tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70667525394970768042024-02-22T16:44:22.898+00:00Pint of 45A user's guide to drinking in CardiffPint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-62307165572086895392022-02-15T18:02:00.003+00:002022-02-15T18:35:06.956+00:00NQ64 Arcade Bar<p><b><br />60–61 St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/NQ64+Cardiff/@51.4771216,-3.1789516,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x486e1dd082d6ddfb:0x3a508bcd22cf3ef3!8m2!3d51.4771216!4d-3.1767629">[map]</a></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcnr4c_WbyaOSeYtaz4SKVdwtLsBQwldQBmUQ8_jDPgUraI3t5nsVONWLR_GAzBi4HHEfx2_bPEO1ff-6LtXcBw0zwKeSG7No1BBWolvxjoKCRJXQ0GHV4jHN6TWrqnSwSJgNPqxKYQrWkLh5UJBKVg-1Rj8REa842vVTXthPynILYG0cbaKDzQCIQnw=s4032" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcnr4c_WbyaOSeYtaz4SKVdwtLsBQwldQBmUQ8_jDPgUraI3t5nsVONWLR_GAzBi4HHEfx2_bPEO1ff-6LtXcBw0zwKeSG7No1BBWolvxjoKCRJXQ0GHV4jHN6TWrqnSwSJgNPqxKYQrWkLh5UJBKVg-1Rj8REa842vVTXthPynILYG0cbaKDzQCIQnw=s400" width="400" /></a></p>
Previously the site of bizarro sports compound <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-bunker.html">The Bunker</a>, 60–61 St Mary Street is now home to <a href="https://nq64.co.uk/cardiff">the Instagram-friendly retro-future arcade games cyberbar of your dreams</a>. Or nightmares. Depending on how you look at it.
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Sundry games consoles from 'yesteryear' are also available to play for free.
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Rarely will you see anyone playing cutesy shoot-'em-up compendium <i>Point Blank 2</i> in as resolutely melancholy a manner as this.
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Edgy.
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If you're looking for what semiologist Roland Barthes – in a chapter entitled 'The World of Wrestling' in his seminal 1957 tome <i>Mythologies</i> – referred to as, "The primary virtue of the spectacle, which is to abolish all motives and all consequences," via the medium of an early '90s coin-operated videogame, then <i>WWF WrestFest</i> is just the ticket.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-67264335459887801562020-04-19T14:05:00.000+01:002020-04-19T14:05:17.104+01:00Brew Monster<br />
<b>31–32 High Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Brew+Monster+Tap+House/@51.4805721,-3.181755,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xde1e29a63c543208!8m2!3d51.4808795!4d-3.1805641">[map]</a></b><br />
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You join us en route to a pre-coronavirus concert by the popular beat combo <a href="https://www.buzzmag.co.uk/campaign-for-musical-destruction-tour-live-review/">Napalm Death</a>, which The Photographer – suitably boozed-up by that stage of the evening – subsequently strays into without a ticket. <br />
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But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. The first order of business is, of course, the pre-gig livener. To the bar!<br />
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This is one of the slew of booze joints that seemingly sprung up overnight down this end of the High Street.<br />
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Whereas most seem to focus on cocktails, gin and sundry libations of that nature, Brew Monster is very much about delicious pints.<br />
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It's tastefully done (and the staff are super friendly) but there's something about all that blond wood, the rows of industrial-chic lighting turned up to 11 and the large shopfront windows that lend it all the ambience of the Barry branch of Poundstretcher.<br />
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Blimey, this place is full of chaps, isn't it?<br />
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Our arrival coincides with the start of the weekly quiz. Absolutely no points whatsoever to the teams who selected the names Quizzy Rascal and Quiz on My Face.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-67601932785430051152019-07-19T12:12:00.000+01:002019-07-19T12:12:24.661+01:00Beelzebubs<br />
<b><span class="LrzXr">17–19 Church Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Beelzebubs/@51.4805732,-3.1814117,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x51ac03bc3de8baf8!8m2!3d51.4803863!4d-3.1791694">[map]</a></span></b><br />
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<i>Beelzebub. Proper noun. A name for the Devil. Origin: From late Latin Beëlzebub, translating Hebrew ba'al zĕḇūḇ 'lord of flies', the name of a Philistine god (2 Kings 1:2), and Greek Beelzeboul 'the Devil' (Matt. 12:24).</i><br />
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Which is certainly at the more esoteric end of the spectrum when it comes to picking a name for your bar.<br />
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Fortunately, contrary to the brewhouse's monicker, heading inside is less like descending into the depths of hell and more like approaching a counter packed with <a href="https://www.craftydevilbrewing.co.uk/">craft beers that share a particularly identifiable branding aesthetic</a>. So that's a relief.<br />
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I can't actually remember what this is but I do vaguely recall that, if you drink too many of them, it's a pretty accurate reflection of the state of your urine the following morning.<br />
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Looks like there's some sort of sporting activity taking place, no doubt involving men and balls. Which makes a change.<br />
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Holy shit, where did this lot come from? <br />
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Still, you've got to love that bloke's natty flat cap/horn-rimmed specs/patterned scarf combo. I bet he's got really great trousers as well. After all, the devil has all the best pantaloons.<br />
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Taxi!<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-17488469855711411632019-05-14T17:19:00.002+01:002022-02-15T17:26:18.942+00:00The Flute & Tankard<div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4 Windsor Place, Cardiff <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=4+Windsor+Place,+Cardiff&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=4+Windsor+Pl,+Cardiff+CF10+3,+United+Kingdom&z=16">[map]</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Hg4TQu53TGqB5Zr4CgaEWtHRB4SYyHKsTW35g_4YAPAzPz9sEbABUmFc8l1M9aY-CdKkpwAjbRdPUb1bNrhpqhBQuMpNTI21fndvOlYYxxdH7EAr0qOtxf7NhVBa1lEkqrYeOpDQ6FHN/s1600/20181103_184244.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Hg4TQu53TGqB5Zr4CgaEWtHRB4SYyHKsTW35g_4YAPAzPz9sEbABUmFc8l1M9aY-CdKkpwAjbRdPUb1bNrhpqhBQuMpNTI21fndvOlYYxxdH7EAr0qOtxf7NhVBa1lEkqrYeOpDQ6FHN/s400/20181103_184244.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, here we are back at The Flute & Tankard for the first time in aeons. In fact, we haven't been here since it was still called <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.com/2010/12/promised-land.html">The Promised Land</a> (of which more presently). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see, they've sent out the welcoming committee.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHx5F6V8H9HNr0KcQhVUaW1WwHgjf-Ff6snKN2xdBqlQtTpQC9K6LYd9LcmWaDan58M2pRYdZNHfTOgsyFFcFA6AjN7MGBpMv1F3wDDIZ_3Fuo6j7tdms2NZ_r5J4Wo8pKhZXA9qcJqoOR/s1600/20181103_183914.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHx5F6V8H9HNr0KcQhVUaW1WwHgjf-Ff6snKN2xdBqlQtTpQC9K6LYd9LcmWaDan58M2pRYdZNHfTOgsyFFcFA6AjN7MGBpMv1F3wDDIZ_3Fuo6j7tdms2NZ_r5J4Wo8pKhZXA9qcJqoOR/s400/20181103_183914.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We amble towards the main bar, which is reassuringly busy. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Always good to see punters engage in that classic drinking trope in which you pour the remains of one drink into another pint that you've taken a few sips of (bottom left). We all do it, don't we, even though it's *entirely pointless*.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrz6l0Xa9ys5dqb6x5NCInof7bBe3wknSlfffS6JD_1w-jjdfMf-2l0sDcTuC0jF72xucH47WA-arym4kBM9YpMyP9UzsuEH-6DkRjSRface-BN3YSXODNBLLsmt2Mp8z0ZapHWFpz0PK/s1600/20181103_183342.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrz6l0Xa9ys5dqb6x5NCInof7bBe3wknSlfffS6JD_1w-jjdfMf-2l0sDcTuC0jF72xucH47WA-arym4kBM9YpMyP9UzsuEH-6DkRjSRface-BN3YSXODNBLLsmt2Mp8z0ZapHWFpz0PK/s400/20181103_183342.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Down the far end and there's no shortage of imbibing going on as the world is set to rights. All good stuff.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcl6JdI-DKa_3-UBqrcE1vDigKl5LNDt6q8CpWrhWIHWqJ-ZDvGmlB9X5uSt_xh6R2aRUjTfqIl9Ola7-WazvjJ2iX1BPOWqJYAThg_PXRxuInOARXYvmAadx2zu72Yidp6Cd5omq29Vyc/s1600/20181103_180950.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcl6JdI-DKa_3-UBqrcE1vDigKl5LNDt6q8CpWrhWIHWqJ-ZDvGmlB9X5uSt_xh6R2aRUjTfqIl9Ola7-WazvjJ2iX1BPOWqJYAThg_PXRxuInOARXYvmAadx2zu72Yidp6Cd5omq29Vyc/s400/20181103_180950.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Head upstairs and there's a second bar along with extra seating in a space that also doubles as a function room. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Back in 'the day', we put on a few gigs here, with varying degrees of success, although the first one was particularly memorable as we somehow managed to get the Guardian website to run a preview of it (back when they had a local Cardiff blogger), and subsequently packed the place out with a bill that was headlined by a drummerless two-piece who sounded like The Fall being clonked repeatedly over the head with a small brass instrument (but in a good way).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Unfortunately, The Promised Land shut down unceremoniously when the owners did a runner just before Christmas one year, taking the wages that staff were owed with them. Not so much The Promised Land, more The Really Shitty Thing to Do Land.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mL4-6i4K2g35OvAaoOlsBn0SV6ZKbVnf3fYAy-SmGAfWnBDAjWtHonqUS7bqtLHPRANSDi37_dvnbGO6UJaUncJaic6JgEmrOHiy_8v5ZBILSdSRIoxcwBkl5E1q2itr9bEbFqHN2uyr/s1600/20181103_183313.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mL4-6i4K2g35OvAaoOlsBn0SV6ZKbVnf3fYAy-SmGAfWnBDAjWtHonqUS7bqtLHPRANSDi37_dvnbGO6UJaUncJaic6JgEmrOHiy_8v5ZBILSdSRIoxcwBkl5E1q2itr9bEbFqHN2uyr/s400/20181103_183313.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, back to the present-day. While The Flute & Tankard is just off a stretch of Queen Street that you perhaps wouldn't naturally gravitate towards of an evening, it's well worth popping in for a swift pint if you're passing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Just bear in mind that there's significantly less chance these days that you'll stumble upon a gig here featuring a "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20191125084448/http://www.thejoycollective.co.uk/blog/review/gig-hopping-2-gindrinker-the-milk-race-daylight-fireworks-land-of-bingo-plyci-promised-land-buffalo-bar-cardiff-29-01-11/">guitar/skronk/drum machine/cornet/abuse duo</a>".</div><p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-34657970835642159482019-02-03T10:34:00.001+00:002019-02-03T10:34:26.850+00:00The Head of Steam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>18–19 Church Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Head+of+Steam+Cardiff/@51.4802924,-3.1810401,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc71c45530e38819b!8m2!3d51.4802592!4d-3.1791948">[map]</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbGiYPipCpQ1bYl1zv820FGBWmN3xc0ciupDfTF_jNyNtj-5xlafd_Ul6dFWPyg2LC69aMiikV02fxwEf6yxrdoAqbyzcCok4xmfeyjsqDMX5nEdXsNSjvwq1e-6AgHbVBbMFn9CxoYpZ/s1600/20181103_162608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbGiYPipCpQ1bYl1zv820FGBWmN3xc0ciupDfTF_jNyNtj-5xlafd_Ul6dFWPyg2LC69aMiikV02fxwEf6yxrdoAqbyzcCok4xmfeyjsqDMX5nEdXsNSjvwq1e-6AgHbVBbMFn9CxoYpZ/s400/20181103_162608.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Previously the site of a <a href="https://www.harvester.co.uk/">Harvester</a> and, going back into the mists of time even further, Old Orleans, these sizeable premises have now been given a rail-themed scrub-up and transformed into a jack-of-all-trades bar. You know: craft ales, food, sport, live DJs. And so on. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHZYGXx4IWSiIP74sTqlYlmJ6V-LXVv_CW4vtRJJ8Bxl3loI3Zz3pzEsaBLbjr-PDKCq-knAU4zas8MSjn9-BuMs67Eefr-lREaFTxXJViTCUZt_RTRdeab7KYvypuJlIHGI1LXeOD5tS/s1600/20181103_155537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaHZYGXx4IWSiIP74sTqlYlmJ6V-LXVv_CW4vtRJJ8Bxl3loI3Zz3pzEsaBLbjr-PDKCq-knAU4zas8MSjn9-BuMs67Eefr-lREaFTxXJViTCUZt_RTRdeab7KYvypuJlIHGI1LXeOD5tS/s400/20181103_155537.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There's a swathe of these places in the north but this is their first venture into Wales. <br />
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I don't really get the whole train-based vibe – why would you want to remind customers of our failing rail network of an evening? – but at least they don't take the theme to its logical conclusion: "Due to signalling problems, this pint has been diverted via Prestatyn and will be delayed by approximately two days. We apologise for any inconvenience caused."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiannMY3FPQWSlc57YHlclz12FHt3JOsIlOIWF5xK_WcM6xADvx5gGAtSdq4glmwqf6YhNZUPpUwl9tgQe19trbyEKgCblw6RqM0gm004YRx6bQVxjHBHivG9gp-qTUfxcR6WrIx_HyMN8W/s1600/20181103_162301.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiannMY3FPQWSlc57YHlclz12FHt3JOsIlOIWF5xK_WcM6xADvx5gGAtSdq4glmwqf6YhNZUPpUwl9tgQe19trbyEKgCblw6RqM0gm004YRx6bQVxjHBHivG9gp-qTUfxcR6WrIx_HyMN8W/s400/20181103_162301.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Not entirely sure what The Photographer was aiming for with this shot. Still, as you can see, they've got some lovely wooden and tiled criss-cross flooring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2inyuE08wNZUYf3ngCehfYHZExrtfyx6Z5OfqNY1VHrgKodmDWLcrESRG3IlwdbDwT-CT3MkRqQ6irxl-X2azCIB7WCxQ-f038Psfq0ikOgztIhQiJmExdqjaiFTH0iRgcsbzE7dp-0_/s1600/20181103_160419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy2inyuE08wNZUYf3ngCehfYHZExrtfyx6Z5OfqNY1VHrgKodmDWLcrESRG3IlwdbDwT-CT3MkRqQ6irxl-X2azCIB7WCxQ-f038Psfq0ikOgztIhQiJmExdqjaiFTH0iRgcsbzE7dp-0_/s400/20181103_160419.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Now, I do like a booth and these are very well done, with lamps, charging points and – a nice touch this, you have to agree – overhead coat racks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDauFBHX-wFevmW4Um9H80dyK1ovicRtE99NmsJiFb-MUEljssWs_bJTkOMfa8wA0mVLZLserhyphenhyphengOMzyXsz-cXhyphenhyphenk3CQR9LKaQQOZ-UufKlAmuiQxjOBkVdrBTXVvV1qMhB6g5-W6YpI7/s1600/20181103_162324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDauFBHX-wFevmW4Um9H80dyK1ovicRtE99NmsJiFb-MUEljssWs_bJTkOMfa8wA0mVLZLserhyphenhyphengOMzyXsz-cXhyphenhyphenk3CQR9LKaQQOZ-UufKlAmuiQxjOBkVdrBTXVvV1qMhB6g5-W6YpI7/s400/20181103_162324.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Upstairs, and there's a kind of vintage, industrial chic vibe afoot. And that's just the customers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcycM3BcBkBYfoDQ34OYA8R_vEc0mH-3qvtXbh6uooTRNYBiTv_u9vwEgTLikX3pabkqScco48E1IPH5RXSP7zLjbDox2CTi-Guf0mAhCBT7mtPrfsT_TtbtYHajqoHiOiRPi7zSpnATKT/s1600/20181103_155552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcycM3BcBkBYfoDQ34OYA8R_vEc0mH-3qvtXbh6uooTRNYBiTv_u9vwEgTLikX3pabkqScco48E1IPH5RXSP7zLjbDox2CTi-Guf0mAhCBT7mtPrfsT_TtbtYHajqoHiOiRPi7zSpnATKT/s400/20181103_155552.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Blimey, this room is so bright it could have written <i>A Brief History of Time</i>.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-40387332433506423142018-10-21T11:26:00.001+01:002018-10-21T11:26:14.848+01:00Coyote Ugly Saloon<br />
<span class="LrzXr"><b>78 St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Coyote+Ugly+Saloon/@51.4781408,-3.1800734,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xd955ac3a3c88279!8m2!3d51.477396!4d-3.177579">[map]</a></b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtFsx32M3uLTHRD9ZmsXijspVxzJuWS3hvdVo00c-NujvTdjdF8-AVXcfPJ1GJ85hR5dqzdSwTpq-p1HrYGWK3PQvQ29eu1EvRtDWLYlLO2dZF5TEK9YUHrQnkfaVpRuQDEdWf5iIwrQQ/s1600/20180421_181003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtFsx32M3uLTHRD9ZmsXijspVxzJuWS3hvdVo00c-NujvTdjdF8-AVXcfPJ1GJ85hR5dqzdSwTpq-p1HrYGWK3PQvQ29eu1EvRtDWLYlLO2dZF5TEK9YUHrQnkfaVpRuQDEdWf5iIwrQQ/s400/20180421_181003.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
So, here we are outside Coyote Ugly (formerly <a href="https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/former-cardiff-nightclub-square-turned-6470029">The Square</a> about a million years ago) on an otherwise unremarkable Saturday afternoon, somewhat alarmed by the convoluted velvet rope/steel barrier walkway you have to negotiate to even make it to the door.<br />
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Not to mention the extravagantly lopsided ratio of security personnel (three) to punters in queue (zero). Maybe they're expecting trouble. Well, The Photographer has got a thirst on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVdGgixw-_VwZobIyFEiXVs9vyVTYnqpqjRqiXUd7MNoFjDjJODNkZw8vmKvIVulAKX6-MVUsAaolLcl-N6QNCyZ6ePd9XQs9BkW3o-EKFk8ErepeRSvu493TKF7ReOmNl3OgP_Rwc6RT/s1600/20180421_180915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVdGgixw-_VwZobIyFEiXVs9vyVTYnqpqjRqiXUd7MNoFjDjJODNkZw8vmKvIVulAKX6-MVUsAaolLcl-N6QNCyZ6ePd9XQs9BkW3o-EKFk8ErepeRSvu493TKF7ReOmNl3OgP_Rwc6RT/s400/20180421_180915.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Before you make it into the primary room, there's this little side bar. We can only approve of the sort of place that enables you to get a drink on your way to getting a drink.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99hNAUJpd0gSGhfxk8NN6QIxfAq7LR9NIP4Wtca9rY0apnyKsELM8XZ48WJZ9u2S1alu3QdKQfiFq9tdV4O1ix4Qh5_Fhhm3eKs6_ap8UuBmwjC1wHnMrcrG4R9aX0JH0UOZxrlmsZ4ko/s1600/20180421_173813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj99hNAUJpd0gSGhfxk8NN6QIxfAq7LR9NIP4Wtca9rY0apnyKsELM8XZ48WJZ9u2S1alu3QdKQfiFq9tdV4O1ix4Qh5_Fhhm3eKs6_ap8UuBmwjC1wHnMrcrG4R9aX0JH0UOZxrlmsZ4ko/s400/20180421_173813.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Well, this is awkward. There we are trying to peer at the medley of booze on offer behind the main bar and next thing you know there's a woman clad in cowboy boots and fishnet tights cavorting about right on top of the bloody counter. <br />
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This, we later learn, is *a thing* round these parts, but it doesn't half make you worry about getting your pint kicked over.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBq1EtSrhgClxjLQ7LsGSQ_9b5dz4RlHIrc7JYpm3GDWO32ltggNcvQtZpmG2mqHra63jyHCjE75FasVVBsvG6TPn3orSx9Nd4FhG4lI0tx2DO0l2NJ74WL_sPMMjyP7E7gocVdxaVl86/s1600/20180421_173801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBq1EtSrhgClxjLQ7LsGSQ_9b5dz4RlHIrc7JYpm3GDWO32ltggNcvQtZpmG2mqHra63jyHCjE75FasVVBsvG6TPn3orSx9Nd4FhG4lI0tx2DO0l2NJ74WL_sPMMjyP7E7gocVdxaVl86/s400/20180421_173801.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Heaven forbid you go here in a mixed group. Instead, the unwritten rule seems to be: men on one side, women on the other. Making the whole enterprise akin to a liquor-powered school disco. Just with worse music.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjt_u6IYYv2HV-nRFrZWwveeLycG58Ajjdtm_4beHMBarcB_doFNLg_QfzoTbxN3P7g-wi3bT8-308-54b3a9I5I8VShV5Cq4HqQTJsnUfn0328Vwfi4nOtDoaXrWwqh1eXmF1L5Gqcf1/s1600/20180421_180208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjt_u6IYYv2HV-nRFrZWwveeLycG58Ajjdtm_4beHMBarcB_doFNLg_QfzoTbxN3P7g-wi3bT8-308-54b3a9I5I8VShV5Cq4HqQTJsnUfn0328Vwfi4nOtDoaXrWwqh1eXmF1L5Gqcf1/s400/20180421_180208.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oh god, the music. Did we mention the music? It's less aural pleasure, more psychological warfare – <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-40090809">the sort of soundtrack that would have made you sympathise with Manuel Noriega</a>.<br />
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The torture is compounded by the fact that the cheerleaders sashaying on the bar – mind that pint! – are prone to start caterwauling along at any given moment.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM7S6aBIoEaS-DbcCOqYo2KGjR4ADUo2159eFcTDmIRwu3WPbxtpLYZF9hdEf30BJGzEyuhxX-pEn4cS2xzJp7dfvJe4w6bqG3cdjy5C5F1a5olWuDrVBFQBLKyH1mJJpbakNbpJOvktj/s1600/20180421_173741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWM7S6aBIoEaS-DbcCOqYo2KGjR4ADUo2159eFcTDmIRwu3WPbxtpLYZF9hdEf30BJGzEyuhxX-pEn4cS2xzJp7dfvJe4w6bqG3cdjy5C5F1a5olWuDrVBFQBLKyH1mJJpbakNbpJOvktj/s400/20180421_173741.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Still, anywhere that's got a bucking bronco is fine by us.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-42523087531664003752017-04-21T12:15:00.000+01:002017-04-21T12:15:43.800+01:00Kongs<br />
<b>114–116 St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Kongs+Cardiff/@51.4796599,-3.1819013,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x486e1cb1b4743159:0x8b6cb1c23ba71b12!8m2!3d51.4796566!4d-3.1797126">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZQolIaaP1B90GoZQIrmLO7S05OTDE-5rThzeiXbcOszVVf43UtnHha5hsVQQ-cKw6JBZk1CUy61rl9Xggi8r5BiURqdLtd7xskfNqHr-9BQu30Vya6AhK94szxJmxGcYVtjIsnafD9Cq/s1600/IMAG3795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZQolIaaP1B90GoZQIrmLO7S05OTDE-5rThzeiXbcOszVVf43UtnHha5hsVQQ-cKw6JBZk1CUy61rl9Xggi8r5BiURqdLtd7xskfNqHr-9BQu30Vya6AhK94szxJmxGcYVtjIsnafD9Cq/s400/IMAG3795.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Formerly a (slightly odd) rock bar called <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/charlie-browns.html">Charlie Browns</a>, this is now a retro arcade games, table football and ping pong-based joint.<br />
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Combine this with some delicious fizzy lager and you can't go wrong.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2LV6qrxWuL5bARxSIxbzEn-dHJz3xqOZRZsJkhyphenhyphen0Q0WWo_cAVjCw6QcjcXipCkqHbfQncbrIppOskO0GTPjHoZM1Nehb15NkZ6xhtts2Ip-D0F5LcA6qqu19ex_KO_kIPfeVR0vdJC7y/s1600/IMAG3804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv2LV6qrxWuL5bARxSIxbzEn-dHJz3xqOZRZsJkhyphenhyphen0Q0WWo_cAVjCw6QcjcXipCkqHbfQncbrIppOskO0GTPjHoZM1Nehb15NkZ6xhtts2Ip-D0F5LcA6qqu19ex_KO_kIPfeVR0vdJC7y/s400/IMAG3804.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There's a kind of minimalist-industrial vibe afoot – someone clearly got a good deal on a job lot of plywood.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpdPwpySxe5CV8iMkCUDbSQTRueFt6u2Ov1Df2WQJEUYJYJGWORH2et7iUDOniXH2Qiwsw7mMNK6fHHW9iKJlGG7npTRhW8B-Z7k-AgzE_oTMXTrycH3RMd-AZSOpTTi6qYUWnO0jrNxt/s1600/IMAG3802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpdPwpySxe5CV8iMkCUDbSQTRueFt6u2Ov1Df2WQJEUYJYJGWORH2et7iUDOniXH2Qiwsw7mMNK6fHHW9iKJlGG7npTRhW8B-Z7k-AgzE_oTMXTrycH3RMd-AZSOpTTi6qYUWnO0jrNxt/s400/IMAG3802.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's the old-school videogames that are the real draw – <a href="http://www.donkey-kong.org/">Donkey Kong</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_%26_Field_(video_game)">Track & Field</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb9P0YTeq5Y">Double Dragon</a> and the like. Surely no one has fond memories of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Jam">NBA Jam</a> though?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WuKe3OfkO1AjK4OY7CM3eWT7khQYrF9eX-KgZwoTm8E8yioWOegfPoUKLG72Th8NKF0YiZ3TzARbGyhEBjcHwMzQfnGWKP1eV-j0qfNE_P0LcrPvrX8B7-rqIWUOQih5WLhhDoDRrIc5/s1600/IMAG3815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WuKe3OfkO1AjK4OY7CM3eWT7khQYrF9eX-KgZwoTm8E8yioWOegfPoUKLG72Th8NKF0YiZ3TzARbGyhEBjcHwMzQfnGWKP1eV-j0qfNE_P0LcrPvrX8B7-rqIWUOQih5WLhhDoDRrIc5/s400/IMAG3815.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
What you can see in progress here is the worst attempt to play a game of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRnn-bhv-AE">1942</a> in the history of coin-ops.<br />
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Turns out that successfully taking part in a World War II dogfight following the consumption of five pints of <a href="http://firstwefeast.com/drink/2016/02/sierra-nevada-pale-ale-brewers-beer">Sierra Nevada Pale Ale</a> is easier said than done (and it's not even that easy to say).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxEBZprvizD7Hei_YVZ62I_-Vzh5sFCcnSViwbLU5_AzGhUgQCwMrL1BbaCZ12OECGM4smEIyZ3VxQYXgYrV2DZr97wm0i52aqwTbbaeqfLTON1B0t8wKdJo2BPNbhBnLrEin6C7z029i/s1600/IMAG3805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxEBZprvizD7Hei_YVZ62I_-Vzh5sFCcnSViwbLU5_AzGhUgQCwMrL1BbaCZ12OECGM4smEIyZ3VxQYXgYrV2DZr97wm0i52aqwTbbaeqfLTON1B0t8wKdJo2BPNbhBnLrEin6C7z029i/s400/IMAG3805.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Further inside again and there's 2003 drive-'em-up <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OutRun_2">OutRun 2</a> adjacent to a weird glowing wall. And some more plywood. Obviously.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-44070052967771938812017-01-06T09:43:00.002+00:002017-01-06T10:37:56.603+00:00Hopbunker<br />
<b>5–7 Queen Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Hopbunker/@51.4818821,-3.1805852,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xcbdb011c7876e1a5!8m2!3d51.4819021!4d-3.1790081">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43QnoxYxXSybGKwlBffHdfJnf2n8cAPJiAw640XgDirE6k8URts1chGCGZpd7fzeoTY2vCrksUtntLYEoCVYyH98aU-0t7RyscRkPEhghBWlSK1xoekSn7cE4OdvD058Izf-ttlPeW_eL/s1600/IMAG2408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj43QnoxYxXSybGKwlBffHdfJnf2n8cAPJiAw640XgDirE6k8URts1chGCGZpd7fzeoTY2vCrksUtntLYEoCVYyH98aU-0t7RyscRkPEhghBWlSK1xoekSn7cE4OdvD058Izf-ttlPeW_eL/s400/IMAG2408.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After various incarnations over the years, including short-lived rock joint <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/bogiez.html">Bogiez</a>, much-missed indie toilet the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/c48b4f20-65f0-3cca-b863-9b2310c79dea">Barfly</a> and raffle pedlar the <a href="http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/cardiff-remembered-citys-pubs-yesteryear-8972239">Rose & Crown</a>, this corner of Queen Street is now, officially, a bunker of booze. <br />
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Which, if you <i>are</i> going to be stuck in a bunker for any length of time, isn't a bad one to be in.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-dAdFxloS1UwBKQ6ooKOURd0BCZ6mcCNDOYXg6hLgEIHq2o4ZKCSoIeZEfJoy4Gy4qFo8fb53NwXHD0HN9aD8IjXmie_ylWyAz_eF7HvYGANYfhw5WHSJRiZWPUgXk5sY0ubCTWJvtRZ/s1600/IMAG2422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht-dAdFxloS1UwBKQ6ooKOURd0BCZ6mcCNDOYXg6hLgEIHq2o4ZKCSoIeZEfJoy4Gy4qFo8fb53NwXHD0HN9aD8IjXmie_ylWyAz_eF7HvYGANYfhw5WHSJRiZWPUgXk5sY0ubCTWJvtRZ/s400/IMAG2422.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Negotiate the spiral staircase – easier said than done if you're in the midst of a serious all-dayer and are experiencing some issues with regards to maintaining a vertical base – and you're rewarded with a bar brimming with real ales, craft beers and various other libations in which myriad obscure things have been done to unsuspecting hops. <br />
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In other words, the Foster's is off – permanently.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic14CTU1JPlxg3SumMir9GSQbLpdUt3xgTRh7tdELRzB4SBPPOkcArKqoWD-NIga4zphKRuhwJp5jHcXdxLNRrl17cG0MupsuoB9TuzFns6a7PHXuMqVgf0PyTigqFByHHjNd11M44vGE6/s1600/IMAG2416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic14CTU1JPlxg3SumMir9GSQbLpdUt3xgTRh7tdELRzB4SBPPOkcArKqoWD-NIga4zphKRuhwJp5jHcXdxLNRrl17cG0MupsuoB9TuzFns6a7PHXuMqVgf0PyTigqFByHHjNd11M44vGE6/s400/IMAG2416.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There's a curious ambience to the place, partly because it's underground and has no natural light, and partly because the interior looks as if it's been furnished from an Argos catalogue circa 1996.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk-jo0GieQgjf7hmgtVtGt9NEiPvDRfm7Pv4LtGptPQfxePChaS_WcsobE8uXBnoIlOq17UbvwJD1mjCSh1JZNVL3302eGuSTeNnNHf9-IpsKaYfe-zskpTKD7b7etVEGu45tN-uKiAGp/s1600/IMAG2420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk-jo0GieQgjf7hmgtVtGt9NEiPvDRfm7Pv4LtGptPQfxePChaS_WcsobE8uXBnoIlOq17UbvwJD1mjCSh1JZNVL3302eGuSTeNnNHf9-IpsKaYfe-zskpTKD7b7etVEGu45tN-uKiAGp/s400/IMAG2420.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Still, just look at that beer menu.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixX5FjKBlfiMHm_FWZf6VRrkg42TOpoInrkANz1-jV7DFRQu7iIApE-IAqAZb6DdL_q9wzK9xhsJJBrGzkf_nTvCWKTTi78pyp22EDUBCWKt31792bZDLcWYcBlIOzg90q2OMJWpm5m7D/s1600/IMAG2426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixX5FjKBlfiMHm_FWZf6VRrkg42TOpoInrkANz1-jV7DFRQu7iIApE-IAqAZb6DdL_q9wzK9xhsJJBrGzkf_nTvCWKTTi78pyp22EDUBCWKt31792bZDLcWYcBlIOzg90q2OMJWpm5m7D/s400/IMAG2426.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's all too much for that bloke at the bottom left to cope with. "Butcombe Yeti? Lincoln Green Marion? Mahrs Bräu Ungespundet? I just can't decide!" (And we didn't even make any of those up.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc8efnwhgBQ4n5qGrMyvYGxCU2oRRhh8MozK98P9wn1yR1RvJa-CSCWix88Z715WiLBd7FvRpKacdJ3qmu6uermSv1XgTTdLnEVpSjImgHzYYtKhbN8SiG_2gcVjR-tfZNCJpSudjhLgM/s1600/IMAG2424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc8efnwhgBQ4n5qGrMyvYGxCU2oRRhh8MozK98P9wn1yR1RvJa-CSCWix88Z715WiLBd7FvRpKacdJ3qmu6uermSv1XgTTdLnEVpSjImgHzYYtKhbN8SiG_2gcVjR-tfZNCJpSudjhLgM/s400/IMAG2424.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The novelty urinal is <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/bierkeller.html">a bit of a thing</a> these days, isn't it?<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-48426790190362485532016-11-13T14:10:00.000+00:002016-11-13T14:10:25.862+00:00Bierkeller<br />
<b>Stadium Plaza, Wood Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Stadium+Plaza/@51.4768847,-3.1837443,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x486e1cadf8c6f903:0x29ebc29123d6f45e!8m2!3d51.4768847!4d-3.1815556">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOQYQNTYTPhyMT62BmSQAsO4MDAfIW8miKNwjE3uJV-dAoULlx9ZqQsfnDHaB56vPy_UHF8-f4BXvkV0r2as87RSHC87jdpVmeBZWp2AwCD7AEteLMZV6h9T7FoLQqKXD0501fKCrGep_/s1600/IMAG2445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOQYQNTYTPhyMT62BmSQAsO4MDAfIW8miKNwjE3uJV-dAoULlx9ZqQsfnDHaB56vPy_UHF8-f4BXvkV0r2as87RSHC87jdpVmeBZWp2AwCD7AEteLMZV6h9T7FoLQqKXD0501fKCrGep_/s400/IMAG2445.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's been a while, hasn't it? Anyhow, what better way to pick things up again than at the, erm, <a href="http://thebierkeller.com/cardiff">Bierkeller Entertainment Complex</a>, a wholly inauthentic conglomerate of themed bars that's part of the <a href="http://www.stadiumplaza.co.uk/">Stadium Plaza</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn9rYIYhhgUWKZmqqHEJdupNac7sCaUJD32GCeB_KgbGilULjRbXUQfitnZuWrTo7jNkqMFa7FjrckNdUAbNKx0ibF83QScAJEEIgT80d63fe5NxRSY7I_3wgCg3dHTQhsdPhydAEbpvm/s1600/IMAG2432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihn9rYIYhhgUWKZmqqHEJdupNac7sCaUJD32GCeB_KgbGilULjRbXUQfitnZuWrTo7jNkqMFa7FjrckNdUAbNKx0ibF83QScAJEEIgT80d63fe5NxRSY7I_3wgCg3dHTQhsdPhydAEbpvm/s400/IMAG2432.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We head first for Shooters, a sports bar with an unholy focus on session lagers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0W-fKMtD0z2MAvkCENzyj_auQ-YgGFABunYpMeC8V1Ah-s9GLMQlHAtWZQkdyBrjxZyQ0wJor_4Z0CNFHZn52C11insjfvgDxaEIVpsZ8H9tn6e-q2RXVCkJSCsfsmDTButbZy2iPs6r0/s1600/IMAG2433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0W-fKMtD0z2MAvkCENzyj_auQ-YgGFABunYpMeC8V1Ah-s9GLMQlHAtWZQkdyBrjxZyQ0wJor_4Z0CNFHZn52C11insjfvgDxaEIVpsZ8H9tn6e-q2RXVCkJSCsfsmDTButbZy2iPs6r0/s400/IMAG2433.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's one of those nondescript, drizzly Sunday afternoons, so it's pretty quiet in here. Even the promise of watching some blokes kick a ball about on a big telly isn't that much of a draw, it seems.<br />
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The pool tables sit dormant, forgotten relics of analogue entertainment from a time before the invention Pokémon Go.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8J3GEEzM4ttFZS6NQZJRBsVnayQ-sBWzDpkahcgdHG2wOwYMcGznM3MsiuR9wnEh80btrCKNvh5kiu2gpUw8A8LuDkXMQhgM5UjMhih3vQhXvzbV3Rsl0N4PTmR1YzutkSVlKL3G9yvx-/s1600/IMAG2442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8J3GEEzM4ttFZS6NQZJRBsVnayQ-sBWzDpkahcgdHG2wOwYMcGznM3MsiuR9wnEh80btrCKNvh5kiu2gpUw8A8LuDkXMQhgM5UjMhih3vQhXvzbV3Rsl0N4PTmR1YzutkSVlKL3G9yvx-/s400/IMAG2442.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The actual Bierkeller element of the booze compound is shut, so we instead amble towards the building's third bar, Around the World.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg924_MevnRWgutt4853FftERCAHJZmsPdX0vnQ9shrYIYRKTNddyMZEG6o_SpDiZzXsJjaC7DyA-Zfk-OCMlGgHAb32qQhvfAG1OOk-cmQjEpFRhedP0-KbAoVBoKVZT98UmWND7ZL-VyV/s1600/IMAG2441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg924_MevnRWgutt4853FftERCAHJZmsPdX0vnQ9shrYIYRKTNddyMZEG6o_SpDiZzXsJjaC7DyA-Zfk-OCMlGgHAb32qQhvfAG1OOk-cmQjEpFRhedP0-KbAoVBoKVZT98UmWND7ZL-VyV/s400/IMAG2441.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The place actually dispenses a fine array of international lagery delights, including Sagres, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada and Super Bock. The decision to stock only beverages beginning with the letter S is, however, a curious one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBithLdS-vTV44joVqHJ47HZ26pEJe18CzCPztxofjth73u86bxnIFewkTzVhG3QO1IhqUHgT73ote_-uTpIm6vcYRd6xNSc7q2lmri3SwYaJ4QRrs9W7mExTYSTNSHp9BrdYSbkb-Z2ic/s1600/IMAG2443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBithLdS-vTV44joVqHJ47HZ26pEJe18CzCPztxofjth73u86bxnIFewkTzVhG3QO1IhqUHgT73ote_-uTpIm6vcYRd6xNSc7q2lmri3SwYaJ4QRrs9W7mExTYSTNSHp9BrdYSbkb-Z2ic/s400/IMAG2443.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
But here's the <i>really</i> alarming thing about the place. The urinals are equipped with a 'beat the goalie' game, which you control by – there's no nice way of putting this – weeing on sensors built into the latrines. <br />
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It's often said that people have low boredom thresholds these days. But not even being able to spend a penny without having some form of entertainment on offer does seem a bit much. <br />
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The Photographer suggests it's taking the piss but is swiftly reminded that this blog would never stoop to making use of such a terrible pun.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-92053343339025709082016-01-06T21:25:00.000+00:002016-01-06T21:25:44.151+00:00Chapel 1877<br />
<b>Churchill Way, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Chapel+1877+Bar+%26+Restaurant/@51.480437,-3.1729693,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb7ac3b90e7:0x94ad54498f926618">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAQZQtbhKwFa5fqItvhMNfJSAfUojfq6KpXlmtvOj8e6az4vhF8MXjv5TFJMuzCQ_gHyxyC026CaqUA1rAvpzwM4sMfKbTQGfb9QKPvjRn4jV1WCygLBKJcvcm0hzqoW0sBRZZghii73v/s1600/IMAG4063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAQZQtbhKwFa5fqItvhMNfJSAfUojfq6KpXlmtvOj8e6az4vhF8MXjv5TFJMuzCQ_gHyxyC026CaqUA1rAvpzwM4sMfKbTQGfb9QKPvjRn4jV1WCygLBKJcvcm0hzqoW0sBRZZghii73v/s400/IMAG4063.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://chapel1877.com/">Chapel 1877</a> is a bar, restaurant and nightclub housed in a former methodist chapel in the unlikely location of the bottom end of Churchill Way.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pPE_YZFQtkc5rCiiIlURLprNBli1NCAZZQ9_ptUegADNJXZ1NhaprragjZ69b-Iult264wZjVzZn0XDM7I65GWB8Iy6Zc9agNuwoWThr9oqkXS9MQjzCk49E9stHp9RP-CnxFMvFELIf/s1600/IMAG4053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pPE_YZFQtkc5rCiiIlURLprNBli1NCAZZQ9_ptUegADNJXZ1NhaprragjZ69b-Iult264wZjVzZn0XDM7I65GWB8Iy6Zc9agNuwoWThr9oqkXS9MQjzCk49E9stHp9RP-CnxFMvFELIf/s400/IMAG4053.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's more about fancy dining than it is straight-up boozing but there are some non-restaurant chairs and tables littered about the place if the sustenance you require is of the liquid variety.<br />
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The idea of having a large leather sofa directly opposite the bar is appealing - you can just yell your order at the barman without even having to get up.<br />
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Some people who have just posh noshed. The wine list runs to eight pages, by the way - remarkable, given that all wine tastes the same to us.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjBIK7a-U0_nuOGaudA0Z3fA5ZvAPByshaj2lpvCYVUnFXSYSuf6UqonZkWoyQbz5shFJCTiDdNFucVRIKXE_Ql71p3Dn7dWflgWJor78_4tanqFxSLFdP8mDwOSivvmOuhVH-PTfIYAH/s1600/IMAG4056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDjBIK7a-U0_nuOGaudA0Z3fA5ZvAPByshaj2lpvCYVUnFXSYSuf6UqonZkWoyQbz5shFJCTiDdNFucVRIKXE_Ql71p3Dn7dWflgWJor78_4tanqFxSLFdP8mDwOSivvmOuhVH-PTfIYAH/s400/IMAG4056.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There's a small terrace area with a good view of that massive junction in front of <a href="http://www.cardiffmasonichall.co.uk/">Cardiff Masonic Hall</a>, making it a good place for spotting old blokes with one trouser leg rolled up.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsC-NQ7EPFcInHJh5pqTizhqAlLwdC8p2-gJEe8hXiZkNaelUdThLv80SeEcGRznc6d3qMRHILkhyphenhyphenpTGm_aQDUm3SFq-rK0l5jybLwVY0Z3EM3RM2Gp6Xi4QJfeN1C5JmsyWe51BMzNJY0/s1600/IMAG4062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsC-NQ7EPFcInHJh5pqTizhqAlLwdC8p2-gJEe8hXiZkNaelUdThLv80SeEcGRznc6d3qMRHILkhyphenhyphenpTGm_aQDUm3SFq-rK0l5jybLwVY0Z3EM3RM2Gp6Xi4QJfeN1C5JmsyWe51BMzNJY0/s400/IMAG4062.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Oh my lord, what on earth's going on here? It's like it's from a particularly naff range of 1980s Athena posters, with added tribal tattoos. It might just be the worst thing my eyes have ever seen.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-8823121856245178892015-06-26T12:36:00.001+01:002015-06-26T12:36:59.628+01:00The Cambrian Tap<div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm;</style></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-style: normal;">51 </span><i><span style="font-style: normal;">St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/51+St+Mary+St,+Cardiff+CF10+1AD/@51.4780191,-3.1772977,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb16fa2f0f7:0x66d6357cb8115617">[map]</a></span></i></b> </div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7f6A7K-wHxDaIlAPxH04zbyece2gdkB_SwW49aCOkkm-apQPUTV3AJrRICYAnPwqdhHnt5kCbr7MvW_BloRVcoZjojR7PU6759HoNq0EEQD9_FXnphzQYbjP76BoMbFc_KoZ3vFucPJe/s1600/IMAG4480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio7f6A7K-wHxDaIlAPxH04zbyece2gdkB_SwW49aCOkkm-apQPUTV3AJrRICYAnPwqdhHnt5kCbr7MvW_BloRVcoZjojR7PU6759HoNq0EEQD9_FXnphzQYbjP76BoMbFc_KoZ3vFucPJe/s400/IMAG4480.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Call it the <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/urban-tap-house.html">Urban Tap House</a> effect, if you like. What was, until recently, unloved Irish pub <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/kitty-flynns.html">Kitty Flynn's</a> is now craft ale hostelry <a href="http://www.thecambriantap.com/">The Cambrian Tap</a>. </div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhLm7_4yAHjBV4CkleF5neJYR3pqBmyj4dXjzqR1qfP3SwTbQSzzNjoAa_AKlo-RURW0F6lb4__cy29wV4S226qrimlsvEUDQR0VnhSqOXBcg3m1xz6nJoOLSsgsJnANdHrICBGU4EiYD/s1600/IMAG4456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhLm7_4yAHjBV4CkleF5neJYR3pqBmyj4dXjzqR1qfP3SwTbQSzzNjoAa_AKlo-RURW0F6lb4__cy29wV4S226qrimlsvEUDQR0VnhSqOXBcg3m1xz6nJoOLSsgsJnANdHrICBGU4EiYD/s400/IMAG4456.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">As is the way with these places (lit by de rigueur filament light bulbs, obv), there are all sorts of beers on tap that no one's ever heard of. </div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We opt for a couple of pints of Almond Butter Gear Shift Cable Doppelbock. And very nice it is too.</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI06XFP-q3HgpNZDScLGjvsXxFBf6z-H3QQqI4hIP0bHBohpZofoQjAHtw__BIcV_sj0BR8ZqwHnsH7M12E563B9-aRTu4ELSt5uK-bBSwETZDdhCysxZR7mXZjjNUDAY1FNpCAUcnnNH/s1600/IMAG4464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQI06XFP-q3HgpNZDScLGjvsXxFBf6z-H3QQqI4hIP0bHBohpZofoQjAHtw__BIcV_sj0BR8ZqwHnsH7M12E563B9-aRTu4ELSt5uK-bBSwETZDdhCysxZR7mXZjjNUDAY1FNpCAUcnnNH/s400/IMAG4464.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Excellent pouring technique there.</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcehyphenhyphenNhlp6IKyUSP9WuIQNrVSmbMsdXT-l4alKLBGW4iAmYo69-OK4EOQlRJM86EQd-ZJQzl09yWDdITRvIXZLSqg4jPXs3LWtyhb3mGSTLQh7finynkDgQZoVkyekvMElDwy7U2Hczp9u/s1600/IMAG4467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcehyphenhyphenNhlp6IKyUSP9WuIQNrVSmbMsdXT-l4alKLBGW4iAmYo69-OK4EOQlRJM86EQd-ZJQzl09yWDdITRvIXZLSqg4jPXs3LWtyhb3mGSTLQh7finynkDgQZoVkyekvMElDwy7U2Hczp9u/s400/IMAG4467.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Employees are required to clock in and out using this antiquated device. Which does seem to be taking vintage chic to somewhat ridiculous lengths, if you ask us. </div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoqaE4_d01qsRtzP2-F-SolBxmjSSUVlXrYor8vtkqwDWu95v91njlUFVyvOHsqyuWHlT2e76hyyh8bkPsfM2vausTP384V7l1-2tMV8o6l4hjxh-wwJ39AvdbEZBNnBmkrIumQ4cKAi4/s1600/IMAG4473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwoqaE4_d01qsRtzP2-F-SolBxmjSSUVlXrYor8vtkqwDWu95v91njlUFVyvOHsqyuWHlT2e76hyyh8bkPsfM2vausTP384V7l1-2tMV8o6l4hjxh-wwJ39AvdbEZBNnBmkrIumQ4cKAi4/s400/IMAG4473.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We do like a booth but, if you want to squeeze four people into one of them, you have to be on very good terms indeed. </div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIHXA5HT7TP3VbE2dOSLxtBob7pmizxkdYdtltQIcYKXr-mz8ZV5IBtMdnpOopcAu4wWWunuIgLIcDRGFv0UTgNDBLDAKITxY8yXkEahd8Q127JIUwLd8SDcKp8CRJEkuxeft01YN-BRq/s1600/IMAG4478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIHXA5HT7TP3VbE2dOSLxtBob7pmizxkdYdtltQIcYKXr-mz8ZV5IBtMdnpOopcAu4wWWunuIgLIcDRGFv0UTgNDBLDAKITxY8yXkEahd8Q127JIUwLd8SDcKp8CRJEkuxeft01YN-BRq/s400/IMAG4478.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The loos: the ultimate end point of any brewing process. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHCjaq3O9UsqWyYS8n8NqbXEQQQ4NLj1VxqXEgzSyKLg3h-prjcjuDmbi5nCMYq8rAW5p4dFXJRRo4wx6XlAmXNR4opvoYlYbzHeUr_e2yr7JhnNKyxkitBlvdKZ6BL4yCApmgOOQxpZX/s1600/IMAG4469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHCjaq3O9UsqWyYS8n8NqbXEQQQ4NLj1VxqXEgzSyKLg3h-prjcjuDmbi5nCMYq8rAW5p4dFXJRRo4wx6XlAmXNR4opvoYlYbzHeUr_e2yr7JhnNKyxkitBlvdKZ6BL4yCApmgOOQxpZX/s400/IMAG4469.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The long, narrow shape creates a slightly awkward space but they've made the most of it. Not least because, on particularly busy evenings, the staff actively encourage drinkers to crowd-surf their way from the door to the bar.</div><div class="western" style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
Although crowd-surfing while holding aloft a pint of Almond Butter Gear Shift Cable Doppelbock turns out to be much easier said than done (and it's not even that easy to say).</div><p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-82490312673905067812015-05-30T10:44:00.001+01:002015-05-30T10:44:05.272+01:00Artigiano<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <style type="text/css">P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; </style></div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><style type="text/css"> </style></div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>115 Queen Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/115+Queen+St,+Cardiff+CF10+2BH/@51.4828197,-3.1731474,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb9d65cda4b:0xc1858d506fe6b3f8">[map]</a> </b></div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw91zWs_U7sKXIID-OvQGcDE01grTimondJFhRNo-a2UjdrIPBxORI-LpZI6ZT0QVIlkSX-0uo5zjvUaDJ_WZ8rU_7icfPa3KuuU_FqBUE_mxM1q3nh6mmZbYonr4R6kp0zFAYlkgR6ZGp/s1600/IMAG4047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw91zWs_U7sKXIID-OvQGcDE01grTimondJFhRNo-a2UjdrIPBxORI-LpZI6ZT0QVIlkSX-0uo5zjvUaDJ_WZ8rU_7icfPa3KuuU_FqBUE_mxM1q3nh6mmZbYonr4R6kp0zFAYlkgR6ZGp/s400/IMAG4047.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's not really our natural habitat this, a kind of <a href="http://www.artigiano.uk.com/">indie coffee shop-cum-craft beer dispensary</a> lurking at the wrong end of Queen Street. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNyCTEScKBbn-49io4wjP1r1lB-c66zsNW1tKJ7aOCduijrY9znbE1vdREpWlyYZjdZ4qgH5grvCy54GMK8yo5Q_H3kdnkVYIaER4ElacNEIWNYxJ-Ye_hcSKH7Kh9nKFd9KfqUq7buYR/s1600/IMAG4038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNyCTEScKBbn-49io4wjP1r1lB-c66zsNW1tKJ7aOCduijrY9znbE1vdREpWlyYZjdZ4qgH5grvCy54GMK8yo5Q_H3kdnkVYIaER4ElacNEIWNYxJ-Ye_hcSKH7Kh9nKFd9KfqUq7buYR/s400/IMAG4038.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Indeed, I can't say I'm a massive fan of any bar area in which the falling-down water has to share space with gluten-free cakes, but there you go. There are also paninis and wraps on offer, if you like that sort of thing. <br />
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</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Of course, the only acceptable form of sustenance during a session in the 'Diff is a bag of chips from Caroline Street.</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLsebdKSrpz8sDYQFXq_D4BcYyGHowS-zqsT6t98sn78U7hJTFiNC21i4IaC48UyoA3sTZRqKBB_V0RN3a1ZLeg44fx3KPoXI0pJdBRlquqBeLSApe2sBFScRWBOppQSjmIvVOsf7YM_T/s1600/IMAG4040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLsebdKSrpz8sDYQFXq_D4BcYyGHowS-zqsT6t98sn78U7hJTFiNC21i4IaC48UyoA3sTZRqKBB_V0RN3a1ZLeg44fx3KPoXI0pJdBRlquqBeLSApe2sBFScRWBOppQSjmIvVOsf7YM_T/s400/IMAG4040.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On tap is their own <a href="http://www.artigiano.uk.com/craft-beer.html">craft lager and cider</a>, Estrella and <a href="http://www.charleswells.co.uk/our-company/our-products/dna-new-world-ipa/">Charles Wells DNA</a>. Plus there's wine, a smattering of spirits and - according to my notes - "a fridge full of bittled beers". <br />
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</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">I have no idea what bittled beers are but they sound interesting.</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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On the way in, there's also this extraneous coffee counter (seen here from the balcony). Which is clearly of no use to us. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIG8sRGRnah4xc9VbB5FdFS40DT6GpNshEqjBKrnK2wxO_emFET25LdJ3IHqYXWZfpHyH7YXEZGuw4eDHclBVpsnjCOjVYpojYz4iDko5JYpVn1yLY8w873XII2-e5ndmwFjQUTbQlh7Y/s1600/IMAG4037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIG8sRGRnah4xc9VbB5FdFS40DT6GpNshEqjBKrnK2wxO_emFET25LdJ3IHqYXWZfpHyH7YXEZGuw4eDHclBVpsnjCOjVYpojYz4iDko5JYpVn1yLY8w873XII2-e5ndmwFjQUTbQlh7Y/s400/IMAG4037.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">At this point, and for reasons known only to himself, The Photographer attempts to demonstrate the concept of </span><a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102839/centrifugal-force"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">centrifugal</span></strong></a><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102839/centrifugal-force"> force</a> - by spinning around this almost-full pint glass. The end result being that he pours most of his drink over my shoes.</span> <br />
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</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Still, we learn something from the experience: </div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>1.</b> A little knowledge is a dangerous thing</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b>2.</b> Never go drinking with The Photographer without a change of socks</div><p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-19640132068069868352015-02-04T17:11:00.000+00:002015-02-05T10:17:26.165+00:00BrewDog<br />
<b>31 Westgate Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/31+Westgate+St,+Cardiff+CF10+1EH/@51.4789904,-3.1793638,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb1bb6cd1fd:0x4c787189269e8912">[map]</a></b><br />
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Next stop, <a href="http://www.brewdog.com/bars/cardiff">BrewDog</a> - a bar so hipstery you're only allowed in if you're sporting a waxed moustache and a pair of tweed breeches, while riding a fixed-gear unicycle. <br />
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Fortunately, it's a look The Photographer has recently adopted (and, in fact, pulls off with some aplomb), so we make it through the door without incident.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQzU4cI_STkWHEd8QnZN4Rnj6fN8bqDq7K-ppEkUHU28b70YhMQ0SMw0fz9FRREEoE3Y3FqvQe2YEjDXocxdgwjhyphenhyphenlbdwsqdrlEeiUTgtNSmkbpkMXvJOaoImRBpjvSlqjZJU6XEefB5Q/s1600/IMAG2639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQzU4cI_STkWHEd8QnZN4Rnj6fN8bqDq7K-ppEkUHU28b70YhMQ0SMw0fz9FRREEoE3Y3FqvQe2YEjDXocxdgwjhyphenhyphenlbdwsqdrlEeiUTgtNSmkbpkMXvJOaoImRBpjvSlqjZJU6XEefB5Q/s1600/IMAG2639.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Most of the drinks here are produced by BrewDog - "Beer for punks", as they put it - so it's more <a href="http://www.brewdog.com/beer/5am-red-ale">Five AM Red Ale</a> (at £4.55 a pint, no less) than Foster's. <br />
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A lot of their stuff is in the six to seven per cent range and only comes in half or two-thirds of a pint measures. Something to do, we presume, with encouraging drinkers to appreciate the flavour and quality of the grog as opposed to simply downing industrial quantities of cheap, tasteless lager. <br />
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It'll never catch on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYxLSviJeEguCPTZQnO2ifTwqp6m-nxMEXfUWaP9PZo2hiC0qW_qjZPJpLdVceSPJpRyywgnL9Evu4kMETsYchCXWuwARKnLUYChimSAE32YngT4bccyc7ECrf0FIy1W5FYCwCY6aZzuZ/s1600/IMAG2642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYxLSviJeEguCPTZQnO2ifTwqp6m-nxMEXfUWaP9PZo2hiC0qW_qjZPJpLdVceSPJpRyywgnL9Evu4kMETsYchCXWuwARKnLUYChimSAE32YngT4bccyc7ECrf0FIy1W5FYCwCY6aZzuZ/s1600/IMAG2642.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On the plus side, the place does attract a slightly higher class of clientele than, say, <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/prince-of-wales.html">the 'Spoons down the road</a>. Indeed, just out of shot is <a href="http://alaindebotton.com/">Alain de Botton</a> who, we learn, is particularly partial to a <a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/brewdog--oskar-blues-shipwrecker-circus/233447/">Shipwrecker Circus</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHpwWRq64ReVz_4XllrZ8P54oFzkiO4M2s402nk9hAwHzwlcdNrHG5DnHxtmvlmSrkwXmJ-STCesYO_ZV-4a1RsyLjE2zOQOq9QT9yB1Y9Gsu4y4ny4-3Y9Vq0bBm-Emiv4JSir7EvrZ9/s1600/IMAG2651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMHpwWRq64ReVz_4XllrZ8P54oFzkiO4M2s402nk9hAwHzwlcdNrHG5DnHxtmvlmSrkwXmJ-STCesYO_ZV-4a1RsyLjE2zOQOq9QT9yB1Y9Gsu4y4ny4-3Y9Vq0bBm-Emiv4JSir7EvrZ9/s1600/IMAG2651.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This booth isn't actually that big - it's just that those two men are very, very small.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkYZyiIujmUPTyf_-fw00ojqbUdEDeXHTZTrtbcVkoIEtrvWsJmnKYfUHiRFmAA4B7jyym-QPE775YLrBDJhP_Unars7mzmaVO88UEM2p1YuLt7qxYKGt-NWVIjS8LVSVhXIGWATC-6Et/s1600/IMAG2648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkYZyiIujmUPTyf_-fw00ojqbUdEDeXHTZTrtbcVkoIEtrvWsJmnKYfUHiRFmAA4B7jyym-QPE775YLrBDJhP_Unars7mzmaVO88UEM2p1YuLt7qxYKGt-NWVIjS8LVSVhXIGWATC-6Et/s1600/IMAG2648.jpg" height="226" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Downstairs is this little nook, housing a sofa and a Nintendo 64 - although the Mario Karting was temporarily put to a stop recently when <a href="https://twitter.com/BrewDogCardiff/status/557946509854273537/photo/1">the TV blew up</a>.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-7997191710551155492014-12-19T10:29:00.001+00:002014-12-19T10:29:40.601+00:00Moose Head Bierkeller<br />
<b>Working Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Working+St,+Cardiff+CF10/@51.480591,-3.1781144,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb0e573daad:0xda68e4c665ba2712">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukeqADLkmCHQ5myyHgrjOb7-4i7YaOjqfKl0GmPAA_zAvZzcpg3WUgqEYWW5-1_MSmKnn5LnSXsI1sFU89dQwS_ojvUI6VHMYTwKRTaD0ngajEXuC7abgp1H4YBsWLHmL-dEL73SCDXQX/s1600/IMAG2905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukeqADLkmCHQ5myyHgrjOb7-4i7YaOjqfKl0GmPAA_zAvZzcpg3WUgqEYWW5-1_MSmKnn5LnSXsI1sFU89dQwS_ojvUI6VHMYTwKRTaD0ngajEXuC7abgp1H4YBsWLHmL-dEL73SCDXQX/s1600/IMAG2905.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
You join us at the Pint of 45 Christmas party, this year hosted by the pop-up bar that's part of the <a href="http://www.cardiffchristmasmarket.com/">Christmas market</a> on Working Street. No expense spent.<br />
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This being the festive season, it's all German beer, Baileys hot chocolate and various things that have been mulled. <br />
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I have no idea what mulling entails but it sounds wrong, doesn't it? We opt for the mulled wine.<br />
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And here it is. Nothing says Yuletide more than a small polystyrene cup of hot booze.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fnL9MuuLr6N3NA-9SRErX80jrp6Z_E0kafLn0iyEt0PUlwxAeZVd5Zd1baeHHrU2xIK42WbtpkTXhIK9owQtC_NUPPPzumacqOHkxkAr4Jji9_kPWYoZdM2GMGCCjXSw8Kmz1TfoFQx3/s1600/IMAG2908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fnL9MuuLr6N3NA-9SRErX80jrp6Z_E0kafLn0iyEt0PUlwxAeZVd5Zd1baeHHrU2xIK42WbtpkTXhIK9owQtC_NUPPPzumacqOHkxkAr4Jji9_kPWYoZdM2GMGCCjXSw8Kmz1TfoFQx3/s1600/IMAG2908.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The attention to detail here is impeccable - they've even imported a live polar bear as an added attraction. What the bloke sitting on it doesn't know is that it's going to have him for tea in approximately three minutes' time.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32dRWKS4axT43Cf2_aXhlD0H9Lr9nA_wiEvSITB2Ssjxc2_OTO2aDFTshp97Nx2SdlOh-SCA6V0JTEnPZRMZz7KDyV9VekbRBoVEoQbH9w0ZXJGgran-S2m9WHx6UdJFofl7HrxIulf6k/s1600/IMAG2909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi32dRWKS4axT43Cf2_aXhlD0H9Lr9nA_wiEvSITB2Ssjxc2_OTO2aDFTshp97Nx2SdlOh-SCA6V0JTEnPZRMZz7KDyV9VekbRBoVEoQbH9w0ZXJGgran-S2m9WHx6UdJFofl7HrxIulf6k/s1600/IMAG2909.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As everyone is patently aware, a moose sporting a festive scarf is a central tenet of the Nativity story.<br />
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Merry Christmas everyone!<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-77248814902916730952014-12-13T12:09:00.000+00:002014-12-13T12:09:36.647+00:00The Mount Stuart<br />
<b>Landsea House, Stuart Place, Cardiff Bay <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Mount+Stuart/@51.462736,-3.166658,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x318f0f326f5764e7">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUnMm7W0GMai2MeXdyo7XUbYEyo-Gn862aMVtFIShRqdfk5OP1q5QsKdyMvczFUIdD2IiM0cKXzNcshTe9pTRwbDK8Byx2xDGbpajpcPQJP5efhvreFg7xM7razrIHdyxy63ZhZftBBk4/s1600/IMAG1760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKUnMm7W0GMai2MeXdyo7XUbYEyo-Gn862aMVtFIShRqdfk5OP1q5QsKdyMvczFUIdD2IiM0cKXzNcshTe9pTRwbDK8Byx2xDGbpajpcPQJP5efhvreFg7xM7razrIHdyxy63ZhZftBBk4/s1600/IMAG1760.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Look at that - it's not so much just another branch of <a href="http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-mount-stuart">Wetherspoon</a> as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaha_Hadid">Zaha Hadid</a>-inspired monument to the joys of daytime drinking.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Gr6EnqHNAS1KPh4u6svmlb7sLguNcLdWNeg-baqlM6faqaaUVyvwt9uVlzdk1Brzw5pE9b2E6cTtZxLGwumiqXyPbCYN02iDPBgdUEO1RuFCCLm5x0tTQHYJEeUY8qpKV9Ki9XlUtuzF/s1600/IMAG1742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Gr6EnqHNAS1KPh4u6svmlb7sLguNcLdWNeg-baqlM6faqaaUVyvwt9uVlzdk1Brzw5pE9b2E6cTtZxLGwumiqXyPbCYN02iDPBgdUEO1RuFCCLm5x0tTQHYJEeUY8qpKV9Ki9XlUtuzF/s1600/IMAG1742.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Fairly hectic at the bar but there are plenty of people serving and we secure our delicious pints of fizzy lager with a minimum of faff. Good old 'Spoons.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6c0sJd1u694ka3Yd8d1nSg-KeQ-XDyct-0WIESEOdV4iKC5pyJE_qIMOy8Gq8B2nk1niJIq2zC6klPaPP_8EZysaak_38oOLnNwwAp77j_zk9JRL-qF3RLXlPP_81LXI33KHMuhcbbi6/s1600/IMAG1745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6c0sJd1u694ka3Yd8d1nSg-KeQ-XDyct-0WIESEOdV4iKC5pyJE_qIMOy8Gq8B2nk1niJIq2zC6klPaPP_8EZysaak_38oOLnNwwAp77j_zk9JRL-qF3RLXlPP_81LXI33KHMuhcbbi6/s1600/IMAG1745.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
While most Wether-outlets are simply big square rooms with horrible carpet and some tables randomly plonked around the place, this looks as if someone's actually thought about what they're doing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_W_FkyqwyH-pwKM7I-IFVU6a0hv_VlDcWWWk_UsJfZa4OEjQ6HKQ15RR7h9DkKROUt54ooxFF9oGh10gjYxMoUOGb7TQpZCtKCBz1zIAUQ-tyYx5uQTcceTrKfsgLOF5fqmtwix8HAwM/s1600/IMAG1746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_W_FkyqwyH-pwKM7I-IFVU6a0hv_VlDcWWWk_UsJfZa4OEjQ6HKQ15RR7h9DkKROUt54ooxFF9oGh10gjYxMoUOGb7TQpZCtKCBz1zIAUQ-tyYx5uQTcceTrKfsgLOF5fqmtwix8HAwM/s1600/IMAG1746.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The upstairs bar is dominated by a fleet of low-flying drones that vaporise anyone who's looking the worse for wear. The Photographer begins to look very alarmed indeed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY10wKp2J4xEtLiK40bo9pgiXw908Oiq98lEfJW8sI4Wyau-0YxettGkXRoWd0T5PhM4A6xxLK8QCGUbSZm4hZs22HPln6vT3lcs86Fkrm4kpar63ALmk38RLnqdxJifoU9_HOEUGVa50/s1600/IMAG1748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsY10wKp2J4xEtLiK40bo9pgiXw908Oiq98lEfJW8sI4Wyau-0YxettGkXRoWd0T5PhM4A6xxLK8QCGUbSZm4hZs22HPln6vT3lcs86Fkrm4kpar63ALmk38RLnqdxJifoU9_HOEUGVa50/s1600/IMAG1748.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
We escape to the balcony. This chap is clearly pleased to see that we've made it out alive.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkm4zhtwJAtb8-kn_XPAzmclK7GPuwoVAK_fSXATofI3ZRG7KZHlzsh4THthlKHrKKNi-UrmECtvh8kB9NjnoJeYx3ZcmgPyBU2oUwLujsNAsGjP8UTdxAMdaw5nqMCc6kdTD6wfX4L24/s1600/IMAG1751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfkm4zhtwJAtb8-kn_XPAzmclK7GPuwoVAK_fSXATofI3ZRG7KZHlzsh4THthlKHrKKNi-UrmECtvh8kB9NjnoJeYx3ZcmgPyBU2oUwLujsNAsGjP8UTdxAMdaw5nqMCc6kdTD6wfX4L24/s1600/IMAG1751.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's almost like a staged PR shot this of people engaged in responsible al fresco drinking - there's nary a single person vomiting into a hedge in sight. Well, The Photographer notwithstanding.<br />
<br />
<i>Our book, A Drinker's Guide to Cardiff, is out now, priced just £2.99. <a href="https://www.graffeg.com/product/a-drinkers-guide-to-cardiff-pocket-series/">Click here</a> to look inside and to order a copy</i><p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-3776598123683128482014-10-12T14:22:00.000+01:002014-10-12T15:07:39.700+01:00Charlie Browns<br />
<b>114-116 St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Charlie+Browns/@51.479859,-3.179534,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb1b2d6b76d:0x9741d8ef1b3426c4">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8RY8ipA9ZEreVYl_0y28k_CF3KyoHtTvAejUK1hdr1yIrE8VO_gf-koS9qZY6PKdYceElnAg2hliqNn9l2AgNE7B1P_mmQOlefcC021EM-9zXUlSDDBqEds50r6-wevSXKd2U2HQwxi1/s1600/IMAG1771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI8RY8ipA9ZEreVYl_0y28k_CF3KyoHtTvAejUK1hdr1yIrE8VO_gf-koS9qZY6PKdYceElnAg2hliqNn9l2AgNE7B1P_mmQOlefcC021EM-9zXUlSDDBqEds50r6-wevSXKd2U2HQwxi1/s400/IMAG1771.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="http://www.charliebrowns.co/">Charlie Browns</a> is perhaps one of the more unlikely drinking spots on <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/St%20Mary%20Street">St Mary Street</a>. It's (literally) an underground bar/club although, with its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBGB">CBGB</a>-inspired banner (just seen, top left), it's clearly presenting itself as being part of the metaphorical underground as well.<br />
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Erm, reading that back, I have no idea what the metaphorical underground is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZbKl4pi11RQPC7cubPcTB4lqt1m9BYNQNhvQRSoNYSvF9WG0OclujeC8cNj9ifQi9kWP3f0Au1QQioafc8sNKXdoT4ShKWiUtIuEQn5SSAv2xBSHNFFBVN8UnosZjsB3ycIWahgbMwNp/s1600/IMAG1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZbKl4pi11RQPC7cubPcTB4lqt1m9BYNQNhvQRSoNYSvF9WG0OclujeC8cNj9ifQi9kWP3f0Au1QQioafc8sNKXdoT4ShKWiUtIuEQn5SSAv2xBSHNFFBVN8UnosZjsB3ycIWahgbMwNp/s1600/IMAG1774.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Don't forget to salute the Jägermeister flag on the way in.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-xynwa5OMfaBT9_ts6gO0cyaJEc81ogO_JPAyiTchjvbUYcwl9PCDIuFDelCwb-OE_fSeZjOvZCA1cUVEfWjqTzCZc4zUsCNnGqtoCSBpMPfr83FqqicBZCG8MpzDQHFInX54JUbRMAi/s1600/IMAG1778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-xynwa5OMfaBT9_ts6gO0cyaJEc81ogO_JPAyiTchjvbUYcwl9PCDIuFDelCwb-OE_fSeZjOvZCA1cUVEfWjqTzCZc4zUsCNnGqtoCSBpMPfr83FqqicBZCG8MpzDQHFInX54JUbRMAi/s1600/IMAG1778.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Good unpretentious fare at the bar: Carlsberg, Carlsberg Export and - if you're feeling particularly la-di-da - cans of Stella.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6hC5WmkhVQGfxV5-14TL0xtly1ui1Rnn0B74Xy6XtuNnAhL5ZnczrAyB3SDLrgpKX9BOhLiHFv-KiwpRVO8OlDk5dAQjTlI4wpCT62SErQigvAn41FBK2rzH7HKe63Ur92CcPhm4UjSM/s1600/IMAG1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD6hC5WmkhVQGfxV5-14TL0xtly1ui1Rnn0B74Xy6XtuNnAhL5ZnczrAyB3SDLrgpKX9BOhLiHFv-KiwpRVO8OlDk5dAQjTlI4wpCT62SErQigvAn41FBK2rzH7HKe63Ur92CcPhm4UjSM/s1600/IMAG1785.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
There's free use of an Xbox 360 although, as the note stuck to the front of the metal locker in which it's encased makes clear, "There are some simply rules." <br />
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These simply rules include having to 'exchange' your driving licence or passport for a controller at the bar. Which, frankly, seems like a bit of hassle in order to have a go on a last-gen version of Kung Fu Panda.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJR230AI3xznQtRBIBmz3OwA_Sn8ubBmrOmd8MQyJqjKMejvVUIqdx55HwlH8THDKFTR-kYmijoA9WU3ScheS0yJusNmydi_CMbyOpX1jpTlNcCSSY3KNHpEPwHwArgzwtl7VJKVgDHQT/s1600/IMAG1780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlJR230AI3xznQtRBIBmz3OwA_Sn8ubBmrOmd8MQyJqjKMejvVUIqdx55HwlH8THDKFTR-kYmijoA9WU3ScheS0yJusNmydi_CMbyOpX1jpTlNcCSSY3KNHpEPwHwArgzwtl7VJKVgDHQT/s1600/IMAG1780.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Take your pick from either a south or west-facing pool table, whichever your preferred cardinal point is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoMBaswKUOrTksrFvduAUtr2mBU4fP1DmSPGng7FtoWeGrI2trmujVkRSUYyHmg51sP_WcV1xrHrMvP7sZGxrVwtaEcXD93q-4z7G-gQaEsqvvRnrCYJ9XeAq7ubK9hWHYaejRcMH4bL5/s1600/IMAG1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoMBaswKUOrTksrFvduAUtr2mBU4fP1DmSPGng7FtoWeGrI2trmujVkRSUYyHmg51sP_WcV1xrHrMvP7sZGxrVwtaEcXD93q-4z7G-gQaEsqvvRnrCYJ9XeAq7ubK9hWHYaejRcMH4bL5/s1600/IMAG1786.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Other entertainment options include the skittle alley they've installed in the somewhat dangerous and unexpected location of <i>directly in front of the bar</i>.<br />
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The woman pictured here has just knocked down five pins and a bloke carrying two pints of lager, a large gin and tonic, and a packet of dry roasted peanuts.<br />
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<i>Our book, A Drinker's Guide to Cardiff, is out now, priced just £2.99. <a href="https://www.graffeg.com/product/a-drinkers-guide-to-cardiff-pocket-series/">Click here</a> to look inside and to order a copy</i><p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-55404156358923484342014-08-10T12:44:00.001+01:002014-08-10T13:14:45.772+01:00The Waterguard<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
<b>Harbour Drive, Cardiff Bay <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Waterguard/@51.462332,-3.161446,16z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e033772ef16d1:0x360b3f9bffc81e54">[map]</a> </b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDzDv46dC_0Z-mQLKHv6961q-easKXgzLSdARWalk6USOQI5vBD7CsznGjSaYudOvhAhqhasdk2vmJY7TkkkxwBKfpVOWipkBRf_axE1wANO-FKJ9qF-vJBs8yt8WaeG680bpzYsutc2v/s1600/IMAG1735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDzDv46dC_0Z-mQLKHv6961q-easKXgzLSdARWalk6USOQI5vBD7CsznGjSaYudOvhAhqhasdk2vmJY7TkkkxwBKfpVOWipkBRf_axE1wANO-FKJ9qF-vJBs8yt8WaeG680bpzYsutc2v/s1600/IMAG1735.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Back down <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Cardiff%20Bay">the Bay</a> then, this time for a visit to the curious environs of The Waterguard, with its Victorian frontage and contemporary, concrete-and-glass, erm, backage. <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG3eIJ9z92WiZhepcHXgVrHKtQYcSw65QnTF4cZSEZvEE6K3b-vlmZHj0nCdSOpaLKCibq1rcY0bKK9rzitsAiF_tf_JciBBvR1nKbv8KX3aW7bQrDR6yVu_EIFzXTw-zM2QFI8e7g9Xt/s1600/IMAG1720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG3eIJ9z92WiZhepcHXgVrHKtQYcSw65QnTF4cZSEZvEE6K3b-vlmZHj0nCdSOpaLKCibq1rcY0bKK9rzitsAiF_tf_JciBBvR1nKbv8KX3aW7bQrDR6yVu_EIFzXTw-zM2QFI8e7g9Xt/s1600/IMAG1720.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
It's Cardiff's only pub operated by the <a href="http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/">Samuel Smith Old Brewery</a>, which means there's none of your Foster's, Heineken or other reassuringly familiar thirst-quenchers on tap. Instead it's all Double Four and Taddy Lager, which tends to throw people a bit when they enter a Sam Smith's for the first time.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Still, the good news is that their assorted beers are pretty inexpensive (Double Four weighs in at £2.74 a pint). The bad news is that they are prone to sucker-punching you with the most horrendous hangovers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GGHXSwWh6XSRvxS1c2hXNDAvwgf_l4xf8zd3fUO56-VA_QCmtNkKrb_B37980C7rd8vQjgale2igf0lSaHZ0KVVuXei5fBkD1Bz3-xn7Cqnt9pjRyROCOwGREFBjYKiv_fL5nkwJn8Ye/s1600/IMAG1729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GGHXSwWh6XSRvxS1c2hXNDAvwgf_l4xf8zd3fUO56-VA_QCmtNkKrb_B37980C7rd8vQjgale2igf0lSaHZ0KVVuXei5fBkD1Bz3-xn7Cqnt9pjRyROCOwGREFBjYKiv_fL5nkwJn8Ye/s1600/IMAG1729.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
Everything's very spick and span (notwithstanding the smell of vomit on the way in - someone had clearly been going for it the night before). Unfortunately, it's got all the ambience of a dentist's waiting room. </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PuEdPPg_HWhwMXLz4_FSsRdO2ex_S-fKpzlR8BMAdWM5YMi8BkCmsQNgpT9vVnr8bQdPAKWp1lguUuR5G6aqfOA3f285g9cHVQ3Pl08EbQqffCxzzifaerKgDX-kVX4XbmxrGAacketk/s1600/IMAG1725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PuEdPPg_HWhwMXLz4_FSsRdO2ex_S-fKpzlR8BMAdWM5YMi8BkCmsQNgpT9vVnr8bQdPAKWp1lguUuR5G6aqfOA3f285g9cHVQ3Pl08EbQqffCxzzifaerKgDX-kVX4XbmxrGAacketk/s1600/IMAG1725.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
It's sometimes difficult to work out what The Photographer's motives are when he provides shots such as this, knowing full well that I then have to attempt to craft an engaging caption for it. Frankly, "Two-seater sofa adjacent to table with some leaflets on," just isn't going to cut it, is it? </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4nfom6uuVQ4q5piGKcWZEO3H2qfQnGSm8eS1YbDnMySEg7YIIYh6c-8g4gfqZ6XNP9Hs1jTblJklx-XIp-0zpXWzLNuc0ueFNkIUevicuhitevtC5cEjzoFhO9RyX8ps2JxiVn7125bC/s1600/IMAG1733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4nfom6uuVQ4q5piGKcWZEO3H2qfQnGSm8eS1YbDnMySEg7YIIYh6c-8g4gfqZ6XNP9Hs1jTblJklx-XIp-0zpXWzLNuc0ueFNkIUevicuhitevtC5cEjzoFhO9RyX8ps2JxiVn7125bC/s1600/IMAG1733.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
Anyway, moving on, here's the outside area round the back, replete with 'artfully' positioned pint glass. This is basically the whole raison d'être of the place - if the weather's good, you can buy a cheap pint and then go and drink it on the grass outside. Lovely.<br />
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<i>Our book, A Drinker's Guide to Cardiff, is out now, priced just £2.99. <a href="https://www.graffeg.com/product/a-drinkers-guide-to-cardiff-pocket-series/">Click here</a> to look inside and to order a copy</i></div><p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-50020644981197806772014-06-02T13:51:00.000+01:002014-06-02T13:53:08.123+01:00Cosy Club<br />
<b>1 Hills Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Cosy+Club/@51.479846,-3.175801,18z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0xaaed594e9a05efa4">[map]</a></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5yLdrkEBtH7iPTpL4WD5ouWpyV0AlAKfNGiRJn_hyhqkcPcpGbVjF-zmLA8kvUMiitN1IintZMXFBc3zWUvSxlzpVtvbopkUZaPFv1t0VuepIAGQDpB-VQAJiIT5m6EUPt4f9RHGyAcT/s1600/IMAG1234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5yLdrkEBtH7iPTpL4WD5ouWpyV0AlAKfNGiRJn_hyhqkcPcpGbVjF-zmLA8kvUMiitN1IintZMXFBc3zWUvSxlzpVtvbopkUZaPFv1t0VuepIAGQDpB-VQAJiIT5m6EUPt4f9RHGyAcT/s1600/IMAG1234.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And so to shoppers' retreat <a href="http://www.cosyclub.co.uk/cardiff">Cosy Club</a>. Which is neither cosy nor a club but does at least have a nice alliterative ring to it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaoPSBU_2cH0QxRvg-omEIFlkcQCMcTe5wMNNMZwiuTcg4oD87g_Ozw4UN8KdFU1GE_ifPomH3QgfejEmnwXYg5swC8FSQL3W3NmlrtotMSiEQfBkOjuk3pacuKSaTUaHc2pktkXE2dlx/s1600/IMAG1218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaoPSBU_2cH0QxRvg-omEIFlkcQCMcTe5wMNNMZwiuTcg4oD87g_Ozw4UN8KdFU1GE_ifPomH3QgfejEmnwXYg5swC8FSQL3W3NmlrtotMSiEQfBkOjuk3pacuKSaTUaHc2pktkXE2dlx/s1600/IMAG1218.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The whole gaff is on the first floor and is accessed by the weirdest staircase in Cardiff. <br />
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Imagine the design meeting. "Yeah, so what we're going to do, right," goes some beardy hipster fresh out of art college, "is stick a massive gilt-framed painting on the wall of… ahh… that king who had all the wives, surround it with a few other random pictures of… um… some old guys and… er… if there's any space left underneath, fill it in with some coloured planks of wood."<br />
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"Brilliant. You're hired."<br />
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It's tricky sometimes to distinguish between a bar and a barre.<br />
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The main drinking area is all retro lampshades, outsize cushions and leather armchairs so impossibly low you've no hope of getting up from them after a few pints.<br />
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Further on through and there's a separate dining area. If you're into that sort of thing.<br />
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These framed images of <i>Country Life</i> 'lovelies' are, somewhat incongruously, on the walls of the men's loos. Although, to be fair, if you're from the country, you're probably fairly used to the smell of excrement.<br />
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Lenin. (McCartney not pictured.)<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-86231568286410589112014-03-28T11:01:00.001+00:002014-03-28T11:01:52.620+00:00Brewhouse<br />
<b>49 St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/49+St+Mary+St/@51.4777659,-3.1773656,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x486e1cb164f0c681:0xc3d70c2d2bd1a3f9">[map]</a></b><br />
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For ages - probably over a year - we were convinced that <a href="http://www.brewhousecardiff.com/">Brewhouse</a> was a diminutive, independent coffee shop that put on afternoon gigs by wilfully naive folk singers. Kind of like <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8259483.stm">Central Perk</a>, just with less David Schwimmer. <br />
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Not being particular fans of either coffee or acoustic guitars, we always gave it a miss.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWTG9tnCTLnjKjzYetVR_iGJRO74FiXksYAKl-eAG2WlAsJBB0vqE0J_uouB0WeteQ2uWfUcwCwYKEVrwZZfpGX3U-FbjIXlTWO4KrdZAaKEcixZyX3-d27kw3dpuo7KGhEN90kTjewS-/s1600/002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWTG9tnCTLnjKjzYetVR_iGJRO74FiXksYAKl-eAG2WlAsJBB0vqE0J_uouB0WeteQ2uWfUcwCwYKEVrwZZfpGX3U-FbjIXlTWO4KrdZAaKEcixZyX3-d27kw3dpuo7KGhEN90kTjewS-/s1600/002.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Turns out it's a popular booze palace/live music venue of some repute. How little we know.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4F3OrhGczwaXI5PbDW6P4dTkO2w0Pr8xVLGyFHrT0Uw4U0G_pI6JLjaMYCorW4pQEdldOTm1N1R5IANKfNW26koT8fQ0ZtEAtE0oESMAylWRcRSIAwwdgfWHWdPa3xxwwFkgDdlVZHtN/s1600/003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4F3OrhGczwaXI5PbDW6P4dTkO2w0Pr8xVLGyFHrT0Uw4U0G_pI6JLjaMYCorW4pQEdldOTm1N1R5IANKfNW26koT8fQ0ZtEAtE0oESMAylWRcRSIAwwdgfWHWdPa3xxwwFkgDdlVZHtN/s1600/003.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The main room is embellished by a selection of instruments - including a number of large tom-toms - dangling precariously from the ceiling. Which does seem to add an unnecessary element of danger to having a pint here.<br />
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</div>Thankfully, there's less scope for unfortunate drums-falling-on-heads incidents in the upper bar.<br />
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</div>There are murals of various Welsh music icons (and Stereophonics) dotted about the place. Here's Tom doing his thing. We always thought his performances were a bit wooden but this is ridiculous.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-30844561332866566462013-12-20T08:50:00.002+00:002013-12-20T09:05:31.364+00:00Urban Tap House<br />
<b>25 Westgate Street, Cardiff <a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Urban+Tap+House,+25+Westgate+Street,+Cardiff&hl=en&ll=51.479833,-3.181207&spn=0.005499,0.013937&sll=51.481743,-3.174322&sspn=0.010998,0.027874&oq=Urban+Tap+House,+25+WesCardiff&hq=Urban+Tap+House,&hnear=25+Westgate+St,+Cardiff+CF10,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=17">[map]</a></b><br />
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Stumble up Womanby Street these days and, before you reach the assorted pleasures of <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/gatekeeper.html">The Gatekeeper</a> and <a href="http://pintof45.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/dempseys.html">Dempseys</a>, there's beer-and-burgers emporium <a href="http://www.urbantaphouse.co.uk/">Urban Tap House</a>.<br />
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It was opened in September by Newport microbrewery <a href="http://www.tinyrebel.co.uk/">Tiny Rebel</a> and, as the signage suggests, it's very much from the craft-beer-a<span id="goog_893923861"></span><span id="goog_893923862"></span>s-hipster-accessory school.<br />
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As you can see, The Photographer's camera - such as it is - doesn't cope well with bright lights. But we forge ahead nonetheless. We are, after all, professionals. (Aside: we're not.)<br />
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There's none of yer Carlings and Carlsbergs here. It's all Camden Hells Lager, Dortmunder Union Vier and, er, Dirty Stop Out.<br />
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Which is both a delicious smoked oat stout and a harsh-but-fair appraisal of what happens when you drink, let's say for the sake of argument, nine pints of the stuff on an empty stomach. Not that we'd know anything about that sort of thing, you understand.<br />
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It's in the same premises as Fire Island (above) used to be. Tiled bar aside, Urban Tap House is, in many ways, very similar to its predecessor - albeit without <a href="http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/beatbox-bars-1m-debts-unlikely-6094879">debts of £1.2m</a>.<br />
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There's some sort of cask ales thing going on during our visit, which takes us well out of our comfort zone - who can even guess at what Buxton American Rye entails? But when we discover they're all going for £2.50 a pint, it seems churlish not to get involved.<br />
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We may be many things but churlish isn't one of them. <br />
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This is one of those arcade machines that houses loads of retro classics, including Space Invaders - here being played absolutely appallingly. The trick, apparently, is to take out the columns of aliens at the ends first.<br />
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More tips on 35-year-old videogames coming soon.<br />
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Round the side of the bar and you've got these little diner-style booths. Turns out they're not that easy to manoeuvre into following the consumption of a miscellany of cask ales and nine pints of Dirty Stop Out.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-20238222984957639362013-08-22T15:34:00.000+01:002013-08-22T15:34:05.493+01:00Porter's<br />
<b>Harlech Court, Bute Terrace, Cardiff <a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Porter%27s+Cardiff,+Harlech+Court,+Bute+Terrace,+Cardiff&hl=en&ll=51.477922,-3.172045&spn=0.005219,0.013937&sll=51.499264,-3.197126&sspn=0.08346,0.222988&hq=Porter%27s+Cardiff,+Harlech+Court,&hnear=Bute+Terrace,+Cardiff+CF10,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=17">[map]</a><br />
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From the outside, <a href="http://www.porterscardiff.com/">Porter's</a> may well be a nondescript-looking establishment in an unlikely location (it's tucked away on Bute Terrace between <a href="http://www.thebigsleephotel.com/home.asp?hotelid=1">The Big Sleep</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altolusso">an immense block of flats</a>). But its delights are many and varied.<br />
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For one, it's home to Cardiff's smiliest bar person.<br />
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The well-curated array of beers includes Blue Moon, Brooklyn Lager, Modelo, Anchor Steam Beer and this 8.4% Belgian concoction, <a href="http://pauwelkwak.com/Bosteels_Brewery/Home.html">Pauwel Kwak</a>.<br />
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So that patrons aren't tempted to nick the shapely receptacle, you're asked to leave a shoe behind the bar as security. The Photographer, haggler extraordinaire that he is, manages to reduce the deposit down to a hat.<br />
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One (presumably hatless) woman was once so reluctant to remove a shoe that she instead left her wedding ring behind the bar. Which perhaps doesn't bode particularly well for her marriage.<br />
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A side room houses this bijou cinema – themed screenings of a trio of films take place every Sunday. Although due to some sort of licensing quirk, the bar isn't allowed to advertise which films it's showing outside the premises.<br />
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Keep going through the cinema and you arrive at this mini golf course. Which if it wasn't for the photographic evidence to the contrary, I'd be convinced I had imagined after one Kwak too many.<br />
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Nothing like a good table tennis/masturbation gag.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-39126193162238131802013-05-24T14:26:00.000+01:002013-05-24T14:46:33.972+01:00The Bunker<br />
<b>60-61 St Mary Street, Cardiff <a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=The+Bunker,+60-61+St+Mary+Street,+Cardiff&hl=en&ll=51.47712,-3.176808&spn=0.005219,0.013937&sll=51.477145,-3.176866&sspn=0.010438,0.027874&gl=uk&hq=The+Bunker,&hnear=61+St+Mary+St,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=17">[map]</a></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.thebunkercardiff.co.uk/">The Bunker</a> is, ostensibly, a sports bar. But in both name and presentation it's more like a fortified compound in which to take shelter from the impending apocalypse. (Otherwise known as a Saturday night on St Mary Street.)<br />
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It does a fine line in beverages that no one has ever heard of. Indeed, Backyard Retro sounds more like some sort of seizure-inducing moonshine than it does a legitimate lager-based product.<br />
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We order two pints of Backyard Retro.<br />
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The 'sports' aspect of proceedings comprises some darts on the telly (which, let's be honest, is a game not a sport) and the fact that there is enough open space to accommodate gymnastic floor routines.<br />
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Which is, it transpires, what those two kilted blokes on the right are limbering up for.<br />
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The gymnastics judges go on to have a rather heated discussion about scores at the bar. It's a close call but, in the end, Kilted Bloke #2 gets the nod and is through to next week's live final.<br />
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Incongruously, there's a collection of photos on the wall of former wrestler <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bret_Hart">Bret 'Hit Man' Hart</a>. Nothing like being able to gaze at a greasy-haired man clad in pink Lycra while supping your pint.<br />
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There's also a photo of Paula Radcliffe shitting herself.<br />
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They've thoughtfully created a little waiting area outside the loos. It doubles as a good place for a quiet lie-down if you've overdone it on the moonshine.<br />
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This is The Blue Room. <br />
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What happens in The Blue Room stays in The Blue Room.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-55141165270751638532013-03-10T14:23:00.000+00:002013-03-10T14:23:42.277+00:00Mordaith<br />
<b>8-16 Park Place, Cardiff <a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Mordaith,&hl=en&ll=51.4832,-3.175006&spn=0.005218,0.013937&hq=Mordaith,&hnear=Park+Pl,+Cardiff+CF10,+United+Kingdom&geocode=FYqeEQMdhobP_w&t=m&z=17">[map]</a></b><br />
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Hmmm… anywhere that houses large speakers on the outside suggests it's the sort of boozer that isn't really for us. After all, it's not as if they're going to be pumping out, let's say, the new Nick Cave album, is it?<br />
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All this is forgotten though as soon as we establish that there's no queue whatsoever at the bar and that two pints of Beck's can be obtained for a paltry £3.50.<br />
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For somewhere that sounds as if it's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordor">located just east of Gondor</a>, there's a refreshing lack of orcs (well, aside for the one in the middle of the shot gazing listlessly at the football and wondering why it doesn't involve people attacking each other with war hammers).<br />
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Also, we're fairly certain that plasma screens haven't reached <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle-earth">Middle-earth</a> yet. So well done <a href="https://twitter.com/MordaithCardiff">Mordaith</a> for confounding expectations on that front. <br />
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The pattern on the carpet is ideal for impromptu games of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hasbro-98831-Twister/dp/B00851IM1K">Twister</a>, as the bloke on the right is about to demonstrate. Unfortunately, he puts his back out in the process and has to be stretchered off the premises 10 minutes later.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-15510587595652480442013-01-27T13:00:00.000+00:002013-01-27T13:16:34.745+00:00Varsity<br />
<b>199-201 Richmond Road, Roath <a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Varsity,+199-201+Richmond+Road,+Cardiff&hl=en&ll=51.492453,-3.171777&spn=0.005217,0.013937&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=Varsity,&hnear=199-201+Richmond+Rd,+Cardiff+CF24+3BT,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=17">[map]</a></b><br />
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It's taken us a while to get round to doing this branch of <a href="http://www.partyatthepub.co.uk/bars/roath/">Varsity</a>. Probably because each time we're about to go in, we're sidetracked by either the <a href="http://www.wonderlandstudios.ltd.uk/Main.aspx">dance studio</a> above or the Indian restaurant to the left. <br />
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Or both, as happened on one particularly memorable day last autumn. Suffice to say, don't ever attempt to perform an extended <a href="http://www.louiespence.com/">Louie Spence</a>-inspired routine having just consumed a tandoori mixed grill.<br />
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Tempting as the offer of a full English breakfast for £1.99 sounds, it's a price point that does force you to consider the provenance of cut-price sausages - a thought process that is, frankly, best avoided. We play it safe and stick with the booze.<br />
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My notes for Varsity read, in their entirety, "Cheap. Students." <br />
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But we like the place - there's a sprightly atmosphere and, if you're on the batter, the fact of Brains coming at £1.79 a pint is (quite literally) staggering news. Five-and-a-half pints for under a tenner!<br />
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We figure at those prices, we might as well go for it and order 22 pints of the stuff.<br />
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Some time later, The Photographer - arrows fan that he is - decides that he really fancies a round of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darts#Killer">killer</a>.<br />
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Fortunately, a vigilant member of staff sees him lurching across the room towards the gaming area and promptly confiscates the darts, fearing that the contest's name may prove to be all too accurate.<br />
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Handily, they've built a special bar for the exclusive use of patrons who are so hammered they are unable to remain upright. Which may or may not have come in handy for The Photographer - I couldn't possibly comment.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7066752539497076804.post-20312532066134503032013-01-04T12:52:00.000+00:002013-01-04T12:52:24.322+00:00Ffynnon Wen<br />
<b>Thornhill Road, Thornhill <a href="https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Ffynnon+Wen,+Cardiff&hl=en&ll=51.536593,-3.204982&spn=0.005192,0.013937&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=Ffynnon+Wen,&hnear=0x486e02d434ec53f5:0x143406db6586670e,Cardiff&cid=0,0,13540965050937664450&t=m&z=17">[map]</a></b><br />
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It's like two pubs in one, the <a href="http://www.ffynnonwenpub.co.uk/">Ffynnon Wen</a> (which, <a href="http://translate.google.com/#cy/en/Ffynnon%20Wen">according to Google Translate</a>, means 'Ffynnon Wen' in English - thanks Google). <br />
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The first bit you get to is like an extravagant bungalow.<br />
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And then there's this cottagey section, which dates from the 17th century. The bollard by the entrance doesn't really add to the period charm but there you go.<br />
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We head to the bar to once again put our livers on the line. A word of advice: you really need to watch out for that beam.<br />
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It's difficult to tell as much from this photo but it's actually only just over 5ft high. Forget to duck in time (easily done if you're well on your way to being blootered - as we inevitably are) and it'll take your head clean off.<br />
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The Wen is big on food - as you can tell by the generous array of wicker baskets full of dressings and the like. <br />
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That said, we're advocates of sauces being supplied in squeezy bottles as opposed to individual sachets, which only create a large amount of condiment-based admin when really you want to be tucking straight into your burger and chips.<br />
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They're just about to close this area for some sort of private function. Whatever's taking place, we're certain that condiment-based admin will be involved.<p></p>Pint of 45http://www.blogger.com/profile/16916463493242012567noreply@blogger.com0