Be Excellent To Each Other

Mrskov and I decided as we don't have the kids this weekend that we should go to a city.

We choose Cardiff.

Where shall we go /avoid.

MrsK loves Italian and I love beer.

We have English heritage so happy to visit old ruins etc.

I'm sure people of other descent are allowed to visit ruins too.

MrsK is half Welsh..

The half that leeks?

Places to see in Cardiff:
-Cardiff Castle (but it's not real)
-Cardiff Bay (lots of bars and restaurants and good views)
-Castle Coch (it's not real either)
-there's museums in Cathays Park, and the 'museum of Welsh Life' is on the outskirts of the city.

http://www.visitcardiff.com/things-to-do/attractions

If you want to see a real actual castle then you should come and see Caerphilly Castle (and not just because it's a block away from my house). We took Dimrill and Mrs Dimrill there on the weekend and they were very impressed. It's huge (only Windsor is bigger), 800 years old, and amazing. You could also stop in for a cup of tea.

To eat: The Potted Pig (centre) is one of the best in Cardiff, and good value. Can be hard to get a table. Las Iguanas (centre) is an OK, although chain, Mexican; the two-for-one happy hour cocktails are a great deal. Gio's is a decent family-run Italian (centre), and Signor Valentino's is a reasonable Italian too (Bay). Ba Orient has a superb cocktail menu (Bay), and I'm fond of Wood's Brasserie (Bay). There's a cluster of good restaurants in Canton (Bully's, Oscar's, Bangkok Kitchen) but you're unlikely to want to trek out that far.

Jamies Italian restaurant is pricey but very good,
Cafe Minuet in the arcade just opposite the castle is cheap & good
Down the bay are many eaty places, as well as the Torchwood paving stone and the doctor who experience (which is a bit small but has daleks)
If there's no match on, you may be able to get a tour of the millennium Stadium, and the Cardiff museum has a good art gallery with several Monets among others, and is free.

@DocG: I didn't think much of Las Iguanas. There's also a Signor Valentino's in St David's 2. Is Ba Orient that places that does horrendously expensive champagne cocktails?

Two very good Italian places are about a ten minute drive from the city centre: Lorenza's on Crwys Road, and Zio Pin on Albany Road.

Also, the local beer is Brains, their signature brew being Brains S.A. (also known as 'skull attack')

Ugh. I cannot, in good conscience, give that irritating man any money.

I've never eaten here! (Yes, I know.) I've heard nothing but good things about it.

I've eaten there several times. It's alright, nothing outstanding but reliable enough [1]. I'm almost invariably drunk off my ass (by 6pm) on the 2-for-1 cocktails though, so perhaps you should factor that in.

Oh yeah. It's new, right? Nice to see them expanding.

Dunno. Probably, we have very different definitions of "horrendously expensive" when it comes to food and drink. The spirits bar is about 15 feet tall, with a really decent selection of booze. It's upstairs, opposite the Bayside Brasserie. Here's the menu: http://www.baorient.com/coctailmenu.pdf [PDF]

[1] this is also how I feel about Zizzi's.

Yeah, we've seen how much you pay for Baileys.

£9 for a champagne cocktail seems about average in my experience

Fair enough. Like Chimichangas, they commit the cardinal sin of charging a lot for the food and then filling it with onions and other cheap ingredients to bulk it up.



Is it really quite dark inside, with the bar in the centre and the seating in a U shape around it? Whatever place I'm thinking of, it's underneath Signor Valentino's.

No, that's not it. It's upstairs and it's light and airy. Tall ceilings, lots of glass.

You think everywhere has tall ceilings.

Arrived, it is raining. Our hotel seems to be between millennium stadium and Bute park.

I have since been informed that the place I'm thinking of is, in fact, Ba Orient, and that it's been made ("even worse" -Ed.) since I was last there.

That would be the Holiday Inn then?

Yes it is

It's Wales, what the fuck do you expect?

I can't hear singing.

In the promised land. Not a bad little pub

If you dont mind a short drivw i recommend the penderyndistillery

That post appears to have been sponsored by the Penderyn distillery.

Brains beers are nice. Black dragon cider is lovely but bloody strong.

Wow.... Found the gay bar

Is there an iMac in your room?

Didn't find the City Arms, did you!

Not yet. Where is it?

I sent you a PM with directions!

Bollocks

We wondered where you were, and why you were posting about gay bars! Oh well!

I missed the pm. Bugger

I just assumed he had found you.

What a cracking city. Will be going back soon.

Went to the Cafe Citta on Church Street. A very time place but the food was fantastic.

The for brunch on Sunday went to the New York deli, after I found a review on foursquare by Doc G. I had a huge Cariff Devil's Hoagie (salt beef and tabasco). Will be going back there again.

Shame I missed the PM, very disappointed.

Woo! That's possibly the only instance of Foursquare being useful for something I can think of. I did see your check in there flash up on my phone.

Yes were in a pub on Sat and was just scrolling through, saw your recommendation so popped in..