Have you ever asked yourself how many photos of doughnuts were too many photos of doughnuts? Yeah, me neither...๐
Welcome to this evening’s post of Dark that I had the pleasure of visiting this afternoon. Located in Castle Arcade next to the likes of Greazy Vegan and Fabulous Welshcakes, this 20-odd seater restaurant is the latest creation of Phil Lewis, the entrepreneur behind some of Cardiff’s favourite eateries including Dusty Knuckle, Hoof and Nook in addition to the very successful Bite festival.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had struck up a conversation with Phil along with his lovely team whilst enjoying my lunch. A cross between Paul Rudd and Ozzie Man Reviews, Phil is a down to earth individual with an undeniable passion for food.
Phil’s concept for Dark is ‘Nose to Tail’ eating, essentially wasting nothing, be it animal or vegetable. This ethos might be ajar to some diners who don’t like the idea of eating chicken hearts, livers, etc. and would rather not be too culinarily challenged. There are alternatives at Dark for those less adventurous however it’s great to hear from Phil that more and more Cardiff diners are embracing this way of eating that pays homage to an animal that gave its life, ensuring that none of it goes to waste.
I’m told the menu on Mon-Wed is more subdued than you’d find on Thurs-Sat but nonetheless delicious. I ended up having the Vegetarian Tempura kebab topped with sesame aioli, herb sauce and fermented chillies. This extremely generous serving (think Leyli Joon & Co's Bab Haus size on steroids) defeated me which is really saying something! The mix of flavours and textures were a delight from start to (almost) finish, from the soft fluffiness of the kebab bread, to the crispness of tempura topped off with the great kick from the chilli.
The chocolate doughnut was a joy to behold, a joy to shoot and an even greater joy to eat. If an Italian bombolini ever met a chocolate scotch egg, this would be the result!
I’m running out room so I’ll finish off by saying go and challenge your idea of eating by trying these guys out. If you chicken out you can at least treat yourself to an amazing doughnut! ๐