It's a beautiful Friday morning, there's not a cloud in the sky and the sun is shining down on Cardiff making it unusually warm. This rather untypical British summer weather certainly set the scene for my first trip to Spanish restaurant Asador 44 to try out the breakfast served to guests at its brand new boutique hotel, Parador 44 - and as of right now to non-residents too.
Being a big fan of its nearby sister tapas restaurant Bar 44, I had high hopes for a delicious start to my morning.
At 8.25am, the usually bustling city centre was still quiet as I made my way to Asador 44. Its hotel, Parador 44, has only recently opened - see our first look here - and up until now its breakfasts had only been available to those staying in the boutique rooms.
As I arrived, the restaurant below the hotel was relatively empty, having opened only half an hour earlier, with six eaters (that I could see) in the vicinity - this, however, didn't spoil the atmoshpere but made it feel lovely, intimate and unintimidating as a sole breakfaster.
I was met by a cheerful waiter who told me I could sit anywhere so i chose a small table tucked away in the corner of the cafe next to the bar and slighly higher than other tables - great for one of my favourite pastimes: people watching.
I ordered a black Americano and looked through the extensive menu of Spanish-inspired dishes, relaxing into the restaurant's chilled out vibe - there was smooth, jazzy Spanish music playing in the background that really made you feel like you were on the Continent and not Cardiff.
The new menu has dishes for every appetite - the small bites, the fresh fruit-eaters and big brekkie lovers. I was tempted to try the Spanish Continental breakfast option (at £10) for a taste of all the stunning tapas bites of the Med - fruit salad and poached pears, ensaïmada (a freshly-made Mallorcan pastry), tarta de Santiago - almond cake - sherried Welsh cakes, granola with natural yoghurt and, of course, a Continental brekkie isn't a Continental brekkie without cheese and meats. But in the end the full Parador breakfast (at £15 a pop) won me over; go big or go home.
However, before food came the sweet nectar that is coffee. I'm a complete coffee snob - having done my time as a barista in multiple coffee shops during adolescence - so I was pleased to taste a gorgeous nutty and - most importantly - strong cup of Joe.
About 20 minutes later, my plate arrived (after a slight mix up, almost being given a breakfast which had a requested addition of tomato sauce meant for the table next to me).
Its presentation was aesthetically pleasing. Having seen pictures online, it matched what I was expecting and came with two sausages - one chorizo and the other a Welsh black pig pork sausage - smoked morcilla (Spanish blood sausage), unsmoked back bacon, grilled tomato, free-range fried egg, an olive oil hash brown and a giant roasted mushroom. Plus a slice of grilled sourdough.
Unlike English or Welsh breakfasts, there was a lack of baked beans and a noticeable lack of grease - one of the reasons I am not typically a fan of traditional big breakfasts (I know, blasphemy).
I tried the meat components first and an overwhelming - but lovely - flavour that blasted through was smokiness - that's possibly because it is all cooked "over the coals", as their social media states.
The chorizo sausage was salty, rich (potentially a tad too rich for this early in the morning for me, personally) and slightly sweet - though not spicy, like some chorizo sausages you can get and that, for me, was a win. The other was well cooked and meaty - the kind where you can tell it is high quality - although it was a bit too substantial for me to be able to finish it entirely.
The smashed morcilla was (again) smokey and lingered in your mouth and the bacon was cooked perfectly; well done but not charcoaled.
The vegetables provided a nice freshness to the dish, which was needed after the salitness of the meat. The mushroom was soft and its earthiness came through nicely. The tomato, however, was slightly underwhelming. I like my tomatoes bursting with juice and unfortunately, this particular one was slightly too fleshy and grainy. That being said, the grilled aspect made for a nice array of textures.
Munching down on my meal, I paced myself and took a little break to watch the world outside and take in the lovely interior of Asador 44. Its cool grey decor is calming and there is a partition wall which is decorated with illustrations from the book Tapas Y Copas (This is Our Spain) by the brothers who own the restaurant.
Back to my plate and the fried egg was runny - not too runny that your plate resembles an orange swimming pool and not too hard that it's like chewing a rubber - and a good consistency for dipping my grilled sourdough into. The egg white was thin (thinner than it looked) but was cooked in way that muted the usual metallic taste of a fried egg.
Next up was the hash brown - the item on my plate I was most intrigued by because of how it looked. It was square and did not resemble a typical triangular hash brown. The outside was crispy, golden and had the perfect crunch. But it was the inside that took the biscuit. Upon first bite, it was smooth, creamy and melted in your mouth. It wasn't bitty, like they so usually are - this is no supermarket frozen hash brown. A lovely addition to this was the onion ketchup on top that was cool, zesty and added a zing to the meal.
To wash it down, I ordered an orange juice. It didn't seem freshly-squeezed (nor did it look it) but it didn't have that cheap, 'from concentrate' aftertaste. More Tropicana smooth than own brand.
Although my mission of completely clearing the plate was not accomplished, I was well and truly stuffed.
All in all, I'd say it was a thoroughly enjoyable, tasty and definitely filling Spanish-style full breakfast. Perfect for if you have a big day ahead of you and need substantial fuelling - or revitalising after a big night out after the rugby.
The service was top notch - with even the co-owner Owen Morgan, who runs the Bar 44 group with his two siblings Tom and Natalie - coming over to check I was enjoying my meal. The atmosphere was comfortable, lounge-like and positively Spanish. Just chuck in Vespas and loud bullet-fast chattering of the lingo and you'd be transported to a restaurante in one of Mallorca's barrios.
With it being booked up today, I would highly recommend making a reservation in advance before chancing a space in the restaurant (one man tried that today, unsuccessfully). I, for one, will definitely be returning to give another of their breakfast dishes a go - I've got my eye on the Flamenco eggs.
For more information, visit Parador 44's website.
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