tag2's Qype profile

A 5 star traditional caff. 10 different breakfasts, proper sized portions, tea included. Packed to the rafters when I visited and be prepared to share your table. This is how an East End caff is meant to be.

I was lured in here this evening in a moment of weakness. Given a half price voucher, and with a growling stomach, I thought I’d give it a go. The restaurant, whilst still serving Tex Mex food, is now called Chillis.

This prose is generated from a bad experience there, and is a bit ranty, so read on if you’re brave.

What I really fancied this evening was a burger, and I was pleased to see that Chillis had a “Texas Ranger Burger” on the menu. A bit steep at £10.50 but reduced with the voucher, it would be £5.25. Definitely worth a punt.

I decided to have a starter, and chose filled jalapeno peppers, which were passable, but the salad was wet, and water was sloshing about the plate, mixed with a bland salsa that could well have been from a Doritos long life jar. There were only 4 peppers. This would normally have been £6.50. This is not worth it.

The burger arrived, looking like it had been ordered, and made, in a kebab van at the side of the road. Two patties, a bit of cheese, some more wet lettuce, and a bit of tomato, in a bun. All of which had slid (or had been ‘arranged’ diagonally) across the plate. The fries has black bits on them, which upon a cautious taste, appeared to be some kind of seasoning. There were two breaded items which turned out to be the “two mushroom boats” described on the menu. On the side was a tiny pot of tomato ketchup. That, dear reader, is what constitutes a “Texas Ranger Burger”.

So what was it like? Well, it tasted like a burger that you get from a kebab van. We’ve all seen those pink extruded burgers, in the fridges of kebab shops, stacked up with greaseproof paper between them, surrounded by lurid plastic vegetables. You know – the ones that are full of grease, and taste of beefy grease that runs down your throat. I just couldn’t finish it. I had to ask for barbeque sauce to help. It was pretty awful. I don’t eat this kind of food sober!

Despite the 50% off voucher, and the 12.5% service charge (calculated before the reduction of course), and the request for a tip via the PIN terminal (which I declined), I felt that I’d been ripped off. After paying I noticed some trodden-in food on the floor next to my table from, presumably, the previous diner. Nice.

From what I could see of others eating, the food wasn’t being universally enjoyed. Maybe Chillis just had an off day. Maybe there was a problem with their stocks, and they had to use frozen burgers today. Well, whatever went wrong, I won’t be going back to give it a second chance.

There’s plenty of other places in Whiteleys and Queensway – Chillis isn’t worth the gamble!

“The Waterfront” is a Beefeater Grill pub, underneath the Premier Inn. It’s a new building (it’s not on the Google satellite yet) in a nice location overlooking the Prince of Wales Dock. There is plenty of outdoor seating in the newly paved area right by the water, or just around the side. Internally, I’m sure many Beefeaters look the same, this one having a new, contemporary decor, with plenty of framed photos of local scenes. You can either eat in a restaurant area (for which you ought to book) or the bar area (where you can take a chance and order at the bar).

Food is, I gather, standard Beefeater fayre, and I’m not normally someone who goes into chain pubs. But I ended up here for a family meal and it was absolutely fantastic. Most of us wanted steak, and we all loved it. Beautifully flame grilled, tasty steaks, all cooked exactly as we asked them to be. So good, I came back the following week. And the week after. As well as the steak, their flame grilled chicken skewers are divine, if you’re in the mood for that kind of thing. The kitchen stays open until 10pm, which is handy if you want a bit to eat a bit later on.

It’s no fine dining, but if you want grilled meat in Swansea, this really is the place to come.

On the beer front, they keep an excellent pint of St Austell Tribute. Every time I’ve had a pint it’s been in excellent condition.

I really didn’t think I’d end up giving a chain pub like a Beefeater four stars, but this one has really earned it. I hope they keep their standards up.

I agree with Alfaholic’s review. This is a pub that is well past its prime. Good location, right next to the marina, nice staff, but it’s tatty and the real ale has been terrible the last two times I’ve visited.

Today’s guest ale was Butcombe but it was sour and I had to take it back. The other hand pump was off, so I had to make do with some Brains cream flow somethingorother which tasted metallic. I don’t think that they sell enough of it, and it must sit in the pipes. And at £4.80 for a pint and a half, it’s not exactly cheap either. If you want decent beer, head round the corner to the Queens Hotel by Swansea Museum (avoiding the Pump House).

I haven’t summoned up the courage to try the food, but judging by the smell in the pub, most of it is fried.

Such a shame – it could be a great place.

The original Kardomah Café was on Castle Street, before the war. This was where Dylan Thomas and a group of writers, artists and musicians who called themselves the “Kardomah Gang” used to gather. It was bombed out during WWII, and the current Kardomah Café is in a different location. It is like going back in time – there’s a booth to pay your bill, waitresses in uniform, a dessert trolley, a display of coffee paraphernalia, and you can buy freshly roasted and ground coffee at the front.

I’ve been here twice – once for a full English breakfast (which was passable) which came with a vile cup of coffee, and the second time, just for coffee, with the vague hope that the last coffee had been a mistake, or the free coffee with breakfasts is dire by default. After all, with all that coffee at the front of the shop, you’d think they were experts, right?

No. The coffee I had was equally vile. Supposedly an Americano, it tasted of strong instant coffee, or filter coffee that was filtered a long time ago, and has gradually been evapourated over several hours into a concentrated gloop, then served luke warm with a greasy film on top. It was horrible, and I don’t know what on earth possessed me to drink it. Determined to get my £1.80’s worth, I suppose. Never again.

I bought an Irish Bouzouki from them over the phone, but I had some very specific questions about it, and some requirements on how I would like the instrument to be set up. After the stand-offish treatment I'd had in person at a rival folk instrument shop (whose name begins with 'H' and is the name of a mythical creature) I was really impressed. The shop manager listened to what I wanted, and took notes, and gave me reassurances (this was after I told myself I'd never buy an instrument without touching it first). He told me about their professional luthier who does instrument setup, who would set up the bouzouki to my exact requirements, which I duly explained. There was no pressure on me to buy there and then, and I needed to have a think about it.

Having been impressed with my initial call, not to mention the price, I called back the next day. I spoke to someone else, who had actually been briefed about the conversation the day before, and had the notes to hand. I explained that I was ready to buy it, and he was very helpful, informing me when they would get the instrument from the warehouse, confirming my setup requirements, which day the luthier would set it up, and which day it would be shipped. I haven't had such courtesy from a shop in a very long time.

It arrived today, exactly when they said it would, perfectly packaged, and most importantly, set up beautifully. I will buy from The Music Box again in a heartbeat!

I think I like the idea of this place more than the actual experience.

I had an excellent burger on the first visit, but marred by really average one on the second, with over-fried over-greasy chips and onion rings. Queasy-inducing amounts of grease.

I'll probably try once more, but the burgers from the nearby No Sign Wine Bar were much better, as were the (hand-chut) chips, for a similar combined price.

A bit hit and miss.