Heaneys

One of the main purposes of this blog is to introduce readers to new restaurants, in turn this allows businesses to gain new customers. Heaneys is a venue with one of the biggest reputations in Cardiff, therefore this will not be new information to the residents of the Welsh capital. Having said that, I know many readers reside beyond this region, and may not be familiar with Heaneys.

Described by fellow restaurant blogger, The Plate Licked Clean, as one of Cardiff’s “big three” restaurants (alongside Asador 44 & Thomas by Tom Simmons), Heaneys is located in the beautiful suburb of Pontcanna, they opened in late 2018, and are well known for their seasonal tasting menus with beautifully presented dishes and punchy flavours.

In my recent piece on Y Bwyty Bach, head chef Connor Turner spoke glowingly about his time working there.

I finally had the opportunity to dine here for the first time last Saturday night, and couldn’t wait to see what all the noise was about.

Situated on Romilly Crescent, it’s difficult to miss Heaneys and it’s sister oyster & wine bar directly next door, Uisce (ISH-KA - which means water in gaelic). The buildings are brightly lit outside, and look like a wonderful spot for a summers evening tipple.

The restaurant is absolutely buzzing inside, upbeat music is playing on the speakers, and it’s much larger than I anticipated. It immediately felt like fine dining but in a casual environment. To reaffirm this point; Bicep - Glue was playing whilst we were eating our food. I much prefer this unique angle to creating atmosphere than the pretentious approach which nice restaurants are typically accustomed to.

I’ve seen a lot of fuss throughout social media regarding their short tasting menu, at just £40 during January (what a deal), but couldn’t resist the temptation of their long tasting menu at £75 per head.

The first of the courses arrived together. “Cheese & onion” and the Carlingford oysters with fermented chilli & cucumber - we are told by the servers that these are sourced from head chef Tommy Heaney’s hometown in Ireland.

Now I must confess, white/red raw/caramelised onions are the only foods I cannot eat, I do not like the taste and never have done (for those interested, I do like leeks and spring onions). Yes, I am aware they are in absolutely everything! So unfortunately, the cheese & onion wasn’t for me personally. However, the three other diners with me were swooned by the snack - a near impossibly thin tart stuffed with cheese sauce and sweet caramelised onions, topped with parmesan.

I’ve heard about the legendary oysters here, and they certainly lived up to expectations. This was the best oyster I have ever tasted. A whack of intense chilli which left my lips tingling for several minutes afterwards, calmed down with the cool cucumber. The oyster itself was divine and incredibly fresh.

Another snack followed these light bites, sourdough bread with marmite butter, which was absolutely superb - previously had a butter akin to this at The Gaff in Abergavenny.

Now onto the first of three consecutive seafood courses, documented on the menu as: trout|yuzu|coal oil|ponzu.

I can’t even hazard a guess as to what yuzu or ponzu is, but a quick Google search tells me that yuzu is a citrus fruit, and ponzu is a Japanese citrus based sauce.

It’s certainly worth noting at this point that we had a diner in our party who does not like seafood. The kitchen were able to replace each seafood course (of which there was many) with other dishes. These included: lamb croquette, beetroot, “cottage pie”, and pork.

This trout dish was absolutely bursting with flavours. I almost felt guilty digging into it as all the delicate components of the dish looked like something which should be on display in the Louvre.

The next seafood course was large, juicy mussels accompanied with leeks & a creamy dill sauce which brought classical flavour combinations to my palate. However, the leeks for me were slightly too firm.

The final fish course came in the form of sea bass with blond miso & smoked dulse (seaweed) butter, squash and kale.

Sea bass cooked absolutely beautifully. More classic flavours with the crispy sage & squash amongst a rich butter.

The next dish was my favourite of the entire menu.

Perfectly cooked lamb, complimented by sweet black garlic and a malty, nutty, yeasted cauliflower purée, the crispy kale added some texture and a lamb jus was added table-side which tied the whole dish together.

Now came the desserts. First, a champagne foam with sour lemon and popping candy hidden beneath, topped with a passion fruit tuile. Fresh (I feel as though I’ve overused this word whilst writing this piece) and palate cleansing.

My 2nd favourite course of the evening then arrived: blood orange encased in dark chocolate & hazelnut - reminiscent of a jaffa cake! Accompanied with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream. An indulgent chocolate course, in my opinion, is the best way to end a meal!

And to finish, “sweet treats”, which included white chocolate fudge and cheesecake with rum & vanilla.

As you might have guessed, this wasn’t cheap - 4 long tasting menus, 2 glasses of wine, 2 beers, 4 after dinner cups of tea (I’m getting old), and a 12.5% service charge totalling £383. I have no problem paying this kind of money for a meal if the restaurant gets it right, and oh boy did they get it right.

After we’d settled the bill, we visited their bar next door, Uisce, for another drink. Here I enjoyed a glass of my favourite wine, Sauvignon, Mahi Marlborough - New Zealand. There was a nice atmosphere in here and the lads working were super friendly.

Their bar menu looked terrific and I cannot wait to pop by to try some of their oysters and small plates, including BBQ gambas, buttermilk chicken, and crispy lamb croquettes.

In summary, this was an evening to remember and it’s blatantly clear why Heaneys have carved out such an immense reputation in Cardiff over the last few years.

Their food is immaculately presented, focusing on combining fresh produce, classic combinations, some unique ingredients, and impacting flavours.

The dining room is slick, stylish, and relaxed, with excellent service to boot.

They are launching a 3-course a la carte menu in February, so if tasting menus aren’t your fancy, you can be accommodated. This menu will be available Wednesdays - Saturdays for lunch, and Wednesdays - Fridays for dinner.

What a wonderful experience - thank you team!