The Pen & Wig, Cardiff

As mentioned, this pub’s name may be a legal reference, so perhaps these grand neo-Gothic buildings constitute legal chambers, or is this, given the area, a ‘maindy’ (stone building)? Either way, it would seem that this is a conversion of some sort, boasting that it’s been in the GBG for the last six years, now under the aegis of Heritage Pubs. Dark wood panelled, the interior is quite grand as mentioned, with affluent professional customers, many apparently drawn from the legal profession, though presumably not the criminal fraternity; what does let the place down though, are the TV screens which were showing adverts from the Food Channel on loop; how many times do I want to drink and watch a medium rare steak being turned over or a salad being tossed? There were 10 pumps, about five dispensing Lilley’s ‘unreal’ cider, though half were sporting ‘Coming Soon’ tags, me going for a half of Glamorgan Jemimas Pitchfork (Google it) and in ok shape. This place is an interesting addition to a crawl, but the TV dross, average beer and limited ale promised for a Thursday evening lets the side down a bit, but otherwise it’s a decent place for a prolonged stay.

Official site of The Pen & Wig - www.heritagepubs.co.uk

Official site of The Pen & Wig - www.heritagepubs.co.uk

Based in an upmarket suburb away from the circuit drinkers,this ornate building has the feel of a legal chambers with it's solid exterior. Inside there is a fine fireplace at the front,good wood panelling and some opulance.Opposite the bar is a wooden staircase ,while beyond is a seating area and then the beer garden,a real suntrap in good weather.A large Bass mirror adds to the interior decoration. Real ale options on my trip were Goffs Pan -Asian IPA (NBSS 3.5) and Mango IPA,Tomas & Lilford Irreverent James,Mumbles Gold,Glamorgan Jemima's Pitchfork ,two Lilly ciders and three ales coming soon.Ales priced around £5.60 mark this out as expensive for the area but one I would return to given the range of real ales available.If crawling Cardiff,dont miss out on this one.