Review: Graze At Hilton

If you’re in a rush, the short answer yes. Sadly, life isn’t as straightforward as that. Cardiff is awash with good restaurants and Graze is not on any of the main thoroughfares although, on paper, its location is pretty much bang in the centre of the city (right next to the castle). Certainly, it’s no more than a five-to-ten-minute stroll from the John Lewis carpark. Because of this, it is at a slight disadvantage.

The restaurant interior has been designed in a very stylish, contemporary way. It certainly feels cosmopolitan, and it works. I for one am happy to see more of the London look in the capital, great interior design is something Cardiff has lacked for many years and it’s good to see the city upping its game. We need to be more like Bristol, Manchester and London if we are to attract the visitors.

Food wise, it’s on point if our recent lunch is anything to go by. Graze is all about sustainability and it’s clear they have gone out of their way to ensure their ingredients are as locally sourced as possible. “Taking inspiration from our beautiful home, our food will give you a true taste of the Welsh countryside. From our premium organic meat from Douglas Willis and Farmer’s Pantry Butchers to delicious sourdough bread from Alex Gooch bakery,” they proudly exclaim on the website, and that’s a great ethos. We have wonderful produce in Wales, and we should be making the most of it.

Great reasons to dine at Graze
The Graze Bottomless Brunch is gaining some fans. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s on my list. Dinner I’m sure would be wonderful and, as I write, there are plans for Sunday lunch. What I can state with culinary authority is their lunch is really rather good. It might sound like I’m surprised but, in a way, I am. It’s generally not what you expect from a hotel restaurant.

Just about everything we ordered was excellent. The standout starter was Brecon Lamb Faggots with smoked mushy peas, soft mash and crispy shallots. Absolutely delish, closely followed by the Salt ‘n’ Pepper Squid with aioli and burnt lemon. Couldn’t help mopping up with the Alex Gooch sourdough – super scrummy.

The Lamb Faggots are very, very good

For main, Jennifer went with her usual: steak. In this case a superbly cooked 225g Rib-eye. Absolutely no complaints. Jack played it relatively safe with the Grazing’ Double Brecon Aged Beef & Smoked Beef Brisket Burger which consisted of an Alex Gooch artisan sourdough bun, tomato and chilli jam, gherkins, beef tomato and shredded baby gem. Throwing caution to the wind, he also added Welsh cheese and smoked, grilled streaky bacon. We didn’t hear a peep out of him for the next twenty minutes – a double thumbs up meant it was a hit.

I opted for the beautifully cooked Baked Cod Loin with parsley, capers and burnt lemon. Chunky chips and some aioli made it the perfect lunch.

Jennifer finished off her wine and renamed it dessert, so she was happy. Jack enjoyed three creamy scoops of Calabrisella Artisan Gelato courtesy of our friends in Canton. We do love Calabrisella. In fact, so much that I also ordered Affogato (Calabrisella Welsh cake artisan gelato, with a shot of espresso). It was delicious.

Seriously, if you’re looking for a great food experience just away from the hustle and bustle, Graze is a great choice. It’s certainly one that we’ll return to. We can’t wait to try Sunday lunch there.