The Plate Licked Clean: I'm a big fan of avoiding the obvious. Any local burger quest will inevitably feature the Big Four (you know who they are...) but there's hopefully so much more to the local burger scene than that. Heading straight for Got Beef or The Grazing Shed is a little...predictable, no?
So, first stop was Westgate Street. Now, Cardiff loves a good 'quarter'; there's a Brewery Quarter, the Morgan Quarter, even a Fashion Quarter, though this last comes with a remarkably low quota of hollow-cheeked and xylophone-ribbed aspiring models. I guess Westgate St will be dubbed Cardiff's craft beer quarter by some. BrewDog, Urban Tap House and Zerodegrees form a strong presence and rub shoulders with The Queen's Vault's and The Gatekeeper (it's about time any snobbery with regard to JDW was jettisoned in the face of the evidence- they are featuring some remarkable beers these days).
Here's our problem.
The last burger we ate together-in fact, the spur that got us actually doing what we've talked about doing for the best part of a year- was from The Beefy Boys. If you follow this blog you'll know how exciting their work is; you don't win Grillstock's burger category by being a burgerslouch. Not by 100 clear points. And when that gives you a place in the World Food Championships, and you proceed to come second, you're getting it pretty much bang on. At the risk of stretching a point, you could lay some claim to being among the very best the UK has to offer.
The last burger we ate together-in fact, the spur that got us actually doing what we've talked about doing for the best part of a year- was from The Beefy Boys. If you follow this blog you'll know how exciting their work is; you don't win Grillstock's burger category by being a burgerslouch. Not by 100 clear points. And when that gives you a place in the World Food Championships, and you proceed to come second, you're getting it pretty much bang on. At the risk of stretching a point, you could lay some claim to being among the very best the UK has to offer.
So the next burger that we were going to chow down on, was always going to under-perform. It just so happened that the Queen’s Vaults was first up to the plate. That said, our misgivings would ring true at any time.
I'm not in the habit of writing about poor meals. I'd rather celebrate and share what's good. That said, seeing as we are on a joint quest, I'll have to call 'em as I see 'em, as the aim is to sort the wheat from the whatnot.
I'm not in the habit of writing about poor meals. I'd rather celebrate and share what's good. That said, seeing as we are on a joint quest, I'll have to call 'em as I see 'em, as the aim is to sort the wheat from the whatnot.
The Grill and Barrel:
The burger: The Vaults Giant Burger (£8.99) was a sizeable handful of food. As soon as I tucked in, though, there were problems. The bottom bun was incredibly soggy and fell apart the moment I picked it up. That's not a great start...
Sides: The thick cut, double cooked, chip shop-style chips were probably the nicest element of my meal and makes a nice change from French fries.
Patty: a sizeable patty but the quality wasn't there. Again it fell apart as soon as I picked it up, not helped by the fact that it had been cut in half before being put in between the buns. A farmyard in a bun, the beef burger was topped with a butterflied chicken breast and bacon, the flavours didn’t compliment each other and instead competed for centre stage.
It wasn't the nicest burger ever but when I bit into it, mixed with the chip shop style chips, (like your piece about food transferring you to a place and time), it transported to me to a little beach in Cornwall where I spent a lot of my childhood and we would have burgers from a little café by the beach.
Toppings: The onion rings were...well, standard pub onion rings, nothing to write home about. Similarly, the sauces didn't excite the imagination...
Atmosphere- Located just a drop kick away from the Millennium Stadium, the Vaults is a typical rugby pub and as you would expect the night before a big game, the atmosphere was like a scrum. Very much alive, very busy- a nice place to go for a few drinks and play some pool.
Drinks- A proper boozer, the Vaults’ bar is lined with a cracking selection of ales brewed in the bosom of Wales including the standard SA alongside Double Dragon from Felinfoel, Wales’ oldest brewery and the first brewery in the UK to can beer, which they sent to the troops in World War 2 as the beer was cheaper and easier to transport to the front in cans than bottles. (There's a Felinfoel article on my blog- http://thegrillandbarrel.com/
The Vale of Glamorgan’s Red Myst and Drummer Boy from Aberdare’s contemporary craft brewery, Grey Trees, were also on tap. It may not be able to rival the beer selections of its illustrious neighbours but it still has an enviable ale selection, especial when the majority of pubs in Cardiff are dominated by Brains.
The Plate Licked Clean:
This wasn't a great start to our quest.
A sizeable dining section was almost completely packed out- I think we had the last available space?- and you'd expect a pub that makes such great play of its rugby heritage to be full when the All Blacks are in town. I'd be tempted to think the kitchen had an off day were it not for the distinctly 'average components' feel to the whole plate.
My choice was the Cheese and Bacon Burger (£7.99) A sizeable patty was cooked well done (this is not going to endear you to me, by the way) though it was adequately seasoned and retained some juiciness. However, none of the elements lived long in the memory in the way a really good burger can. Close to a foot of skewer secured the thing (careful missus, you could have someone's eye out with that, you know...) which was clearly just showing off. At a guess, the burger was bought in frozen. It bore no trace of being home-made, anyway.
Sides: As above- yes, the chips looked like your classic chip shop effort, but that second dunk in hotter oil made them crisper and drier than your usual soggy packet. That was my highlight, the strongest element on the plate. By a distance.
Toppings: Bacon. Cheese. As toppings go you can't really beat the old classic one-two, but ensuring the cheese has melted shouldn't be too much of a stretch and was an oversight. Onion rings? If you must.
Atmosphere: Throbbing. Room was at a premium, as you'd expect. From a cursory nose in the other places on the same street, easily the busiest that night.
Drinks: That Grey Trees Drummer Boy is a cracker. It hardly touched the sides. Then again, it had been one of those days in work.
Toppings: Bacon. Cheese. As toppings go you can't really beat the old classic one-two, but ensuring the cheese has melted shouldn't be too much of a stretch and was an oversight. Onion rings? If you must.
Atmosphere: Throbbing. Room was at a premium, as you'd expect. From a cursory nose in the other places on the same street, easily the busiest that night.
Drinks: That Grey Trees Drummer Boy is a cracker. It hardly touched the sides. Then again, it had been one of those days in work.
The G and B: With regards to food I think the main point is that the ingredients just aren't the best that are available. Most probably frozen patties and onion rings, they clearly aren't going for the gourmet style that has become so popular with other pubs. The Queen's Vaults was let down by the food but the beer selection was good for a pub with a nice selection of real ales.
TPLC: Ach. Underwhelming. It did the job but nothing more. A feeling of an opportunity missed. That'll cover it. Come on, Cardiff. You can do better...
In summary:
In summary:
No comments:
Post a Comment