Mill Lane and the adjoining Hayes quarter of Cardiff

Cardiff will hope to shake off its unwanted position as the only UK capital city not to have a Michelin starred restaurant when the prestigious Red Guide is released around Easter of next year.

Elsewhere in the UK and Ireland, Edinburgh have five single starred restaurants, Dublin four and Belfast one, with London boasting 39.

The Scottish capital has set the example in recent years with a rapid ascension to the gastronomic elite. The city’s biggest advocate, the normally caustic food critic A A Gill, stated in his Sunday Times column in October 2009 that, “Nobody in the United Kingdom is cooking or eating better than this.”

Acclaimed Edinburgh chef Tom Kitchin told Delicious magazine in August 2010 that “Edinburgh is becoming a real foodie destination. Edinburgh now boasts five Michelin star restaurants … The restaurant scene is booming here right now and there is certainly demand for it.” Everything that Cardiff could, and should aspire to.

The question arising from all of this is why Cardiff has found itself so far behind the other capital cities of the UK? Cardiff has developed into a bustling metropolitan city over the past ten years and boasts 14 million annual visitors. Welsh food and produce maintains a healthy reputation and Michelin rated restaurants can be found elsewhere in Wales, with four single-starred restaurants, including The Crown at Whitebrook in Monmouthshire.

Head chef at The Crown, James Sommerin, believes that Cardiff has a lot of work to do before it is ready to have a Michelin starred restaurant: “I’m disgusted by the fact that we don’t have one but far too many people there tend to cook for the guides rather than be honest and cook what they want to cook. To be honest there is no one that is good enough, but there are plenty that think they are.”

Asked if he himself would like to bring his own brand of cooking to the capital James said, “For me personally it’s not something I want to undertake, because where do you do it in Cardiff? There are some nice bits but there are also some undesirable bits. The centre is great but at night time it is one of the dirtiest places around. The city itself has to mature a bit first.”

Optimistically La Gallois in Canton has recently been awarded three AA Rosettes and is the only restaurant in the capital to hold this accolade, arguably making it the strongest contender to attain a Michelin star in next year’s guide.

Head chef Grady Atkins would love to be the first Michelin star holder in the city, but he believes that, “It’s a big decision for them to award a Michelin starred restaurant here because there hasn’t been one and I think that they are taking their time to make sure they are making the right decision. Now they’ve given a few more Michelin stars in the provinces around Wales perhaps they will spend a bit more time in the capital.”

You can listen to an audio exert from my interview with Grady here.

Wesley Hammond is head chef at Wood’s Brasserie, one of three restaurants owned by the South Wales based Knife and Fork Ltd group. Wesley believes that, “The reason there’s a lack of starred restaurants in Cardiff is not that people aren’t trying for them but people in Cardiff know that they cost a lot of money. They still think that if you have a star there is a cost implication.”

Hywel Thomas, PR manager at Cardiff & Co, the company in charge of promoting Cardiff to tourists and investors alike believes that, “Although having a Michelin starred restaurant would be desirable it should not be something that we should get particularly hung up on. The gastronomic offer in the city is diverse and continues to grow; we already have some excellent restaurants in the city.”

This diversity can be seen with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Italian and similarly high-end Italian Carluccio’s both appearing in the newly redeveloped Hayes in the city-centre. Also Anand George, head chef at Mint and Mustard on Whitchurch Road has developed a reputation for top quality, contemporary Indian food and in 2009 became the first Indian restaurant to be named ‘Best Restaurant in South Wales’ at the South Wales Echo Food and Drink Awards.

Nevertheless, for Hywel, it is undeniable that a Michelin starred restaurant in the city would be beneficial. “There is prestige attached and it could give a feel perhaps that there is an emphasis on good cuisine here, that the industry is thriving.

“The city has changed beyond recognition in the past ten years, I guess one might say that a Michelin starred restaurant would be something you assume would happen along with the other changes that have taken place already.”

Finally, here is a map I made to show the location of all of the restaurants mentioned above.

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