‘Twosday’ from Thomas by Tom Simmons, Pontcanna, Cardiff

On June 20, 2024 by The Plate Licked Clean

This ‘Twosday’ meal at Pontcanna’s Thomas was one of those ‘invitation’ things.

It’s important you should know that. You’ll have your views on the authenticity of these things I’m sure, but transparency matters, doesn’t it? You should know I was asked to Thomas, and that I didn’t pay for anything we ate or drank.

You deserve to know what you’re reading, with no ambiguity, accidental or otherwise, and you should know even before you start.

There will be no barely discernible lower-case ‘ad’ tucked coyly into the white space of some distant corner in an Instagram story. There won’t be an ‘#invite’ at the bottom of the caption, and no ‘I was invited and didn’t see a bill’ conveniently slipped in right at the foot of a blog post. (You might wonder, idly, why they habitually do that…)

If that bothers you, I understand. Roll your eyes, move on and I’ll see you again soon when normal service is resumed.

Still here? If it helps, Thomas and I have previous.

This is where the inimitable AG brought me for a birthday treat last year, because she knows I love its easy gloss, and where they were mixing my usual cocktail as I walked in. It’s that kind of place.

It was a kind, but easy, pick, I suppose. I’m on the record as loving it here. Two years ago, I wrote ‘This is craft, a menu of quiet good taste with an attention to execution and a deftness of touch which is rare locally, and comfortably places Thomas among the finest restaurants South Wales has to offer’, on this site.

For Ask Barney, I called it ‘Cardiff’s slickest restaurant experience… dish after dish of immaculate modern classics, with nothing left to chance. It’s impossible to order badly here’.

Focusing on its commitment to the country’s produce, it was ‘Welsh ingredients are turned into refined dishes served with poise’ for National Geographic Traveller last year.

So, yes. Previous.

‘Twosday’ is a simple enough proposition: a choice of early-week Wellingtons and a couple of sides. I suppose ‘Two for Tuesday’ was already taken- damn you, Dominos!- but this offers turbot or beef (the latter, a rare enough find in the city: the former, unique; and a vegetable pithivier means most bases are covered) to share, for £50 and £55 respectively.

Given the profile of this place (and the immediate area in general) it’s easy enough to spend that on a solo lunch here, let alone dinner for two. Numbers are limited. You’ll need to book ahead for this: and you should, because this evening confirmed every idea I already had about what happens here, yet doubles as a perfect introduction for first-timers.

You can add to your Twosday order, and you should. Specifically, have the mushroom parfait. I won’t waste your time telling you about it at length- again- because I picked it as my favourite dish of 2023, preferring it to Fallow’s iconic version. Its richness is immediately striking: that touch of sweetness from the black garlic coating, the lavishly bosky core, those little pickled mushrooms and their tiny pops of sharpness all making you doubt every instinct as a proudly vegetarian dish.

The wellingtons are presented, then whisked off for carving and plating.

A scallop mousse, whisper-light, tops a fillet of wild-caught turbot under a gutsier duxelle. That the fish is cooked with absolute precision is unsurprising- a misstep here would seem more jarring than a streaker at your grandmother’s funeral- but it’s the cosseting smoked butter and caviar sauce, delicate but opulent, which is the killer detail here.

‘Rich’ and ‘buttery’ are going to be your major themes here: that pastry, flaky and flecked with nori and sesame and burnished and crisp, is so good I’d order any offcuts as a side. (Perhaps a ‘Bottomless Bowl O’Bits’ to stack up alongside the late-night fried chicken offer? With a 2am Gaviscon chaser as standard?) There’s a showily silky baked potato mash and lightly charred and heavily buttered cabbage. It’s a hearty, satisfying meal for two at a price you wouldn’t associate with Pontcanna, let alone cooking of this refinement.

The challenge, of course, is to find some fault here. How could the experience be improved? A personally chosen (and ‘chosen’ it would be: if you ever catch me ‘curating’ anything, please feel free to bludgeon me back to sentience) soundtrack, perhaps? Dessert served to Mozart’s Requiem D Minor, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Tom Waits’ Rain Dogs, ‘68-’72 period Stones? That’d do nicely. And served by Salma Hayek, thanks very much. (I’m not an unreasonable man: I’ll accept Monica Bellucci at a push). And I’ll have a ‘bowl o’bits’ to take home, too. See? This consultancy lark is easy.

It would be the easiest thing for Thomas to coast. They have established themselves as a restaurant with very few local rivals. Somewhere seen by many as the aspirational special occasion restaurant. Somewhere people are content to spend not inconsiderable sums to feel well fed and well looked after.

But that’s not enough for them. Despite the plaudits, there’s a palpable sense here at Thomas of a kitchen keen to push on, to refuse to accept stasis.There are laurels. It’s just that no one seems interested in sitting on them. It’s there in the recent addition of Tom Peters as Executive Chef, with his three star experience at Maaemo in Oslo and notable stints at Roux at Parliament Square, Bob Bob Ricard and more. It’s there in this summer’s guest chef series of collaborations, starting with Hywel Jones of Lucknam Park and everything that goes with holding a Michelin star since 2006.

This menu is about more than feeding you well, I think. It’s about challenging preconceptions. For many, Thomas is seen by many as a ‘special occasions only’ place. It is: what happens here makes it an obvious choice. But look again: if you’re already in love with what they do here, Twosday is your reason to return.

If Twosday doesn’t tickle your pickle, come for the weekday set menu for £38: you can even get those four courses as an early bird dinner. That’s value seldom rivalled in this city: and ludicrously, they run regular promotions where you can get a further 20% off that menu when booking. It’s a supple and responsive riposte to the demanding hospitality backdrop.

Let’s piledrive the point home, shall we? That’s just three pounds more than catering pack frozen chips and not-yet-thawed desserts in the city centre. Yes, there will be those who will tell you that’s a good deal. But be nice to these people. Don’t smirk or roll your eyes. Just nod politely, safe in the knowledge you have booked here instead.

For Becky, on her first visit here tonight, this was ‘Easily one of the best meals I’ve had in ages’. Some praise, from someone more used to a London expense account. If you haven’t eaten here you don’t know just how good the restaurant experience (or ‘this kind’ or restaurant, anyway) can be in the Welsh capital. It’s that simple. Refinement in service, presentation and cooking are all constants.

Crucially, despite the unprecedented pricing, at no point does this feel like a budget option. Service is lovely. Sure, these invitations are precision-tooled to send you away feeling you’ve been pampered and indulged, which is why the typical ‘OMG they treated us so well!’ aftermath is meaningless in context. Keep a keen eye on other tables here, though, and you’ll see the same warmth, that same easy charm for all. The same precision and polish on your plate as when you’re spending three figures.

Thomas still sets the standard, locally. And now, it’s easier than ever to find out for yourself.

Book here: https://www.thomas-pontcanna.co.uk/

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