Hearing the news that Welsh chef Bryn Williams was finally opening a south Wales venue the initial reaction was 'about bloody time' but the follow-up feeling was one of pure excitement as the chef patron of Odette's in London, Porth Eirias in Colwyn Bay and The Cambrian in the Swiss Alps, was bringing his creativity and brilliantly curated menus to Penarth with Touring Club.
In opening the attractive, elegant and charming bar-cum-restaurant with a modest but frankly delicious menu, the Denbighshire-born chef has teamed up with fellow founders Dylan Griffith, Rowan Hobbs and Grant Maunder who have all drawn on their own travel adventures to bring the best wine, beers and cocktails to Stanwell Street in the seaside town.
Opening quietly this June our visit was on the hop and we expected not to get a table - such is the buzz on the food scene about the venue. But we were in luck, first we parked up upstairs where there's a huge table for a big group or where the more friendly diner can sit next to other guests. But then a space opened up right on the bar which we jumped at, as at Touring Club you can sit and watch the chef and bar staff prep and cook your cocktails and food selections, like a front-row seat for dinner - a concept I'm a big fan of.
