The MICHELIN Star for Gorse, announced on the evening of Monday 10th February, is more than a culinary award – it’s a historic moment. Never before has the city of Cardiff had a MICHELIN-Star restaurant, making Tom Waters’ endeavour not just a brilliant dining experience (which it undoubtedly is), but a pioneer for the city’s food scene. To discover more about what makes Gorse so deserving of its status, we enlisted the help of a MICHELIN Guide Inspector.
Arrival
Gorse is nestled in the affluent suburb of Pontcanna, an up-and-coming culinary hotspot. As soon as our Inspectors arrived, for one of several visits in the past year, they were instantly at ease in such a lovely restaurant.“Tom Waters is not just a great chef but a great restaurateur, making Gorse a wonderful place to visit beyond its delicious food. When we entered, we were greeted not just by three smiling chefs waiting to welcome us, but by the enchanting aroma of freshly baked bread. The dining room itself was an intimate space, decorated with a sleek, relaxing sage green colour scheme. Among the locally made artworks was a pressing of gorse flowers – a coastal plant which Waters chose as the restaurant’s name because of his happy childhood memories at the Welsh seaside.”
Gorse provides a wonderful all-round experience, beyond its brilliant food. © Will Barker
The Team
There is a difference between simply being a restaurant with good cooking and being one that is well-loved. As our Inspector found, Gorse is a place that is destined to be well-loved, run as it is with such warmth and charm.“Tom Waters is a very personal chef in the way he operates; he puts a bit of himself into his food and during my visit he and his chefs played an active role in the service too. They delivered and explained their dishes with pride, while the service team were equally friendly and spoke enthusiastically about the restaurant’s ethos. Everyone at Gorse had an approachable warmth that made dining there such a pleasure.”
The Cooking
With Gorse becoming Cardiff’s first MICHELIN-Starred restaurant, the thing we most wanted to know from our Inspector was what makes it so special. What magic is Tom Waters weaving in his kitchen that has taken his restaurant to Star level?“Tom Waters is a chef operating at a level where he understands that the skill is sometimes not in what you do put on the plate, but on what you don’t. Restraint can be one of the hardest things for a chef to master, resisting the urge to overcomplicate dishes that rest on the quality of their produce. At Gorse, that produce – predominantly Welsh – was superb, and the chefs had the confidence to let it shine. What’s more, every composition had been expertly balanced in a way that underscored Waters’ brilliant understanding of flavours. During my visit, I saw him constantly tasting dishes as they were made – which is brilliant to see, as it shows his commitment to perfect seasoning and harmony in every plate.”
Top-quality prime ingredients play a crucial role in the cooking at Gorse. © Will Barker
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The Dishes Tasted
At Gorse, the menu takes a tasting format, available with seven or 10 courses – plus a four-course option at lunchtime. Our Inspector enjoyed the 10-course menu and, while every dish impressed, these were a few of the stand-outs.Bara Brith, Sheep's Brie, Welsh Autumn Truffle
“My favourite of the four snacks served at the start of the meal, this showed so much skill, care and attention. The homemade bara brith was full of delicious spicing and dried fruit, topped with brie and truffles that worked with it in perfect harmony. It was a heartwarming dish too, as it was based on a recipe from Waters’ friend Bryn Williams.”
'Gower Salt-Marsh Lamb, Cucumber, Onion, Lavender' at Gorse. © Will Barker
Sea Bass, Onion Béarnaise, Kale
“There were only three elements on the plate, but all cooked with utmost skill and working in complete harmony. The sea bass itself was immaculate, expertly timed so it had a crisp skin and soft, just-cooked flesh. The natural flavour of the fish was delicious, so cleverly only a little salt was used to season it. A soft background of caramelised onion came through in the superbly made béarnaise, while the kale was equally well-executed to provide the perfect textural contrast.”Gower Salt-Marsh Lamb, Cucumber, Onion, Lavender
“Like the sea bass dish, this was based on the extreme quality of its central ingredient. The lamb was superb and impressively cooked, so none of the natural flavour was lost. What impressed me most was the brilliant red wine sauce that harboured just a hint of lavender – this is such a risky and difficult ingredient to use without it becoming overpowering, but that Waters pulled it off here is a measure of him as a chef.”
'Topaz Apple, Buttermilk, Buckwheat' at Gorse. © Will Barker
Plum, Wild Victoria Plum Marshmallow, Plum Kernel Yoghurt / Topaz Apple, Buttermilk, Buckwheat
“I had to talk about both desserts together as they worked so well in tandem, fitting together like pieces of a jigsaw. The first was a pair of ice creams that were smooth and indulgent, nicely combining the flavours of plum and plum kernel. The second dish had more acidity to it, with the fresh apple flavour used to cut through a fine caramelised sauce and soft Italian meringue. The buckwheat added another textural dimension to the dish too. Together, the two desserts balanced and contrasted each other perfectly.”Conclusion
“Gorse was undoubtedly one of my favourite openings of the last year – and I was delighted that my fellow Inspectors’ subsequent visits were just as good. A personal, charmingly run place, it was a pleasure to visit and Tom Waters’ food has such a wonderful simplicity to it that often evades less mature and skilful chefs. He is clearly proud of Wales and its produce, making Gorse a fitting restaurant to earn the capital its first MICHELIN Star.”NEW City Guides:
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Hero Image: © Gorse/Will Barker
