Dinner in Cardiff at Greenwood and Brown

A quick update: Greenwood & Brown closed in January 2017. I have kept this review live as a record of our dinner there, but it is sadly no longer somewhere you can book.

For passing his exam, Gary’s work treated us to a 50£ dinner that we spent at Greenwood and Brown in Cardiff. We had actually decided to spoil ourselves with a trip to Wales and spent the previous night at Saint Pierre Marriott Hotel.

We were originally hoping to spend the evening at The Potted Pig. Unfortunately, this restaurant is extremely popular (especially on a weekend) and we weren’t able to get a table.

So instead we ended up at Greenwood and Brown, a seafood and steak restaurant in the centre of Cardiff.  Greenwood and Brown aims to provide a sense of retreat from the hustle and bustle of Cardiff’s vibrant streets and provide a relaxed ambience to come and enjoy a wonderful dining experience. This we definitely had and so I have decided to write this review.

LOCATION OF GREENWOOD AND BROWN

Greenwood and Brown is located on Quay Street in the heart of Cardiff city centre, just off Westgate Street and at the foot of the Principality Stadium.

From our Hotel near Chepstow it took about a 30 minute drive to the city centre of Cardiff. We were lucky enough to find a car park nearby and dashed through the rain to the restaurant.

INTERIOR DECORATION AND ATMOSPHERE AT GREENWOOD AND BROWN

The setting was entertaining, with a pleasantly decorated interior. The focus of the room has to be the kitchen that is fashionably visible. Marble counters and high chairs are dotted around the room, which features bare bricks and butcher’s tiles.

It might be important to note that the high chairs are not really suitable for children and I wouldn’t call Greenwood and Brown particularly family friendly.

The atmosphere feels masculine and this would be a great place to entertain male business clients. Its close proximity to the Millennium Stadium probably means that Greenwood and Brown is also attractive to the discerning rugby fan.

FOOD AT GREENWOOD AND BROWN

The food was lovely and filling. After all, everyone enjoys a free meal.

STARTERS AT GREENWOOD AND BROWN

I choose a Pigeon Breast, Roasted Hazelnut and Beetroot Salad as a starter. This was probably my favourite course of our meal. The pigeon breast was succulent and perfectly balanced in aromas with the hazelnut and beetroot salad.

Gary skipped his starter, since there was nothing on offer without vegetables.

MAIN COURSE AT GREENWOOD AND BROWN

For my main I had the French trimmed pork loin cutlet with black pudding mash, parsnip puree and sage sauce as a main, whilst my boyfriend enjoyed a steak with chips.

The pork loin was well cooked and the black pudding mash to die for. I just wish the chef would have been a bit more generous with the parsnip puree.

Gary’s steak was seasoned to perfection and soft as butter. The flavour was outstanding. The steak was too good to spoil with an unnecessary sauce so that went on the twice-cooked chips.

DESSERTS  AT GREENWOOD AND BROWN

We finished the meal with a rich chocolate fudge brownie and a warm plum and almond tart.

I was very excited about the plum and almond tart but found myself a little disappointed. There just wasn’t the depth of flavour I was expecting.

VERDICT

We had a great evening at Greenwood and Brown.

I have only minor quibbles with our meal. For the price I was disappointed that we weren’t offered bread nor water to accompany the meal.

The service was excellent, just the right level of helpful and attentive.

All in all a really good experience, to the point where I was shocked to see on the receipt that this is a Brains owned restaurant. The level of food and service we got felt like a top notch restaurants so well done to Greenwood and Brown’s on getting it right.

Would we come back? Probably.