By Ellie Philpotts Here at Quench Food, weÔÇÖre a little curious. Well, very curious. Which is why weÔÇÖve been interviewing our way around the cityÔÇÖs food scene, as well as, you know, eating. This year, those on the receiving end of our questions have included Le Cordon Bleu, Not Plant Based, 200 Degrees and The Pomegranate. (We love hyperlinks.) In the process, weÔÇÖve learnt about … Continue reading Interview: A Cardiff Food Manager
By Ellie Philpotts When a cafe not only has creative coffee that doesnÔÇÖt abandon great taste; price-tags that remember we canÔÇÖt all be millionaires (even if we CAN eat our body weight in Millionaire Shortbread); quirky decor and a whole lot else going for it, it doesnÔÇÖt take much to make its visitors into human boomerangs. That sums up 200 Degrees. Following my interview, semi-interrogating … Continue reading Review: 200 Degrees
Ray CooneyÔÇÖs theatre legacy is strongly shining on through his newest venture Out of Order which is running through its UK tour and sending belly-aching laughs to a theatre near you! Its simplistic yet effective and realistic set of a London hotel designed by Rebecca Brower means that the actors have to work together to create the upmost atmosphere ÔÇô and boy did they deliver! … Continue reading Review: Out of Order, New Theatre
By Ellie Philpotts Now Final Year has trudged to an end, itÔÇÖs time to start thinking about things more exciting than spending hours surrounded by books, mournfully casting your eyes over the libraryÔÇÖs rain-splattered window panes. Such as graduation. And food. Fortunately, studying in Cardiff means prime opportunity to combine these. After finally seeing the results of all your hard work, you deserve a good … Continue reading Review: Asador 44
How My Light is Spent, Sherman, Wednesday 17th May, reviewer: Tom Morris Last monthÔÇÖs stellar play Killology was always going to be a hard act to follow, but this short and sweet effort has mostly pulled it off. Featuring Rhodri Meilir (him out of Pride) and Alexandria Riley as two main characters (and a bunch of side characters besides), How My Light Is Spent takes … Continue reading Review: How My Light is Spent, Sherman
By Ellie Philpotts Happy National Vegetarian Week! Since Meat-Free Mondays are becoming likelier to span beyond just Mondays, it makes sense to dedicate a set week to the movement, which sees over 3 million vegetarians in the UK alone. Fortunately, Cardiff got the memo, meaning an abundance of veggie dishes dispersed from every angle. Sometimes, these are from specific eateries, like Milgi and Anna-Loka, while … Continue reading Review: The Flora – National Vegetarian Week
When a Government Junior Minister plans to spend the evening with one of the Opposition’s typists in the Westminster Hotel, things go disastrously wrong – beginning with the discovery of a body trapped in the hotel’s only unreliable sash window. Desperately trying to get out of an extremely sticky situation, things quickly go from bad to worse.┬áOut of Order┬áwill be at Cardiff’s New Theatre from … Continue reading Ones to Watch: Out of Order
By Ellie Philpotts A lot of things are associated with Cathays. Students, seagulls and stormy weather┬ámay be the biggest, but they donÔÇÖt all begin with S. Look a little further and youÔÇÖll find Crwys Road is dotted with more restaurants than you might initially guess of the area. WeÔÇÖve got Welsh brunch haven Stag Coffee, stylish Italian Svago, Greek gorgeousness (or gluttony) at Hellenic Eatery, … Continue reading Review: Happy Lok Diner
Bill Kenwright’s production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s family musical continues on its record breaking tour having sold an estimated 15 million tickets. The spellbinding performance retold the Biblical story of Joseph (Joe McElderry), his eleven brothers and the coat of many colours, featuring famous songs such as┬áAny Dream Will Do┬áand┬áClose Every Door To Me.┬á This is no shy performance. There is an … Continue reading Review: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Wales Millennium Centre
Album review: Humanz by Gorillaz One of 2017ÔÇÖs most eagerly anticipated albums, Humanz heralds the bold return of the worldÔÇÖs leading virtual band, Gorillaz. The band (whose members are animated characters) is the brainchild of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett, who began the project in the late 90s as a tongue-in-cheek caricature of pop musicÔÇÖs falseness. Since then, however, … Continue reading Album Review: Humanz, Gorillaz
Million Dollar Quartet, New Theatre, Tuesday 2nd April, reviewer: Sarah Harris Not many people know about the man behind some of the worlds greatest rock ÔÇÿnÔÇÖ roll stars such as Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and of course, the king of rock himself, Elvis Presley. Sam Phillips was the founder of Sun Records and discovered all three of these artists as well as Carl Perkins. … Continue reading Review: Million Dollar Quartet, New Theatre
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a play based on the book by Mark Haddon. The play is a powerful story about Christopher Boone, a boy with autism who investigates the death of a neighbour’s dog and uncovers a family truth along the way. The play looks at Christopher’s relationship with his father and people outside his family and shows what … Continue reading Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Wales Millennium Centre
By Ellie Philpotts – Gone are the days, months and years of school; sixth form has flown by; and before you know it your degreeÔÇÖs rolled around. Universities are homes to the highest forms of education, so youÔÇÖd be right in expecting a whole lot of lectures to be part and parcel with the process leading up to graduation, when your lifetime of lessons comes … Continue reading Quench Food: Lessons We’ve Learnt
By Ellie Philpotts and Georgia OÔÇÖBrien The shorter version of this is in the current and final print issue of Quench, also at┬áhttps://issuu.com/gairrhydd/docs/quench_163 (Pg 34-35) These days, you can barely open anything ÔÇô whether the Instagram app, a celeb magazine, or even your kitchen cupboard, without embarking on a stare-off with a health product of some kind. Of course, glossy publications have never known a … Continue reading Interview: Not Plant Based
With the exceptional pairing of Welsh actors Rhodri Meilir and Alexandria Riley, How My Light Is Spent (which has already won the Judges Award, a top award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting) is the much anticipated new play from the Cardiff-based playwright Alan Harris. Its Welsh premiere at Sherman Theatre, the co-producers of How My Light is Spent with ManchesterÔÇÖs Royal Exchange Theatre … Continue reading Ones to Watch: How My Light Is Spent, Sherman Theatre
By Ellie Philpotts and Georgia O’Brien (Shorter version of this is in the current and final print issue of Quench -┬áhttps://issuu.com/gairrhydd/docs/quench_163) Intro ÔÇô Ellie If youÔÇÖve ever tried to track down CardiffÔÇÖs best international restaurant, youÔÇÖll know youÔÇÖre in for a mighty mission. ThereÔÇÖs an abundance of choice in every corner you turn ÔÇô from the ArcadesÔÇÖ Madame Fromage; New York Deli and WallyÔÇÖs, to … Continue reading Review: Wahaca
Romeo and Juliet, Thursday 27th April, Wales Millennium Centre, reviewer: Kirby Evans This is┬áShakespeare┬áreimagined. Omidaze┬átheatre company combine aerial┬ácirrus┬áwith iambic pentameter to create a stunning performance of a story that has been told a thousand times.┬á The two-hour┬áunseated┬áperformance begins its dynamic┬ájourney┬áin the foyer of the theatre, where audience members whisper and┬áscour┬áthe room┬áwith┬áuncertainty┬ábefore the cast members appear┬áamongst┬áthem. Once everyone is finally aware of what is happening, the … Continue reading Review: Romeo and Juliet, Wales Millennium Centre
Chris Ramsey, Is That… Chris Ramsey?, Thursday 27th April, St David’s Hall, reviewer: Becca Moody The loveable Geordie that is Chris Ramsey returned to St DavidÔÇÖs Hall on 27th April after previously playing here as tour support for Al Murray (the Pub Landlord). The theatre is busier than IÔÇÖve ever seen it. RamseyÔÇÖs support is Carl Hutchinson, who plays a solid half hour of high-calibre … Continue reading Review: Chris Ramsey, St David’s Hall
Northern Ballet: Casanova, Tuesday 25th April, New Theatre, reviewer: Faith Clarke Casanova for most has become the archetype of sexual promiscuity. We all recognise the name, yet the tale of Giacomo Casanova is less widely known. It is the goal of The Northern Ballet then, to communicate his story through the medium of dance; to ÔÇÿpeel back the layersÔÇÖ as choreographer Kenneth Tindall puts it … Continue reading Review: Northern Ballet: Casanova, New Theatre
Escape the Scaffold,┬áThursday 20th April,┬áThe Other Room,┬áReviewer: Sarah Harris ItÔÇÖs been over 24 hours since I saw Escape the Scaffold at The Other Room but my mind hasnÔÇÖt stopped thinking about it since. IÔÇÖve always had a thing for psychological thrillers, but usually in the form of Christopher Nolan films so this was a nice and interesting change. The performance was set in a small … Continue reading Review: Escape the Scaffold, The Other Room
