Take 2011's 'Sucker Punch'. Directed by Zack Snyder- then a hot property, fresh off the huge sleeper success of 300, and boasting at least three of the greatest things known to man (that's dragons, zombie Nazis and Carla Gugino, of course).
And yet: it stank up critical opinion worse than that king prawn which you dropped heedlessly between the bed and the radiator that day you were polishing off the seafood platter, and people flocked in droves to watch anything but.
As the number of restaurants opening in Cardiff continues to climb, others fall by the wayside. Sometimes it's sadly predictable, a case of 'What were they thinking?' That little place which specialised in Guatemalan small plates, which only opened once every three weeks and was staffed exclusively by one-legged left-handed men called Jorge? It never stood a chance. But sometimes it's a case of all seeming set fair for success.
All the restaurants in this list were all places which seemed to have the right stuff.
They were also restaurants which had attracted a significant amount of interest and coverage from the usual suspects. (Links are provided to the original reviews, though why you'd want to read a write-up on a menu you can't eat is, frankly, beyond me). Please don't think we jinxed them.
Ladies and gentlemen, a moment of silence please, for these we have lost. It's far from exhaustive, sadly.
Locke and Remedy "Burgers, pizzas, beer and cocktails." A simple brief, well executed. A good spread of craft beers, many from local independents such as Tiny Rebel. A stylish makeover of one of the city centre's landmark buildings. Their mushroom burger set the standard for all others- bettering some meat burgers in the city with consummate ease. No, really.
With their feature wall pizza oven knocking out some very creditable efforts- their policy of cramming four meats on to their best pizza must not go unmentioned- L & R was very much somewhere that appeared to have done its homework. Its sudden demise caused much wailing and gnashing of teeth, especially among the 'I can make a cup of coffee last four hours' freelance types and the after-work drinks crowd. Where am I going to get my Corpse Reviver No. 2s mixed so capably now?
Il Pastificio At one time, harder to get into than Mother Teresa's underwear. The Wellfield Road premises was tiny, but throbbingly busy. If you were of unkind bent, you could amuse yourself- over your freshly-rolled tortellini- at the steady flow of disappointed punters.
A chain swiftly developed, with a pizzeria and a gelateria following close on each other's heels. The restaurant itself moved to far larger premises on Albany Road. And then... it all ended as quickly as it began, and the original site is now Sushi Life. Too much too soon?
Spiceberry served some excellent Indian food. This wasn't your bog-standard high street tandoori but a menu straight from Kerala, heady with coconut and curry leaf, mustard seed and chillies. Unfortunately, many were unable to reconcile its 'Chip Alley' location with its sophisticated menu: some would walk in, see no lamb bhuna on the menu, and leave. Pankaj Krishnan arose from the ashes as Keralan Karavan. And very good they are, too. Head Chef Pramod Nair took his skills to Chai on Wellfield Road (formerly Chaiholics) and won Welsh Curry Chef of the Year 2016 before his wanderlust took him half way around the world.
Munchesters This one hurt. Anand George's name is synonymous with teaching South Wales what Indian food can be: he has earned himself a bulletproof reputation. Superb kati ('frankie') rolls with long-braised lamb and beef; a Keralan chicken and coconut soup was a highlight, and made you envious of city centre workers who could at least eat 'al desko' with some Keralan flavours.
Anand George has gone from strength to strength and his street food menu is always one of the very strongest offerings at any event. The Keralan fried Chicken and accompanying fries are, for many, the best thing you can spend your cash on at these things. Baffling.
Here's to a healthier 2018.