WALES - CARDIFF - ASADOR 44 SPANISH GRILL & WINE HOUSE

Aug 6
4 min read

ASADOR 44 SPANISH GRILL & WINE HOUSE

This is a guest review by our friend Siddu Amin

Nestled away on a quiet street in Cardiff, Asador 44 looks unassuming from the cobbled Street as you look into the dark-fronted sash windows.

Owen Morgan’s first venture in this part of the world was a couple of dozen miles down the A48, in the much-desirable market Town of Cowbridge. Bar 44 started this South Welsh collection as a humble tapas bar which delighted locals over a decade ago before it moved to the Welsh capital.

Fast forward to today, and the tapas bar, Hotel and restaurant Trio-Bar 44, Parador 44 and Asador 44, all of which are located within a small radius, are instantly recognisable as Owen’s, with his trademark number 44 suffix.

We visited in July 2026, approximately four years after our last meal here.

The steak here is billed as the Star of the show; there is no doubting that, as the deep, beefy umami aromas hit you as soon as you walk in.

It was a quiet Thursday evening, contrary to what we’d expect in our hometown of London. Perhaps a sign of times of austerity, and certainly not a reflection of the fare on show.

The Team has thought carefully about the layout of the dining area. The space as you enter appears suited to the casual diner. As you move into the interior, the space is ideal for romantics and foodies alike, with a great view of the kitchen and mouthwatering cuts of buey sizzling over hot coals. Away from the Kitchen are the meat hangers and wine fridges, which is where I choose to sit and look adoringly towards, if not obliged by my date - the woman I married nine years ago today.

There are wine bottles from all over Spain, including 44’s own harvest-Uva 44, which make me feel like a kid in a sweet Shop. Towards the end of the meal, we talked with the waiting staff about some of the drops they had on show.

The food. We started with charred sourdough and a Sobrassada butter ( 8 out of 10). This was saturated to perfection with a fruity olive oil.

Alongside this, we had perhaps the best prawn croquetas, in a squid ink breadcrumb, that we had ever tried. To note, we have tried dozens and dozens of croquetas in our time. This was deep-fried to perfection, with whole chunks of juicy crustacean in a light, paprika-creamy filling.

We enjoyed a half bottle of Tantaka Txakoli 2023, made from 100% Hondarrabi Zuri grapes. The vines are 13 years old and are planted at an altitude of 330 meters, in alluvial clay soils over limestone. These vineyards are located in the village of Artomaña, which is part of the Ayala municipality (known as Aiara in Euskara) in Álava.

Our final starter was a truffle salchichon, which literally melted in the mouth (9 out of 10). It was quiet, so service was quick, but that didn’t make us feel rushed.

We opted next for the Welsh ex dairy bone-in steak (7 out of 10). We selected this as we had fond memories of visiting establishments like Casa Julian and Txakoli Simon in the Basque Country, where we have feasted on Galician beef that was similarly aged. This was beautifully aged and cooked, but as a high bar had already been set, the cost at £69 for 600g felt significantly more expensive than its Basque counterpart at €60 per kilo. On another day I could have polished off the entire cut alone. I perhaps wish that I had tried the suckling pig special on the day at £50 for 600g.

Perhaps drawing inspiration from Casa Julian, we had fire-roasted peppers (9 out of 10) and olive oil fries (7 out of 10) as sides to our sharing cut.

To drink, we had a couple of glasses of Bodegas Vallemayor Tempranillo 2024 (D.O.Rioja).

The special board was laden with ice creams and sorbets, so it felt an absolute must. We chose a Santiago tart (9 out of 10), which had a buttery crust and an almond crunch, with a scoop of Pedro Jimenez ice cream (10 out of 10). The flavour and consistency were superb. I wish we had explored this part of the menu a bit more extensively.

To drink, we had a half bottle of Tantaka Txakoli 2023 (100% Hondarrabi Zuri from 13-year-old vines planted at 330 meters high on alluvial, clay soils over limestone. The vineyards are located at 1,082 feet altitude in the village of Artomaña in the Ayala (Aiara in Euskara) municipality of Álava).

All in all, a lovely meal with the perfect hosts. We will certainly return, but as purse strings tighten and restaurant overheads keep rising, it may be another four years until we do so.

This was a guest review by our friend Siddu Amin, celebrating nine years of marriage with his wife Hat, whose parents live in Cardiff. You can see other reviews by Siddu by clicking HERE.