Hiraeth

‘A small independent business that is extremely passionate about what they produce,’ proclaims one reporter – and we agree. Opened in 2024 by two young chefs in small premises opposite Victoria Park (after a stint in the nearby village of Llysworney), Hiraeth is the sort of inventive, locally attuned venture that gladdens the soul. Friendly, informed staff and a soundtrack of cool beats set the scene, while rough-hewn wood, stone-tiled flooring and lights hanging from spider-like flex characterise the unfussy interior.

At night, the feel is convivial and intimate (less so during the day), with an open kitchen as the attention-grabbing focal point. Here, Andy Aston and Lewis Dwyer's team produce monthly changing tasting menus (two for dinner, a pared-down version for lunch) with meticulous care. We’d recommend the shorter dinner option. Several ingredients come from the restaurant’s allotment – soon to become a smallholding. Highlights from our lengthy parade of dishes included an exquisite Japanese-influenced 'snack' of crisp nori cracker containing cubes of cured trout and a creamy spring onion emulsion, as well as an equally delicate tart of flavourful Perl Wen cheese, balanced by sweet pear and crunchy walnuts – each ingredient playing its part. Chicken tea, served with delectable chicken butter and Japanese shokupan bread, is a menu fixture, and we also loved the nettle porridge with goat’s curd.

However, culinary misfires aren’t unknown. The intense flavours in larger dishes such as gorgeously fresh cod with salt-cod brandade and brown crab bisque or tender pork cheek with white beans and chorizo, left us reaching for the water (more balance needed here), but the quality of the ingredients and their handling was impeccable. The pick of the desserts was an ethereal beetroot and white chocolate cannoli. Drinks (on a blackboard list) range from elderflower fruit wine to cocktails; note that the Rioja blanco is preferable to a rather farmy Welsh white.