La Brasserie

6 Mill Lane, Cardiff [map]


Pleasant as La Brasserie is (which, as we understand it, is French for The Brasserie), we've always found cafe-bars to be slightly problematic.

There's the sense that you can't just go completely Bacchic without first requesting a helping of croque-monsieur.


Nonetheless, we manage to successfully negotiate the pint-ordering process without being sidetracked by cheese on toast.


You've got to love that use of parentheses and its clarification of the fact that £2.50 will procure you only a single can of Foster's, and not the entire, elegantly arranged display of room-temperature lager.


It's indoors but, with those paving stones and street lamps, feels kind of outdoors too. Even if you haven't been drinking, it's a confusing state of affairs.


Still, there's always something to be said for anywhere that has no queue at the bar.


Right, so we're properly outside now (we think). One can only assume that The Photographer is going for an arty shot of those two pints of Beck's-and-lime (our summer drink of choice).

Unfortunately, what's actually happened is that he's taken a fairly graphic photo of a bloke whose shirt and trousers are clearly that little bit too tight for him.

This, it would seem, is the long-term effect of being obliged to order croque-monsieurs every time you buy a drink.