A well-known and much-loved chef in Cardiff has announced the exciting news that not only will he be relocating his popular 12-seater restaurant, Cora, but that he will also be opening a second venture below the restaurant - Jackson's, named after his child, much like Cora.
Lee Skeet opened Cora above Cafe Milkwood in Pontcanna in January 2022 and since its opening, it garnered a strong reputation and received glowing reviews from customers and staff.
The acclaimed chef’s new venture follows on from the success of his 40 Days, 40 Nights pop-up restaurant at the same venue which sold out 650 tickets in a matter of days.
Lee’s success over the last year has come after some dark times. After a serious accident in 2017, Lee took a four-year break from the kitchen until the coronavirus pandemic left him with no option but to start cooking again to make ends meet.
Now, the Cardiff-based chef, who trained under Marcus Wareing and Gordon Ramsay and previously headed up the kitchen at the Michelin-starred Hedone, is relocating to one of the city's most loved historic arcades - Duke Street Arcade, just outside Cardiff Castle in the city centre.
Cora will be upstairs with a new sister bar called Jackson's on the ground floor. Jackson's will be an oyster bar and will offer wines from all over the world.
Read more: The 11 best things I ate in Cardiff in 2022
Lee earlier this year made headlines after criticising 'arrogant, rich' diners who were rude to one of his young servers. He revealed these plans with a video posted to Instagram.
It read: "We are so proud to welcome you to the new CORA. And introducing….. Jackson’s. A year ago we opened Cora, leasing a small room above an existing restaurant with very little budget.
"We ran a successful crowdfunder, and we managed to come away with just over £26k, after fees, which enabled us to buy all the equipment- crockery, tableware, commercial fridges, freezers, a Pacojet machine, hot cupboard, induction hobs, shelving, storage, pots, pans, utensils, vacuum pack machine, oven, dish/glass washer, glassware, linen, chairs, tables, and invest in our wine stock - and we managed to open a brand new independent restaurant - debt free (aside from the hundreds of meals I’ve been cooking all year in return for pledges!)
"But- we didn’t stop there. We realised that after such a good start- and with the support of our guests- we could go even further, and here are our two new restaurants! We will be relocating Cora to the city centre, in Cardiff’s iconic Duke Street Arcade, just opposite the castle, where we will continue with our ambitions for the restaurant, serving a set tasting menu of the UK’s finest produce to just ten guests each service.
"On the ground floor of the arcade we will open Jackson’s: the city centre’s first oyster bar, and a relaxed all day bar and restaurant serving incredible quality seafood at affordable prices as well as a great changing selection of wines from around the world. The perfect place to enjoy a coffee, a glass of wine or feast on the best quality seafood in the capital, there will be seating for around 40, as well as seats right at the oyster bar.
"Apologies for being a bit quiet recently. We’ve been working on this - but not been able to talk about it - for quite a while now! Thank you so much to everyone that’s supported us so far, from our popup less than a year ago to now opening our next two restaurants, still without any loans or outside investment!!
"We hope to be open in February and can’t wait to welcome you all back then! Merry Christmas love from Lee, Helen, Jackson and Cora xx"
The post was soon flooded by comments of congratulations and well wishes from fans of the restaurant and fellow local businesses.
Reaper Cardiff wrote: "Congratulations mate" while Kindle simply commented: "Exciting" with a number of flame emojis.
Instagram user, emkel87, added: "Amazing Lee!!! well done to you both!!" alongside @jonfitz1927 who said: "Brilliant news, Lee. All the best with both ventures & we’re looking forward to trying both very soon."
READ NEXT:
- The restaurants and bars that have closed in Cardiff this year
- How to cope with a Christmas hangover
- How to cook a roast turkey - three delicious recipes
- The restaurant in a hotel added to Michelin Guide just a year after opening
- The tiny restaurant with just six tables that's been named among best in Wales
