We drove to St. Ives (the north side of Cornwall) on our way back to Cardiff. We only had a few minutes on the beach after our amazing lunch at Porthminster Cafe, but it was gorgeous.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007
St. Mawes and St. Ives
We spent the last weekend in September in Cornwall (the southwest tip of England) with Eliot's parents. We had beautiful weather (well, the last day was a bit windy as you'll see), but beautiful for the UK. Our stay at Hotel Tresanton in St. Mawes (the south side of Cornwall) was heavenly -- the pictures and their website don't nearly do it justice. (Eliot's parents already booked a return trip in April.)
We drove to St. Ives (the north side of Cornwall) on our way back to Cardiff. We only had a few minutes on the beach after our amazing lunch at Porthminster Cafe, but it was gorgeous.
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We drove to St. Ives (the north side of Cornwall) on our way back to Cardiff. We only had a few minutes on the beach after our amazing lunch at Porthminster Cafe, but it was gorgeous.
©
The monks had it pretty good...
...well, except for the fact they had to wake up at 2am, there were only two fires in the entire abbey, they had to give up all worldly possessions, etc., etc.
During Eliot's parents' visit, we went to the Tintern Abbey ruins about an hour northeast of us. Founded in 1131, it was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales (and the second in the UK). Tintern surrendered to Henry VIII in 1536 and the buildings eventually fell into disrepair. It was rediscovered in the 18th century, which is when William Wordsworth wrote a poem about the abbey. Blah blah history blah blah poetry blah blah...here are some pretty pictures!
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During Eliot's parents' visit, we went to the Tintern Abbey ruins about an hour northeast of us. Founded in 1131, it was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales (and the second in the UK). Tintern surrendered to Henry VIII in 1536 and the buildings eventually fell into disrepair. It was rediscovered in the 18th century, which is when William Wordsworth wrote a poem about the abbey. Blah blah history blah blah poetry blah blah...here are some pretty pictures!
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(The abbey was as beautiful and serene as it looks. Completely peaceful.)
People don't arrive late to rugby games
WARNING: Belated Post!
On September 15th, Eliot and I leisurely headed into town with the plan of getting haircuts and then watching the Wales/Australia Rugby World Cup game at a pub. France is hosting the Cup, but this game was being held at Millennium Stadium, so the city center was packed. Almost equal numbers of Aussie and Welsh flags were streaming from the backs of excited fans who were clustered around St. Mary's Street's multitude of bars.
Eliot and I stopped for a quick lunch and then about two minutes before game-time, we figured we might as well test the waters with one of the many scalpers. We decided that we would pay £50 for the two of us and, as is often the case with scalping, we eventually found our man.
By the time we got to the gate, we were the only people going in (I'm just so used to arriving in the 3rd and leaving in the 7th!) and by the time we found our (great) seats, Australia had already begun their route of Wales. The thing about Rugby though is everyone seemed in a good mood, which was quite different from the football/soccer game the weekend before when a fight broke out before kickoff (and that was just a qualifying match)! The guy in the next seat was more than happy to explain the intricacies of the game to us newbies, which was fantastic. As the Wallabies extended their lead, you could hear the collective groans of the Welsh, but as the fans poured out into the streets, everyone just seemed pretty jolly.
Word to the wise: Don't think you can go to the bathroom and get beer at halftime. I think I missed at least one try.
[Photos to come.]
On September 15th, Eliot and I leisurely headed into town with the plan of getting haircuts and then watching the Wales/Australia Rugby World Cup game at a pub. France is hosting the Cup, but this game was being held at Millennium Stadium, so the city center was packed. Almost equal numbers of Aussie and Welsh flags were streaming from the backs of excited fans who were clustered around St. Mary's Street's multitude of bars.
Eliot and I stopped for a quick lunch and then about two minutes before game-time, we figured we might as well test the waters with one of the many scalpers. We decided that we would pay £50 for the two of us and, as is often the case with scalping, we eventually found our man.
By the time we got to the gate, we were the only people going in (I'm just so used to arriving in the 3rd and leaving in the 7th!) and by the time we found our (great) seats, Australia had already begun their route of Wales. The thing about Rugby though is everyone seemed in a good mood, which was quite different from the football/soccer game the weekend before when a fight broke out before kickoff (and that was just a qualifying match)! The guy in the next seat was more than happy to explain the intricacies of the game to us newbies, which was fantastic. As the Wallabies extended their lead, you could hear the collective groans of the Welsh, but as the fans poured out into the streets, everyone just seemed pretty jolly.
Word to the wise: Don't think you can go to the bathroom and get beer at halftime. I think I missed at least one try.
[Photos to come.]
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Restaurant reviews: It turns out you can eat well here...
...you just have to be prepared to find it/drive to it and then pay (a lot) for it. Eliot's parents' visit gave us the perfect excuse/chance to try the best of the best of Cardiff and Cornwall (southwest England), so here goes...
Sept. 22: Woods Bar & Brasserie (Cardiff Bay): This is generally considered to be one of Cardiff's best restaurants. The restaurant itself is beautiful and in a great location. It differs from the other popular upscale Cardiff joints in that the main courses come with actual garnishes -- like vegetables! and sauces!! -- which was nice. Excluding The Thai House, which I put in a separate "ethnic cuisine" category, this is now my favorite restaurant in Cardiff. Favorite dish: the hake, which Eliot's mom ordered.
Sept. 25: Tides Grill at the St. David's Hotel (Cardiff Bay): Located in the not-so-poor-man's version of Dubai's 7-star Burj Al Arab, Tides turned out to be a tasty little surprise. We had intended on eating in town, but the rain and our somber post-A Mighty Heart mood led us to a restaurant with parking. The fixed price menu looked great and the two lovely bottles of red washed the rain right away. Favorite dish: although the salmon was good, the lamb the Abel men ordered was delicious!
Sept. 27: The Old Post Office (St. Fagans): This restaurant came highly recommended from Eliot's coworkers and it couldn't have been any more adorable. Situated in a tiny "hotel," I felt like we were in a movie (Clue? but in a non-murder-mystery way?), but it might also have been our Cyprus-born server, the only employee we saw, who added to the charm/mystique. Favorite dish: I loved my tagliatelle with ribbons of butternut squash and 'girolle' (yellow chanterelle mushroom).
Sept. 28: St. Petroc's Bistro (Padstow, England): Rick Stein is a big celebrity chef here, so we attempted to make a reservation at The Seafood Restaurant. Well, three months in advance was not enough time apparently, so we 'settled' for the Bistro at 6:30pm (with a warning that we were to finish by 8:15pm). Now, this all seemed a *little* much for me, but it turns out that there was a reason for all that jazz: the restaurant was fantastic! Casual but classy, great food, adorable town. Favorite dishes: all of our main courses were worth getting again (the cod, the lemon sole, the Moroccan fish tagine) and the special cod fritter starter was great too.
Sept. 29: Restaurant at the Tresanton Hotel (St. Mawes, England): First it should be noted that the Tresanton Hotel is completely amazing -- charming and serene and wonderful. So, despite our late arrival (which would have been later had we not coaxed the ferry driver to make one more trip across the river that we were not expecting until the GPS said "in 0.5 miles, board ferry"), we knew the restaurant would be fantastic. We had breakfast on the balcony joining our rooms, followed by lunch on the terrace, then dinner in the restaurant. Favorite dishes and drinks: the Pimm's jug (basically British sangria -- in an awesome way), the salads (with avocado!), the various crab dishes...I can't even really remember because Saturday was such a haze of Dionysian ecstasy/gluttony.
Sept. 30: Porthminster Cafe (St. Ives, England): For our last day in Cornwall, we drove to the Porthminster Cafe in St. Ives at the recommendation of the Tresanton staff. It was the perfect beach cafe on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It was a windy, misty day, so the beach was empty save a lone kite surfer and a bride and groom taking wedding photos, but the cafe was stuffed to the gills (ha! a fish joke!). Eliot loved this restaurant, so I'm sure we will make the 4-hour drive sooner rather than later. Favorite dish: the fish and chips which Eliot and I both ordered. The chips weren't the best, but the fish was.
And now we are fasting.
Sept. 22: Woods Bar & Brasserie (Cardiff Bay): This is generally considered to be one of Cardiff's best restaurants. The restaurant itself is beautiful and in a great location. It differs from the other popular upscale Cardiff joints in that the main courses come with actual garnishes -- like vegetables! and sauces!! -- which was nice. Excluding The Thai House, which I put in a separate "ethnic cuisine" category, this is now my favorite restaurant in Cardiff. Favorite dish: the hake, which Eliot's mom ordered.
Sept. 25: Tides Grill at the St. David's Hotel (Cardiff Bay): Located in the not-so-poor-man's version of Dubai's 7-star Burj Al Arab, Tides turned out to be a tasty little surprise. We had intended on eating in town, but the rain and our somber post-A Mighty Heart mood led us to a restaurant with parking. The fixed price menu looked great and the two lovely bottles of red washed the rain right away. Favorite dish: although the salmon was good, the lamb the Abel men ordered was delicious!
Sept. 27: The Old Post Office (St. Fagans): This restaurant came highly recommended from Eliot's coworkers and it couldn't have been any more adorable. Situated in a tiny "hotel," I felt like we were in a movie (Clue? but in a non-murder-mystery way?), but it might also have been our Cyprus-born server, the only employee we saw, who added to the charm/mystique. Favorite dish: I loved my tagliatelle with ribbons of butternut squash and 'girolle' (yellow chanterelle mushroom).
Sept. 28: St. Petroc's Bistro (Padstow, England): Rick Stein is a big celebrity chef here, so we attempted to make a reservation at The Seafood Restaurant. Well, three months in advance was not enough time apparently, so we 'settled' for the Bistro at 6:30pm (with a warning that we were to finish by 8:15pm). Now, this all seemed a *little* much for me, but it turns out that there was a reason for all that jazz: the restaurant was fantastic! Casual but classy, great food, adorable town. Favorite dishes: all of our main courses were worth getting again (the cod, the lemon sole, the Moroccan fish tagine) and the special cod fritter starter was great too.
Sept. 29: Restaurant at the Tresanton Hotel (St. Mawes, England): First it should be noted that the Tresanton Hotel is completely amazing -- charming and serene and wonderful. So, despite our late arrival (which would have been later had we not coaxed the ferry driver to make one more trip across the river that we were not expecting until the GPS said "in 0.5 miles, board ferry"), we knew the restaurant would be fantastic. We had breakfast on the balcony joining our rooms, followed by lunch on the terrace, then dinner in the restaurant. Favorite dishes and drinks: the Pimm's jug (basically British sangria -- in an awesome way), the salads (with avocado!), the various crab dishes...I can't even really remember because Saturday was such a haze of Dionysian ecstasy/gluttony.
Sept. 30: Porthminster Cafe (St. Ives, England): For our last day in Cornwall, we drove to the Porthminster Cafe in St. Ives at the recommendation of the Tresanton staff. It was the perfect beach cafe on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It was a windy, misty day, so the beach was empty save a lone kite surfer and a bride and groom taking wedding photos, but the cafe was stuffed to the gills (ha! a fish joke!). Eliot loved this restaurant, so I'm sure we will make the 4-hour drive sooner rather than later. Favorite dish: the fish and chips which Eliot and I both ordered. The chips weren't the best, but the fish was.
And now we are fasting.
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