Thomas by Tom Simmons — Restaurant in Wales

A lovely meal in a pleasant setting, who could ask for more

We had booked to come to Thomas’ soon after it opened last year, but our April appointment was cancelled due to the pandemic. So we made a point of Thomas’ being our first meal out after lockdown.

We began with Angel Bakery Bread with salted butter and mushroom paste. The sourdough bread was fresh and delicious and the mushroom paste was dreamy. We also had Crispy Pigs skin with hummus and a smoked chilli oil, the pigs skin was still crackling when it got to us, the flavour was wonderful and the hummus with chilli oil was a perfect accompaniment.

For ‘starters’ my partner opted for Fillet of Beef Tartare, shallot, confit yolk and charcoal mayo, This was fresh and tangy with the confit egg making a soft and gentle glue to hold it all together.

I went for the Ham Hock and Chicken Terrine. The large chunks of ham nestling in the soft pulled chicken terrine were a good contrast for each other. Excellent

My partner’s main course was called ‘Fish and Chips’. This lovely large white fish, cooked to perfection was covered with batter bits and accompanied by a pea puree and warm tartare sauce. It had all the flavour of chip shop fish and chips, but with much better cooking. The chips were delightful. They were layered sauteed potatoes which had been crisped on the outside, rather than traditional chips, but were all the better because of that.

My main was a turbot tranche with smoked mussel velouté and baby leeks. It was cooked perfectly, with a light colouring and crispness to the skin and the rich deep, almost meaty, taste of the fish flesh being perfect.

My main course was served with a side of jersey potatoes, but these had been so drowned in butter that it was impossible to taste the potato. A pity, as I love new potatoes, I wish the menu had mentioned the use of butter on the potatoes as I’d have known to ask for no butter as it does so often overpower the lovely taste of the vegetable itself, but this was the only real off-note of the whole meal.

For dessert my partner opted for Pembrokeshire Honey Parfait with stem ginger and toasted almonds, he was delighted with it. You could hear the quietness of delight as the crunchy honey was the only thing to make a noise as he consumed it with delight. The Ice-cream got a mention as it had been decorated in a way that made it look like a bee, which seemed appropriate as part of the dish.

I opted for the cheeseboard and this came with three delightful cheeses. First was a Hebridean Blue with a spicy, salty taste perfect for my palette. The Blue on this cheese is bluer than other cheese and the hard cheese provides a strong base for the tangy blue threads. Second came a Double Barrell cheese which was also full flavoured and tangy, this Lincolnshire style cheese provided the kind of tingle on my tongue that I love, being a fan of tasty cheeses. The final cheese Elrick goat’s cheese was, surprisingly for cheese made from goat’s milk, less strong in flavour than the other cheeses, more creamy and crumbly, a nice taste, but slightly overpowered by the first two I’d eaten.

We finished with a cup of espresso each having had a lovely evening on our first night out since lockdown.

Given the quality of the food and the amazing cooking we will...

A beautiful meal, in a beautiful restaurant. My girlfriend and I ate here last night before catching a show in the new theatre.

We don’t use phones at the table so I will do my best to breakdown the meal without the use of photos.

Every course, every side was cooked masterfully. The fried chicken starter was light, crispy, painfully moorish. The Oysters with caviar were in a delicious buttery sauce. We had a chateaubriand as it was on special, seasoned beautifully, paired with a thick and rich beef and red wine gravy, baked carrots which had (I think) pumpkin seeds and purée and a wonderful creamy mash potato. I almost felt like I was eating a take on a Sunday lunch, it was brilliant. I had to try the mac and cheese side which had truffle shavings and mushrooms puree. It was just perfect.

Desert. Peanut butter parfait with banana ice cream. All I can say about that is next time my partner can get her own because I will not be sharing it again!!

The plates were empty and we were both so happy. We have eaten in a lot of very nice places over the last few months. A few weekends ago we had a similar pre show meal (in terms of size and plates/drinks ordered) in London and the bill was over double what I paid last night. Thomas is priced very very well for food of this quality.

A very very special mention in this review was the outstanding cocktails. I wish I had asked the lads name so I could mention him personally. I had 4 beautiful cocktails. The ice cubes are stamped with their logo, a brilliant detail. Stone Sour - a ginger and apricot, fresh fragrant, Very hard to take your time with as it’s that good. Psy-coconut - sweet and tasty. it would make a wonderful desert cocktail as well. Old fashioned - best old fashioned in Cardiff. The final cocktail - sadly I can’t remember the name of it as I asked the mixologist to send out his best, which he delivered himself - Another beautiful whiskey cocktail, a hint of floral. Very strong, sooo tasty - a 10/10 mix and the best cocktail of the night.

I challenge anyone to come to this restaurant and leave unhappy.

Thank you for a stunning meal, served by lovely staff. We will be back very soon.

PS - if you guys see this review, it would be great to know the name of your mixologist so next time I book in I can make sure he’s...

I have heard a lot about Tom Simmons' restaurant since taking over the location of the Cameo in Pontcanna - lots of praise and some niggles. My wife and I are super supportive of chefs like Tom offering fine dining experiences in Cardiff, so have regretted not been able to sample it, because of Coronavirus. However, we finally got a booking this evening, though for an earlier 6pm slot. We arrived on time, were seated straight away, and surveyed the wonderful offerings. Great starters, fish and meat dishes. We were ready to order in 5 mins, but it seemed busy, so waited... and waited. After half an hour my wife flagged down a passing waitress and asked if we could order food. The starters, fresh olives and barbecued leaks arrived quickly and were delicious, but then we waited, again, for the main course. An hour and ten minutes after being seated, our main courses finally arrived. To be fair, they were wonderful. Monkfish and Lamb with sides, and heaps of flavour. Really accomplished food. Rich and yet moreish. With a fine glass of Malbec it really was a treat. At about ten to 8 we were offered desert, we opted to share a frangipane, but were told this would take 15mins to cook, and our table was booked for 8pm, but we could eat it in the bar... Uh, two hours for two courses and the third in the bar? To not spoil things, we agreed. The frangipane was worth waiting for, but overall the service - even though there were plenty of staff - and attention to timing left a bad taste in our mouths. It's clear the chefs in the kitchen are capable of great things, and in spite of the haphazard service, we'd like to sample more. But feel regrettably deflated 😥

Update: We've been fortunate enough to get back to Thomas a number of times since the review above. I've been with another couple for lunch and dinner, with my wife for lunch and dinner, treated our son, and spent an afternoon with a mate just after lockdown - and I've got to say, this place has got things down. Great staff, a great experience and unbelievable food. Tom and the team deserve all the praise you can read about here, because they've built something...