First off, I know I bang on about my loathing of people starting to mention Christmas in August/put the f’fing tree and decorations up in October and to many of you the 5th of January really is very early indeed to mention the C word (I mean I haven’t even had a “Have you thought about booking your 2025 Christmas party yet, as time is running out?” email yet) and thus you may be thinking “Well, isn’t your title a tad hypocritical, bearing in mind your usual stance on the early use of the C word?” Well actually no it isn’t, as I am allowed (in my world, warped as it is) to mention Christmas post the 25th December up until the 6th January as those are the 12 days of Christmas and we are at day 11 (when this was posted) with Epiphany on the 6th January.

Epiphany is the date that, rather sensibly, the Spanish tend to exchange gifts with it being when the three magi arrived bearing gifts.  I mean it makes an awful lot more sense than a fat chap in red (who defies all known laws of physics) depositing gifts after breaking and entering into millions of properties on the 24th December by shimmying down a chimney (with most places he “visits” not having one). I mean, in the USA, how has he not been shot like  million + times based on “Castle Doctrine“

Of course, post the 6th Jan, until December, any mention should be a criminal offence (with Wizard’s “I wish it could be Christmas everyday” playing on loop in the miscreant’s cell 24/7 for the duration of their sentence – I think 30 years is fair – and a Santa’s little helper costume as their prison uniform).

Changing the subject, slightly, I am an affirmed hispanophile and love pretty much all things Spanish (really been too long since I have seen my Spanish “family” down in Malaga), but I would say one Spanish thing that I don’t like is the accursed song you hear playing there (and increasingly here) all the time at Christmas in the form of Feliz Navidad. It is one of those earworm tunes that you really don’t want to have stuck in you head (now I have typed it the bloody thing is playing on a loop in mine), like the infernal Baby Shark (which is conclusive proof, along with Buckfast and the Rings of Power – how on earth did they burn through $58 million per episode on that drivel – that the Devil exists and has a seemingly rather perverse sense of humour).

Spanish things I do love brings me to Asador 44, which offers a lovely taste of what the Spanish really excel at in the form of hospitality. As such, when it came to choosing a venue for my business’ rather exclusive (being a one man band) tax deductible Christmas party (y una Feliz Navidad para ti tambien HMRC) Asador 44 came top of the short list I made with Mrs. SF (thankfully, I am allowed to bring a guest to my firm’s Christmas parties, otherwise the “company” would be dreadful).

I always loathed the forced “fun” at the Christmas parties when I was a very small cog in a very large machine employee, with dodgy food (any old slop will do at a Christmas function it seems), awful wine and a dodgy band/disco. As a result, I was oft “washing my hair” on the night in question.

As a one man band, I have rather enjoyed the couple I have had to date as I get to choose where it is. Selfish to dictate (even if anyone took the blindest bit of  notice) in a large firm, but obviously fine when it is just you +1.

As Mrs. SF had caught the Christmas lurgy, J stepped into the breach otherwise it would have been a solo and thus a really  rather sad event.

The paper al a carte menu here is a thing of beauty

but I was drawn to the specials

and the large format steaks, with the 800g Welsh diary cow rib our choice.  A big “f off” steak/chuleton is a staple of the Spanish asador scene, with me having had many a great steak in Northern Spain, and Asador 44’s UK rendition of this Spanish classic has garnered praise from many a highfalutin critic. Whilst it is fair to say Asador 44 is much, much more than just a steak restaurant, it certainly excels (to my mind, at least) in the art form that is fire based cooking of quality dry aged beef.

As I say, it is much more than just steaks but you have to try one of their big “off the board”  buggers once in a while.

Before the main event, we decided to forego the convention of a starter and went for a couple of snacks instead.

Bread with sobrasada butter (£4.50) had us hitting the ground running, with hefty chunks of chargrilled soudough (isn’t it always, still can’t believe some are saying one of 2025 food trends will be sourdough!!) bread (imbued with a lick of smoke, this is a good as sourdough gets) and their own brand (and  very good) grassy olive oil. I enjoyed the meaty spiciness of the sobrasada in the butter, but must admit I did rather miss the jamon butter that used to come with this bread.

Boquerones (£7) were plump silver sided slivers of loveliness, with a kick of vinegar and a pleasing touch of  citrus. Anchovies are one of the sea’s greatest gifts and Asador 44 knows exactly how to get the very best of these shimmering aquatic gems.

These formed a nicely understated prelude to the main event, in the form of the aforementioned 800g rib of dry aged beef (£88), which had been a full 1kg before the dry aging process shaved off a full 5th of its original weight (if you discount the bone weight is was probably a fair bit more than a fifth).

Lovely contrast of dark char to the exterior and a ruby red interior to this beef, with no request made or offered as to how it was to be cooked (which was bob on for me).

Lovely intense flavour to this hunk of beef, with a nutty earthiness overlaying its innate beefiness, a rich butteriness from the abundance of fat and a lick of that seductive smoke in the mix.

When beef is this good, it needs nothing more than a good thwack of quality salt (J, of course, had other ideas and thus ordered a brandy and peppercorn sauce – £4, she said it was very nice but to me it would have simply detracted from the beef and thus was superfluous to my requirements).

We added further richness with a cracking leek and cheese gratin (£8).

Soft buttery leeks luxuriated in a rich, silky smooth, cheese (manchego?) laden bechamel. A generous scattering of chorizo crumb added a nice touch of paprika spice and heat.  A rather lovely side this.

Asador 44’s olive oil fries (£5) are, of course, mandatory with a steak here (never got the US baked potato and steak combo).

Whilst I tend to rile against skin on fries, these were a good as they get with a crisp exterior and a light fluffy interior with the skin actually adding a nice earthiness. A good amount (i.e. a lot) of salt added nicely to the mix.

With all the richness of the beef and the gratin, a touch of acidity was definitely needed.

This was provided by a really refreshing tomato salad with more of that grassy en rama 44 olive oil and a nice earthy intensity from a generous sprinkling of tangy dried olive and a good amount of salt (which always bring out the flavour of toms).

In the UK, it is increasingly rare to find a tomato that tastes of well tomato or indeed anything at all, but these had that sought after balance of sweet and sour.

Perfect adjunct to the steak, I thought, with the acidity cutting the richness of the beef.

On the dessert front, we were edging towards the cheese, but J announced that she had never had turron and when I explained what it was she was immediately sold on the turron ice-cream sandwich on the menu.

Nice dessert this, with bountiful quantities of almond in the mix, with this format bringing the benefit of the taste of turron without its teeth shattering texture. If I am honest, I could have happily dispensed with the bread element as the ice-cream on its own was 👌

On the booze front, I rarely pass up the opportunity to have a sherry when it is on offer and a glass of Tio Pepe en rama fino (£6) here was a fine pairing for both the bread and the boquerones, with some nicely bracing saline notes.

With the steak, as it was a “party“, a large format wine option was in order.

I always have a lot of time for Beronia and 2015 is a decent vintage which is starting to drink very well at this point in its life cycle.

This had a nice blob of black cherry fruit, with back notes of leather and coconut as it developed on the palate.

Not massively complex, but a very pleasant, easy, drinking number. Perfect for the occasion, the magnum went down all too easily!

Price wise, a magnum of this wine retails at around the £30 mark so the £85 price tag here is below the 3 times plus mark ups that seem to be increasingly the norm these days in the UK.

The verdict

Asador 44 is one of those restaurants that never lets you down. The food is consistently good, with an interesting and varied Spanish wine selection.

Like my Spanish friends/family, I really should visit it more often.

It might not be all shiny and new, but it is one of the best we have here in Cardiff and I am very glad to have a Spanish restaurant of this quality on my doorstep.

Even better, they have a rather tempting January sale.

If that isn’t a reason to book a table (and by the way bxllocks to Dryanuary, just drink moderately throughout the year, and for that matter veganuary too) then I don’t know what is (with it applying across all restaurant under the Grupo 44 umbrella)!!

As I always harp on, use them or lose them and this is one of those places Cardiff can ill afford to lose.

The details

Address: 14 – 15 Quay Street, Cardiff, CF10 1EA.

Website:  https://grupo44.co.uk/asador44/