A Steak to the Heart
I have a confession to make. This isn't easy to say but I need to get it off my chest. I've lived in Penarth for just over 6 months, not a 10 minute walk from the venue but it took the offer of a launch night to get me there. I haven't been avoiding it, more building up to it after disappointingly average meals elsewhere in the town. I'd heard good things and an invite from Cake Communications to a new steak night piqued my interest. Wrapped up against the cold, camera in hand, I headed into the night.
Not heard of Pier 64? Well if you live in Cardiff you've probably heard of their old premises, the critically acclaimed Le Gallois. It's a good pedigree to have - with chef Grady Atkins now rattling the pots and pans at Park House Club, owner Francis has turned his attention to Penarth Marina and to the humble steak.
I say humble but with prices on the Main Menu at £15.95 for an 8oz sirloin (add an extra £5 if you want chips and a sauce) it's a bit pricier than other steak houses in the city. So when the email arrived in my inbox announcing a new monthly steak and wine night with a meal priced at £15, I was already salivating.
Think steak night and you probably conjure up images of chain pubs serving overcooked, leathery rumps and a glass of warm Blossom Hill. As soon as we entered the building, we knew this would be different. Taking the leather seating, white-washed walls and dark wood that is standard in most new venues, Pier 64 managed to elevate itself with a little mood lighting and making a quirky feature of a wine rack dividing wall. Even the cutlery is pretty special.
The steak for the evening was a rib-eye cut, normally priced at £17.95 in it's unadorned state - and let's face it, most of you would be wanting some kind of side dish with that! My partner and I both ordered it medium-rare, relieved that the waiter didn't protest this after the debacle at The Corner House where we were told we couldn't have it cooked like that. If you're going not going to cook the steak how I like it, why bother asking?!
The steak arrived, plated up simply with some gently-roasted vine cherry tomatoes. Sides followed of fries and a Bearnaise sauce, served in it's own ceramic jug.
To use that old foodie cliche, cutting into the beef really was as easy as running a hot knife through butter. Chargrilled on the outside, the inside was perfectly pink - tender and juicy. The chips looked pale and insipid but were thankfully full of flavour and well seasoned, if not very crisp. The sauce and tomatoes added a splash of colour to the plate - the toms bursting with juice, whilst the sauce was light and bright with lemon and a generous helping of tarragon. This was without a doubt THE best steak I have eaten in a very, very long time.
Cornering Francis, I asked him what his secret was. Giving a very Gallic shrug he replied, "Good quality ingredients, cooked well" as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Which it is, to a point. Except so many people get it wrong and end up serving soggy chips and a shoe-leather steak!
Relaxing after the mains, I found myself day-dreaming about sticky toffee pudding. I think the waiters at Pier 64 are psychic as I was then handed a dessert menu containing that very thing. It was duly ordered along with a Rhubarb and Custard Jelly with Ginger Ice Cream for my partner - both priced at £5.95 each.
The jelly was a pure party piece - tart fruit jelly atop a creamy set custard and served with a delicious ginger ice cream. This played with textures and temperatures in a really light-hearted play on a classic flavour combination.
After my pudding daydreams, the sticky toffee pudding didn't disappoint. Served warm, the pudding itself was light, moist and studded with dates. The sauce was deliciously sweet and sticky and the brandy snap base for the vanilla ice cream was a nice touch.
The steak night looks to be a regular thing so even if you can't afford to dine at Pier 64 normally, we recommend saving your pennies for what it an absolute bargain. Francis is also proposing a wine tasting session at each event, priced at £10 per person.
Fat and happy we waddled home, vowing to return.
Not heard of Pier 64? Well if you live in Cardiff you've probably heard of their old premises, the critically acclaimed Le Gallois. It's a good pedigree to have - with chef Grady Atkins now rattling the pots and pans at Park House Club, owner Francis has turned his attention to Penarth Marina and to the humble steak.
I say humble but with prices on the Main Menu at £15.95 for an 8oz sirloin (add an extra £5 if you want chips and a sauce) it's a bit pricier than other steak houses in the city. So when the email arrived in my inbox announcing a new monthly steak and wine night with a meal priced at £15, I was already salivating.
Think steak night and you probably conjure up images of chain pubs serving overcooked, leathery rumps and a glass of warm Blossom Hill. As soon as we entered the building, we knew this would be different. Taking the leather seating, white-washed walls and dark wood that is standard in most new venues, Pier 64 managed to elevate itself with a little mood lighting and making a quirky feature of a wine rack dividing wall. Even the cutlery is pretty special.
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| I could do a whole blog just on cutlery! [Photo: Cardiff Bites] |
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| Beef! [Photo: Cardiff Bites] |
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| With all the trimmings [Photo: Cardiff Bites] |
Cornering Francis, I asked him what his secret was. Giving a very Gallic shrug he replied, "Good quality ingredients, cooked well" as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Which it is, to a point. Except so many people get it wrong and end up serving soggy chips and a shoe-leather steak!
Relaxing after the mains, I found myself day-dreaming about sticky toffee pudding. I think the waiters at Pier 64 are psychic as I was then handed a dessert menu containing that very thing. It was duly ordered along with a Rhubarb and Custard Jelly with Ginger Ice Cream for my partner - both priced at £5.95 each.
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| Rhubarb & Custard Jelly [Photo: Cardiff Bites] |
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| What dreams are made of [Photo: Cardiff Bites] |
The steak night looks to be a regular thing so even if you can't afford to dine at Pier 64 normally, we recommend saving your pennies for what it an absolute bargain. Francis is also proposing a wine tasting session at each event, priced at £10 per person.
Fat and happy we waddled home, vowing to return.
Comments
Quick question: you said you were invited to an opening night. Does that mean your meal was complimentary, or did you pay yourself? Not that it makes much difference I suppose.
To put it into perspective there are usually other VIPs present (everyone from TV personalities, sports stars, journalists and ,increasingly, other bloggers) at the invite of either a PR company or the venue itself in the hope of generating some publicity.
Sometimes the food warrants a good review but I have written about some howlers too (TGI Friday is quite a memorable one for being awful!).
Some bloggers have lengthy disclaimers on their sites where they've not had to pay for something but as a reader I find them distracting and overly verbose. However if my readers would feel this useful then it's certainly something I'd consider doing.
What do you think?