The sky is blue, Cardiff Bay is blue… wow, do I love the blues just now! Who needs a garden when you have this on your doorstep?
![Bay April 2020 [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/bay-april-2020-1.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, check out Samantha Fish (the singer not the contents of my local Bay!) for some great contemporary blues guitar.
And there was me thinking that was the name of a famous old shipyard in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. But, here we are in our own private lockdown situations, left to observe the animal kingdom going about their ways with little care for human interference. Who would have known that a worldwide pandemic would have such silver linings?
![Swan hunting [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/swan-hunting-1.jpg?w=584)
![Swan hunting [2]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/swan-hunting-2.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, I’m sure Juno would have been impressed by the shear ambition, if not by the inherent impracticability!
“You humans do like to convolute your language. How are you getting on with your self-isolating, eh? Some things just come natural to those of us who live uncomplicated lives. If you do manage to perfect your walking-on-water technique, you still need to keep your 2 metres distance, okay!”
Until we speak again, go away!
Taking the daily exercise walk in my local area I am pleased to report another busy ‘corona day’ down Cardiff Bay…
Until we speak again, congratulations to the masses heeding the dire warnings, and stay safe, keep well! As for the small minority of mindless morons… did you know you’re cultivating careers as serial killers… stay home!
So, you think you’re having problems trying to get flying, with all of this pandemic stuff going on? Stay grounded, they said, in the jargon of psychobabble. Well, you try taking off with this thing strapped to your legs!
![Bird Anchored [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bird-anchored-1.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, stay safe and well. The option of flight is a luxury many can return to at a later date. For some, it’s just what we do!
In these strange dystopian times we all find ourselves entering, it is good to see that the traditions of good old British queueing have not been entirely lost!
![Gulls queue at Bay [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/gulls-queue-at-bay-1.jpg?w=584)
But, on a less than typical (or, is this the new typical?) Saturday afternoon down at Cardiff Bay, it looks like there might be quite a long wait for any transport…
Even up the flow, at Cool Cat Central, the wait goes on as there is no sign of passing traffic anytime soon…
![Waiting at feeder canal [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/waiting-at-feeder-canal-1.jpg?w=584)
![Waiting at feeder canal [2]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/waiting-at-feeder-canal-2.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, have a safe crisis!
Until we speak again, here’s wishing you a still and peaceful Christmas from Cardiff Bay…
How do you describe the feeling on seeing one of your favourite restaurants has been closed? No, I’m not talking of the demise of a Gregg’s or a Wetherspoons; that would be a celebration! It was summer of 2018 and the Bayside Brasserie was making way for a new Everyman Cinema in Cardiff Bay.
Now, I am a very frequent user of ‘the pictures’ (as one of my reader’s will no doubt confirm by messaging shortly), so something different from the usual over representation of the run-of-the-mill multiplexes is more than welcome. But why take away my favourite eatery down the bay?
Fast forward to the summer of 2019, and my faith in a higher influence is happily restored…
Yes, it’s back… and every bit as good. With a balmy summer evening permitting use of an outside table, the view across the glass of a Patagonian Malbec set up the appetite…
Starters of Chilli and Lime Squid and a most mouth-watering Belly Pork helped to settle any anxieties that a re-opening 50 yards away from the original would be a let-down.
Then came the true memory-refresher… I can definitely confirm the Bayside Brasserie still serves up one of Cardiff’s finest Filet Steaks…
Until we speak again, let this be a lesson that nightmares can occasionally turn into dreams… now whatever has become of our political leadership, and not just the class of clowns presently screwing up the UK?
Strolling around the tranquil Penarth Marina, on the far side of Cardiff Bay, only served to tempt thoughts of the sea, of fish… of a time to eat. But, the restaurant chains of Mermaid Quay were a distance away and just not stimulating the gastronomic needs of a discerning cat.![Penarth Marina [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/penarth-marina-1.jpg?w=584)
This was a stroll with intent… to enthuse a visiting stroller from outside of Cardiff to what the city has to offer. But, where would match up to the beauty of the wider setting? Step up to the plate The Custom House building near to the Cardiff Bay barrage; a remnant of the former grandeur of the Penarth side of the old docks, built in a Renaissance style in 1865, and converted from dereliction into a fine restaurant in the 1980’s…
This fine building now houses the El Puerto restaurant. Forget menus at your table, this is the marketplace brought into a restaurant…
![El puerto [1]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/el-puerto-1.jpg?w=584)
Order your drinks at the table then step up to the main counter for up close inspection of the produce on offer, and place your order…
![El puerto [2]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/el-puerto-2.jpg?w=584)
The returning visit of the previously identified ‘delightful company‘ was a situation requiring delicate and refined taste. Hake for the lady and Swordfish for me would complement the aquatic excursion of the previous hour…
![El Puerto [3]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/el-puerto-3.jpg?w=584)
Until we speak again, for the vegetarian critics amongst you dear readers, here is a special moment just for you…
When you can have Bill’s!
![Outside [2]](https://cardiffcoolcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/outside-2.jpg?w=584)
So, what to do when you find your ship has run aground down the Bay?
When you wish to play the welcoming host with a promise of a trusted restaurant, only to find your number one choice (Bayside Brasserie) has closed down and deserted you? And just when you’re on a mission to satisfy that late Sunday afternoon hunger? Bill’s comes to the rescue.
For starters we both settled on the Crispy Calamari with Red Chilli and Lime Aioli. What is it with this fashion for serving food straight from the cooking utensils? Saving on the washing up, maybe. But hang on, it could just be that my delightful company has seen the red chilli’s lurking with intent, and is grabbing her bag to make a quick getaway…
As for the main event, my thoughtful companion surveyed the menu for interesting tastes, opting for a healthy sounding Warm Chicken, Avocado and Parmesan Salad. As for me, well another cow just had to lose some weight in the Sirloin region, and a side of foliage will surely temper the overall threat of arterial assault…
Until we speak again, if your looking for posh and formal this is not the place. But for serviceable food in a relaxed setting it fits the Bill (yes, I hear the groans at that one). And the staff will simply be queuing up to serve you… possibly!
JUNO's VIEW 