The Friary Centre,
The Friary,
Cardiff,
South Glamorgan
CF10 3FA
Telephone: 0292 066 7096
http://www.browns-restaurants.co.uk/locations/cardiff/
Having heard excellent things about Browns from friends in London, Bristol and Bath, I was pleased when I heard that it was opening in the space previously occupied by Ha Ha’s (an over-priced venue with mediocre food and little atmosphere). A group of six of us thus ventured to Browns for a birthday celebration, eager to sample some of the tasty sounded dishes we’d previewed on the online menu.
Upon arrival, the restaurant had no knowledge of our booking for our table of six; a little inconvenient but we had no trouble getting a table, despite it being a busy Friday night. The cocktail list is varied and looks exciting but, as designated driver, I was forced to sit this out on this occasion. The male members of the party assured me that the list of continental beers was impressive, however, and that this alone would necessitate a return in the future.
Our orders were taken promptly and starters arrived quickly, within 10-15 minutes of our order. Two members of the party opted for the soup of the day; a spicy butternut squash which our waitress cautioned us was “really really spicy”. This proved to be a slight overstatement but it was reported that the soup was delicious and had a warmth and depth of flavour that went well with the heat of the chilli.
Spicy butternut squash soup
A portion of watermelon, feta and hazelnut salad was also apparently tasty but lacking in feta. Whilst the mint and white balsamic glaze that accompanied it was delicious, the salad was seen to not fully live up to the promise of the menu description.
I opted for the chicken and duck liver parfait which was really enjoyable. The flavours were well balanced and the parfait was rich and smooth. The accompanying orange and grape jelly offered a sweetness that set off the meaty richness of the parfait very well but the ratio of parfait to toasted ciabatta was far too small. The amount of bread provided was inadequate and led to me having to pilfer bread from other starter plates at the table in order to make the most of the parfait. In future, I would seriously consider having to order an extra portion of bread if I ordered this again.
The final starter was a shared fish platter which was huge and would comfortably feed two people as a main course. I sampled the crispy squid which was crisp and tasty and the wakame seaweed which was surprisingly sweet. In general, I was impressed with the size and quality of the platter and would definitely order one as an accompaniment to a good bottle of wine on future visits.
The main courses were, overall, less impressive. Whilst the goat’s cheese, brie and spinach filo parcel was bursting with flavour, the pea, broad bean and sundried tomato risotto was incredibly bland. The only pockets of flavour came from the sundried tomato and the dish overall lacked seasoning.
Goats cheese parcel
Three of our party (including myself) opted for the king prawn & chorizo linguine and the portion size was, on arrival, quite disappointing. The the tomato, pepper and garlic butter in which it was cooked was very tasty and the dish was full of prawns but there was a distinct lack of chorizo in my serving (around 3 pieces) which undermined the taste of the chorizo and prawn as a combination. The final main course of grilled chicken with ham and taleggio was served with some impressively crispy fries and a basil oil that was bursting with flavour. The mains, then, were a mixed bag with some offering interesting combinations of texture and taste whilst others were lacking in basic seasoning and bite.
Chorizo & prawn pasta
In conclusion, Browns is a venue I’d return to for a post-work drink and some food, or for lunch during a shopping trip. I’d absolutely go back to sample some of the cocktails (and to partake in their current champagne festival) and the platters but I’m not sure it’s somewhere I’d revisit for a special occasion meal. When contrasted, for example, with other local eateries in the same price bracket (e.g. Cardiff Bay’s Cote) Browns doesn’t fully seem to deliver.
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