What they sell they say is simple food, but they pride themselves on it being well made, and locally sourced where possible. Pizza, pies and cider all with a local influence.
First impressions of the place were good.
An airy restaurant with long wooden sharing tables and smaller tables suitable for 4, it had a really nice laid back vibe. I particularly liked the candles on the tables and the industrial decor but it didn't feel cold inside, just warm and welcoming.
We were shown to our table and explained how it worked. You choose your food and order at the bar.
The menu had a good selection of pizzas. Everything from the classic margarita and four cheese to local specials like the 'Trealy Farm Streaker', topped with Trealy farm Monmouthshire bacon, field mushrooms, fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella and a free range egg. A choice of three salads and five pies made up the rest of the menu. Now I like to think of myself as a bit of a pie connoisseur so I would have liked to have a few more choices of pies, but what they did have sounded tasty.
We decided on sharing a garlic bread to start, then I ordered 'The Wild Rooster', a chicken gammon and leek pie with a thyme crust, my son ordered a Margarita pizza and my husband ordered 'The Fiery Dragon' a spicy pork pizza. We also ordered a side salad as an accompaniment.
When I was at the bar ordering I was offered a chance to try some of the ciders, and if you are unsure of what to order I recommend you do this. Some interesting ciders as well as classic tastes. I tried a cider with ginger and chilli and it was a lot nicer than it sounded, really warming with good fruit flavours, and a classic sparkling cider which was apply and light.
Some of the different alcoholic drinks offered
After a ten minute wait the garlic bread arrived. We were surprised how large it was, however it was super thin and not stodgy at all, perfect for sharing. We all like the garlic flavour, however I would have liked it to be cooked a little longer.
The garlic bread pizza
The extra thin base was light and didn't fill up us too much for the mains.
'The Fiery Dragon'
Topped with spicy chopped pork, naga chillies, garlic, red onion, basil leaves, field mushrooms, fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella.
Now this is a pizza for the brave, and fiery it certainly was. A thin pizza base was topped with decent chunks of pork, that were very hot. The flavour of the tomato sauce and other toppings did get a little lost in the heat however, which was a little disappointing as the quality of the sauce was excellent.
'The Wild Rooster',
A chicken gammon and leek pie with a thyme crust, served with wedges, a spicy chutney and salad
I thought the pie was presented well and I was looking forward to tucking in. It really was a very good pie, with a moist filling, well seasoned and full of proper chunky pieces of chicken with leek and carrots. The shortcrust pastry was thin to medium in thickness and was light and crispy with no sogginess in sight. The menu said it was served with herb roasted potatoes and to be honest they were wedges, but nice enough. I have to admit I wasn't a fan of the chutney as it has a spiced Indian flavour which in my personal opinion didn't go with the pie. However the pie really was in the starring role here and I couldn't fault the tasty 'Wild Rooster'.
Margarita pizza
Fresh tomato sauce, fresh basil and mozzarella
My son enjoyed the Margarita pizza very much. If you have ever been to Italy, you will know that the pizzas are extremely simple as they focus on quality ingredients, and this pizza is in a similar style. Thin pizza base, great tomato sauce tasting of garlic and herbs, a scattering of basil leaves and creamy oozing mozzarella. I sneaked a piece and can confirm, it was an excellent pizza.
After our mains my son ordered the chocolate brownie, and as if he didn't have enough chocolate on that he ordered the hot chocolate with all the trimmings.
Chocolate lover’s Nirvana. Hot chocolate
topped with whipped cream,
marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles,
chocolate drops, chocolate sauce and
home made crumble
Warm chocolate brownie served with clotted cream
After hearing lots of mmmm's and ahhh's I thought I would try the brownie myself. It was warm and light and very chocolatey. It wasn't soft and gooey like some, instead it reminded me of a warm chocolate cake, and that's not a negative point, as it was excellent. A great dessert.
I didn't get a chance to try the 'Chocolate Lover's Nirvana' hot chocolate, as my son drunk it in no time, but suffice to say he enjoyed it immensely.
To finish I had a cappuccino that came with a small brownie on the side. The brownie was dense, like a petite four and very good with a super chocolate flavour (although different to the one my son had). I was told later that the brownies are made in house, like all the food there and they use the centre for the desserts and the ends for the small brownies served with coffee as it gives a different product. A simple but genius idea I must say!
After the meal I had a chance to talk to Liz, the manager. You can tell she has a real passion for her restaurant as she was so animated when she spoke about it
Liz chatted to me about how food is locally sourced wherever possible, for example the meat comes from a farm in Monmouthshire called Trealy Farm and she gets to choose local Welsh ciders for the menu. They really want to support local food businesses and this is one ethos I totally agree with. They must be doing something right as although they have only been opened 6 months, they were nominated as the Best Restaurant in Wales in the People’s Choice Awards with the Western Mail newspaper.
To sum it up, The Stable, Cardiff is a a laid back restaurant and bar serving excellent quality pizzas, pies and cider. Food isn't perfect, but still very good and what they do, they do well. The bar has many different local ciders and tastings are offered too. Locally sourced produce is used wherever possible to support the local community. We will be certainly be back. Recommended.
Oh those pizzas look cooked to perfection! I love garlic bread too. It sounds like a great place to go and eat!
ReplyDeleteCorinne x
The pizzas were really excellent.
DeleteThis looks like a really good place to eat. I like how this restaurant has a different menu in each location x
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy a good cider, so this sounds amazing. All those yummy food photos are making me very hungry :)
ReplyDeleteI'm hungry reading the post too Vai!
DeleteI love The Stable chain as it doesn't feel like a chain if you know what I mean? Great pizzas, and good ciders make for a lovely meal.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
DeleteOMG, I this post made me hungry now I cant wait for my lunch brake lol..the pizza looks delicious and that Hot chocolate topped with all that goodness mmmmm
ReplyDeleteGreat place!!
Thanks for sharing!! Leslie xoxo
My son wouldn't even let me taste the hot chocolate so it must have been good :)
DeleteThe garlic bread and pizza looks amazing! Sometimes having a smaller menu can be much better than too much choice, better to do a few things well than a lot of things average x
ReplyDeleteThe pizza and hot chocolate sound amazing. I love thinner bases as your right it doesn't fill you up as much! Glad you had a fantastic time
ReplyDeleteKirsty
www.kirstyralph.co.uk
These bases were super thin and really top notch, and the added bonus as you say, they don't fill you up!
DeleteThat hot chocolate looks amazing and the pizza looks like something I could kill for! H x
ReplyDeleteOh wow what a delicious looking place to stop to eat - I am loving the look of the food! The Fiery Dragon looks WOW! x
ReplyDeleteIt was very fiery!
DeleteOh this place looks great - the food delicious too. We all love pizza, and that brownie and hot chocolate look divine! Kaz x
ReplyDeleteHave been wanting to go here for a while. It sounds fab and I've heard the pizzas are amazing x
ReplyDeleteIt is really worth visiting. If you do go let me know how you get on.
DeleteIt sounds really nice. I've not heard of it before, but will be sure to check it out. Great review x
ReplyDeleteI am quite curious to try a bit of ginger and chilli cider, I can't really drink much but I like the infusion of unique flavors.
ReplyDeleteThey've just opened one in Birmingham too and I went along on Sunday, I was really impressed.
ReplyDeleteHave they? They are getting bigger all the time but they feel like a small individual bar and restaurant.
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