I am a great lover of BBQ (from personal experience proper BBQ, not incinerating sausages, is a lot harder than it looks with the need to keep it at the right, constant, temperature over a long period for proper low and slow) and was rather disappointed when Smokey Dave’s tenure at the Robin Hood Pub in Pontcanna ended. I was all set for a jaunt down there in Jan. only to find they had shut up shop by the time I (always slow to the punch) got round to actually putting a date in diary with J to go (we went to Brother Thai instead)

I was thus happy to see that they have returned to tending the embers in order to deliver up BBQ at the Boomerang Lounge by Victoria Park.

I like collaborations, where an underused unit (i.e. one that doesn’t operate in the evenings) opens itself up to pop ups. Shares costs and increases revenues and that can be no bad thing with the ongoing assault on all things hospitality by our Lords and Masters.

This appears to be rather more than a pop up collab (the latter all to often now a dirty word), with Smokey Dave taking over the operations with BBQ in the late afternoon and early evening Thursday to Saturday and the cafe continuing to operate, with its “pay it forward” provision, as per usual.

The BBQ element set up is both eat in and take away, with a menu covering smoked meats (pulled pork, brisket and, hopefully  soon, ribs), burger, pizza and loaded nachos

The addition of pizzas is a bit of a surprise, but with the demise of 591 by Anatoni (now a new Bottle Shop in the 591 unit would be a great addition to the Victoria Park area in my humble opinion, as it is in dire need of somewhere decent to have a drink) it is possibly quite a shrewd move.

The set up gives off a bit of a Diners, Drive – in and Dives vibe, with a decor that is what I would describe as functional. With down and dirty BBQ, functional is perhaps the best option.

You order and pay at the bar and BBQ’s your uncle.

I went solo as Mrs. SF and J (and I) were out for dinner the next day (as ever a very good meal at Hiraeth) so J was apparently living off air for the week before in prep and Mrs. SF didn’t fancy eating out two nights on the trot. 

As billy no mates (or at least no mates willing to go with me) off I toddled on my lonesome, being well adjusted to solo eating ( I quite like my own company, I suppose someone has to). As it happened, I saw Plate Licked Clean there.

I decided to eschew the burger, loaded nachos and pizza bits of the menus and thus default to the filled pitta BBQ options  with a choice of pulled pork or brisket.

I am partial to both, and being generally incapable of making off the cuff food decisions that entail foregoing something, decided on both (going for the small portion in both cases).

The “small” was to me a very hearty portion and in getting both initially hypothesised that I would eat one and take the other home. As it happened, I ate both before getting up from the table.

Good flavour to the pulled pork (£8 for small), with enough fat in the mix and tender strands of pork coated in a not too sweet tangy BBQ sauce.

Ideally I would have liked a bit more bark and smokiness in the mix, but I enjoyed this. I also tend to favour a Carolina vinegar or mustard based BBQ sauce with pulled pork, but that is just my preference and I still liked the seemingly  more Kansas style sauce used here.

I do think that the salad was rather surplus to requirements and it would have benefited from an element of balancing acidity. Some pickles or a blob of kraut/pickled red cabbage would have been a welcome addition. Personally, I would just bin the salad in the pitta and add a vinegary slaw or something of its ilk on the side.

This brings me to the pitta, Whilst arguably it is there predominantly for containment purposes only, it was a bit dry and not ideal for picking up (thus failing in its primary objective). I think, with BBQ’d meats, a bun/roll (potato) is a better option than a pitta. If you are going to use a pitta a more fluffy on the inside one would be better for soaking up the meat juices and BBQ sauce. The one used here was a bit thin and dry.

Having initially thought I wouldn’t manage two “smalls“, I happily tucked into the chopped brisket (£9 for small) whilst chewing the “food” fat with Plate Licked Clean.

Again good flavour and nice texture to this (f’ff up brisket and you may as well munch on a flipflop).

Broadly same minor issues here as with the pulled pork one, as in needed a bit of acidity (although I wouldn’t go Carolina with brisket) and touch more smoke (and a bun), but overall very enjoyable.

If you are looking to take out (when the weather is balmy, Victoria Park is a very agreeable place to sit in) then the containers are nicely sturdy (don’t be a dick though and put in bin after you have finished – amount to rubbish stewn across Pontcanna Fields after any remotely good weather can be a bloody disgrace).

On the drinks front, there are the usual suspects

in the form of coffee and pop,

as well as some interesting looking beers.

On closer inspection, the beers are named after local businesses such as Mr. Lock It (assume they have sponsored the charity linked to the cafe).

You could be quite inventive with such sponsorship, as in “person of your choice’s” bitter. A thought of how much would a  “J’s stout” label cost me was quickly dismissed on the basis of getting punched in the face tends to upset me.

There is wine, regrettably of the zinfandel white/blush variety (or as I like to call it sweet toilet duck, with apologies to the makers of toilet duck for the unspeakable slur) and pretty bog standard Pinot Grigio.

For BBQ my choice would be a riesling for the pork (cuts the fat nicely and riesling and pork are just made for each other) and a fruity tempranillo or a monastrell for the brisket.

I had a can of coke, which was wet, brown and surgery.  It was, however, very fairly priced at £1.50.

The verdict

I enjoyed my food here, on what was there first day at the place. Good flavours and a pleasing generousity of spirit quantity wise.

Few tweaks, I think, would really elevate it (touch more smokiness to the meats, some acidity in the mix, ditch the pittas for buns and bin the zin), but already nice and they are only just bedding in.

I think they could do with the fact they are doing BBQ here being more prominently displayed. You only know if you know rather than if you are just walking past the place.  A board(s) outside and BBQ menus on the windows would help. Also, as the pulled pork and brisket are smoked on site, having the ability to see the chaps smoking it from the street (bit of clear perspex out the back would do that)  would I think piqued passing interest.

Good start, I thought, with the promise of ribs in the near future (on top of the brisket and pulled pork) very enticing. Hot links would be a great addition to the menu too.

The details

Address: Boomerang Lounge, 1 Victoria Park Rd W, Cardiff CF5 1EZ

Website: https://www.smokeydave.co.uk/