Pier 64 - (Penarth Marina, Cardiff) - Review

When thinking of starting this blog, it was obvious that i had to kick off by reviewing somewhere in Cardiff that had a great reputation and it appealed to me to try somewhere i was yet to visit. Pier 64 was the obvious choice. Actually, how obvious Pier 64 is perhaps contributes to why i had never visited before - mention fine dining or even just steak and it's one of the first places to get mentioned by any of the multitude of social climbing types you could know. I dont know about you, but sometimes this critic feels that a place can be too hotly tipped, so perhaps always feared this could be the case. Regardless we booked for a Saturday night and headed down to sample the menu.

Pier 64 from the front view leading to the entrance

Arriving at Pier 64 is a pleasing affair - even on a coldish and dark Saturday night at 9pm. There's generous carparking available and the location of the building on stilts in the water is clearly a winner. No doubt it'd be a good bit better on a bright and sunny day too. A member of staff lunged forward to open the door saving us the hassle... of erm, y'know, opening a door for ourselves... #firstworldproblems

Complimentary Breads (Free)

After being shown to our seats and ordering we were given a selection of breads for the table. Sorry, correction: We were given bread for the table. No variety. Just the one type of bread with some butter. It's churlish to complain about that i guess seeing as it was free. However it's fair to say that with only butter to add taste to the bread it could definately have benefitted from some, say, balsamic vinegar?

Salt & Chilli Calamari With Saffran Garlic Mayonnaise (£6.95)

For starters I plumped for the Salt & Chilli Calamari With Saffran Garlic Mayonnaise (£6.95) which - for me at least - is always a safe choice, being the "prawn cocktail of the 21st century" to quote... myself. Ahem. On arrival the Calamari looked promising - more similar in size and colour to that which i've previously eaten in Italy than to what i've become accustomed to around the UK. True to form then, it was a safe choice - but lacked any real punch. It's hard to say quite why but it seemed to be missing another taste somewhere around the dish, despite looking busy enough on the plate. Could perhaps have used some lemon somewhere. All the same, pass marks for the starter.

10oz Sirloin Steak (£17.95) & French Fries (£3.00)

The main course was steak, predictably as Pier 64 is known for its steaks what with being a steakhouse and all. Served marooned upon a large white plate with only three tomatoes for company my 10oz Sirloin Steak (£17.95) was cooked medium-rare to perfection. I'd expected nothing less from what i'd been told to expect and I wasnt let down in the slightest. The side of French Fries (£3.00) came seperately, a pet hate of mine, but something you come to expect nowadays. Sadly they were already overly salted when they arrived. Luckily i quite enjoy that, but the extreme coating of sea salt wouldnt be to everyones taste. Indeed it's something of a trend to have chips like this in waterside restaurants which i can only assume has been sparked by over zealous chefs trying to tie their menu in with their locations as well as possible.

Lemon Meringue (£5.95)

The dessert was perhaps the only real standout of the night however. An interesting and highly zesty Lemon Meringue (£5.95), each serving individual and not cut from a larger cake. Impressive stuff with a great biscuity base both to add texture and to hold it in place on the plate. Solid stuff.

The service all night was excellent and couldnt be faulted, as was the decor of the establishment. Somehow both were just a little bland perhaps though. Everything felt excellent but also slightly cold and lacking personality. It depends what you go looking for when you go for a meal out i guess - for me its not just about the food and the service, it can also be about more than that. Which is where Pier 64 could be found lacking if you wanted to split hairs. An injection of personality, both in decor and the staff wouldnt go amiss. Indeed, some more personality in the food would probably be a good thing too - and save the venue from simply being an exercise in excellence by numbers. On the plus side, the only real mistake they made all night was to forget to charge us for our drinks when giving us our bill - always appreciated!

Pier 64 is certainly somewhere worth a repeat visit as the food does warrant it. Shame that it isnt a little more exciting though.

• Food: 7/10
• Service: 3/5
• Value: 4/5
• Setting: 3/5
• Overall Rating: 17/25