Truffle Swansea Restaurant Review

Recently I had the pleasure of attending Truffle Swansea's opening night, for a friend's birthday dinner.  Truffle has been taken over by very capable new hands, and after a fabulous refurbishment has opened its doors again.  I passed by the venue earlier in the afternoon and was a bit concerned to see work still in progress.  I hesitantly queried with one of the workmen if the venue was indeed opening that night, which he jovially affirmed whilst confiding that it was a hectic, last-minute push to get it all done.  Sure enough, bang on 5:30pm and the doors were flung open and they were ready for their customers.

Truffle is an evening only restaurant, offering a 3 course menu for £23.  We were a party of five, the very first customers through the door, and so had a great table by the window.  It's light and bright inside, with a touch of Morocco in the decor.  There's a touch of Morocco on the menu too, as well as offering classic dishes.  I was pleased to see that vegetarians aren't an afterthought - there are 3 vegetarian starters and 2 vegetarian mains, so there is a little bit of choice, which isn't always the case in restaurants.  Not that I'm veggie anymore, but one of our party was.

While we looked at the menu we enjoyed some olives and breads.  We all went for quite different dishes, the starters all looked impressive and I had starter-envy looking around the table.  I did very much enjoy my starter of grilled mushrooms with Welsh rarebit topping though - the mustard, leek and cheesy goodness was very moreish.

Above: Lamb kofta starter

Below: Arancini starter

Above: Mussels starter

Below: Rarebit topped mushroom starter

For my main I enjoyed lamb in a Moroccan spiced red wine sauce.  Superb.  And more than enough vegetables served for our table to finish.  I tried my best and had second helpings.

I succumbed to dessert - a blissfully light lemon and ginger cheesecake - and despite saying no to truffles with my coffee, ended up eating one anyway.  I'm glad I did, as they were divine.

Above: My cheesecake

Below: Cheese plate

Staff are friendly and attentive, and the restaurant has a busy but relaxed feel.  Did I mention it's BYO (bring your own) alchohol?  A definite plus point these days, when a bottle of wine with your meal can set you back the cost of the meal on top!  They do serve a selection of soft drinks, so you won't go thirsty if you forget to bring a bottle of your favourite tipple.  It's also worth mentioning that they're a cash only restaurant, but there's a cash point not too far away if you forget.

I wish them every success.  As a restaurant that's close to a few friends in Swansea, I'm sure I'll be back.  Next time I'll have to get someone else to be designated driver though and take full advantage of the BYO booze...

We attended as paying customers at Truffle, all opinions and words are my own!