Harden's says
Pembrokeshire native Tom Simmons has added another string to his bow; as well as his restaurant at London's One Tower Bridge, he and his partner Lois have opened this site in Cardiff, serving British and French cuisine "with a Welsh twist".
Harden's survey result
Summary
Tom Simmons is moving into his fifth year at his versatile Pontcanna venue, which incorporates elements of bar, brasserie and restaurant, with menus to match. “The menu choice is well thought through”: the main foodie event is a seven-course tasting menu for £85 per person where chef channels the energy of West Wales, where he grew up, into some “consistent and fine cooking”; but, equally, you could dine here from the à la carte on posh fish ’n’ chips or Carmarthenshire lamb’s loin. “Lovely and very professional service” completes the picture.
Summary
“Excellent in all aspects!” – so say fans of Tom Simmons’s ambitious Pontcanna HQ, who moved back from three years running his eponymous restaurant in London to open here in early 2020. In addition to the à la carte selection – he provides a seven-course tasting menu for £75 per person. His cuisine is traditionally grounded (e.g. chicken liver parfait with sourdough, braised pork cheek, turbot with caviar) rather than striving for flash foodie fireworks.
Summary
Pembrokeshire-born chef Tom Simmons’s debut Welsh restaurant offers an “ambitious and very successful menu of fresh local produce, expertly and accurately cooked in interesting ways”. His London restaurant near Tower Bridge did not reopen after the pandemic.
Summary
Pembrokeshire native Tom Simmons has added another string to his bow; as well as his restaurant at London's One Tower Bridge (closed as we went to press), he and his partner Lois have opened this airy, big-windowed site in the swish suburb of Pontcanna, decked out in Neo-Georgian style. It serves British and French cuisine ‘with a Welsh twist’ and early reports say results are “outstanding” (a view echoed by Giles Coren in The Times).
For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Thomas by Tom Simmons?
3-5 Pontcanna Street, Cardiff, CF11 9HQ
Restaurant details
Thomas by Tom Simmons Restaurant Diner Reviews
"The quality of food is superb here. The menu choice is well thought through with staff taking great care with dietary requirements. Superb bread! We started with the mushroom parfait accompanied by a slice of sour dough and the velouté. The brill was wonderful, as were the fish and chips which were accompanied with creamed spinach. Our chosen desserts were the peanut butter parfait and the chocolate crèmeux……accompanied with a glass of the sparkling rosé. We don’t get here very often…but when we do it’s the best treat ever! Lovely, and very professional staff. Highly recommended."
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Always | £34.00 |  |
|
|
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 85.00 | Always available | 7 |
Traditional European menu
| Starter | Main | Veggies | Pudding |
|---|---|---|---|
| £16.00 | £32.00 | £6.50 | £11.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.20 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £5.00 |
| Service | 12.50% |
3-5 Pontcanna Street, Cardiff, CF11 9HQ
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 5 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1 am |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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