No sooner had I reported on the recent spate of closure announcements in Cardiff than there was another one to record: the Brass Beetle on Whitchurch Road. The decision to shut at the end of this month was described as "almost impossible", but once again "the challenging issues facing the hospitality industry" are cited as the cause.
The Brass Beetle was one of the first restaurants I ever reviewed for Buzz, back in September 2017. Cardiff isn't exactly short of pizza joints, but it's always stood out from the crowd thanks to the creativity and imagination of chef Cai Groves' topping combinations (and his laudable willingness to risk upsetting uptight purists in the process). As recently as last month, Jake Heckles of Blogiwr Bwyta was singing the restaurant's praises, so it's a real shame to see the Brass Beetle bow out of the game.
Thankfully, there's also some good news, and on the pizza front too: the official opening of 591 by Anatoni's, the new venture from Tony Frawley (veteran of Anatoni's, Da Mara and Scaramantica), in the Victoria Park premises formerly occupied by Dough Thrower.
Ed Gilbert aka Gourmet Gorro has already been and delivered a glowing report. It's clearly an extremely difficult climate in which to be operating a restaurant, let alone opening up a new place, so here's hoping 591 is a success.
No comments:
Post a Comment