if
it's about Cardiff..
Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business,
Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking,
Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
I've always had a fab meal at Cote restaurants, simple French style food and great value. Steaks are amazing. It's a shame it's not in town though, there is a bit of a lack of nice eateries still.
Another chain. The balance is in danger of being tipped in Mermaid Quay I think - Starbucks, Cote, Wagammamma, Nando's, Pizza Express, Subways, Tesco, Cafe Rouge, Strada etc. Part of the charm of Mermaid Quay was the local offering.
On the Cardiff City Mad forum there is talk of the Ninian Park pub in Leckwith making way for flats. I can't say I'm suprised or indeed that sad. It's a dingy hole that is empty 90% of the time. Whenm it is full ie. on matchdays it attracts the worst elements of City's support.
There is a new 'family style' pub with an emphasis on food opening by the new stadium soon. It is to be in an 'olde English' style (faux beams etc) rather than the council estate boozer with tiny windows style of the Ninian. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the changing demographics of your average City fan.
The Pear Tree (opening in place of Billabong) is pretty much ready to open. Walked past yesterday and it looks quite smart, a huge improvement on what it was before. They've covered the brick facade and it looks a lot better! Opens Sunday I think.
I wonder who would invest in it? There can't be enough business just on matchdays surely? I suppose there is the new estate on the site of Ninian Park and plans for residential on Bessemer Rd but that doesn't guarantee any extra business.
He seems like a sensible chap. Apparently he owns other pubs in the Cardiff area, and he'll be busing people in from them to take them to the Ninian.
Free transport for fans from their own local, good business for the pub. Everyone is a winner.
It's true that the best thing about it is the sign. I never drink there, but I do get a bit of a twinge of excitement passing it though; pass the Ninian, under the railway bridge and badge sellers. Adds a bit of adrenalin.
There is a paper sign in the door at Ba Orient that says that they are moving to a unit upstairs by the Pearl of the Orient.
Seems like a strange move. Do they mean this VIP bar? Is there another vacant unit by Pearl of the Orient? Don't they realise that footfall will be far less up there? Is another occupier lined up for Ba Orient?
Do they mean the old Cafe Naz unit? Although thats not next to Pearl of the Orient. Is Signor Valentine closed down? Or is Pearl of the Orient shrinking following a loss of business to Cosmo?
http://twitter.com/Angharad_B
Says that Las Iguanas will take the old Ba Orient space.
I remember the days of the Bierkeller in Bristol that used to be a popular night out for coach parties from south Wales and generally ended up with a punch up with the Wurzels! There was a similar type of place in Nottingham when I was there. Good for an occasional big night out but certainly not for a couple of after work cheekies. I bet students would love it.
I like the comment from the bloke from North Yorks about foreigners taking over our breweries. 'We won the war but lost the peace!' Classic! Could there be anything more Daily Mail??
Good news. Will we have another high quality operation take the second restaurant unit? It would be nice to see something other than a chain. Could we get a Welsh chef to open something that could have a chance at going for a Michelin star? The city doesn't have anything like that yet and it would be great if it could.
One saving grace is that the pub is quite small and probably wouldn't be suitable for many of M&Bs chain bars like All Bar One. But that doesn't stop them going for a more boutique bar-cum-restaurant.
I've not been to the Kings for quite a while but one thing I do like about Cardiff is that gay venues are not ghettoized into the periphery. Its part of the cafe quarter, and now with St Davids 2, the Kings is right in the retail heart too. This normalizes the idea of a gay bar, showing its not something to be ashamed of and hidden away. And, perhaps, its more likely straight people will go. Provided they don't "take over" this is a good thing.
Yeah that would be a shame. I've only been there a couple of times, but it seems a nice place, and I agree that it is nice to have openly gay venues out in the main part of town.
Still, hopefully the owners will realise the groundswell of opposition and back off a bit?
I suppose it was inevitable that it would get 'done up' just like the Wellington. It's a sign of how far that part of the city centre has come I guess.
Looks like the Kings Cross could be closed by its owners Mitchells and Butler, and a food-focused bar or restaurant opened there instead:
I've not been to the Kings for quite a while but one thing I do like about Cardiff is that gay venues are not ghettoized into the periphery. Its part of the cafe quarter, and now with St Davids 2, the Kings is right in the retail heart too. This normalizes the idea of a gay bar, showing its not something to be ashamed of and hidden away. And, perhaps, its more likely straight people will go. Provided they don't "take over" this is a good thing.
The thing is, as Cambo might have said when he was on this forum - If people aren't frequenting this 'dusty old boozer' and it is struggling to adapt to the market then it's understandable why the landlord has an alternative use in mind.
People simply have to put their money where their mouth is if they want it to stay open.
Obviously its up to the owner to decide what kind of venue it is, and if the Kings is unprofitable, or simply less profitable than an alternative use, then it is understandable it changing.
However, it can still be a shame to see the a long standing and historically quite important venue close. And if the community can rally round and put their money where their mouth is then great.
If people aren't frequenting this 'dusty old boozer' and it is struggling to adapt to the market then it's understandable why the landlord has an alternative use in mind.
this is what I don't understand though - people DO frequent here! I've often been past on Friday and Saturday nights and it's always busy, always people outside smoking and drinking.
I went past on Tuesday and it was also busy - stark contrast to the rest of Mill Lane which may as well have been closed...
Can't believe they're rebranding because of a lack of customers... Or perhaps they don't make enough during the daytime to sustain it's busy evenings?
A gastro pub would surely be consistently busy throught the day
Do they do food? I know places like Pulse and Wow do, and I thought so did the Kings. Prices in Pulse are ridiculously low, probably not much more than cost, probably hoping to make it on the drinks and deserts etc.
I didn't see that coming. I think a load around the UK were closed a few years ago, which Cardiff survived, so it's a surprise, and a shame to see this one go.
I suppose that whilst it might have had a fair footfall, people weren't spending enough. I never went there once - it always seemed a bit tacky, albeit I guess okay for a few drinks if you're a tourist, on a stag night, etc.
Bottom end of St Mary's has gone downhill. I wasn't aware 3 of the big nightclub / bars had gone to the wall. Habits have been changing in recent years. Theres been a shift to smaller venues offering a less industrial approach - bigger clubs are giving way increasingly to bars with dancefloors. Theres also been a fall in alcohol consumption, driven mainly by alcohol consumed outside the home.
What use might be made of these big bar units? I can't imagine we need many more massive refectory-style buffet restaurants. Its still a bit rough so I can't see any good quality retail or office accomodation. Cheap hotels / hostels?
I blame the coalition and it's sweeping education cuts!!
I do think TGI's and Ruby Tuesday have eaten into Hard Rock's customer base. Also the area has lost it's drinking circuit with all the empty bars at the bottom of St. Mary St.
Am I the only one, who when I see a new post in this thread, I get worried, whether it's good news about a new venue, or bad news about a great venue closing?
Well, anyway..this time it's good news. The Barfly is reopening, albeit under a new name, that on saturdays will be student only. Not perfect, but nice to see.
It's hard to determine exactly what is meant as the writing is so bad (question: why does someone who can barely compose a sentence think that they'd make a good journalist?) but I read it as Saturdays would be especially aimed at students but open to all. I'd imagine reduced rates & drinks offers to NUS holders, that sort of thing, rather than exclusively allowing students in.
It looks like he's serious about it being a live venue, which is great, but I'm not sure about the policy of only having acts which are likely to sell out! Can imagine that being a tricky thing to pull off, and presumably you'd be striking most of the local talent off your list...
I hear Ten Feet Tall has also turned their underground bar into a live music venue (which i guess means they've installed the necessary tech and maybe a stage). Maybe they were responding to the Barfly closure thinking they could mop up the mid week live music market.
(question: why does someone who can barely compose a sentence think that they'd make a good journalist?)
I'm sure there's always room for them on the Metro staff or similar :-)
Me
I hear Ten Feet Tall has also turned their underground bar into a live music venue
They have, it's called 'Undertone', I was in there last week for a couple of the bands at the SWN festival. I don't recall there being a stage, just a space at the end of the central room for a band. Can't be sure there was even a fixed P.A. Nice enough place, but you couldn't get that many people in there, it's pretty small. Certainly not Barfly size.
The Chameleon Group who run Mocha Lounge, North Star etc will open a high end restaurant in the old bank vault on St Mary Street next to Zizzi. They want a Michelin star eventually but the owner of the restaurant next door and police were against it because it might cause crime.
The mango house on Westgate St - which is up for a top UK curry house award soon - have been given permission to have a live sitar player in the restaurant playing while people eat. They had complaints because this would add noise to the area.
The Old Bank in the Bay will now open as a multi-use venue, despite complaints about noise.
The police habitually complain about any licensed premises in St Marys / High Street now with no consideration of the type of venue. If they are concerned about crime close down the worst of the bars and clubs, and not stop higher-end restaurants from opening.
And good to see the old bank being made more use of. Residents complaining about noise? Urgh. They're in what should be a busy commercial district not some half-dilapidated backwater.
I'm stil not sure from that article where this high end restaurant is going. Is it the basement underneath Zizzi's or next door where Pizza Hut used to be?
Cafe Floyd on St Mary St has been refused a license application to extend its cafe bar downstairs as well/instead of (not sure which) the one they run upstairs.
I think this is a shame. If it was done with the same style as the one upstairs but with the front facing window it really would of added something new to the city. Visitors think cardiff is just full of crappy big warehouse bars and nothing nice because places like cafe floyd are hidden away. If it had an obvious frontage it would challenge the views some people get of the city and add to the new castle quarter.
So as well as Hooters there is a Chinese Buffet "Flaming Dragons" going into the Cineworld building. Not sure what this means for the prospects of "Red Hot" Buffet on Hill Street.
I'd rather see a fewer smaller operators on Hill Street instead of one big restaurant taking up 4 units but I'd rather Red Hot than it sitting empty.
PLANS to open a new venue at the heart of Cardiff’s nightclub quarter have been rejected due to fears of a rise in booze-fuelled violence.
Members of Cardiff council’s licensing sub-committee today refused the application for a nightclub in the former Liquid premises on St Mary Street.
The decision has delighted local police who had objected to the proposal.
Inspector Tony Bishop, who is in charge of policing the city centre, said: “South Wales Police welcomes the decision on the licensing committee of Cardiff council in refusing the application to grant a premises licence.
“This decision will have a very positive impact in reducing crime and disorder in Cardiff city centre and will greatly assist South Wales Police and its partners in managing more effectively the night time economy here in Cardiff.”
What do you guys make of this? Without knowing anything about the proposals it's hard to judge, although some of the comments from the police are a tad bit stupid!
How will it "reduce crime and disorder" by sitting empty? Futhermore, I'd like to see the impact that the closure of Liquid has had on "crime and disorder" - surely this should be the basis used on which the decision should be made?
This will be an interesting test of the licensing laws.
If they don't approve it then I really do despair-we might as well close down the bottom half of St Mary Street and invite squatters in, as that seems to be what they want to achieve.
I can understand not granting new licences, but not granted licences in existing bar/restaurant/clubs is madness.
I can understand not granting new licences, but not granted licences in existing bar/restaurant/clubs is madness.
I agree, I mean what else could these units be used for?
Life is at ground level and could quite easily become a pub/club/restaurant with very little modifications - but very little else!
But Liquid is a cavernous underground space - it could serve no use as anything other than a nightclub.
But CCC seem to lack common sense and would much rather the building continue to go unoccupied!
Another cavernous space with very little alternative use is the old 'The Square' nightclub - which, according to a NYE2008 flyer in the window, has been closed for over 2 years!