A Bristol Legend has opened in Cardiff

Now, I’ve heard of Pasture in Bristol but I’ve never been there. But I do know it’s one of those restaurants that when someone talks about it they pull a face first. Not a bleurgh face, but one of those roll your eyes in ecstasy and then say wow after…. So I definitely had an expectation of the one in Cardiff.

It’s situated at the Castle end of St Mary’s St, in Cardiff which really is becoming a very popular and on trend area to eat and drink in Cardiff.

So off we popped to see what it’s all about. When I say we …. I mean my good friend Jay Page and I…. Now this was going to be a bit of an interesting one as me? Well I’m as meat eater as you can get, but Jay is Vegan. Yep… so bearing in mind this is a steakhouse they really did have thier work cut out on us.

On entry the host greeted us and we were shown to our table. We had an assigned waitress, which was the brilliant Zade. We ordered on recommendation the house white the 2018 Saint Chinian Petit Paradis
(Languedoc-Roussillon, France 12.5% // 175ml £5.2 // BTL £19) priced very reasonably and very light and fruity in taste.

Although COVID had put it’s restrictions on what would’ve been a launch party, we did manage to get a face masked walk of the floor from Adam the manager. Pride of place sits the Himalayan salt chamber, where all of the meat is dry aged and what to me was important too, was that all meat is free range, pure grass fed, and locally sourced. The space is huge, plenty of tables all socially distanced. There will also be a private bar downstairs, with two private dining areas which will be opened shortly.

To start I went for the short rib croquettes with gochujang aioli. These are meat taken from the tomohawk aged steak, served with a spicy aoili. They were incredible…. And only £5.

Jay, being a vegan usually is limited in his choices but here there are a few to choose from. He opted for the roasted pardon peppers served with
cashew yogurt and shichimi.

Now I love steak 🥩 so I had huge expectations….so I decided not to go for the fillet or the tomahawk. I decided to go for the humble rump steak, as the cheapest on the menu to see how good thier steak was… And yep… I am now one of those people who pull a funny face when they talk about a Pasture 35 day aged steak. Insert all of the ecstasy eyes rolls and feels right here. It was incredible. I chose to have mine with the Mac and Cheese …. Again amazing. There’s a full menu of sides and extras to choose from, with plenty of veggies and options if you decide to be a bit more healthy than me!

Now. The Vegan.

Again there’s a few veggie and vegan options but Jay went for the impossible steak. As a non vegan, to me this was freaking magic. It’s a watermelon steak smoked and cut and cooked until it tastes and looks like meat. It’s literally sorcery.

Guys, there is literally zero fault with this place. The decor, the safety, the service, the incredible food, the huge bar menu and the awesome menu for vegans and veggies too. The legend really does exist.

To book and browse the menus visit https://pasturerestaurant.com/locations/cardiff/

The Botanist has arrived.

Well I don’t pretend to know my Tiger Lily from my Weeping Willow, but I know something of beauty when I see it.

I was a lucky girl and got a sneak peek of the new Botanist on Church Street before it opens it’s doors for its launch on Thursday.

As you walk in, you get a sense of the transformation the building has gone through and are greeted by bubbling light fittings and lush greenery… But walk up the stairs and you know these guys mean business.

I visited the Savoy just before Xmas and this place is genuinely on par and reminds me of it…. Anyone’s who has been will know what I mean when you see it.

There’s a huge bandstand in the middle of the room with a big grand piano. There’s a water feature river running through the main room with a bridge built to cross it…..all while they’ve managed to make smaller areas so it doesn’t feel vast. As you move to the back of the first floor, there’s a private dining suite, perfect for parties.

I was treated to tasters off the menu… And what a treat it was. Baked camembert served in a loaf, meat and cheese sharing platters, calamari…. But the one that stole the show for me was…. The garlic bread!!!!! I don’t know how they do it, but it’s incredible and you have to try it!!!!

There’s a large menu of drinks, and I was made their wonderful version of an ameretto sours which was delicious. Price wise house wine comes in at £18.95 for a bottle.

We then moved upstairs…. And what a surprise. There’s a huge outside terrace. This place is going to be amazing for the summer months. It’s got a stage in the corner, and doors that pull back revealing the long bar that stretches right the way round.

So in summary. This place is huge, but very cleverly designed. It’s also truly beautiful. There’s a full drinks menu, and food menu for everyone to enjoy. So whether you want live music from a grand piano or a giant roof garden with live bands, this place has something for literally everyone. I can’t see how the botanist can’t work. It’s awesome.

It’s got to be one of the most anticipated openings in a very long time in Cardiff. At one point we weren’t even sure it was going to happen, with the original premise not going ahead, Cardiff has been waiting with baited breath to see if we really were going to get an infamous Ivy on our doorstep.

And guys, it’s all it’s cracked up to be. They’ve spent £4.2million on the venue, and it’s as lavish as you had hoped.

The decor is sumptuous and oozes luxury. The marble and mirrored bar is topped by a dragon masterpiece sculpture, and the ladies toilet has its very own sculpture of Venus …. It’s really is that awesome.

There are two floors for dining and drinking, with both tables and seats at the bar.

There is a private dining room at the back too that seats 24-30 people, exploring the height of luxury within Cardiff, with an extravagant 3k minimum spend.

However, you may expect this to make the experience expensive… And quite frankly it isn’t.

After being invited to the opening night and seeing this beautiful addition to the city, I couldn’t wait to eat here.

I was invited to a breakfast sitting, and was gobsmacked on how reasonable the food prices were.

I opted for a classic Eggs Benedict which is priced at a super reasonable £8.50, as well as a toasted crumpet served with Marmite butter at £3.50.

These prices are further mirrored in their A la Carte menu for the day and evening, with the famous Ivy Shepard’s Pie reasonably priced at £14.50, with the roast fillet of Salmon coming in at £16.25. The food is of same standard as your surroundings, really excellent……. and there is also a seperate vegan and vegetarian menu too… There is so much choice!

The drinks menu is vast. With breakfast, I opted for a coffee at a normal £3.95, but a beer for dining starts at £4.95 and a glass of wine starting at £5.95.

This is not what I was expecting whatsoever. The service is incredible, and the surrounding superb, but I can firmly say they’ve kept their pricing accessible for what will obviously become a destination venue for the city. It also has a 1.30am licence for drinking and a DJ stand upstairs, clearly stating that they are not just going to be a restaurant either. We are talking the full dinner, drinks and dancing here.

The Ivy Cardiff has it all. Amazing service, amazing decor and amazing pricing. Cardiff is well overdue something like this in a capital city, and it’s super welcome addition in my book. Long may it reign. KRB xx

Photo courtesy of Tamsin Symonds

All content is ©️Kelly’s Adventures and Kelly Reardon Brown

Last night I headed to the WMC for Club Tropicana the Musical. Now anyone who knows me, knows that KELLY + 80s music = very happy person. However I did not expect what was coming.

As a girl who grew up in the 80s, I grew up with classics like Hi De Hi, Top of the Pops and Are You Being Served?

Club Tropicana was all of that rolled into one. Joe McElderry starred, heading up the show as Gary the Host and was perfect casting. No one can contest his awesome vocal ability, but I had no idea he was so funny!!The show stopper of the night for me though was the hilarious Consuela the Maid, aka Kate Robbins. Robbins of 80s Crossroads fame, is an esteemed impressionist and they use every ounce of her hysterical persona. Not to put any spoilers in, bit she will have you belly laughing and snorting like you haven’t done in along time! She has a sign you know 😆.

I belly laughed all night at this brilliant throwback to the 80s. I haven’t even mentioned the music yet, which includes tracks by Aha, ABC, and loads more.This is 80s slapstick comedy with a brilliant sound track.Please go and see this. Its brilliant.Club Tropicana the Musical is running until the 17th August and tickets can be purchased from http://www.wmc.org.uk

Hey!

I do realise I’ve been a bit quiet lately.. however its because fezzy season is well and truly here.

Firstly I have to give a huge shout out to Hereford Festival. I played and hosted the Stadium Festival last week, for the rewind stage and I must say what a wonderful day. The weather was perfect, the beer was cold and the music was great.

Playing was the beautiful Leanne from Sweet Female Attitude, Gareth Gates, Dappy and some great local talent too. The tempo changed halfway through, to get the crowd ready for the Clubland day the next day, with an absolutely banging set from DJ Ironik, Amazing vocals from JX Live and to finish it off, N Trance left everyone on a massive high with one of the best sets I’ve heard in a long time.

This weekend was the brilliant Inside Out festival in Cardiff …. This time I was a guest and made the most of it!!!!

In past years Inside Out has been later in the year in September, so I was interested to see how this would change the vibe.

Well what can I say? The sun was blazing, the arena was packed to the seams and the artists were on FIRE!

Sean Paul headlined, and what a show. He’s one of those artists where you just forget how many ridiculously huge tunes he’s had! It was such a good festival and I’m very happy to see they’ve announced their dates already for next year. The festival is an asset to the city and I can’t wait for next year.

I’ve also been discovering lots of new music, and last week featured the Brothers Johnson on Studio 54 my disco show, every week on Radio Cardiff. All my shows are available on mixcloud, and if you fancy a boogie …. You can have a listen here

https://www.mixcloud.com/RadioCardiff/studio-54-kelly-rb-26052019/

Enjoy the sunshine!

Kel

I was invited to my very first supper club the other day….

Not being a particular foodie, I wasn’t really sure what this entailed, so off I went to 10 Maryport in Roath Cardiff for their once a month evening venture. Now apparently supper clubs are all about the surprise set menu, and I do love a surprise.

Every month is themed, March being a Taste of Italy. Its a creation put together by Dave Rowlands, the chef of the evening, and with 4 courses for only £25, its a bargain to say the least!

We started off with a gorgeous Tuscan Bean Soup, next was bruschetta, with the mains being a fresh pasta dish with Italian sausage, finished off with a stunning Sicilian Lemon Tiramisu.

All of the courses were tasty and fresh, with my personal favourites being a close competition between the smokeyness of the Tuscan soup, and the spicy strong Italian flavours of the Nduja sausage.

Guys, this is a little gem that not many people know about. For the money its more than a bargain as I rolled out of there full as an egg!!

The flavours are moreish, and I just love the surprise too. There are vegan and veggie options available on request when booking. Its BYOB, so take a bottle of wine and enjoy this little hidden gem in Roath…

Next one we are off to France (see below) …. See ya there ❤️