I booked a two night stay with taster menu via a living social deal as a treat for my husband's birthday. We had difficulty getting through - no phone answer and no answer to our emails so we contacted the Cardiff Tourist Information Office. We had just about given up hope and were considering other options when the restaurant/hotel phoned us to confirm our booking. Apparently problems with phone lines and no one works on a Sunday or Monday. On arrival we were unable to find an easy way in, simple signage would have improved things enormously, but eventually we found an intercom and the proprietor (?) showed us to our room, a lovely big room which at first sight looked great. Not a great welcome but OK. The room could have done with a deep clean and was fousty smelling but was perfectly comfortable and attractive. The meal was served at 7.30pm and consisted of 7 courses. Friendly service in the bar but very inexperienced staff and a serious lack of drinks advertised on the wine list. First course was leek and potato soup - completely white and watery with lumps of leeks floating around! Not a good start, however things improved and 3 more starters appeared with one main course - all very good and well cooked, but a taster menu?? Finale was two very mediocre desserts. Three very good courses would have been a much better option as 7 courses felt a bit like a marathon. Had to ask about breakfast time which was 9.30 to 10.30am, rather late for a start to our day out, especially as all guests arrived at 9.30am to find a locked dining room! A very tired looking chef/proprietor(?) arrived a few minutes later and started to take orders. Very mediocre cereals on offer but a good cooked breakfast was served quite quickly. Location of this hotel is fantastic - you can visit the outdoor museum of St Fagan's which is on the doorstep and we caught a bus into Cardiff on the Saturday, spending a fabulous day exploring and eating in the city. We felt that the whole experience was good but could have been so much better with not a huge amount of effort. If we had paid full price in the restaurant, we would have been very disappointed but there were elements of very good cooking. At no point were we asked to give any feedback on our experience apart from the waiter asking if we enjoyed our meal, which we did in parts. Lack of attention to detail and inexperience is stopping this restaurant with rooms from being fantastic.
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