Festive afternoon tea, Park Plaza

Greyfriars Road
Cardiff, CF10 3AL, Wales
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0) 2920 111 111
F: +44 (0) 2920 111 112
http://www.parkplazacardiff.com/restaurant__bars/
http://www.lagunakitchenandbar.com/afternoon-tea.php

I'm a big lover of the classic afternoon tea and have sampled the one on offer at St David's Hotel's Tempus at Tides on a few occasions. Judging by my recent experience of the Christmas Afternoon Tea on offer at the city centre's Park Plaza hotel, however, I think I may have a new favourite.

The Park Plaza isn't the only Cardiff establishment offering a festive twist on the traditional tea. The Hilton also has a similar experience over the Christmas season, which has been reviewed by Ur Last Mouthful here. We chose the Park Plaza, however, purely on an image they posted on their Facebook page - the power of social media is still strong!



We were lucky enough to be seated by the roaring fires in the lobby of the hotel - the restaurant and bar areas were fully booked with Christmas lunches and parties. The lobby proved to be an oasis of calm, however, and we were well looked after by the professional and friendly staff. The teas on offer included standard English Breakfast and Earl Grey but I opted for the festive choice of a cinnamon infused blend which was subtly flavoured but tasted perfectly Christmassy. We also decided to opt for a glass of champagne with the tea, raising the cost from £15 to £25 each. Still, we reasoned, it's Christmas!

The food itself was lovely and, as with many afternoon teas, almost overwhelming in volume. There were salmon and cucumber sandwiches, as well as egg and cress, cucumber and cream cheese and the festive twist of turkey and cranberry. The sandwiches kept coming for as long as you wanted and they were well presented and tasty.



The bottom tier offered freshly baked scones (still warm from the oven) with jam and cream, as well as delightfully firm but moist Welsh cakes. The standout of the tea was, however, the mince pie - possibly one of the best I have ever tasted. Crumbly pastry with a light mincemeat filling, I could have eaten another two and taken a half-dozen home with me.

The final touches were two tiny festive macaroons, a large slab of Christmas cake, and a generous slice of cherry cake. The final tier was too much, sadly, and we reluctantly abandoned the cakes. The macaroons, however, were gorgeous; full of clementine flavour and a good balance between the crunchy outside and the smooth filling.



Overall, we were really impressed with what the Park Plaza was offering. Sat by the fire, in front of the Christmas tree, the whole afternoon put us resolutely in the Christmas mood (as did the sight of slightly inebriated Christmas party-goers in their paper hats). If you have time and can get a booking, try to go along before Christmas. It'll certainly make you feel festive. :)

Food Bloggers Unplugged

There's a great food bloggers challenge on at the moment, called Food Bloggers Unplugged. The aim is to learn a little more about the foodies we follow on Twitter or read about on their blogs. I was challenged by Hannah at Love to Dine so, here goes...

What, or who inspired you to start a blog?

It came about in a few ways earlier this year. I’ve always loved eating, dining out, and cooking and I had a spate of eating in some really great places that I wanted to tell people about. I wasn’t really sure how to start, though, so I joined Twitter and loitered on there for a while, starting to follow some people who were posting really interesting blogs. The real catalyst was when Pier 64 opened round the corner from my flat. It seemed like most people I followed didn’t realise this was opening, and so my review of that in its first week or two got a lot of views. Things really took off from there in terms of the blog and getting to know some great people online.

Who is your foodie inspiration?

My favourite chef is Michel Roux Jr. I love his passion and precision and though I don’t aspire to cook in the same style as him I enjoy watching him work in his shows. Meeting him earlier this year was a genuine moment of excitement.

Your greasiest, batter-splattered food/drink book is?

My most loved cookery cooks are actually Weight Watchers ones! Balancing a love of food with trying to stay on the healthy straight and narrow is hard work (and involves arduous gym sessions) but I try to use as much fresh produce and make as much from scratch as I can.

I also love Gordon Ramsay’s cookbooks. I think his books are easy to follow and always seem to work, and are actually a big contrast to his on-TV personality.


Tell us all about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?

This is a tough one. Barcelona has some amazing food and one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had was in a tiny tapas bar called El Xampanyet around the corner from the Picasso museum. We were brought out a range of dishes we could choose from or send back and we had some amazing Cataluña tomato bread, cheeses, and meats. They also made their own cava and sold it by the litre bottle – we ate like Kings for around 30 Euros. The cava, however, made negotiating the Metro a little tricky…


Another food blogger’s table you’d like to eat at is?

All of them! I’m always impressed by what Cardiff Bites is cooking up – it always sounds really comforting and tasty. My friend Mudpies and Fries is also one I’d happily dine at – she’s really good at taking well-loved recipes and giving them a little twist.

What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?

A set of Michel Roux kitchen knives. I really do need to improve my chopping skills since everything always looks like its been hacked to pieces! Or a Kenwood food mixer with all the proper attachments. Or some mini Le Creuset casserole dishes...

Who taught you how to cook?

A combination of my Grandmother and my Mum. One of my earliest memories is making sausage rolls and Scotch eggs with my Nan, and helping her to pick elderflower to make cordials and wines. My Mum was always happy to let me cook at home and create a mess (I’m a cook who doesn’t care about the washing up!) and from there, I’ve kept trying to learn more skills and get better.

I’m coming to you for dinner. What’s your signature dish?

I make a mean drunken lamb. It’s a combination of lamb, vegetables, sesame seeds, and lots of chilli and ginger. It tastes better than it sounds. There’s no alcohol in it – it’s called Drunken Lamb because I concocted it one night after too many Chenin Blancs at the pub. It turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever cooked up.

I also make a pretty good roast duck with Thai flavours, and a suprisingly tasty open lasagne with home-made pesto, feta, sundried tomatoes and roasted butternut squash.

What is your guilty food pleasure?

I have too many! I have a weakness for nachos and can happily munch my way through plates of them, loaded with melted cheese and salsa. I also have a soft spot for the Big Mac meal, especially when I have a hangover.

Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?

I’m a useless baker. I can work savoury dishes out fine but every single time I try to make a cake or pudding it fails. I think it might be too mathematical for me. Tips and advice are more than welcome!

The next nominees are:

1. Beth at Mudpies and Fries
2. The ever-lovely Project:Goddess
3.Dining Out in Cardiff
4.Stephen Nottingham
5. I don't have a fifth because I think everyone I know has already done this!

Review: Aegean Restaurant

Aegean Restaurant
72-74 Whitchurch Road
Heath
Cardiff
CF14 3LX
Phone: 02920 345114
http://aegean-restaurant.co.uk/
Open Tues-Sat 6-10pm

After a successful holiday to Zante a few years ago, my partner and I have developed a bit of a taste for Greek cuisine. We were, therefore, delighted when Groupon offered a recent deal of a two course dinner and a glass of wine for two people for a reasonable price of £16(total value of £40).

The Aegean restaurant on Whitchurch Road is a long walk or a short bus ride from the city centre (depending on your laziness) but we found it well worth the effort to trek out a little further.

The place looks authentic, with plain white walls, tiles and some Greek music for atmosphere. It has an open kitchen, which I always like, and the staff were plesant and attentive throughout the evening.

We kicked off with some calimari for me and saganaki cheese (Kefalotyri cheese fried with honey) for the mister. Without the Groupon deal these would set you back £4.80 and £4.50 respectively. My calimari wasn't the best I've ever eaten but it was piping hot, plentiful and just the right side of chewy and certainly better than some I've had in other Cardiff places. The cheese and honey, however, was delicious, both sweet and dry and the portion was very generous. It was divine with a squeeze of lemon. We also ordered some houmous with pitta (£3.90) which was clearly home-made and full of chunky chickpea. Our only issue was that the starters took quite a while to arrive - almost 30 minutes which was a little too long. However, the dishes were worth the wait and the main courses suffered from no such time delay.

When in Zante I had become addicted to Kleftiko, a dish of lamb, vegetables and cheese. The Aegean version was different to what I'd had in Greece but was delicious, offering diced leg of lamb, cooked with in the oven in greaseproof paper with carrot, potato thyme and garlic, topped with melted mature cheese (£13.50). Opening the greaseproof paper to reveal the dish inside was a nice moment of anticipation and the lamb and potatoes were perfectly cooked, moist and tender with a good amount of flavour from the herbs and garlic. It took me back to balmy evenings on the Greek island, as did the dry Greek wine we ordered with the meal. The Mister opted for Lamb Souvlaki, which came served with pitta bread, salad, and a healthy dollop of tzaziki, and was equally well cooked.

Although full I couldn't resist the dessert of champagne and raspberry torte (£4.50), which was full of creamy mousse, sponge and raspberried. Not too sweet but with a kick of champagne, it was a good end to the evening.

Overall, aside from the slightly disappointing calimari and the longer-than-average wait for the starters, the Aegean was a good experience. The food reminded us of the dishes we'd tried in Greece, suggesting a good level of authenticity, and the cheese and honey starter and my Kleftiko were particularly tasty. We'll definitely be back for another visit to try some of the other Greek dishes or the mezze.