The Brass Beetle
Late to the party.
I’m not referring to a work Christmas do where I’ve delayed my arrival to avoid small talk with Barbara from accounting, and ended the night being reprimanded for redeeming too many jaeger bombs with the drink tokens.
For anybody not familiar, The Brass Beetle (TBB) is on Whitchurch Road in Cathays, one of the most exciting streets in Cardiff for food. I’ve spent a lot of time here recently - namely at Brother Thai for their well known roti wraps/Thai fried chicken and Tukka Tuk Canteen, the Southern Indian street food venture of Anand George.
I hear plans for another restaurant arriving here in the not so distant future. I’ve never been so enthused by the prospect of an opening - stay tuned for updates on that one.
I really enjoyed reading a post on TBB a few months back by Chris, of Flavourist Food Blog. This proverbial horse was led to water, but he didn’t take a drink.
I finally ventured down on a Wednesday evening in December, 13th to be precise, and after eating I booked in straight away to return only two days later on the Friday.
I discovered last week that the (at times) eccentric pizzas here are a work of art, and the chef behind them is cut from the same cloth as Van Gogh – Cai Groves.
Cai is well known in Cardiff for his exploits in the kitchen, and a fantasist may say that he was destined to work with food – being raised by parents who reared chickens and ducks, grew fresh vegetables, and baked fresh bread. Having spent his teenage life in Talgarth, his pathway into becoming a chef was one that happened by chance.
After dipping his toes in the water by running a successful food blog for years whilst at Swansea university, the landlady in Cai’s local pub, The Bridge Inn, overheard him talking to a friend about his aptitude to work with food, and asked if he could return the next day to help out in the kitchen. This was 10 years ago, back in 2013 - he hasn’t looked back since.
Stints have followed at several well-known places: Kilverts, Milgi, Dustys, Nook, Matsudai Ramen, and TBB. A first tenure at TBB lasted from when they opened in 2017, through to 2022. Cai decided to take an opportunity to run venues for the Dustys/Nook group. This didn’t go to plan, but following a interim period at Matsudai, TBB welcomed him back with open arms. He is part of their framework having been involved in the project since it was a building site. The owner, Lauren, went to uni with Cai and she provides him with a license to roam with creative freedom in their kitchen.
The menu is simple, bold, and stamped with Cai’s personality/background. Pizzas are marketed as the showstoppers here, and rightly so, but the hot honey butter cauliflower wings that Cai has spent months perfecting are one of the most inspired things I’ve eaten this year. The process has included various methods, pre-cooking, different batters, herbs, spices, flour, breadcrumbs. The finished product is completely vegan – Cai is passionate about using vegan based ingredients in his dishes. This is attributed to the 3-years spent at Milgi, a plant based cafe in Roath and stall in Cardiff market that closed back in 2019, and this is evident throughout the menu. It’s also evident that he truly cares by what is produced on the plate.
He describes the cauliflower wings as tasting “like crack” and a week later I’m sat on my sofa typing up this piece shivering under a blanket. Maybe it’s the withdrawal symptoms, or maybe it’s because I’m cold.
This process is backed up by sous chef Cian, who is being taken under the head chefs wing and becoming his “padawan” after joining in September.
The hasselback potatoes on the specials board are everything that I had expected from Nook (piece available here) when I visited several months ago to try their signature dish but had left feeling disappointed. Paper thin crisp ridges, potato soft as a cloud, finished off with lashings of Parmesan.
There are more pizza options in Cardiff than 20mph road signs, but before you make any judgments on your favourites - I strongly recommend you make a trip here.
Pepperoni and hot honey butter on a pizza is a combination that makes me salivate even now, the chewy crust solidifies any argument it’s one of the finest in all of the city. A single slice was enough for me to plot a return trip only two nights later for the exact same topping.
More vegan accompaniments are available in the form of garlic aioli and jalapeño dips.
Nduja, red wine jam, goats cheese, and fried sage is a reminder of the slightly unconventional ways of this menu. Albeit, not pushing the limits as far as a tin of spaghetti and sausage on a pizza that you can find at the top of Cai’s Instagram feed.
Down the line Cai dreams of having his own pizza place. This venture is already in motion with Cais Pies, with pop-up events scheduled to be announced in Cardiff.
I’m not pulling up trees with this piece or finding a ‘hidden gem’, TBB was hiding in plain sight and I only wish I paid attention to this place sooner.
I guess it’s a case of better late than never, but never late is better.