I thought the sort of places where a chef tells you a story about the food on your plate had a certain price point – expensive- and you’d probably have to book a table.
It was lovely to have a few local businesses name-checked as the pumpkin curry (£7.20) was put in front of me at the cafe in Llantarnam Grange cafe last week.
The chef told me that the pumpkins were from Ty Poeth Farm in Pontypool and the spices were from Zero Waste Torfaen in Cwmbran. In this sudden (but nice) surprise I may have missed a third business that played a part in this tasty-looking dish.
He said they were part of Torfaen Council’s Food4Growth programme – a project that supports small businesses to work together.
‘Seasonal menus and local produce’
The independent cafe is just inside the arts cafe in the town centre. Its website promises (and delivered during our visit) “changing seasonal menus and local produce. “
The background to my visit is a bit embarrassing.
A few weeks ago, I ate at Wagamama in Newport. A comment in response to the photo I shared on social media said: “Llantarnam Grange Café do a beautiful Gyoza Ramen for £7 and a Teriyaki Mushroom Rice Bowl for £6.80! And you dont even need to leave Cwmbran! 👀🫶.”
Pumpkin curry
I had to check it out. The pumpkin curry on the specials board caught my eye, so will save the ramen for another day.
It was an enjoyable eating experience. The walls of the L-shaped cafe are covered in pieces of art that you can peer up and across at while you eat. A bookcase next to my table had a sign saying, ‘free books, please take one.’
After ordering our food, I took a look around the shop and gallery. I spotted a rack of cards featuring local artwork. The one that caught my eye was a painting of the ‘dinosaur’ on Five Locks Road. Brilliant!
This place gives you a nice added extra to filling your belly. Who doesn’t like walking around an art gallery to see inspiring pieces of art created by talented people?
Our drinks arrived first, a cappuccino (£3.20) and a can of pop (£1.60). We had another Welsh business name-checked here, Gower Coffee 🙂
My wife ordered satay curry (£6.80), a delicious mix of sweet potato, spinach, and peanut butter. She enjoyed it, and as we’re slow eaters, she commented on how the rice had started to soak up the stock, saying ‘mmmm’ as she scooped up another mouthful.
In another nice touch, we were given a tote bag containing goodies that were left over from a recent Food4Growth event held to bring many local businesses together to promote what they do.
Llantarnam Grange cafe opening times
⏰ Breakfast- Monday to Saturday, 9.30-11am and lunch 11.30am- 2.30pm.
💳 Our bill came to £18.80.