Dizzy Llama

Closed down

Upon learning of my weekend trip to Cardiff in which I have just returned — I naturally checked Unilocal to discover restaurants, bars, etc. and this is where Dizzy Llama was discovered.
Had dinner reservations for 8pm Saturday night to this Cardiff locale. We walked in and were immediately rewarded with a delightful table right in the middle of all the action. There was a greatly diverse group of individuals seated around us from a 3 on 3 couples dinner, to a Hen party getting rounds of shots delivered to their table like clockwork, to a hip looking 30 something table.
We casually ordered a bottle of Venetian Pinot Grigio and a fine-​tuned meat & Buffalo Mozzerella plate. This appetizer hit the spot. Upon learning that the special of the night was an Ostrich Filet — — my imagination began to rotate. There was much debate concerning the topic of main entrees for my companion and myself. They had my personal favorite dish (which ended up being the most local thing I ate while there), Welsh mussels in white wine & gream sauce — whilst I had already ordered an appetizer the decision was clear. Main course: mussels. My companion got this great shank steak covered in brown gravy along with vegetables galore. Food was fantastic all around.
Following the completion of our meals and our bottle of wine — our bill was ordered from our server. This task however began to become drawn out and we waited & waited (I have a problem with inefficiency)…which was obvious by my making eye contact with both the manager and our server. To this end — they provided us not only with the bill — — but with two complimentary Sambuca shots. Shots were hastily taken and the Saturday night was set to begin.

Beyond what has, almost inadvertently, become Cardiff’s 21^st Century gay bar drag, you can picture Dizzy Llama’s cheeky name convincing the occasional passing punter that it caters for similar clientele to the nearby Wow or Pulse. Not so: nick down a small flight of stairs and you walk into a small but cosy restaurant. The wine options are varied but instead head straight for the classy cocktails, affordable yet very masterfully concocted (they actually run classes in the art of making the latter, so it’s clearly a speciality). Imaginations haven’t run unnecessarily wild on the tapas menu, serving up simple classics, although the a la carte options get a deal fancier, the pick definitely the beautifully creamy Funky Chicken Crema Funghi. Thanks to its semi-​subterranean setting, in the winter you imagine Dizzy Llama is perfect to provide a snug getaway from the cold outside world too. In fact the only thing that required attention was the musical choices (unless Moby and Jamiroquai represent particular aural dining accompaniment favourites, in which case, you’ll be in coffee table LP heaven).

Often overheard comments form the best kind of reviews. And so, when I heard someone say ‘Forget the Fat Duck, go to Dizzy Llama’, it was clear this restaurant, tapas and cocktail bar was worth a visit. Although in the centre of Cardiff, Dizzy Llama isn’t the easiest place to accidentally come across, but the quality of food, drink and service here make it definitely worth hunting out.
I’m going to throw out a couple of words and see what associations you make. Ready? Get ready to taste this phrase, let its delicious connotations linger on your tongue. Right, ‘local restaurant’.
What are you thinking? Can you picture a delightful little cave with lovingly selected music? Do lights drip elegantly from the cosy low ceiling? Does the food provide sensational flavours which pull the senses into rich sensual discussions?
Well, if your response was a declarative,‘NO’ (followed by a note to self to avoid lofty reviews in future), you haven’t been to the Dizzy Llama. This delightful eatery truly encompasses the idea of good, affordable cuisine and it takes its influence from locally and abroad combining it into a delicious fusion of food. The tapas, for example, shows its debt to authentic Spanish cuisine in a way incomparable to your average tapas bar. Indeed, it is the only place worth ordering chorizio, bruschetta or tortilla in the whole of south Wales.
But the Llama doesn’t just boast fine, fresh to order food. There is a fantastic assortment of cocktails and the shooters so are pretty it’s hard to bring yourself to drink them. Rumour has it, the manager here can even recreate the Welsh flag in a shot glass (yes, including dragon!). That is something I just have to see.
In addition, because of its intimate size, the staff always seem genuinely happy to join in any celebration you may be having and banter flows freely. The management are relaxed, and truly seem to want to run a bar they would love to stumble across. Consequently, the place has all the charm of not being governed by policy and the rulebook.
Did someone say something about a tubby malard? Forgive me, I’d already forgotten.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Persuade the owner to serve you a Welsh flag shooter

Nominated «Restaurant of the Year 2010» by South Wales Echo Readers in the 2010 Food & Drink Awards, Dizzy Llama is on a street where animal names for bars and eateries seems to be de rigour. Billing itself as a Welsh international restaurant, it sounds more like a venue for Rugby Tournaments!
Still, this cocktail bar and restaurant serves up mostly Mediterranean dishes, mostly of an Italian leaning i.e. pizzas and pastas. They can cater for large groups of up to 60 table seated guests comfortably at any one time. Two Courses for £7.95, available from lunchtime until 7pm everyday.
The business is owned and managed by Rhys Meredith and Tammy Evans and was set up on 9^th December 2009 (national Llama day, apparently!).

Dizzy Llama has a beautifully lit bar in it’s cosy ambient setting.
Not one to pass up an opportunity to have one or two drinks I decided to take advantage of the two cocktails for £6.50 happy hour offer and treated myself to two Long Island Ice teas. Bar staff were great and were having a great laugh behind the bar.
I really enjoyed our brief visit and really want an excuse to go back again and maybe take advantage of the food this time, I’ve heard it’s very good indeed and not badly priced.

So I read some good reviews of this place and went to try it out for myself. Mamma’s as it is also know is an easy enough place to miss with a single door entrance down the basement restaurant. The décor is homely and the staff are very welcoming. What it lacks in glamour, it certainly makes up with service and value for money.
We had luckily booked our table because it did get very busy, a good sign of its popularity. The food is Mediterranean (Italian or Tapas) and made with the finest fresh Welsh ingredients. The steak I had was the best I’d tasted in while, and the pizza’s they were bringing out looked pretty yummy too.
I had to resist the cocktails because I was driving, but I will defiantly be back for more, probably to check out the lunchtime specials. Check out their website for money off vouchers.