The Grill & Barrel:
You know if you're sat in a restaurant kitted out in anything and everything the owners could get their hands on for free, with a radio studio/cinema/gallery in the basement and an ever changing pop-up shop next to the till that you aren't in your average eatery, but the guys behind CF24 aren't your average restauranteurs.
With London's Backyard Cinema already on their roster of projects, these guys are infused with passion, adrenaline and creativity, and when CF24 is properly up and running, they are set to add a new level of dynamism to Cardiff's creative scene. Offering not only a space for creatives to hang out, CF24 also brings a menu of biblical proportions that features innovative pizzas, the thickest burgers you'll ever lock your jaws around, a whole bunch of sides and Big Apple Hot Dogs, a real first for Cardiff and the absolute star of the show.
That feeling of biting into a cloud as your teeth first make their way through the sweet, fluffy Allen's brioche bun followed by that snap as your gnashers sink into the frank's skin and into the succulent smokey meat inside of the dog.
Now that is hot dog heaven.
The hand formed burgers (served with the salad on the side to give you the option of whether you want to eat your greens or not) take a good few seconds for your mouth to fully work its way through the patty, a patty that's one of the girthiest pieces of meat (easy now) you'll ever eat. This is a good starting point on which to build on for the new kitchen and with a little seasoning and a little bit of pink in the middle, should stand a chance at rivalling some of the big boys.
The Plate Licked Clean:
Death Junction. It's an evocative label, no? To my mind it always conjurs up the wolfish grin of a cadaverous Lee Van Cleef or the twang of a Morricone soundtrack, rather than the more sordid realities of its true origin. This is the area in which new diner CF24 Project finds itself, and it redefines the word 'quirky'.
This place is nothing if not eye-catching. Not because some pricey designer has run amok- quite the opposite. At the owners' estimation, 90% of the equipment and decor has been recycled, upcycled or refurbished. You can well believe it: the lampshades recall nothing as much as hollowed-out catering-sized tins of beans, an oil drum forms the plinth of a table, and much raw timber has clearly seen lengthy service elsewhere.
At the risk of repeating myself, all of this matters not an awful lot if the food isn't on the money. The menu covers all options for the entire day but centres on burgers, pizzas and other fast-food staples.
The burger itself came with the by-now-expected brioche (chalk another win for Allen's Bakery just down the road- the third one we've met on our CUB quest to date, in addition to the mighty Hogwurst). I wasn't asked how I'd like mine done, which is quite common. I prefer the stance of places like Burger & Lobster or the gold-standard-setting The Beefy Boys, who cook medium-rare by default and leave it up to the customer to stipulate otherwise. Clearly there's an ongoing issue with grumbles coming from some within the restaurant trade at what they see as the nannying intrusiveness of health and safety bods, versus the very real practical hazards involved in mincing beef. Officially, local Environmental Health advice is that the core temperature of burgers should reach 70°C for two minutes. Businesses which want to cook burgers to a lower time/temperature combination would need to have a validated food safety management system for the process to demonstrate it consistently produces a ‘safe’ product.
That's the current position, though I've been told the whole subject is a live one with FSA and more advice will be forthcoming soon. And I shall now dismount my hobby horse.
In the meantime? Give us a choice. Please.
A thick, hand-formed patty? Tick. One of the thickest I've seen locally. Of course, as you might suspect, it was more well-done that I'd have opted for, but then we are back on the topic of choice versus regulations. The fries were excellent- smokily seasoned and with the right amount of crispness versus fluffiness.
Any sense of slight disappointment with the burger, though, was kicked firmly into touch by the hot dog. Big Apple were a huge hit with me at KERB last year. I'm not sure whether they are exclusively supplying CF24 in the city- that said, if anyone did have a tie-in with them, you'd be damn sure they'd be crowing about it- so we'll assume this is where you'll have to come to give them a go. Which, it should go without saying, would be time well spent, because the almost-audible snap as your teeth go through that taut casing is a highlight. Southern-fried chicken goujons were slim and crisp, not a hint of oiliness in play
So would I return? Certainly. Because they actually seemed interested in our criticisms (that's why they asked us in before their full opening, after all) and that open-mindedness goes a long way with me. If those niggles were righted- and we are talking small adjustments, not root-and-branch rethinking- there's no reason this couldn't be a true contender. We are already planning a burger-centric return for our CUB quest, once thing are properly under way.
And did we mention you can take your own booze? No? Told you it wasn't the average diner...
You sense there's something really good here, bubbling under. If this handful of niggles can be dispatched, CF24 Project could well become one of your favourite places to hang out.
And I swore I wouldn't go for the easy pun...
Please note: Since we were invited to CF24 Project, our food and drink was complimentary. We consider that this did not significantly impact on our opinions. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the restaurant did not see this review before it was posted on this blog.
You know if you're sat in a restaurant kitted out in anything and everything the owners could get their hands on for free, with a radio studio/cinema/gallery in the basement and an ever changing pop-up shop next to the till that you aren't in your average eatery, but the guys behind CF24 aren't your average restauranteurs.
With London's Backyard Cinema already on their roster of projects, these guys are infused with passion, adrenaline and creativity, and when CF24 is properly up and running, they are set to add a new level of dynamism to Cardiff's creative scene. Offering not only a space for creatives to hang out, CF24 also brings a menu of biblical proportions that features innovative pizzas, the thickest burgers you'll ever lock your jaws around, a whole bunch of sides and Big Apple Hot Dogs, a real first for Cardiff and the absolute star of the show.
That feeling of biting into a cloud as your teeth first make their way through the sweet, fluffy Allen's brioche bun followed by that snap as your gnashers sink into the frank's skin and into the succulent smokey meat inside of the dog.
Now that is hot dog heaven.
The hand formed burgers (served with the salad on the side to give you the option of whether you want to eat your greens or not) take a good few seconds for your mouth to fully work its way through the patty, a patty that's one of the girthiest pieces of meat (easy now) you'll ever eat. This is a good starting point on which to build on for the new kitchen and with a little seasoning and a little bit of pink in the middle, should stand a chance at rivalling some of the big boys.
The Plate Licked Clean:
Death Junction. It's an evocative label, no? To my mind it always conjurs up the wolfish grin of a cadaverous Lee Van Cleef or the twang of a Morricone soundtrack, rather than the more sordid realities of its true origin. This is the area in which new diner CF24 Project finds itself, and it redefines the word 'quirky'.
This place is nothing if not eye-catching. Not because some pricey designer has run amok- quite the opposite. At the owners' estimation, 90% of the equipment and decor has been recycled, upcycled or refurbished. You can well believe it: the lampshades recall nothing as much as hollowed-out catering-sized tins of beans, an oil drum forms the plinth of a table, and much raw timber has clearly seen lengthy service elsewhere.
At the risk of repeating myself, all of this matters not an awful lot if the food isn't on the money. The menu covers all options for the entire day but centres on burgers, pizzas and other fast-food staples.
The burger itself came with the by-now-expected brioche (chalk another win for Allen's Bakery just down the road- the third one we've met on our CUB quest to date, in addition to the mighty Hogwurst). I wasn't asked how I'd like mine done, which is quite common. I prefer the stance of places like Burger & Lobster or the gold-standard-setting The Beefy Boys, who cook medium-rare by default and leave it up to the customer to stipulate otherwise. Clearly there's an ongoing issue with grumbles coming from some within the restaurant trade at what they see as the nannying intrusiveness of health and safety bods, versus the very real practical hazards involved in mincing beef. Officially, local Environmental Health advice is that the core temperature of burgers should reach 70°C for two minutes. Businesses which want to cook burgers to a lower time/temperature combination would need to have a validated food safety management system for the process to demonstrate it consistently produces a ‘safe’ product.
A thick, hand-formed patty? Tick. One of the thickest I've seen locally. Of course, as you might suspect, it was more well-done that I'd have opted for, but then we are back on the topic of choice versus regulations. The fries were excellent- smokily seasoned and with the right amount of crispness versus fluffiness.
Any sense of slight disappointment with the burger, though, was kicked firmly into touch by the hot dog. Big Apple were a huge hit with me at KERB last year. I'm not sure whether they are exclusively supplying CF24 in the city- that said, if anyone did have a tie-in with them, you'd be damn sure they'd be crowing about it- so we'll assume this is where you'll have to come to give them a go. Which, it should go without saying, would be time well spent, because the almost-audible snap as your teeth go through that taut casing is a highlight. Southern-fried chicken goujons were slim and crisp, not a hint of oiliness in play
So would I return? Certainly. Because they actually seemed interested in our criticisms (that's why they asked us in before their full opening, after all) and that open-mindedness goes a long way with me. If those niggles were righted- and we are talking small adjustments, not root-and-branch rethinking- there's no reason this couldn't be a true contender. We are already planning a burger-centric return for our CUB quest, once thing are properly under way.
And did we mention you can take your own booze? No? Told you it wasn't the average diner...
You sense there's something really good here, bubbling under. If this handful of niggles can be dispatched, CF24 Project could well become one of your favourite places to hang out.
And I swore I wouldn't go for the easy pun...
Please note: Since we were invited to CF24 Project, our food and drink was complimentary. We consider that this did not significantly impact on our opinions. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the restaurant did not see this review before it was posted on this blog.
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