When you go to a restaurant whose USP is definitively 'small plates', you typically - or I do, anyway - think of the classic Spanish tapas, pintxo or Italian cicchetti. But in recent years, foodies in Wales have seen the introduction of small plate restaurants - Kindle and Nook for example - that have no particular link to a certain country and simply celebrate good food that has been cooked with love and skill.
So when I went to Pasture's new restaurant, Parallel - which lies directly next door to the Cardiff steak restaurant - I was excited to see how it was, firstly, different to its sister restaurant and secondly... well, just how delicious these small plates were.
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And without giving too much away too soon, let me just say that I left a very happy and full customer, whose tastebuds had danced with a myriad of delicious flavours, textures and ingredients, and who did a happy food dance after every dish.
Parallel is the brainchild of Sam Elliott, who brought Pasture to Cardiff from Bristol in October 2020 which has since thrived incredibly, selling out tables weeks in advance. With Parallel, Sam wanted a smaller, intimate restaurant where diners can get a 'bit more interactive and immersive in the kitchen.' See more on the interior of Parallel, here.
And on Tuesday, March 7, it swung open its doors on High Street to the public and I was lucky enough to bag a table for two. We arrived a little before our reservation for 7pm and were greeted by Parallel's smiley host who instantly took us to our seats situated on a bar that overlooked the kitchen.
At first, I was sceptical - would it be too loud? Would it be uncomfortable eating a meal in this close proximity to my dining partner (elbow to elbow)? And other such thoughts - but as soon as we tucked into our first dish, I was soon proved wrong; it was intimate and really quite nice.
As soon as we sat down, a charming bartender - who had worked with Pasture for years, he tells us - explained the drinks menu (a glass of wine is encouraged so diners can experience the selection of wines on offer) before we ordered a glass of Merlot (£6.75) and a rhubarb and dill spritz (£9.50). Later in the evening, I was told that the cocktails on the menu that evening have been inspired by the ingredients that are in excess in the kitchen so as not to waste any more food than necessary - fuelling the bartender's creativity. The other options were a tomato margarita, beetroot negroni and truffle espresso martini.
The cocktail was light, refreshing, tarte (in a good way) and a drink I can imagine being the perfect tipple in the summer months. The Merlot was smooth and fruity. As we waited for our drinks, we perused the menu, which consists of six sections that describe the main component of the small plates: snacks, raw and cured, crispy, vegetables, meat and fish.
The menu, we're told, changes slightly every day to keep things interesting for the chefs but also so that customers don't have the same thing each time they come.
While we pondered over which dishes to share, we couldn't get over the smell that wafts through the restaurant and makes your mouth immediately water. It's a salty, smokiness that comes straight from the open kitchen, where they're cooking meats, vegetables, flatbreads and more over charcoal. It's a real spectacle in itself and having a front-row seat to the magic is pretty special.
We were recommended eight or nine plates to share between the two of us and, after being given a detailed overview of the menu, which was so helpful. We opted for olives (£4), puffed pork (£4), mackerel ceviche (£8) and hoisin mushrooms (£8), then dishes centred around a carrot (slow cooked, then roasted over charcoal, with a maple glaze, tahini and a cashew paste - £7), potato topped with truffle and oyster mascarpone (£7), steak shoulder with onion butter (£14) and lemon sole with homemade tartar and dill (£14). The small plates, we're told in detail, will come out in the order the chefs think best, which is something I'd never experienced - differing from as and when they were ready.
One phrase I kept on murmuring throughout the evening was: 'So cool'. It was fascinating watching all the dishes being prepared from scratch; the meat or veg or bread being flamed then chopped, then topped - with such delicacy and precision - in front of your eyes was just, well, cool.
First out were olives (which were just salty, fresh and as yummy as I'd hoped) and the puffed pork. The texture is that of a giant pork scratching mixed with Eat Real's Lentil Chips - light, meaty (but not overpoweringly salty) airy, with a nice crunch. It's done by, so I was told by one of the chefs, boiling the pork overnight, dehydrating it and then frying it - which is what blew it up to the size it was. Finished off with taramasalata, which gave - understandably - a fishy but cold and fresh aftertaste - it was a great start to the evening.
The hoisin oyster mushrooms came next; fried in spices and topped with peanut dust atop a crumpet. It was crunchy, salty and sweet, fragrant and, had you not told me I was eating mushroom, I would have thought it was crispy duck (the typical meat that is paired with hoisin).
The mackerel ceviche - raw mackerel - was as beautiful in look as it was in taste, too. Swimming in a piquant blood orange ponzu sauce, that makes my mouth water just thinking of it once more, the mackerel slices melted in my mouth, were tender and fresh, as we were told they were caught that very morning. Paired with a few slices of zingy blood orange, it was a nice change in texture after two dense and crunchy dishes.
The first four plates came in quite quick succession and, while the space in front of us (on the countertop) was filling up, we had time to savour each of the dishes, finish them (gush about them) and speak to the chefs cooking in front of us about what we liked so far, which was a really nice touch - the personal element. We, as customers, weren't separate to the kitchen staff. We were invited in to the action and learnt about how it was made.
Our plates were cleared and in front of us was placed the lemon sole - on another beautiful artisan dish. One covered in panko breadcrumbs - with a similar look to a fish finger, but much more refined, suave and no cod - the other as is, both laid on top of a homemade tartar and dill pickle sauce - which was tangy and creamy. The unbreaded sole wasn't overpowering in its taste but paired with the tartar sauce was a nice combo. The breaded sole, however, took the biscuit in this dish. Fresh, fall apart, and without dampening its reputation, was the best fish finger I'd ever tasted (I must add, it was not a fish finger. But with all the components together, a fish finger is the best way I can describe it in its entirity - but better).
The fillet of steak came next and, having been cooked over the charcoal, was crispy and gorgeously salty on the outside and contrastingly tender on the insid. The butter added a mild peppery onion flavour and creamy texture to the dish.
For someone who isn't that enamoured with steak on the whole, I enjoyed it and would order it again. We were enticed into ordering the Parallel flatbread too, which came relatively quickly. It was soft, fluffy and had a nice zing of saltiness when you bit into its grilled dents. But, it proved a tad too doughy for me, so I left it to my dining partner to finish - which he did gladly.
The carrot, however, was the small plate that surprised me the most. I don't know what I expected, but it certainly exceeded my hopes for this dish. Having been marinated in butter before being slow cooked for hours and then grilled over flames, the carrot - which is the star of the dish and is a whole carrot - is coated in maple syrup, tahini and placed on a bed of cashew paste and topped with crunchy, cinnamony and spicey chickpeas. It wasn't as sweet as a raw carrot tastes, it was more subtle. The spices included cinnamon and star anise among others and herbs, left a (welcome) lingering, herby aftertaste, while the tahini added a nice nuttiness. This was the dish that was bigged up the most by the team - and the dish that admittedly wowed me, in all honesty. They were right. It. Was. Lush.
For our penultimate small plate, this not-so-humble potato had the texture I can only liken to dauphinoise (minus the cream) - a crispy, browned crust with a soft, balanced and delicate middle.
What was interesting about it, however, was the method in which it was prepared and presented. My dining partner and I were told the potato is sliced into a long ribbon (in one go), brushed with truffle oil and then tightly rolled up before being cooked. The outer layer was golden and crispy and gave a nice crunch when you bit into it. It was topped off with cool, zesty truffle and oyster mascarpone that was mild in flavour but not devoid of it and sprinkled with stringy segments of truffle. It was pretty and moreish, but plenty for a final (savoury) dish.
With our dinner side totally full to the brim, we deliberated over whether to have dessert and soon had our arm twisted by the chef whose creative recipe it was: baked lemon Alaska (£6). With a lightly tangy lemon and yuzu base, an understated white chocolate mousse centre and lemon-infused burnt meringue topping that was drenched in smoked maple syrup, after one bite, our full tummies found a smidge of room.
It wasn't an explosion of flavours - but that is maybe because my mouth had already been exposed to so many different tastes - but it was sweet (without being sickly, which white chocolate can be) with an interesting mix of textures that ended our meal nicely; a frosty creamy middle, a tangy, weightless meringue coating and a smothering of musky, full-bodied maple syrup that packed a punch.
All in all, the dishes were absolutely top-notch and were well worth our almost £100 bill - oops. I would 100% go there again to try the dishes I didn't get around to this time and have some that I did once more. The service, too, was stellar. I've never experienced chefs, bartenders or waiters be so attentive and interested in my thoughts on the food I've enjoyed - although, I've never had a front-row seat to a kitchen such as this either, watching over their every move.
Either way, it was brilliant. If this restaurant matches the success of its big sister, Pasture, it'll soon be chocka with bookings so, while you can, get in there quick. Come summer, I have no doubt it'll be one of the city's most popular hangouts.
Parallel can be found at 11 High St, Cardiff CF10 1AW
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