HEATHCOCK
Lisa Evans delves into the small plates offering at this local Llandaff favourite, the sister pub of the are ounds in Aberthin
W
hen is a Sunday lunch not a Sunday lunch? When you forgo the beef and tatties and order rotolo and gnocchi. And I don’t regret it either. Normally lashings of gravy and all the traditional trimmings are my jam, but when I saw the incredible offering on the eathcock’s menu, out of my comfort zone I scampered. Since they’ve reopened post pandemic, the thriving watering hole has switched to a more casual ‘small plates’ setup instead of à la carte. There’s Porthilly oyster with fermented chilli, cucumber and mint braised duck leg pappardelle; crispy lamb shoulder with roast tomato and green sauce, and the list continues. You can either order an assortment to share, one as a starter, or you can even request that a smally be made into a biggy so you can enjoy it as a main.
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But of course you can also have a big roast, too, which my husband did, with his choice of pink-as-can-be, melty Welsh roast Angus sirloin – complete with its amber ribbon of fat and duck-fat potatoes, orkshire pudding and veggies loaded on the plate with heft and generosity. Depending on how much you trust your dining partner to be fair and equal, there’s a ‘for two’ section on the menu, too, featuring extra-large dishes ready to be split lovingly between you from a chicken, leek and bacon pie to sevenhour braised venison shoulder – romantic or a recipe for disaster I’ll let you decide, but, for me, just looking at that option on the menu gave me palpitations. e were recommended to visit the eathcock by a born-and-bred Cardi an who knows the food scene inside out and who has declared the pub as her favourite in the whole of the city. That’s saying something. It opened nearly two years ago as the sister pub of the are ounds in Aberthin the are has a ichelin
