RESTAURANT Our reviewer visits Tom Simmons’ new Pontcanna venture

THOMAS BY TOM SIMMONS

Unless you’ve been hiding under a mountain of discarded Taco Bell wrappers, you have probably already heard about Thomas by Tom Simmons. It opened less than two months ago in Pontcanna and is already doing a roaring trade in great word of mouth reviews. The Tom in question is Tom Simmons of Tower Bridge restaurant fame and was the youngest competitor to reach the Yuarter-finals of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2011. Originally from Pembrokeshire, he says his earliest memories are of “roaming farmers’ markets, foraging in the countryside, and harvesting his mother’s vegetable garden.” And he’s all about promoting Welsh food, which when you think about it, is a shocking rarity outside of Wales, but the Tower Bridge cockneys went crazy for his cockle popcorn, laverbread mayonnaise, leek bread, and Welsh lamb cawl. And now the local boy who’s done good is bringing it home. Thomas by Tom Simmons occupies the former Cameo Club, and while Tom’s reputation might be heavyweight, this place is spirit-lifting joy. The décor is simple with an old-school members’ club feel - wood panelled walls in racing green, polished parYuet floors, plush yellow velvet chairs, crisp white linen, and a feeling of candle-lit exclusivity. But it’s not stuffy or pompous, this is a Thursday evening and the joint is jumping. There’s a good natured, relaxed vibe, and while we wait, drinking wine at the bar, we realise we could actually happily stay here all night sipping on a house speciality cocktail or two. Glad we don’t though because I’d have missed out on a meal I haven’t stopped dreaming about since. For the table comes sourdough bread served with a lightly whipped Marmite butter and a tangy, creamy leek butter, I’m slathering it on, worrying about them taking it away. And I’m cramming in the juicy gordal olives, which pop like sweets, and have ruined me for any other olive.

The mini-mushroom croquettes with Caerphilly cheese are earthy, crunchy, and creamy, and are the kind of tapas you could eat 24/7. For starters, its diver-caught sweet, plump king scallops, with laverbread (which Richard Burton once referred to as the Welshman’s caviar), rounds of salty, pink pork belly, and a spiky, pungent cauliflower purée. My dining companion loves her Spain meets Wales inspired dish of barbecued leeks, with Jerusalem artichoke, and hazelnut romesco. She is equally smitten with her main of caramelised sYuash risotto sprinkled with flakes of almonds and dotted with beads of Perl Las, a delicate blue cheese from Carmarthenshire.

My fillet of beef is so soft, it almost collapses with a happy sigh, the red wine and stock jus adds a deep The Welsh chef brings it home with his new Pontcanna venture and Sarah Moolla discovers it’s a world of happy every afters (and the starters and mains bring about a lot of contentment too)

aromatic glaze, with the green beans and confit shallots delivering a fresh garden crunch. Then there’s the chips. These are called chips, but they are not chips are we know them – they are rectangle, almost hasselback potato in form – deep fried, soft inside, and seasoned garlic butter, thyme, parmesan and a dash of magic.

And as if Thomas by Tom Simmons isn’t special enough, it has an Andy. Every restaurant should have an Andy. A general manager who can welcome, advise, make you laugh and ensure that your night is a great one. Andy, who previously worked at the Cameo Club, gives us a whistle stop tour of the venue’s transformation including the speakeasy type bar above the restaurant, and the private dining area, which seats up to 18 guests, and where chef Tom will create a bespoke menu for your party.

Back downstairs and there’s just enough time to fit in puddings of dark chocolate tart, with crumbled salted caramel and a generous scoop of yoghurt sorbet which is as richly divine and as decadently nourishing as I’ve come to expect of Thomas by Tom Simmons by now. However, I am starting to fret because I cannot find fault · this review is going to look so superlatively one-dimensional, I fear I’ll be doing the place a disservice. So it’s a relief to find out I really don’t like the chilled rhubarb rice pudding with white chocolate and puff pastry. To me, hand on heart, it is yucky. (In the interests of full disclosure, my companion strongly disagrees as she gobbles it all up.) Everything else though, I could probably leave my other half for, run off to an island with, and live happily ever after. ■

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DINING DETAILS

Thomas by Tom Simmons, 3 – 5 Pontcanna Street, Cardiff, CF119HQ. tel: 029 2116 7800; www.thomas-pontcanna.co.uk Opening hours Tuesday to Saturday 12pm – 11.30pm, Sunday 12pm – 6pm Owners Tom Simmons and Lois Thomas Type of food served French, British with emphasis on Tom’s Welsh heritage and all dishes served exclusively from local Welsh produce Specialities Tom’s signature fish and chips are legendary, and the traditional roast served on a Sunday is a must

Vegetarian and vegan options: Yes, lots including miso carrots pearl barley and the caramelised squash risotto Prices starters: £7.50 - £14.50 Mains: £16.50 – £3 Desserts: £7.50 - £9.50 Disability access Yes Drinks Full bar including a range of craft beer, spirits and wines. The speakeasy style bar is open until midnight Friday and Saturday, and it’s worth visiting for the signature cocktails alone, which include Y Ddraig made with Victory gin, beetroot, coriander, and mead, and Pentre Ifan, consisting of Barti Ddu, Cointreau, pineapple, and milk Atmosphere Elegantly convivial

Bowled over and on the up!

Tucked behind the beautiful grounds of Bute Park and alongside the River Taff is SOPHIA GARDENS CARDIFF, a giant 16,000-seater stadium and the home of Glamorgan Cricket

Over the last few years, hundreds of thousands of people have flocked to the venue to watch the world’s best cricketers in action or to attend one of the incredible events the venue has become known for.

Here, head of commercial Huw Warren and head of events and catering Amanda Simisker, look at what makes Sophia Gardens such a special place for its visitors.

What makes Sophia Gardens a unique venue and sets it apart from other stadiums in Wales? Huw Warren: We’re home to the only Welsh county, which means this is the only place visitors can watch domestic and international cricket in Wales. Over the years we’ve seen some incredible matches here with the game’s greatest cricketers on show and that is something no other venue can offer.

Then there is the location in Sophia Gardens itself which has been called the best walk in cricket. Cardiff is a great city and we have the best of it being a stone’s throw from town but also set in a stunning surrounding. Amanda Simisker: We’re extremely fortunate to be based in a beautiful location at the centre of Cardiff and have a versatile, multi-functional stadium that can adapt to each client’s needs.

Over the last couple of years we’ve delivered events ranging from darts exhibitions in our National Cricket Centre to concerts on the pitch for over 2,000 people.

Huw Warren

Amanda Simisker Q. What does Sophia Gardens and Glamorgan pride itself on? HW: We pride ourselves on the ‘Warm Welsh Welcome’ we give to all our visitors, whether they’re attending a Glamorgan fixture or a conference or event. All staff at Sophia Gardens recognise the importance of ensuring our guests receive our unique welcome and that is along every touch point, from our dedicated group of volunteers to our experienced stewards. AS: What sets Sophia Gardens apart from most other venues is our food service which is crafted by our team of full time chefs headed by John Chapman. Over the years they have forged an exceptional reputation for the consistent excellence of their food, using local and seasonal produce which we are extremely proud of.

The venue has held a number of events over the last couple of years, but which one are you most proud of? AS: It’s difficult to answer due to our diverse range of events. We try our best to make each one perfect and take an enormous amount of pride when they thank us afterwards, which is what motivates us as a business. However, because I’m a big ABBA fan and it was our first outdoor concert, I would have to say ‘An Evening of ABBA’ back in 2018. HW: We’ve delivered lots of incredible events over the last few years, but due to the sheer scale and size of the tournament I would have to say the ICC Cricket World Cup last year.

We held four group stage games here which took years of planning and it was a huge success for both the club and Wales.

What events are you hosting at the ground this year? HW: It’s a massive year at Glamorgan and obviously The Hundred and Welsh Fire is something that every cricket fan is talking about. We’re also hosting an IT20 between England and Pakistan in August which is looking like it is going to be played in front of a full stadium.

What I’m looking forward to most however, is the return of the Vitality Blast, which has been moved to May, June and July and has opened up some new audiences to us and that is very exciting. We’ve already enjoyed a record breaking priority window and tickets for each of our seven matches are now on general sale. AS: From a non-cricket perspective we’ve got another jam-packed year of events at Sophia Gardens. We’ve already held a darts event at the venue for nearly 700 people and in May ‘An Evening of ABBA’ is returning which everyone at the club is very excited about. We’re expecting another sell-out crowd but there are tickets still available.

We’ll also be holding Sophiaworks on 5 November for the third straight year and we have a couple of other events we’re hoping to announce shortly, so watch this space. ■

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