Opening date for new restaurant in Cardiff's coolest suburb announced

A renowned chef is opening a new modern Welsh restaurant in Cardiff this May. Newport's Tom Waters, will be opening his first permanent venture in the heart of Pontcanna in the spring.

Pontcanna is well known as a great place for foodies to enjoy quality food and is packed with places for brunch, coffee and high-end dining - it was recently rated as one of the UK's coolest postcodes in the UK, more on that, here. Gorse will be making a home for itself in the former location of longtime Pontcanna favourite, Kemi's and dog cafe, Fido Coffee.

With Gorse, Tom will be making the most of his Welsh roots in curating a menu full of local produce for the opening on May 28. Tom has showed off his talents at multiple pop-ups around Cardiff including nearby Ground Bakery and Llandaff's Insole Court, but Gorse will be his first permanent restaurant. Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.

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His modern Welsh menus utilise Tom’s close relationships with local growers, fishers and farmers. He will be bringing local sourcing that has defined Tom's culinary ethos, with multi-course tasting menus showcasing the best of Welsh produce.

Tom grew up in south Wales but earned his stripes working in prestigious London kitchens, including stints at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck, The Square and Bonhams. He is now transforming what once was a coffee shop into an intimate dining room and open plan kitchen, collaborating with local design agency Karna.

When we spoke to the 32-year-old back in 2023, Tom told us his route into becoming a chef wasn't your normal journey and he only really became interested in cooking after university and a chance reply from Bryn Williams changed everything. Tom told us: ""I just tried to get in there with passion," he remembers, adding how Bryn Williams "was one of the few people that wrote back and said: 'Yeah, come and have a go'." He adds: "[I was there for] two and a half years with Bryn. He completely shaped the way I view cooking and he basically just harboured me into becoming a chef really. Went on to work at The Square and The Phill, which was amazing, and it went from there really."

Gorse will be opening on Tuesday, May 28 on Kings Road in Pontcanna, a hotspot for Welsh foodies. Bookings are now open for reservations starting on the day of opening. Visit here to book.