Gwdihw

6 Guildford Crescent, Cardiff [map]


Understated is probably the best way to describe the exterior of Gwdihw. Well, understated and brown.

It's tucked behind the CIA although, unless you're staying at the Ibis over the road, it isn't a place you're likely to stumble across.

Which is a shame. After all, where else in Cardiff will you find a bar with an owl motif perched above the door? It's all very Bohemian Grove.


Nothing will quite prepare you for the, shall we say, eclectic design aesthetic that assaults you when you step inside.

It's reminiscent of a particularly experimental episode of Changing Rooms - you know, where the people whose house it is burst into tears when they see what Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has done to their front room.


Sort of like the Mona Lisa, this. Wherever you stand, it's always looking at you.


Our amble towards the, erm, 'bar' was a disconcerting experience. Peroni (at £3.50 a pint) is the single draught beer and there's clearly a greater emphasis on sandwich fillings than there is on grog.

By the way, check out tea&biscuits if you actually want to know what the food is like.


Mmmm, nice pint of lager and a sit down. Sticking a pleather sofa right in front of a radiator is never a good idea though.


Shitting hell. As if the stag's head wasn't terrifying enough.