Ffynnon Wen

Thornhill Road, Thornhill [map]

It's like two pubs in one, the Ffynnon Wen (which, according to Google Translate, means 'Ffynnon Wen' in English - thanks Google).

The first bit you get to is like an extravagant bungalow.

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.

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.

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.

The Wen is big on food - as you can tell by the generous array of wicker baskets full of dressings and the like.

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.

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.

Nine Giants

Thornhill Road, Rhiwbina [map]

Don't even think about trying to sneak into the Nine Giants unobserved. There are so many security cameras on the go, it's like entering the Big Brother house.

Except here you're more likely to spot someone you recognise.

Forget, for a moment, about the none-more-exciting news of being able to purchase a chicken wings sharer with Reggae Reggae Sauce for £5.99.

Focus, instead, on the far more significant fact of us having inadvertently captured a crime in progress: the pilfering - in broad daylight! - of the charity box from the bar. What sort of a heel would do such a thing?

If anyone recognises those thieving fingers, please contact South Wales Police immediately. The safe return of a couple of quid in small change, a few low-denomination foreign coins and some bits of fluff depends on it.

Behind the bar. Just goes to show: working in a pub's not all glamour, after all.

This is the more dining-orientated section, which is given the well-lit, thoughtfully shot photographic treatment it so richly deserves.

And the side in which the proper boozing takes place.

It's populated by pissheads half-watching some sort of sporting activity on the telly (of which they barely understand the rules), in between downing pints, indulging in some light bickering and resolutely failing to eat a proper meal in case it inhibits their appetite for subsequent ales. And that's just us.

One of the problems of going to the pub on a regular basis with The Photographer is that, like a small child, he requires constant entertainment. Luckily, this grabbing machine keeps him quiet for five minutes.

The outside bit. You've got to admire the optimism of whoever erected those huge parasols.

Less optimistic is the person who decided to clamp each of the chairs to the floor with a steel bracket. Mind you, shame they didn't think to do the same thing with that charity box.