For my bithday my Brewer half planned a suprise day of adventure. Unfortunately, since I over-think everything, I ruined the suprise almost instantly. I have a mental list of resturants to try, and as we cycled towards town I slowly elimintated them - not
Purple Poppadom, not
Fish at 85, not
The Park House... by the time we reached the Hilton I suspected I was in for an anxiously awaited lunch at
The Potted Pig.
We arrived at 1pm on a Friday and the restaurant was full - fortunately the brewer half had a reservation (apparently he had tried for a dinner reservation but the waiting list for a Friday night is months long - it's not my fault my birthday fell on a Friday!). The restaurant is built in a former bank vault and there are remnants of the vault dotted around - from large iron gates to stone columns to small alcoves. But it's still a classy looking establishment, and it feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of St. Mary's street above.
Potted Pig has an amazing lunch deal -
2 courses for £12.
I ordered the Potted Pig to start - after all it's their name piece!
It did not disapoint. Soft and succulent pork in an adorable pot, presented with pickled raddish and 2 slices of thick grainy toast. The balance of pork and raddish was impeccable, slightly sweet and slightly sour and 100% perfection.
My brewer half ordered the Welsh Rarebit:
Melted cheese on toast but with a twist - a sharp taste of mustard and Worcestershire sauce made this the best Rarebit I've ever had. I coaxed away two girlfriend bites before the Brewer half gobled it all up - he rated it exemplary, and he's lived on cheese on toast for years.
For my main I ordered the burger, medium. I love a good burger - pink in the middle, crispy on the outside, not uniform but smashed up nice, tasty bun, smattering of accouterments (Lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion - BUT NO SAUCE). The burger at the Potted Pig is one of my top 3 burgers in Cardiff.
The meat was perfection. Quality you could taste, pink in the middle, right amount of toppings. The only downside was the cheese, it tasted like packet american cheese. With Wales having so many
amazing cheese offerings I was a bit disappointed with the lack of inspiration here. But it's hard to fault such a sublime burger.
The brewer half ordered the pulled pork sandwich:
It was exactly as ordered - layers of pulled pork on a toasty roll. The pulled pork was possibly the same as the appitizer - certainly as soft and delicious - but I'm not sure it was enough to hold the whole sandwich together. This is where any number of dipping sauces might have made it a more inspiring eat. That said, I applaud a chef who works with fine quality food and cooking, and presents this food for its own enjoyment - there are times when packet sauces are used to
disguise poor ingredients or
chefs, and there was no hiding with this pork. It was well cooked and clearly of great quality - as a personal preference I could have used (the option of) more flavor.
The hand cut chips were perfect as well - and there were loads. I couldn't finish them all, which is unusual for me. Double fried, fluffy, crispy, salty, perfect.
The Brewer half and I split mains. Here's the Brewer half, nom-ing on his splitsie dish:
I was very impressed with the Potted Pig. For £12 I could not think of a better place to lunch. I would love to try their dinner menu sometime - while somewhat pricy I know I'm paying for quality of ingredients and quality of cooking. The restaurant itself has a great and unique atmosphere (bank vault!) and the staff were very professional while still friendly and attentive. I'm certainly excited for a repeat visit.
Details:
029 2022 4817
27 High St
Cardiff
CF10 1PU
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