the price was very reasonable – two courses for £24.95 or three for £29.95. The only downside of the meal being the slow pace of the service: waiting 30 minutes for our plates to be cleared in a half full restaurant wasn’t the five-star service you’d expect in a five-star hotel. ANGHARAD BROWN