Tag Archives: The Potted Pig

The sublime pig

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Jay Rayner once said… no, he’s definitely not the subject of the title. As the UK’s eminent restaurant critic, he often cited Cardiff as a place not to go to if you were in search of a fine dining experience.

Now, on the other hand, if you’re in search of chips, chains, and generally loading up for the alcoholic blowout… well, look no further!

But… he used to have one exception to the rule…

Located down in an old bank vault…

Well, who needs windows when the focus of your attention is on the vision of beauty laid out in front of you? Particularly when a great Rioja Reserva is ready to whet your whistle… accompanied by a Black Pepper Gnocchi with Truffles and Mushroom Sauce?

Forget looking out on the street… concentrate on that delicate suite of flavours that are performing a friendly assault on your taste buds. Sip some water, my friend, and clear your palate for further seduction.

Got the crabs? Never quite like the way this Italian influenced delight on the far side of that table will tickle places you didn’t expect to be disturbed. The Squid Ink & Brown Crab Ravioli is guaranteed to satisfy everything you’ve brought along for tantalising…

But wait… what’s that at the forefront of the picture? A pig that looks so much better in death than it ever did in life! Why, this is one porcine that lived a life determined to provide ultimate pleasure for its human recipient (and we’re not talking former UK Prime Ministers here!). 😉

Roast pork belly, pig cheek, crackling that simply cracks with delight, and the ultimate in all-meat sausage action… quite the climactic experience. A dish to leave you snorting… maybe!

Until we speak again, The Potted Pig provides that rare moment of tasting a few items on a short menu, but leaving you instantly wanting to try every other dish… just in case you’ve missed another of the ultimate experiences of joy.

Pigs ear of a meal

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Juno and Bella both demonstrated a special fondness for a pig. Particularly one that came in morsels! As for a pigs ear, that was more likely a description they would attribute to me, or anything I attempted to do. But they sure would be salivating if they had an opportunity to share a recent experience of The Potted Pig…

2. Outside sign

Following the financial crash a few years ago, there are many things that people can think of using an old bank vault for… not the least being a dungeon for locking away greedy bankers! Here in Cardiff we have more creative ideas, like a space where local people (and even a few visitors) can sample a range of pig-based fayre, with a drop of the falling down juice on the side…

3. Bar4. Bank vault

You might even be lucky enough to be placed where the eponymous pig can shun you, in favour of a little rest…

5. The Potted Pig

As for the food, I am pleased to say that this restaurant comes with that special characteristic of a small but perfectly formed menu. No unnecessary elaboration here, this is a place for serious quality at reasonable prices. Though the pursuit of pig clearly features as the centrepiece of our gastronomic quest, your choice of animal will be far from limited. However, I could not resist a starter that offers crispy pigs ears, particularly when it came with succulent black pudding, the smokiest of bacon, topped off with a delightfully poached egg. The pigs ears were pork scratchings of the highest order. My compardre chose a belly pork starter (but that was to be my main course)…

 

6. Starters

This was a breakfast like I had never tasted (particularly at 8.30pm). So now, after a delicate tasting of Rioja, it was onward, dinner beckoned. With ducks, lambs, fish, and even a vegetarian dish on offer, my friend succumbed to the sound of a quack, while I could not avoid the continuation of the snort. Slow cooked free range pork belly had to be the order of the day; even if it did come with something requiring the gastronome’s dictionary… choucroute. Me neither! It turned out to be something akin to sauerkraut, and perfectly adorned the sacrificial pig. They even do great chips here!

9. Both mains

All I can say is, that next time you find yourself on St Mary Street in Cardiff, with that knot of hunger and a desire to assuage the temptation of more vegetables, get your timing right. This is a place that has limited opening hours, and you may need to book, but it is worth it.

Sleeping catAs for Bella, had she been on this particular escaped, it would surely have ended in a cat-like impression of the potted pig itself.

Until we speak again, may your pigs ears be crispy.