THE PAVILION CAFE | FOOD REVIEW
Penarth Pier Pavilion, The Esplanade, Penarth. 029 2071 2100 / www.penarthpavilion.co.uk
On a sunny day, and several less sunny ones, Penarth Pier Pavilion is undoubtedly a beautiful place to be. This recently restored Art Deco building is a gorgeous place and is designed to let lots of light seep through into its stylish interior. The Pavilion Cafe, situated at the back of the building on the pier side, makes the most of this light with plenty of big windows that frame beautiful views of the sea.
We had come in for brunch and, perusing the menu, struggled to make a choice between the delicious sounding options. Eventually I decided to indulge both my sweet tooth and love of a hearty, meaty breakfast and went for the pancakes served with Welsh sausage, hand-carved bacon, fruit compote & maple syrup (£6.95). The big dish that was served to me, on a wooden board and a tin plate, was amply filled with flawlessly cooked pancakes which went startlingly well with the high quality sausage and bacon. The maple syrup went well with the meat, and the generous helping of fruit was a refreshing way to finish off the dish.
My partner went for the eggs Benedict (£7.50) and was extremely happy with the result which consisted of perfectly poached eggs, toasted breakfast muffins, plenty of carved ham (on this they did not skimp) and a well made hollandaise sauce.
The prices are pretty good for an upmarket breakfast, but with the high quality of the produce and the unarguably beautiful location, this is far from a standard place. The Pavilion Cafe is well worth a trip and I’ll be back there the next time the sun comes out (or maybe even before, they were good pancakes…).
words HEATHER ARNOLD