This may not be my first visit here, but definitely my first blog about it. This gem is off the beaten track of Cardiff city centre but only a stone's throw away in Barry. Situated in the docks area, the old pump house is the location, with the words pump house now displayed in Welsh. The popularity of this place in high, with me and my boyfriend booking 2 months in advance for this birthday meal out.
If you want a drink and not looking to drive depending on where your coming from there are a few options. Ourselves we travelled by bus getting the 95, though others such as the 94 would get you nearby. Another option is jumping on the train and getting off at the docks, then taking a short stroll over. If you are driving through parking spaces are limited so be warned.
So talking of drinks let me tell you about the array of signature brews. I had a cider and their own twist on cherry cola, with even a cherry on your drink for an added touch. The cola not too sugary that it leaves your teeth feeling fuzzy, but just the right about of cherry that it's not overly sweet. On the menu, they do have their own moonshine in an array of flavours if your feeling brave. The alcohol content is pretty high so do pace your self.
So normally when we've gone it's been in the evening, so we went at lunchtime to avoid the ed Sheeran traffic. The lunchtime menu is slightly different from the evening one but there is still a wide selection on offer. We both opted for the £23 offer of 3 types of meat and 2 sides.
I had the ribs, pulled pork and the beef brisket with toast. For the sides, I went with fires and hopin john rice. My boyfriend went for the pulled pork, ribs and smoked sausage. The side he had was cowboy beans and fires.
Firstly the pulled pork is so moist it melts in your mouth and there is just enough bbq sauce to mop it up with the fires. The ribs had a dry rub on which when I first saw it was sceptical that it would taste odd in my mouth. when I did eat it was wrong they fell off the bone and tasted so tender. The brisket comes on a bed of toast which absorbs all the juices of the meat making it a great last bite to clean your plate with. The sausage has an array of spices inside with a deep smokey flavour.
Moving on to the sides the fries are pretty standard. The rice I had though was amazing with beans and spring onions in it was a great combination. My boyfriend's beans had a mixture of beans with a bbq flavour and pork, but was not a huge fan and will pick something else next time.
There are also sauces to accompany your food that are own blends. This are a bbq sauce, and expresso bbq sauce and a mustard. These sauces allow you to add your own twist to your food and are available for you to purchase and take-home.
We both were pleased that the same standard is held at lunch as well as the evenings. I'm sure we will be returning in the near future to see what else is on offer.