Hench Burger, Cardiff city centre review

Whilst its architectural appeal might be questionable, it’s great to see the rejuvenation of the area around Churchill Way, which now forms Cardiff’s Canal Quarter.

Wouldn’t it be lovely see food and drink businesses lining the waterside, packed with diners and drinkers enjoying some al fresco hospitality? That is if it ever stops raining.

One hospitality business leading the charge is Hench Burger and Café Hench.

Hench Burger first briefly popped up at the Royal Oak on Newport Road in 2023 and made a name for themselves with their deliciously crusty and caramelised smash burgers. Sadly, the pop-up was short-lived and Hench have since done stints at Canton’s Corporation Yard and Kongs in the city centre.

At the beginning of March 2024, they opened their first bricks and mortar venue on the former site of The Sandwich Bar on Churchill Way. It’s a functional venue with just a few seats inside, but their outside bench seating will be a dream when the sun finally appears for more than ten minutes.

Hench’s menu, which is served at lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday, focuses on smash burgers, buttermilk chicken burgers and loaded fries. Whilst we ordered some of their more straightforward flavour combinations, if you’re looking for something a bit different then their Kiwi burger comes topped with charred pineapple, beetroot and tomato chutney, and the Beirut Badboy is loaded with hummus and crispy chickpeas. For non-meat eaters, Hench offers vegan Symplicity patties with any of their burgers.

Hench also serves a café menu which is available at lunch times. But during our visit I didn't spot it as only their burger menus were prominently displayed on the wall. 

A New Yorker (£10.50) was a big messy beast of a burger. A sturdy yet light Alex Gooch challah bun cradled a pair of well-crusted, nicely beefy and seriously juicy 4oz smashed patties. Warming American mustard mayo, thick salty bacon, a gargantuan ooze of American cheese, lettuce, sweet soft onions, and dill pickles completed the excellent burger.

A Straight Up (£9) was a more no-nonsense affair, and both Mrs G and I decided it was the pick of the two. Another pair of those gnarly edged smashed beef patties and melted American cheese were supplemented with a big dollop of Bovril mayonnaise, which added a good beefy and umami intensity. On the side, sweet and sharp red cabbage slaw and crisp iceberg added light relief to both the rich burgers.

 

Katsu curry loaded fries (£8) saw exceedingly crisp skin on fries topped with comfortingly spiced curry mayonnaise, crispy onions, sprunions, and melted cheese. Nuggets of tender battered chicken perched on top were very enjoyable, but I’d probably prefer a more rugged crumb instead of batter. Most impressively, the chips remained crisp for the duration of our meal rather than gradually becoming a soggy mush.

We had a delicious lunch at Hench and their burgers and loaded fries are some of the best Cardiff has to offer. I hope they become part of the furniture in the city’s rejuvenated Canal Quarter.

Whilst you’re visiting the area, I’d highly recommend pairing it with a visit to the Flute and Tankard, which is just a few minutes’ walk away on Windsor Place. They serve an excellent range of craft beer, which includes brews from Arbor, The Kernel, and North, in a pleasingly unhipsterish setting. However, it’s worth bearing in behind they open at 3pm daily, as we found out when we were planning a post lunch pint.

The Details:

Hench Burger

Address - 7 Churchill Way, Cardiff CF10 2HD

Web - https://henchburger.co.uk/

Telephone - 
 

Flute and Tankard

Address - 4 Windsor Place, Cardiff CF10 3BX

Web - https://thefluteandtankard.com/

Telephone - 029 2039 8315

Erst, Manchester restaurant review

On our increasingly regular trips to see my family up north, we’ve grown accustomed to breaking up the journey with a pitstop in Manchester.

There’s no question that it’s one of my favourite cities in the UK with its peerless craft beer scene, top notch restaurants, and effortlessly cool vibe.

This time, there was one restaurant which was erst on my list of places to visit. (Sorry, not sorry).

Located in Ancoats, Erst serves natural wine and seasonal small plates.

If that sounds like your idea of hell, then you may as well stop reading now.

Whilst it might be an increasingly well-worn hipster cliché, if handled well, then I don’t see what’s not to love about interesting wines by the glass and clever small dishes that allow you to try more of a menu.

With its vast windows and moody lighting, sitting at Erst’s bar on a dreary night with a drink in hand is the height of cosiness.

I started with a can of Track Sonoma (£6), an easy drinking pale ale with buckets of hops. Mrs G went more off piste with an excellent glass of sparkling red Lambrusco Salamino (£8) with plenty of fresh red berries. We then moved onto a corker of a skin-contact Georgian orange wine (£11.50), a smashable gamay / pinot noir blend (£6.50), and to accompany dessert, a beautifully layered and sweet Riesling Auslese (£8.50).

Whilst the wine was great, the cooking was even better. There’s clearly bags of technique which goes into Erst’s understated dishes.

A soft and pillowy flatbread (£6) was topped with umami rich beef fat which melted into the bread alongside finely diced white onion and the warmth of urfa chilli. The bread, beef and onion combo was highly reminiscent of a hamburger and I’m fully on board with elevated dishes which taste like refined junk food.

A beetroot dish (£12) is one of Erst's menu mainstays and I can see why. Fudgy, earthy and sweet long-cooked beetroot sat in a pool of creamy ajo blanco that was punctuated with vibrant green chilli. A well-judged note of acidity, which arrived with every mouthful, ensured the dish was perfectly balanced.

Deeply savoury, charred and caramelised onion petals (£12) were sat on a bed of creamy stracciatella cheese. It’s basically the same as the innards of a burrata without any of the Instagrammability of having to slice it open. The crunch of breadcrumbs and a drizzle of good quality oil completed the excellent dish.

A seasonal special of white asparagus (£18) was the only bum note of the meal. Two tips were pleasingly tender but the pair of bottoms were disappointingly woody and stringy, so much so that one remained uneaten and the other stuck between my teeth for the rest of the meal. 

Whilst the main component was a big disappointment, a creamy mussel sauce had excellent shellfish intensity and plump pickled mussels provided clarity. But at £18 for two asparagus stalks, I can't help but think it still would have represented poor value, even if it was flawless.

Things got back on track in a big way with a gloriously meaty and tender piece of skate (£21), which nudged away from its cartilage with ease and was drenched in a glossy and rich lemony butter sauce that was seasoned with the savouriness of scallop roe. Tender pink fir potatoes and saline monks beard all enhanced the lovely piece of fish.

Finally, a lamb belly skewer (£15) looked low key but turned out to be the most decadent dish of the night. The compellingly crisp-fatted, smoky and tender meat was intense on its own, but accompanied by soft and sweet mashed dates, it was a juggernaut of flavour intensity. Raw onion and flat leaf parsley played a vital role in balancing its richness.

For dessert, I lasered in on the Monbazar booze-soaked prunes. Their accompaniment was lush too, a mirrorlike panna cotta (£7) which eschewed vanilla in favour of pure creaminess.

I can see why people rave about Erst so much. With its huge flavoured small plates, cosy atmosphere and excellent wine, it’s a cracker of a restaurant.

The Details:

Address - Erst, 9 Murray St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6HS

Web - https://www.erst-mcr.co.uk/

Telephone - 0161 547 3683