Park House Restaurant & Wine Bar

I went with my partner for his birthday in February to use a fine dining gift voucher we had. I have to say I was expecting to be blown away but the experience and food but my experience didn’t really meet my expectations. The venue was stunning. We opted for the lunch time 5 course tasting menu and some sparkling wine which was delicious. The restaurant was empty apart from two other tables. The service was quick but staff seemed snobby and rude as myself and my partner were making anecdotes and giggling and were glared at by staff. I didn’t realise it was such a serious place, laughter is a good thing is it not? The staff members also went round and spoke to the other two tables of people but not to us, maybe because we are younger (mid 20s)
The food was unique and unlike anything I had tasted before some of which I really enjoyed like the bread and the ratatouille (although it is a cold dish). Some things were not to my taste like the duck with white chocolate dressing. Overall I wouldn’t come back and I wouldn’t recommend it for the price.

Visited for my birthday with my family and had the tasting menu. Unfortunately, it was a huge disappointment.

The building was interesting and historic and the staff were lovely however that's where the enjoyment ended.

The food was really underwhelming. It was presented in a pretentious way, which can be nice on a day out, but it was (mostly) chronically under seasoned and not well cooked. Simple things like, flabby chicken skin. Crab ravioli that tasted more "fishy" than the nice normal sweet flavour of crab, wrapped in a much too thickly rolled pasta.

Overall it was disappointing because it's sad to waste a meal out when you could have cooked better at home.

It took four hours. FOUR. For a pre-set menu.

The furniture was mismatched and the building was in need of some repair and painting.

We went last week( June ) for a meal and had a great time. The food was fab but what made the evening extra special was the lovely staff. There were some newbies serving but everyone was helpful and attentive and the head waiter/house manager was fantastic. He was great with staff and customers which was lovely. And particularly as there was a large corporate event going on at the same time. We had a very fun evening. Than you to everyone there.

Beautiful food with excellent wine pairings.
Private dining - this even was for around 28 people. Unfortunately a rugby match was scheduled for the same day and it felt like our experience perhaps suffered a little because of it. The 2 servers we had were brilliant and certainly did their best but they could have done with extra people. There was no background music so it lacked some ambience but everyone had a great time and really enjoyed the food.

Superb high end dining with impeccable yet friendly service for our large group of friends. Every dish of their 6 course tasting menu was amazing and the experience even further elevated when paired with their matching wines option. All topped off with a beautiful & sophisticated setting within one of Cardiff's classic Burgess buildings. Not cheap, but a real high end treat.

TLDR: Come for the wine. Not the food.

Park House Restaurant, a place so grand,
I went with my folks, to take a stand,
But it was not to be, it was quite bland.

We walked in the door, the staff were polite,
But the room was cold, not quite right,
We should have worn coats, that was quite the plight,
Feeling like a fridge, not quite a delight.

The view was nice, of the park out there,
But the decor was dull, like an empty chair

The food and drink, we hoped would save the day,
But alas it was not so, it was a disappointing affair,

Mains were unbalanced, flavors all askew,
Beef and pork served cold, what to do?
Turbot was the best, a balanced dish,
But not quite worth the price, my wish.

So if you're in Cardiff, and looking for some chow,
I recommend The Potted Pig, don't go to Park House now.

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Review Park House Restaurant & Wine Bar
After reading about this place on Timeout and seeing the historical Michelin stars I was looking forward to a wonderful meal with my parents whom are hard to convince to venture out.

Sadly this was not to be.

Though the exterior is impressive that is where our positive experiences ended.

We were promptly greeted and seated by staff in a room in cold as temperature as it was in decor.
I’ve never had to unironically eat in a fine dining restaurant that required me to wear a jumper and coat to be comfortable.
Thankfully there is a nice view of the park, but the general ambiance is lacking with cardboard boxes in the corner and uninspired illustrations of grapes on the wall.
The place feels tired and unloved.

My hope was the food and drinks would make up for a poor first impression.

When asking advice for a Rosé wine the first response I got was an unexpected criticism for selecting a “summer drink”.
After insisting describing the profile of the drink we wanted I felt the staff were uninterested and continued to suggest the same bottle with little ability to explain its profile or provide alternatives.
The wine was good, but the experience of acquiring it not so much.

The food felt very unbalanced in its flavours.
Bread with over salted and served with salted butter.
Starters were sweet to the point of overpowering with little other distinguishing flavours.

For the mains the flavours were better but did have a canteen sense of assembly to them with multiple components reused between the dishes.

The beef and pork dishes were sadly served cold to Luke warm compounding our hypothermia.

The beef dish was reheated and was certainly decent.
I personally gave up on the pork dish half way through - it was fatty, salty, sweet mess of flavours.

The Turbot was by far the best and most balanced of the mains.

Nothing served was quite worth the price of it.

I write this because I believe Cardiffs food scene deserves to be better.
A place like Park House is so frustrating because it has so much potential but as I mentioned earlier the place feels unloved.

If you are looking for a nice nose to tail restaurant I strongly recommend the POTTED PIG.

Food looks better than actually tastes. Tried their tasting menu (9 courses) with wine pairing and it was somewhat disappointing. Dishes were either over seasoned or little seasoned, never be at the right balance. Tweeks on dishes didn't seem to go well with ingredients. Sadly, there was no dish that amazed me. Wine pairing was questionable too. Service was good though.

The food is great…we had 9 course menu with wine pairing…worth it as added to the experience. Staff very friendly and atmosphere very enchanting