RESTAURANT
FFRESH BAR AND KITCHEN
Sarah Moolla finds out fflavour and ffun can co-star when she visits the Wales Millennium Centre
E
ntertainment is great. And dining out is great. But often, not to be found in the same place at the same time. It’s like the fun police have decided you can’t have both. Think flaccid, watery hotdogs at the cinema, theatre fruit pastels and tub of vanilla ice-cream, or smooth, cold, petrol-oil chips at all sporting events. Even more dispiriting is the ‘we’ve got you where we want you’ nasty multiplex chain offerings. However in these gastronomically evolving times, our expectations have been elevated, and we know we deserve more than a few interval boiled sweets. But how good can the meal in a huge theatre venue like Wales Millennium Centre really be when its primary aim is to stage shows? We’re seeing SIX, the upbeat musical about the six wives of Henry VIII, in the Donald Gordon Theatre, which
26 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
seats nearly 2,000 people. To give you an idea of just what a vast hive of drama, musicals, comedies, and talks the WMC really is, there is also the BBC Hoddinott Hall that seats 350 and the Weston Studio Theatre with a 250 capacity. There is also the huge central space often used for exhibitions, plus two cafés – Caffi and Coffe Mania – and the multiple bars on various levels. There’s the Awen Bar, Horizons Bar, the Stones Bar, and Ffresh bar and kitchen, which also acts as a cabaret lounge and restaurant, and is where we’re dining tonight. I’ll be honest, there are a few other things that are making me nervous – the website proclaiming things like ‘small plates‚ large plates, big smiles’ makes it sound like we’re headed for the land of happy meals, and more blurb that reads, ‘No matter how hungry you are, our winter menu is guaranteed to make your taste buds sing, just like our performers on stage.’ ‘Oh hi, I’ll have a large helping of cheesy, with a side of corny please.’
