Food and drink on Cardiff's Whitchurch Road

Last March, I started a new job. My old office was on Ocean Way where Subway and the pub across the road were the only lunch options, so imagine my excitement when I started working a stone's throw away from Cardiff's Whitchurch Road.

I've tried lots of the cafes and restaurants this busy road has to offer over the last 15 months, so I thought I'd post a summary of where I've been so far.



Got Beef

I've been to Got Beef three times over the last few months, and it might be my favourite restaurant on Whitchurch Road. There's a big variety of different burgers on the menu, ranging from the weird and wonderful to good old bacon cheeseburgers. Got Beef is very reasonably priced, particularly if you order from the lunch menu, and it's a great option for both lunch and dinner. You'll smell of burger fat for a few hours after you've left, but I promise it'll be well worth it.

Brass Beetle

Brass Beetle specialises in pizza and cocktails, and I've been there twice so far.  I've always had my car with me so haven't been able to sample their cocktails yet, but they also have a lovely selection of mocktails. The pizzas are cooked in a huge wood-fire oven at the back of the restaurant, and my pizza was really spectacular both times. Taking the size of the pizzas into account (they're massive), I think Brass Beetle is pretty reasonable. Again, it's a nice option for both lunch and dinner.

Crispy Duck

I tried Crispy Duck for the first time last week. I don't know of many pan-Asian restaurants in the Cardiff and Penarth area, so this one was an excellent find. I had lemon chicken and egg fried rice, and my friend ordered the sweet and sour chicken. We were the only people in the restaurant when we arrived at 6:30pm, but it was full by the time we left. I thought the prices were very reasonable, and I'll definitely be trying this restaurant again soon. It's worth noting that it's only open for lunch on Sundays, but it felt more like a nice dinner option to me in any case.

The Greek Spot

A big group of us went to The Greek Spot a few months ago for a colleague's leaving lunch. My food was ridiculously cheap, and there was loads of it! I'd say it felt more like a lunch spot than a dinner location, but that might just have been because there were so many of us. We were served very quickly and the staff members we met were really friendly and helpful. With such a varied menu, I'd definitely like to visit again at some point.

Cocorico Patisserie

I've been to Cocorico a few times for both food and drinks. The lunch I had there was absolutely delicious and it still pops into my head all the time. I've also had hot chocolate and macarons there a couple of times. I'm yet to sample their decadent cakes, so I need to make sure I tick that off my list before the year is out. Although the cakes are pretty expensive, I thought the lunch prices were very reasonable. Cocorico closes at 6pm, so it's one to add to your lunch list.

The Pot Bistrot

I haven't eaten at The Pot Bistrot yet, but I did pop in for a hot chocolate with a friend one evening. There was a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant and it felt quite upmarket. The Pot has sporadic opening hours during the week, so make sure you check when it's open ahead of your visit if you do decide to pop in one afternoon or evening.

I've also popped in to So Coffee Bar numerous times for a takeaway hot chocolate, and I fully plan to treat myself to a drink-in hot chocolate and a piece of cake at some point. My only complaint is that they're not open on a Monday which is when I need my hot chocolate fix the most! 

By this time next year, I'll hopefully have tried even more places on Whitchurch Road. Can you recommend anywhere else I should try? 

Best of 2018

I always enjoy writing my 'best of' posts at the end of every year. In case you missed it twelve months ago, you can read last year's post here!

2018 had a difficult ending as we had some bad news just after getting back from New York. It's much easier to focus on the negatives when the chips are down, and these types of posts help to remind me that there were lots of good times to be thankful for in 2018.

You might notice that there's a definite 'food and Jessie' theme running throughout which pretty much sums up my day-to-day life. I'm perfectly fine with that.

I haven't been able to include every highlight which is always a good sign that it was a full and busy year, but here are some of my favourite moments from 2018.

Fake Christmas 

The annual Fake Christmas tradition with my university friends continued last January. Liz was my Secret Santa and I think you'll all agree that these gifts are perfect for me. 

Sunday lunch at the Vale Resort 

Neil's parents bought us a voucher for Sunday lunch at the Vale Resort for our third wedding anniversary, and we finally had the chance to redeem it last February. I blogged about it here. 

Went out for dinner with Sophie 

Sophie and I went to Penarth's Etc one evening in February for a nice dinner and cocktails. We left our husbands at home with the Playstation and takeaway pizza! 

Jessie's first snow

We had a crazy amount of snow at the beginning of March. Although she was extremely confused at first, Jessie loved it once her little legs had found their bearings.

Afternoon tea at Machynys Golf Club and Spa

I had a lovely week off before starting my new job last March. The week included a few days at my parents' house and afternoon tea and a manicure at Machynys with Nicola.

New job 

That leads me nicely on to one of my biggest highlights of 2018... starting my new job in March! I bought myself this 'celebration' necklace from Clogau as a treat to mark the occasion. 

Jessie's first birthday 

We celebrated Jessie's first birthday in April and she was spoilt rotten (even more so than usual). I blogged about it here.  

A weekend with my uni friends

I spent the weekend in Bristol with my university friends in April. We don't get to catch up very often so it was lovely to see everyone so soon after our Fake Christmas shenanigans.  

18 months all clear 

We had dinner at Viva Brazil in April to celebrate me being all clear at the 18 month mark. I had a procedure during the same week to get an irritating long-term eye problem sorted, hence the need for glasses in this photo! Horrible procedure, great result. 

Final support group meeting and lunch 

My support group sadly came to an end in 2018 due to funding cuts. The end of the group obviously wasn't something to celebrate, but we all had a lovely afternoon after our final meeting with a plastic jug of pink Prosecco... perils of eating out in Cardiff on a rugby day.  

Walt Disney World 

Neil and I spent an amazing fortnight in Florida's Walt Disney World in May. It's my favourite place in the world, and you can read a photographic summary of our trip here. 

My birthday 

We celebrated my birthday with lots of eating, shopping and more eating. I blogged about it here. 

Finished our major re-decorating project 

We finally finished re-decorating our house (for now), including a beautiful pink, grey and white makeover for our bedroom. I blogged about it here. 

Mad Hatter's afternoon tea with Sarah 

Sarah bought me a voucher for this amazing afternoon tea as a birthday gift, and we went together in August. I blogged about it here. 

Fourth wedding anniversary 

We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with a meal in Llanerch Vineyard and some lovely gifts. I blogged about it here. 

Afternoon tea with Liz and Abbie 

I went back to Pettigrew Tea Rooms in September after a long (for me) absence and had afternoon tea with Liz and baby Abbie. I blogged about it here. 

Afternoon tea in Portishead with Amy 

I visited Amy for the day in September and we had an absolutely MASSIVE afternoon tea in Portishead. 

Weekend with Sarah

Sarah came to visit for the weekend at the end of September. We drank Prosecco, went for a nice walk around Cardiff Bay, and had pancakes in Bill's for breakfast. 

Llangennith 

Neil and I took Jessie on her first holiday and spent a lovely few days in Llangennith, followed by a day at my parents' house. I blogged about it here. 

Visited Fee in Milton Keynes 

I spent a lovely weekend with Fee and Liz in October. The weekend was obviously structured around food... always the best way to structure a weekend. We did do a bit of walking to make up for it. 

Two years all clear 

We had a spectacular meal at Pier 64 in October to celebrate me being all clear at the two year mark. I blogged about it here. 

Christmas shopping trip in Bristol 

I went to Bristol for the day in November for the traditional Christmas shopping trip with my university friends. I blogged about it here. 

Afternoon tea with Jo 

I caught up with Jo for the first time in ages in November with yet another delicious afternoon tea in Pettigrew Tea Rooms. 

Weekend with Nicola 

Nicola came to stay for the weekend at the end of November. We did lots of shopping and had afternoon tea in Pettigrew Tea Rooms (I'm sensing a bit of a theme here). 

New York 

Neil and I spent a week in New York at the beginning of December and were completely and utterly wowed by all the Christmas lights. You can read a photographic summary of our trip here. 

Work Christmas party 

I went to my first work Christmas party with my new colleagues in December. We ate a lovely meal in Las Iguanas then went on to Rum & Fizz before finishing off the evening at Dirty Martini. 

Christmas 

No highlights post would be complete without mentioning Christmas at the end. I blogged about it here, along with a summary of our new year celebrations.

Have you published a 'best of 2018' post? Let me know if so, I'd love to read it! 

Annual Christmas shopping trip

For the last ten years or so, my uni friends and I have organised a Christmas shopping get-together just before Christmas. We usually meet in late November or early December, but we met a little earlier this year due to my impending trip to New York.

Our first few meet ups took place in Cribbs Causeway, and we've also met in Cardiff a few times. However, in recent years, we've met in Bristol city centre as that's the most convenient meeting point for the majority of the group.

Our trip was scheduled in for last Sunday and I decided to catch the Megabus to Bristol. It only cost £10 for a return ticket and it was certainly a lot more relaxing than trying to drive my way around Bristol. I took a photo of City Hall from the bus just before I left Cardiff, purely because of the unexpected rainbow!

It was raining when I left Cardiff, but I was met with brilliant sunshine and blue skies when I arrived in Bristol. I wandered around a couple of shops and made some standard purchases from Lush before making my way to our meeting point on Park Street. I got trapped in the massive Remembrance Day crowd while I walked to Park Street, so I stopped for a while to watch some of the ceremony and to pay my respects by observing the two minute silence.

We all met just before 12 and decided to go straight for lunch. These days, there's a lot more focus on eating and talking than there is on actual shopping during our meet ups. Our go-to restaurant is Pizza Express as there's always something on the menu to suit everyone, so we made our way there immediately.

I ordered a pink gin cocktail and the ragu romana pizza. I don't think my pizza was quite as good as last year's festive beauty, but it was still pretty excellent. To be fair, I don't think I've ever been disappointed by a meal in Pizza Express.

After a long lunch with lots of catching up, we looked around a few of the pretty shops on Park Street. Although I didn't buy much as I've nearly finished my Christmas shopping, I always love looking around the beautiful independent shops and soaking in the Christmassy atmosphere.

I needed to get back to the Megabus stop by 4:30pm, so we finished off the day with a caramelised orange hot chocolate in Costa. Let's be honest, no Christmas shopping trip is complete without a Christmas hot chocolate with all the trimmings. I did accidentally ask for a caramelised onion hot chocolate which was pretty embarrassing, but let's gloss over that part.

I was completely exhausted by the time I got on the bus. I even managed to have a little nap on the journey back to Cardiff which is unheard of for me. I loved catching up with everyone and sampling Bristol's Christmassy atmosphere, and it feels pretty exciting that one of my pre-Christmas staples has already taken place. 39 days to go until the big day!

A summer of afternoon teas

Before last month, I'd only been for one afternoon tea in 2018. Can you believe it?

Thankfully, this precarious situation has been rectified over the last few weeks and I've been for two afternoon teas with lovely people. The first one was a brand new experience and the second was in one of my favourite haunts, so I thought I'd blog about them both to give you a bit of a flavour!

Sarah bought a voucher for a Mad Hatter's afternoon tea in Llety Cynin for my birthday back in June. We decided to book it for a Saturday in mid August as a mid point between both our birthdays. I stayed in Sarah's house on the Friday night to make a proper weekend of it, and we drove to Llety Cynin on the Saturday afternoon with high expectations.

From the minute we arrived, we definitely weren't disappointed. The function room was smaller than expected and only had about six tables, but this was a good thing as it meant our food was brought out quickly and it was nice and quiet. The room was perfectly themed and we even had photo props on our table. It was immediately clear that a lot of thought had gone into the whole afternoon tea experience as well as the food itself.

I had a peach iced tea to start which was tasty and refreshing. We were told we could have tea, coffee or iced tea to drink, or all three if we were so inclined! Unlimited drink refills were also made available for us if we wanted them, free of charge. 

The food came out within about ten minutes and it was a very impressive sight, to put it mildly. I loved the effort that had gone into the presentation, mostly because it made it very instagrammable. We had a selection of sandwiches, chive scones with cream cheese and parma ham, and an amazing selection of cakes.

The cakes were all homemade, including the Jammy Dodger, and the macaron was one of the best cakes I've ever had at an afternoon tea. I didn't need to eat anything for the rest of the day which is always a good sign that they didn't skimp on the portions. 

A few weeks after my great experience at Llety Cynin's Mad Hatter's afternoon tea with Sarah, Liz came to visit for a few hours on a lovely sunny day. We booked a table at Pettigrew Tea Rooms as it's one of our old favourites, and Liz also brought Abigail along (her 8 month old baby) for her very first afternoon tea experience!

One of the many plus points for Pettigrew Tea Rooms is that you have loads of choice when it comes to your drink, sandwiches, scones and cake. They have a great choice of flavoured teas on offer, as well as coffee and hot chocolate. I went for the Mango Noir tea as I'd never tried it before, and I managed to drink an entire teapot of it. 

We chose egg mayonnaise, brie and fruit chutney, and cheddar and tomato on mixed bread for our sandwiches, and we also had fruit scones with all the trimmings. And, as is customary at Pettigrew Tea Rooms, we had a massive slab of cake to finish. We both opted for the Passionfruit, Lime and Coconut loaf cake to take away and it was scrumptious. I was a little bit gutted that I offered to share it with Neil.. that'll teach me for trying to be thoughtful. 

I'm on a mission to make sure I book in a couple more afternoon teas before the end of 2018, and I've already got one booked in tomorrow with Amy which I'm very excited about. As always, keep an eye on my Instagram for updates. 

Do you have any afternoon tea recommendations for me? Let me know in the comments!