Chapel 1877 - Cardiff

Popped in here for one before going to a reservation elsewhere- we were so glad we didn 't choose to eat here , blimey ! I 'll guide you through our ten minutes there: *enter stairs and approach front door, cue three chavvy boys thinking they were lads weyyyying in my face* After loosening my involuntary fist clench, thinking one of them was about to grope my crotch, we walked inside. I have to say, the decor in here is fab, still quite simple, but marvellous church architecture, with matching wood about the place, and a varied bar. This is where the good stuff stopped. Short changed, short measures, odd and not entirely welcoming clientele, and music that was far too loud for an eating venue. It would however, if you kicked out the clients, and put on some decent music that didn 't just sound like when you half hear **** through the wall to your neighbour with bad and bassy taste 's walls, this could be a pretty damn good venue for a wedding reception!

Visiting Cardiff for a family wedding and came to Chapel 1877 for rehearsal dinner. My review may not be the proper representation of the actual day-to-day operations of the restaurant. Food was decent. I did not expect too much from English food. I had the Bruschetta for starter. Toasted bread with olive oil topped with asparagus, arugula and a perfectly poached egg. I did not need any salt or pepper personally. Asparagus was tender, sweet and juicy. The creamy orange yolk was the perfect sauce for everything. Very happy with the selection. Main dish was sea bass over pasta. Sea bass was flaky and tender. Again, no extra seasoning needed. Pasta was slightly bland. It was in a very light sauce with mussels. I only added some black peppers. Service was great, and the drinks were delicious. Dark and Stormy was delicious, like a spiked lemonade almost. Espresso Martini was sweet and creamy. Overall, I had a very good experience at Chapel 1877.

Downstairs is the bar area, with seated snugs where guests can eat. The welcome is warm, with friendly staff, lots to eye contact. They also have an upstairs which was full with well-shod diners. It looks great. I ordered the sirloin, with the house fries. The steak arrived promptly, and looked the part. It was not good. It was poorly seasoned, and incredibly tough. The waiter apologised and offered me an alternative dish (the service is good). I really wanted the steak, and made the mistake of asking the kitchen to try again. The Chapel is a lovely venue with good service. The butcher who supplies them is not good. The chef doesn't know how to cook meat. The fries are run of the mill. The wine is ordinary. Style 4 Substance 2

Setting is great: delightfully converted building, interesting architecture, all good. Alas, that was the high point. Some of the starters were decent: my liver pate was tasty and substantial, the salmon sashimi had an interesting slaw base. But: that's all of the good. The service was an odd mix of obsequious and supercilious, the wine list is appalling (and the wines by the glass themselves not fresh , the beer list nonexistent (a shock in Wales the closest thing that they had to beer was an American ale! , and the main course dishes ranged from mediocre to inedible. That latter is no exaggeration: a pork

Relatively new and welcomed addition to the bar/restaurant sector in Cardiff central.They have been opened long enough now to have nailed their product offer down and it comes up on the top side of good. First of all the building and appointments are truly world class and would grace any major european city. Top marks for the care taken and the quality renovation of a beautiful old chapel with such a distinctive architectural style,seeing is believing as they say. Food wise,well good,just, but not outstanding.The set lunch menu was well priced but lacked that enticement factor which led us all to go a-la-carte. All the food was well cooked and presented, table service was on the button,the only downside, the seared scallops starter turned out to be just one scallop and at £10.50 considered extremely poor value for money. The wine list is OK, but again just a tad overpriced,£22 for a one year old viognier! Our final bill for a quiet lunch for three rocked in at around £155. Final analysis, good but overpriced. Will we go back?Probably.