In Wales, Michelin-starred Gorse celebrates the country’s abundant larder

‘I think we need to try and keep in touch with the food culture of our ancestors,’ says Tom Waters, founder and chef of Cardiff’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, Gorse. ‘Every generation that passes accepts a little bit less of the real thing and if we’re not careful, before long, the flavours and techniques of old will be lost forever. I’m a proud Welshmen, so I don't want to see this happen.’

This valuable outlook is rooted in the modern Welsh restaurant located in the suburb of Pontacanna. Waters named the restaurant after the evergreen shrub, taking inspiration from nostalgic childhood journeys to Tenby and his fond memories of bright yellow gorse-lined roads.

The mood: earthy and intimate

The interior is open and minimal, removing the boundary between guest and chef with a large open kitchen where you can see Waters in his element. The tonality of the space is earthy, with simple wooden tabletops, gorse-inspired artwork, and warm lighting. It acts as the perfect backdrop, allowing each intricate dish to take the spotlight. The restaurant seats just 22 guests, keeping things intimate.

Waters worked closely with Welsh designers Kärna, who transformed the former coffee shop into a contemporary dining space. ‘We wanted to keep the room feeling light and airy, some would say minimalist,’ says Waters. ‘I wanted to draw people’s eye to the details that are there rather than what may be “missing” to some people. Details such as the artwork, ceramics, the kitchen. We wanted the room to feel like someone’s home, somewhere that was warm and convivial.’

The theme of gorse is threaded throughout, from artwork made from gorse flowers from The Gower, cast in plaster by Kate Bowen, to works by Sera Wyn Evans. Crockery is supplied by local ceramicists Matt Jones, Anwen Pegrum, George Akerman, and Sian Reese-Williams.

The food: modern Welsh

Wales is, of course, the main influence for Waters when creating new dishes, as he tells Wallpaper*: ‘The inspiration starts with the produce that we work with day in day out. It all starts with the fantastic ingredients we are exposed to and then we work back from that to really showcase them.’ The dishes are thoughtful and champion the hard work of local fisherman, growers, farmers and local artisans.

Drawn from the Welsh landscape, the multi-course menu regularly changes, and includes the choice of four (lunch only), seven and ten courses. Guests can tuck into an array of traditional dishes with a contemporary spin, including native seaweeds that have been transformed into hearty kelp broths; such rich, earthy flavour profiles act as the backbone for the menu throughout, including the laver butter that accompanies Waters’ notable Parker House roll.

Other native ingredients include Perl Wen cheese, which tops bara brith, Welsh truffle, and Gower Salt Marsh lamb, which is accompanied by wild garlic.

For dessert, there's a Welsh take on a creme caramel – the toasted oat llymru (a dish from North Wales, whereby oats are fermented in buttermilk and take on a ‘jelly’ consistency after being cooked), placed on top of smoked raspberry jam and topaz-apple caramel. The rhubarb and strawberry sorbet is refreshingly sweet, or go for the trio of Penderyn whisky cannelé, lemon madeleines and homemade jelly sweets.

The dining, albeit intricate and refined, takes place in a colloquial setting where you’re encouraged to lose any pretension. When I was tiptoeing around a delicate tartlet and deliberating whether to eat the morsel in one fell swoop, the waiting staff, who exude a sense of generous Welsh hospitality, playfully quipped, ‘It’s fine-dining, not fine manners, it’s OK to get stuck in.’

‘Above all, I want people to have a great time,’ reflects Waters. ‘Obviously it’s important to me that people enjoy the food and engage with what we’re trying to do, but most importantly, it needs to be fun and enjoyable.’ Iechyd da!

gorserestaurant.co.uk