Anyone that knows me knows that Ibiza has been my second home for over twenty years. From Manumission and watermelons (IYKYK), to being invited to the launch of the first Ibiza Rocks party in a small back room of Privilege, to O (cean) Beach first season, I’ve been lucky enough to experience pretty much all of it. These days you’ll see me now again at a club, but mainly you’ll see me dancing in Pamela’s Pink Terrace at Pikes. So when the legends at Pikes decided this summer they were going to branch out to the Benimussa Hills, my eyebrows were more than raised.

528 is this seasons new offering from Pikes, and is called so, because of the relationship of the healing properties of the frequency 528Hz and the unique magnetic field emitted by the island from Es Vedra. Now, this isn’t the first time Pikes have tried to do something like this – 7 years ago I flew over to see Primal Scream do an outside gig at Pikes, we were all set to rock in the hills, but pesky licensing foiled them a the last minute, so we ended up rocking the night away at Ibiza Rocks hotel instead, but this was looking like it was happening – so I waited for the line up and POW! There is literally something for everyone. Andy Manumission presents Saturday nights with the likes of Lovely Laura, Seb Fontaine and Jon Pleased Wimmin, you’ve got Brunch Electronica, Kaluki, NRG, just to name a few, but the one that made me squeal with delight….. Pikes Presents La Discotheque.

Hate admitting this but I’ve now been on the radio doing ma disco thang for over 12 years, playing it even before that, certainly before it was cool. This was before Glitterbox, so infact it was pretty uncool. For anyone who adores disco as much as I do, is in love with the disco resurgence we’ve now got, and this was perfect! I’d heard of the brilliant work from the La Discotheque collective (may I also say an all female collective!) and was on my list to check out at some point in the UK, but, having them at 528 was a win win for me and tickets were booked!

Heading my way into the hills, you couldn’t wish for a prettier setting. Up in the Benimussa Hills, this one was on the site of the old Zoo Project, except there’s no Zoo’s left here. This place has been Piked! Walking in you know you are part of the Pikes family, with decoration remnant of the classic venue of the stars. The main dancefloor is outside, covered over for when the sun is still shining as entry time is from 6.30 pm.

The line up for the evening was Eats Everything B2B with Horse Meat Disco, Disco Voix feat. Jenna G and Krysko.
I got there about 8pm just as Eats Everything and HMD had just got on the decks.

I don’t think I can tell you in words on this page what an incredible night it was. I always think how the DJ’s on the night include the crowd, can make or break a night. The energy that they put across really makes a difference. EE and HMD without a doubt were loving every second of what they were doing and it showed in the music. Everytime one played a banging tune, the other would try in the best way to out-do that tune. With lots of high fives to each other, hugs and cheers-ing of their wine glasses you could see they were loving every track. The DJs paired with the ever glamourous glitterati known as the La Discotheque Flamingo Performers screamed fun in your face. So lets talk about the music. IT WAS ANOTHER LEVEL. From Prince, to Janet Jackson to Jessie Ware, Disco was the main event and the crowd loved it. People were busting moves like their life depended on it. See the difference between this club night and all the others is that no phones are allowed. They cover your camera lens on entry, and it matters. I have no pictures and I don’t care one bit. There’s no filming, no light shows, no cameras in the air, just pure appreciation and dancing to the music. It was just like going back in time to my old Ibiza. For me this is what Ibiza is about, and La Discotheque and Pikes have got the vibe back that I’ve been craving for such a long time. The fact that you are doing this under the Ibizan starlight, surrounded by beautiful sunsets and scenery, I’m not really sure it can be beaten.

The outside event draws to a close at 10.30, but the night isn’t over. 528 is open until 4am, as then you move to the outside terrace for chill and the indoor club for dancing.
Starting off the club was the exceptionally talented Mix – stress, resident DJ for La Discotheque. Tune after tune after tune, made sure the transition from outside was seamless. She’s an absolute demon on the disco decks. Then La Discotheque treated us to a double whammy as HMD had decided to come back on for the indoor club. I left at 3.30am and they were still going banging out disco mixes to a very appreciative crowd.

So in summary guys, the vibe is exceptional, La Discotheque paired with Pikes presents 528 for me is the perfect combination. Pure unadulturated disco, no phones, dancing until your legs fall off under the ibizan sunset. That’s not all folks though. Pikes fair pricing policy means that this event is (apart from actual Pikes) is the cheapest on the island…. for this incredible experience, its just £25. Not £125 like some of the clubs are charging. Just twenty five of your hard earned pounds. Oh and if your wondering about drinks? It was 10 euro for a glass of wine. I spend more in Cardiff…..

So go. Book your tickets. Go for 24hrs, don’t got to bed, and only go to this and fly home if you have to. But get there. La Discotheque are the closing party for 528 on Sept 16th with a live DJ Set from Basement Jaxx and their residents, and if I wasn’t already booked to go to Italy to review Detour Discotheque I would be there in a heartbeat. If you can’t make that.. they have a night in actual Pikes on Oct 1st too. I just happen to be booked to go over on the 3rd, so a change of flight may just be happening….

However if Pikes Presents 528 with La Discotheque doesn’t come back next year, I’ll personally go into mourning.. thanks to the wonderful Kat for the invite.

To book for 528 and to find out more visit https://528ibiza.com/
To book for Pikes https://www.pikesibiza.com/
To book for La Discotheque UK and Ibiza https://www.ladiscotheque.co.uk/

Photos are all property of La Discotheque and Pikes.

So when my friend Jordan says, “There’s a new menu out, you have to solve puzzles and eat 9 courses and its only £46… wanna go?” The answer was of course YES!
Now I don’t know about you but this girl grew up on the Crystal Maze, so give me a puzzle, paired with food and wine, and i’m in alllll day!

The fantabulous Six by Nico has launched a new problem solving 9 course (plus the option of 2 buy on courses) taster menu. When you walk in, you are armed with an adventurers toolkit, and the journal of Nicolas Bogg, 6BN’s equivalent of Indiana Jones. To say I was excited about it is an understatement

Before the problem solving gets underway, the first three courses are served together tapas style. Featuring a pork croquette, celeriac skewer served with pulled beef and Asian slaw, and a cucumber gazpacho. Small punchy plates with lots of flavour, my handy hint for this course is to leave the gazpacho until the end, as the cucumber is also paired with a citrus twang to it that perfectly cuts through the meaty tastes of the other two courses, and acts as an excellent palette cleanser.

Its kind of strange writing about this one, as I really dont want to give too much away and spoil the quest, but, the next courses take you on a tour of the 6 wonders of the World found by Nicolas Bogg. You are taken to Greece, Rome, Egypt, Asia, Brazil and India, with the food reflecting those countries influence in the tastes of the food too. Each course is a different clue, and you need the clues to solve the puzzle at the end to get to the treasure….

Food wise, for me, I enjoyed every course. The food was fresh to the plate, all with tasty strong flavours. I liked the fact it wasn’t just one country’s influence like the majority of the menus are, so the flavours were totally different for each course. I have eaten at 6BN quite a few times and there’s usually one course I’m a bit meh on as you can’t cater for everyone all of the time, but not this time. For me the stand out dishes were the Statue of Zeus at Olympia which was a Black Olive Beignet, Smoked Beef & Ashed Curds, and the dessert, and, The Great Pyramid of Giza, which was Bee Pollen, Honey Parfait, Sour Yoghurt, Brown Butter & Burnt Citrus. It honestly was soooo good and I’m not a dessert girl at all.

One of the great things about this is that you can do cocktail pairing to the menu, or wine pairing. Jordan went for the cocktails (additional £40) , and I went for the wine pairing (additional £30). I personally think this is a bargain as thats 6 glasses of wine, or 6 cocktails! Our excellent server Jade, was so very good and explained each one for us and why they were paired too (honestly if anyone from 6BN Cardiff is reading this – Jade rules!!!!), but the one downside to the pairing of the courses…. being squiffy does nothing to help the problem solving skills, but we had a fabulous Sunday Funday! 😂😂

My verdict on this is that there’s nothing like it out there and they are definitely on to a good thing here. For me I LOVED the inter-activeness of it all. If you want a quiet meal, maybe wait for one of the other menus in the next couple of weeks, but if you are meeting with friends, or are a couple who loves playing board games or escape rooms.. this menu is for you. By the way, squiffy or not squiffy, we solved the puzzle and got the treasure! 🪙🏴‍☠️
The Six Wonders of the World menu is running until 1st June and to book and check out the menu go to https://www.sixbynico.co.uk/six-wonders/. Be quick though, this one will sell out.

Its a bold definition right? … and something quite out of the ordinary….

So when you first hear the that the new reopened premises on Llandaff Rd has taken it as its name – you hope that the bistro does fully live up to “full, real and detailed” – which for a small bistro is quite a lot to ask!!! So when I was invited to the Thursday soft launch I jumped at the chance to see my new local.

However…. it really does.
Sonder is the first solo venture by exec chef Jake Lewis, who in the past has been the exec chef to the now legendary Pasture restaurants (ref: https://kellyrb.com/2020/10/10/enraptured-at-pasture/)

The bistro will move seamlessly to Brunch, Lunch to Evening with planned ease, offering cocktails, a fresh vibrant menu and an extensive wine menu too.

I went for a starter of Chinese pork belly – with sweet and sour Cantonese sauce and pineapple. For me I love a good sweet and sour and this was an incredible elevated version of just that. Crisp pork crackling, juicy belly pork with a tangy and tarte sauce. I’m just sorry I didn’t have anything to mop that plate with!! For my friends Rob and Jamie, they went for the pizza carbonara fritta and the giant Atlantic king prawn, served with garlic aioli, shellfish bique and lime bread.

The pizza carbonara fritta, was genuinely something like I’d never tasted before (yes of course we all had a bit of each others!! Sorry to Smithy and Nessa for this!)
It had the classic taste of carbonara, but the dough was donut like in texture and a real treat!!!! The giant Atlantic king prawn, was exactly that….GIANT and tasty!! Also, for someone who loves prawns but cannot stand de-shelling them… this is split in half for you to enjoy, something that’s actually really important to my choice making.

After a very successful starter I went for the Cornish monkfish for my mains, served with a wild garlic and pea puree, asparagus and a brown butter cider sauce. I also chose to go with the green salad with dijon vinegarette and aged Caerphilly cheese as a side.
The monkfish was hearty to say the least! Cooked perfectly, despite not ordering a carb side, I was really full, and this was washed down nicely with an Allan Scott sauvingnon blanc.

I think what I’m trying to say here is that I’m really happy that even though they are calling themselves a bistro, I’m really happy that they don’t massively feel like one. The experience I had was restaurant level, with bistro pricing. The portions were excellent, the food varied, and quality ingredients used, and the wine selection had been paired to the menu. In my personal opinion, this is an excellent addition to Pontcanton (definitely should’ve trademarked that years ago!). Do go and support folks, its an addition I’d love to keep! 🙏

It hasn’t really felt right to say anything before, as it’s been tough times lately, but even typing this now, I know that Jay is still my biggest cheerleader up there and would bloody love this!

I’m very pleased to announce I will be playing at the mighty Big Love Festival this year…

I’ll be in the Disco Bar as part of the Bump and Hustle takeover!! To get your tickets to this brilliant festival in South Wales go to http://www.biglovefestival.co.uk! ☀️🎧

I could right an article about the mighty Boomtown, but that would be pointless as I MADE FRONT PAGE OF CULTURE MAGAZINE!!!
I do love writing and to be published doing what I love at a festival, makes me a very happy Kelly!
Mine and Jay’s annual pilgrimage to Boomtown, was a very successful one this year, topped off with an interview with the brilliant and talented Welsh reggae rock legend that is Benji Webbe! To read more visit https://heyzine.com/flip-book/8985cb568f.html

Sept 2023 © Kelly Reardon-Brown

A Bristol Legend has opened in Cardiff

Now, I’ve heard of Pasture in Bristol but I’ve never been there. But I do know it’s one of those restaurants that when someone talks about it they pull a face first. Not a bleurgh face, but one of those roll your eyes in ecstasy and then say wow after…. So I definitely had an expectation of the one in Cardiff.

It’s situated at the Castle end of St Mary’s St, in Cardiff which really is becoming a very popular and on trend area to eat and drink in Cardiff.

So off we popped to see what it’s all about. When I say we …. I mean my good friend Jay Page and I…. Now this was going to be a bit of an interesting one as me? Well I’m as meat eater as you can get, but Jay is Vegan. Yep… so bearing in mind this is a steakhouse they really did have thier work cut out on us.

On entry the host greeted us and we were shown to our table. We had an assigned waitress, which was the brilliant Zade. We ordered on recommendation the house white the 2018 Saint Chinian Petit Paradis
(Languedoc-Roussillon, France 12.5% // 175ml £5.2 // BTL £19) priced very reasonably and very light and fruity in taste.

Although COVID had put it’s restrictions on what would’ve been a launch party, we did manage to get a face masked walk of the floor from Adam the manager. Pride of place sits the Himalayan salt chamber, where all of the meat is dry aged and what to me was important too, was that all meat is free range, pure grass fed, and locally sourced. The space is huge, plenty of tables all socially distanced. There will also be a private bar downstairs, with two private dining areas which will be opened shortly.

To start I went for the short rib croquettes with gochujang aioli. These are meat taken from the tomohawk aged steak, served with a spicy aoili. They were incredible…. And only £5.

Jay, being a vegan usually is limited in his choices but here there are a few to choose from. He opted for the roasted pardon peppers served with
cashew yogurt and shichimi.

Now I love steak 🥩 so I had huge expectations….so I decided not to go for the fillet or the tomahawk. I decided to go for the humble rump steak, as the cheapest on the menu to see how good thier steak was… And yep… I am now one of those people who pull a funny face when they talk about a Pasture 35 day aged steak. Insert all of the ecstasy eyes rolls and feels right here. It was incredible. I chose to have mine with the Mac and Cheese …. Again amazing. There’s a full menu of sides and extras to choose from, with plenty of veggies and options if you decide to be a bit more healthy than me!

Now. The Vegan.

Again there’s a few veggie and vegan options but Jay went for the impossible steak. As a non vegan, to me this was freaking magic. It’s a watermelon steak smoked and cut and cooked until it tastes and looks like meat. It’s literally sorcery.

Guys, there is literally zero fault with this place. The decor, the safety, the service, the incredible food, the huge bar menu and the awesome menu for vegans and veggies too. The legend really does exist.

To book and browse the menus visit https://pasturerestaurant.com/locations/cardiff/

The Botanist has arrived.

Well I don’t pretend to know my Tiger Lily from my Weeping Willow, but I know something of beauty when I see it.

I was a lucky girl and got a sneak peek of the new Botanist on Church Street before it opens it’s doors for its launch on Thursday.

As you walk in, you get a sense of the transformation the building has gone through and are greeted by bubbling light fittings and lush greenery… But walk up the stairs and you know these guys mean business.

I visited the Savoy just before Xmas and this place is genuinely on par and reminds me of it…. Anyone’s who has been will know what I mean when you see it.

There’s a huge bandstand in the middle of the room with a big grand piano. There’s a water feature river running through the main room with a bridge built to cross it…..all while they’ve managed to make smaller areas so it doesn’t feel vast. As you move to the back of the first floor, there’s a private dining suite, perfect for parties.

I was treated to tasters off the menu… And what a treat it was. Baked camembert served in a loaf, meat and cheese sharing platters, calamari…. But the one that stole the show for me was…. The garlic bread!!!!! I don’t know how they do it, but it’s incredible and you have to try it!!!!

There’s a large menu of drinks, and I was made their wonderful version of an ameretto sours which was delicious. Price wise house wine comes in at £18.95 for a bottle.

We then moved upstairs…. And what a surprise. There’s a huge outside terrace. This place is going to be amazing for the summer months. It’s got a stage in the corner, and doors that pull back revealing the long bar that stretches right the way round.

So in summary. This place is huge, but very cleverly designed. It’s also truly beautiful. There’s a full drinks menu, and food menu for everyone to enjoy. So whether you want live music from a grand piano or a giant roof garden with live bands, this place has something for literally everyone. I can’t see how the botanist can’t work. It’s awesome.

It’s got to be one of the most anticipated openings in a very long time in Cardiff. At one point we weren’t even sure it was going to happen, with the original premise not going ahead, Cardiff has been waiting with baited breath to see if we really were going to get an infamous Ivy on our doorstep.

And guys, it’s all it’s cracked up to be. They’ve spent £4.2million on the venue, and it’s as lavish as you had hoped.

The decor is sumptuous and oozes luxury. The marble and mirrored bar is topped by a dragon masterpiece sculpture, and the ladies toilet has its very own sculpture of Venus …. It’s really is that awesome.

There are two floors for dining and drinking, with both tables and seats at the bar.

There is a private dining room at the back too that seats 24-30 people, exploring the height of luxury within Cardiff, with an extravagant 3k minimum spend.

However, you may expect this to make the experience expensive… And quite frankly it isn’t.

After being invited to the opening night and seeing this beautiful addition to the city, I couldn’t wait to eat here.

I was invited to a breakfast sitting, and was gobsmacked on how reasonable the food prices were.

I opted for a classic Eggs Benedict which is priced at a super reasonable £8.50, as well as a toasted crumpet served with Marmite butter at £3.50.

These prices are further mirrored in their A la Carte menu for the day and evening, with the famous Ivy Shepard’s Pie reasonably priced at £14.50, with the roast fillet of Salmon coming in at £16.25. The food is of same standard as your surroundings, really excellent……. and there is also a seperate vegan and vegetarian menu too… There is so much choice!

The drinks menu is vast. With breakfast, I opted for a coffee at a normal £3.95, but a beer for dining starts at £4.95 and a glass of wine starting at £5.95.

This is not what I was expecting whatsoever. The service is incredible, and the surrounding superb, but I can firmly say they’ve kept their pricing accessible for what will obviously become a destination venue for the city. It also has a 1.30am licence for drinking and a DJ stand upstairs, clearly stating that they are not just going to be a restaurant either. We are talking the full dinner, drinks and dancing here.

The Ivy Cardiff has it all. Amazing service, amazing decor and amazing pricing. Cardiff is well overdue something like this in a capital city, and it’s super welcome addition in my book. Long may it reign. KRB xx

Photo courtesy of Tamsin Symonds

All content is ©️Kelly’s Adventures and Kelly Reardon Brown