Newly re-opened and re-vamped Cardiff pub The Old Cottage in Lisvane welcomed back customers after it was closed for just over three weeks to get a new look. With warm soft lighting, modern and sleek furnishings and no loud music which means you can hear yourself speak, the re-vamped pub is a delight to visit.
We booked our table for 5.30pm on Sunday, just a day after it re-opened, and the pub with busy with a nice feel as customers chatted and enjoyed their meals. Served with a Sunday menu, I was impressed with the wide range of dishes because as well as five different roast options, you could also order burgers, steaks and fish dishes if you didn't fancy a classic Sunday roast. The drinks menu features a range of gins, wines and beer on tap.
We were seated in the rear restaurant area but the pub also has to a bar section, with high stools and tables as well as lower seating and there's an impressive outdoor area that looked perfect for warmer weather.
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But what about the food? To start we had the artisan rustic bread and nocellara olives for £4.95, which we shared. You get four small slices of bread, a good-sized dipping bowl of balsamic vinegar, Netherend Farm salted butter, and plenty of green olives.
The olives were big and juicy with a great tangy taste. There was also plenty to share as The Old Cottage did not skimp on their portions. The bread was lightly toasted and warm, with a great crunchy crust that I personally love.
There was also plenty of balsamic vinegar, which was silky and smooth and the salted butter was nicely flavoured and melted in your mouth. My only complaint would be that the butter was still a little hard, making it a little tricky to spread across the bread.
For mains, we both opted for the roast, going for one roast pork belly at £14.75 and one roast sirloin of beef at £16.25. Both portions of meat were easily the best part of the dishes - it was tender, pulled apart easily, and was full of flavour. Drenched in slightly sweet, thick and luxurious gravy, which you are served plenty of, the meat and gravy combination was a big hit.
Portion-wise, we were served a very good amount of meat and plenty of gravy, leaving no complaints there. The pork roast also came with a ball of herby and nicely textured stuffing and ear poppingly good pork crackling, creating an explosion in the mouth.
Both roasts came with carrots, parsnips, roast potatoes, a huge Yorkshire pudding and leeks and there was the option to pay more to add more veg. The roast potatoes were light and fluffy with good flavour, although they could have perhaps been roasted a little longer more, and the veg was all fresh and delicious.
The Yorkshire puddings were huge and delicious with a crispy outside and more doughy softer middle. Mine was slightly burnt but the huge size of it made up for any flaws.
We could have very easily left the meal there and left The Old Cottage feeling very full and very happy indeed but decided to try some desserts too. We opted for the Lotus Biscoff Chocolate Bomb for £8.95 and the Sticky Toffee Pudding for £6.95.
As with the other courses, the desserts were a very decent size. The sticky toffee pudding was paired with honeycomb ice cream and the Lotus Biscoff chocolate bomb came with a chocolate ball, with ice cream on the side, that after pouring hot toffee sauce over melted away to reveal a chocolate brownie with Lotus Biscoff spread.
The sticky toffee pudding was piping hot and had the it was perfectly sweet and sticky. The honeycomb ice cream made the dish for me as you could really taste the sweet honeycomb notes that complement the pudding well.
The Lotus Biscoff chocolate bomb was a dessert of dreams for any chocolate lover as it was rich, sweet and melted in your mouth. There was plenty of Biscoff flavouring, ensuring the dessert lived up to its name, and all the elements worked well together to create a deliciously sweet treat.
Providing us with a great Sunday lunch, set with a starter and dessert, The Old Cottage did not disappoint. The new decor created a great feel within the pub and with the amazing food I would definitely recommend a visit. You can read more food and drink news by signing up to our newsletter here.
