Hang Fire Southern Kitchen, Barry

Remember me? I'm sure that I used to be a food blogger, once upon a time! This year has been completely crazy. I've started a new job and had so much going on, that Sun Sea & Sara has taken a bit of a back seat. Lots of food and adventures since you last saw me, that's for sure. I've been taking photos and posting up on Instagram, so hopefully I'll try and catch up on the blogging!

I've been so busy in fact, that I've managed to visit the incredible Hang Fire Southern Kitchen twice and somehow not told you all about it yet. So grab a beer and prepare to get very hungry...

It's worth the wait that you'll inevitably have for a table. They're still so busy that they're very often fully booked, and unfortunately I live just too far away to risk a walk in. However, I'd wait months (impatiently, granted) to get my hands on these Louisiana hot wings again. They have this addictive spicy, almost vinegary sauce on them and I can't get enough. I had them on both visits...and now I'm writing this again I'm off to book another table for a third batch.

I'm trying so hard to describe how good these are, but you just have to try them for yourself. Whilst gesturing to everyone else on the table about how spicy and juicy they are, with hot sauce dribbling down your chin.

I'm getting ahead of myself here though. Just in case you've been living in a cave for a couple of years and haven't bought any food from a truck recently, let me fill you in on the Hang Fire story (short version). Sam & Shauna are two awesome chicks who gave up their careers to eat their way around the US of A in search of the most badass barbecue and bring it back to Wales. They've really been the firing force behind the Cardiff street food movement, and still are. 2016 has seen the opening of their first restaurant down the at the beautiful Barry waterfront, which is going from strength to strength, while still maintaining a presence on the street food scene.

Number one rule on the day of your visit: Don't eat a thing all day.

If you're going for starters, get the hot wings. I don't care about anything else. But if you're not feeling spicy, the lil cheeky pies are a cute plate to share.

On my first visit, my friend and I (who is my equal in stomach filling ability) knew there was only one option. The Big Pit Plate. A sharing plate for two. Or should I say plates.

The meats: Brisket, St Louis ribs, Andouille sausage, Carolina style pulled pork. Oh and a little pot of glorious burnt ends and pickles.

The Hang Fire ribs are indescribable if you haven't tried them yourself. Smoked low and slow the Hang Fire way, with the pink smoke ring and the dry rub on top. Melt in your mouth good, the meat just falls off the bone. Ditch the forks and get stuck in.

Oh and the pulled pork. Oh and the brisket. Oh it's just all so good. I might not have blogged in a while but I really am all out of words to describe this barbecue heaven that is HF. Just go and eat it all. Except those juicy burnt ends...they're mine. Prepare to fight your whole table over those.

Nothing at HF is an afterthought. Even the carb tray was a fantastic mix of sides. A pot of slaw and pit beans each, a slice of cornbread and perfect chips. The light and tangy coleslaw recipe is in their book (available on Amazon, but I got free with a £20 hug), I made it for a BBQ and even my mayonnaise obsessed friends and family loved it. It just goes so much better with the meat than the usual claggy stuff you buy in the shops.

Even the sauces are made to their own recipe, the espresso sauce being my favourite drizzled on top of the chunky beef brisket.

While us girls worked our way through the Pit Plate, the boys both went for the brisket. Complete with burnt ends and piled high on Texas toast (which I think is a slice of garlic bread to you and I). That ring of pink around the outside called the 'smoke ring' is a chemical reaction, and is the true sign of a low and slow smoking of the meat (which you won't find at certain "smokehouses" that pop up around town).

Second time around, it was just Mr P and I on my birthday. I picked out the flat iron steak which comes with the dreamy chimichurri sauce and creamy bone marrow butter. The steak was so thick yet cut like butter, and just melted in the mouth. Don't underestimate the chips either, I was still picking at these skin on beauties long after I'd run out of room.

Mr P went for something he'd always wanted to try, that American classic of chicken and waffles, but with a sweet potato fry swap.

The verdict - as with everything else at HF - was awesome. Not being completely new to the sweet & savoury aspect (obsessed with bacon and maple syrup pancakes), it was just how he imagined it. The fried chicken had a great crunch, without being too greasy. The coating had a good balance of spice, including a hit of black pepper that cut through the sweetness. The waffles were huge chunky things, and I did enjoy the one bite I was allowed...

The Hang Fire Southern Kitchen is everything I'd hoped for when I heard they had a restaurant. Aside from the utterly faultless food, the Pumphouse is beautiful and a Pinterest dream (check out the toilets). The staff are super friendly and there's just a good fun vibe about the place. Despite the fight to book a table, it's organised so that it never feels crowded. The drinks list is pretty hefty, with a good stock of craft beers such as Beavertown and Brewdog, which all go well with the food.

Grab some friends, and go book a table now here! Don't forget to end with a pickleback!

Where to Eat in... Tenby

I've been to Tenby so many times, that it feels odd to review any of my usual haunts. Instead,  I thought I'd introduce you to a few of my fail safe favourites in my home from home. No visit to the 'Little Town of Fishes' (or Dinbych-yn-Pysgod to give it's full Welsh name) would be complete without stopping off to one or more of these brilliant eateries.


The Coach & Horses

The Coach & Horses is a bright yellow pub at the top end of Upper Frog Street. It's been a firm favourite of ours over the years that we've been visiting Tenby, and we've always tried to pop in whenever we're in town. I mean, if it's good enough for Dylan Thomas...

It's one of the cosiest pubs in Tenby and well away from the rowdier ones in the square. It ticks all the boxes on the good pub checklist, with great ales on tap, a log fire and an extensive jukebox.

The Coach & Horses boasts a large menu, one side full of traditional pub grub, and the other, surprisingly, of Thai food. The standard pub food is always a winner, especially the  'mega boozy cod' and the Dragon's curry, but the best meals I've had were from the Thai menu.

On our most recent visit, I had a garlic and black pepper prawn dish, which was gorgeous and so full of flavour! Plump juicy prawns, fresh vibrant veg and the sauce was so moreish I was mopping it up with everything I could.

We visited during lent, so I had given up meat, and I was pleased to see an abundance of vegetarian options on the menu. They would also replace any curry/Thai dish with Quorn pieces on request if possible, which I thought was a nice touch, and one which I didn't see replicated anywhere else during my forty days of hell vegetarianism.

For a chilled out night with a couple of beers and some hearty dinner, this is the one. However, if you feel like livening it up, they do sell absinthe if you're after a nightcap. I've always been too scared.


Plantaganet House

If you're after somewhere a little more fancy, try Plantaganet House. An unassuming little building from the outside, it's harbouring something more exciting behind those doors. Bare stone walls, beautiful iron candelabras and a medieval Flemish chimney make this an interior design dream. A perfect date night spot away from the rabble.

The menus, from outside, look like traditional seaside fare with colourful words scrawled over blackboards and handwritten menus adorning the walls. But contained in those menus are some pretty special meals.

Whole lobster and fresh fish of the day, alongside traditional Welsh lamb and butter roasted belly pork. An extensive wine list makes this the place to go if you want to impress. Be prepared to pay to impress however, as it's a lot more expensive than anywhere else I've eaten in Tenby town. It's worth it for a treat, however expect to pay around an eye watering £24 for a meat/fish based main.

However, that seabass biryani above though? Worth every penny - hands down the best meal I've eaten in Tenby.


Fecci & Sons Fish Bar

You can't come to the British seaside and not get fish and chips. It's the rule.

There are a few fish and chip shops dotted around, but we've always found Fecci's to be the best around. They've got an extensive menu, cook their fish fresh to order and also provide gluten-free fish and chips for those who require it.

Crispy batter that's not too greasy, hiding flaky white cod inside is always a winner in my book. A pile of highly salted-and-vinegared chunky chips on the side and a pot of curry sauce and it's heaven. Mushy peas if you're feeling virtuous, they're pretty good here too.

Look out for when battered Mars Bars are on the menu. Holiday calories do not count.

Top tip, get your chips wrapped up to take away, turn left out of the shop and then left again. Eat them on the benches there, staring out at the sea and over South Beach. It's the best view. Just watch out for the seagulls.


The Baytree

You can't miss the Baytree, in prime position in Tenby's Tudor Square. It's positioning not only makes it easy to find, but if you get a window table, the perfect place for people watching too. My favourite holiday activity.

The Baytree is the antidote you need when you get to that point on holiday where you just can't take anymore chips or anything in batter. Saying that, the calamari is pretty good, and the homemade aioli just excellent. Keeps the vampires away too.

With mains ranging about £15-£20, and starters around £6, it's a step up from the pub grub on offer throughout the town, but considerably less than the Plantaganet above. However, they always have a very reasonable early bird style set menu that makes this a very viable option for both lunch and an evening meal.

During the summer months, there's usually live music on weekends too, such as an acoustic guitarist or a singer. Unobtrusively enhancing the chilled out atmosphere, it's a great place to unwind with a bottle of red and some good local food.


These are some of my top picks, but there's so much choice in town that I've still not eaten everywhere yet! Any favourites of yours that I should try out? Let me know!

Five Guys, Cardiff

I've never been much of a burger fan before, but the combination of starting this blog and the general explosion of great food places in Cardiff has definitely changed my mind. After discovering The Grazing Shed, the best burger I've ever had, there's no going back.

So I've been looking forward to the opening of Five Guys for some time, having heard a lot about them from various London blogs. An American export, this is true fast food. Placed in a prime position, it's in the Brewery Quarter, but only just, as it opens out onto Caroline Street. Or, for those in the know, Chip Alley.

A Saturday morning hangover and a sunny weekend promised, the Mr and I found ourselves with the perfect excuse to try out the new opening. In severe need of salty carbs and cheese, we drooled at the menu.

Luckily, I'd read up that the standard hamburger is actually a double hamburger, and that you have to order a 'little hamburger' for a single patty. I'm passing this important bit of information on to you, as I'd never have thought to order a 'little' anything, but it's actually just the average size. For me anyway!

In the end, I went for the little cheeseburger (£5.50) with little fries (£2.75). I found this to be pretty reasonable, about the same as a McDonald's (from what I remember). It was more than enough food for me, and you know I can eat. I've heard a few people say how expensive it was, but if you're ordering large fries and a standard burger, It'd soon add up.

All toppings from then on are inclusive, so this is where the 250,000 variations comes in. Apparently, there are over 250,000 possible ways to order a burger at Five Guys. This seriously appeals to the nerd in me! You decide on everything that piles into your burger, from standard burger toppings (lettuce, tomato, onions, gherkins) to relish, jalapenos, mushrooms and hot sauce.

I went for all the standard ones, plus a bit of mayo. I was suffering a little, after all.

I enjoyed the burger as a whole, especially all the toppings, which really helped make it a big juicy dribbly mess. The bun was the traditional squishy sesame seeded bun, which had become softer from being wrapped in foil. This cheered me up no end, as I absolutely detest the thick, dry white buns that stick to the roof of your mouth.

It's hard to say what the burger itself was like, as I'd got over excited at the huge toppings list. As a whole it came together well, but I found the patty was a bit dry and unexciting. For want of a better word, it was a bit like most other fast food burgers, 'grey'.

In the little paper cup, the chips were gorgeous. Crispy on the outside, with the skin left on, and fluffy and light on the inside, I couldn't get enough of these at first bite. The problem is that they are heavily pre-salted before given to you.

Now, I was hungover and in need of carbs and salt. I've also got naturally salty tastebuds, it's physically impossible for me to eat cucumber, chips or tomatoes without a liberal pinch or two. I always add more salt and vinegar to my chip shop bought chips when I get home.

And still, I couldn't finish these. Which was such a shame because I fell in love with them at first, but they were so salty that my mouth was starting to burn by the time I got to the bottom of the cup...

...and then I looked in the brown paper bag to see all these left in there. I don't think I've ever left chips before in my life.

Food aside, I haven't told you the best bit about Five Guys. The Coca Cola machine. I'm an unashamed Diet Coke addict, so this was the most exciting bit of technology ever. God Bless you America for this invention. With over 100 flavours possible, you could be here all day.

Under pressure from the queue behind me, I went for Diet Cherry Dr Pepper first time around, and then went back for a Fanta Grape. That was the hangover talking. It was the kind of sugar that I needed.

As far as the food goes, it's not in the same league as The Grazing Shed, and definitely doesn't use any local produce like they do. But it is what it is, a fast food dirty burger, and it does hit the spot. I want to go back purely to see if I'm man enough to have the biggest burger "all the way", i.e. with all the toppings, and to play with the Coke machine again.

Remains to be seen whether it'll beat good ol' Dorothy's cheese and chips when I'm faced with both on Chip Alley after a few shandies...