Cardiff restaurant named one of the best new openings in the UK

A Cardiff restaurant has been named one of the best new openings in the UK by The Good Food Guide.

Thomas by Tom Simmons in Pontcanna was included in The Good Food Guide’s Platinum List of the 18 best new restaurant openings in the UK. It was the only restaurant in Wales to be featured in the list which has been published to coincide with the guide’s 70th year.

Read more: Tom Simmons - How one of Wales' hottest chefs rose to the top and came out of the pandemic swinging

All of the restaurants that have been included opened either pre- or mid-pandemic and were chosen for their “remarkable resilience, thriving in the face of the shifting realities of dining out during the pandemic”.

(Mark Lewis)

Since opening in February 2020, Thomas by Tom Simmons has firmly established itself as one of the best restaurants in Cardiff.

Owned by Pembrokeshire-born Tom Simmons and his partner Lois Thomas, the restaurant’s high-end brasserie cooking combines the best of Welsh produce and French technique. The restaurant has received acclaim from both national restaurant critics as well as WalesOnline.

Since opening his first Cardiff restaurant in February 2020, Tom Simmons has firmly established himself as one of the biggest names cooking in the city (Mark Lewis)

Dishes on the menu include mushroom croquettes with wild garlic mayonnaise, Welsh lamb cannon with black garlic, and heritage tomatoes with Wye Valley asparagus.

Speaking about the restaurants included in the list, The Good Food Guide’s editor, Elizabeth Carter, said: “Every one of the restaurants on this list is a shining example of the resilience and sheer talent to be found in the UK.”

“It may have been a tough 18 months for the hospitality industry but these restaurants were undaunted. They continued to do the two things we ask of a good restaurant – serve fabulous food, that stayed in the mind during multiple closures, and offer great hospitality.”

(Glyn Rainer / @thomaspontcanna)

The Good Food Guide 2021-2022 is set to be published next year following the guide’s change of ownership from Waitrose & Partners to CODE Hospitality, a UK hospitality industry community organisation.

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