Once awarded ‘Restaurant of the Year’ in the South Wales Echo Food & Drinks Awards, Park Plaza Cardiff’s Laguna Kitchen & Bar is a sumptuous restaurant with a spectacular, well-priced menu in the heart of Cardiff.
I was recently invited to sample the newly launched Chef’s Table Menu with a few fellow food bloggers. It features six scrumptious courses with carefully selected wine.
Read on to see why Head Chef Justin Llewellyn’s food is fit for even Royalty!
The Chef’s Table Tasting Menu is a set selection of dishes that’s changed and updated periodically.
At the moment, the meal begins with a seared sushi grade tuna – after an appetising nibble on some tomato bread and olive oil dip.
The tuna is complimented with a white wine from Patagonia in Argentina (Del Fin Del Mundo Extra Brut), and is used due to the strong Welsh link. The sparkling beverage also has a patriotic red/rosy tint.
I’m not a huge seafood lover, however I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour of the tuna with the sweet chilli and lime dressing and french salad.
The popular Laguna Kitchen & Bar on a Thursday night is a testament to the fabulous food served here.
The next course was a shredded smoked duck with an orange and watermelon salad. It was aromatic with a subtle oaky taste and was perfectly balanced by the watery fruit and smooth French wine.
Before the “main event”, a champagne sorbet follows to cleanse the palate. It was lightly fragranced and simply melts in your mouth!
The open fillet of beef wellington arrived to collective-woo’s at it’s fabulous presentation. This was soon followed by complete silence as everyone savoured each bite of this divine dish.
The course included confit shallots, wild mushrooms, fondant potatoes with a rioja jus. The 28-day aged beef was the showstopper – it was so juicy and tender and won plenty of praise from the table.
The dish was paired with a red wine (again from Patagonia), because the smooth tannings of the ‘Postales del fin del mundo’ Malbec goes beautifully with the beef.
After a very filling course, the light texture of the ‘Tonka Bean Panna Cotta’ with marinated blackberries was really welcome.
Head Chef Justin Llewellyn, who has previously cooked for the Queen, brought out some tonka beans and explained its origins and vanilla-like aroma.
Moscato Passitto accompanies the dessert and brings this very filling dining experience to a sweet close… almost!
There’s a beautiful lounge area next to the restaurant with open fires and sofa chairs. We moved here to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee after all that indulgence.
Though full, many of us couldn’t resist a final tempting treat – handmade petit fours, the final course on the Chef’s table menu.
The Chef’s Table Menu is £45pp and served 7-9:30pm Monday to Saturday, for parties six to twelve. I think this is really good value for the quality of food and four glasses of wine you receive.
Click here for more information.
Located in a popular hotel on Greyfriars Road near Tiger Tiger and the New Theatre, many Cardiff shoppers, party-goers and the like may not realise what a gem they have in close reach.
It’s an ideal spot for a refreshing lunch, after-work cocktails, or of course an indulgent dinner for any occasion.
For the Rugby World Cup, the Laguna Bar is offering themed cocktails such as “Warbuton’s Whiskey Sour” and the “Sin Bin Gin & Fizz” (above).
Do you love afternoon tea? Check out my G & Tea review in the Laguna Kitchen & Bar for a unique twist on this scrumptious British tradition.
Thank you to Park Plaza Cardiff and PR for inviting me along. The food and drinks were complimentary however all opinions are my own.