Saturday 5 March 2016

Waterloo Gardens Teahouse, Cardiff brunch review


The contribution of Waterloo Tea to the evolution of Cardiff’s cafe scene shouldn’t be underestimated.

Since opening their first branch in Penylan in 2008, their obsession with sourcing the world’s best teas has raised the bar for cafe tea quality.


Now, I’m a PG Tips kind of guy but if tea is your shtick then Waterloo’s apothecary like selection, which includes Iron Goddess of Mercy Oolong, Ancient Emerald Lily Green Tea and Puerh Vintage Tuo, will probably have you... puerring.

Furthermore, their stylish interiors, innovative cake selection and globally influenced food has meant the three branches of Waterloo Tea have established themselves as part of the Cardiff cafe furniture. 


We visited the Penylan shop for Saturday brunch and were glad to find plenty of free tables to accommodate us.

To drink, a chai latte (£3) was enjoyably creamy, spicy and not too sweet. 


An imposing jug of pour-over Has Bean Guatemalan coffee for 2 (£5) looked like the kind of thing Darth Vader might enjoy for elevenses on the Death Star. Mrs G rated it very highly. 


Onto the scran.

For me, a pair of golden runny poached eggs (£7.50) were joined by top-rate smoked salmon, silky & buttery hollandaise, fresh spinach and a slice of Alex Gooch’s award winning toasted sourdough. 


Lizzie O ordered the smashed avocado and feta on toast (£5.50). The ripe avocado, creamy yet sharp cheese, warming chilli oil and earthy red cress were a lovely flavour combination. The large quantity of topping meant that another slice of the excellent toasted sourdough wouldn’t have gone a miss. 


Mrs G kicked off with a bowl of chai spiced porridge (£4.50). The giant portion of the delicately spiced porridge was topped with poached plums and toasted pecans. Temperature-wise it could have been a touch hotter. 


I had the task of helping Mrs G out with her porridge so she had enough room for a couple of slices of toasted sourdough and jam (£1.50). 


Brunch at Waterloo Tea was lovely. It’s well worth adding to the weekend brunch list.

The Details:

Address - Waterloo Gardens Teahouse, 5 Waterloo Gardens, Penylan, Cardiff, CF23 5AA
Telephone - 02920 456073

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