It’s fair to say Rocket & Rye didn’t have the smoothest start in life. Experienced chef John Cook was all poised to open the Cowbridge restaurant when the pandemic hit. And then just days before the planned launch in 2021 as restrictions lifted his restaurant manager left, leaving him looking at the possibility of not being able to open at all.
But luckily, perseverence paid off and just two years on, not only is the tiny venue with small plates at its heart winning over the diners, its winning over the critics too. It’s just been named best restaurant in Wales by foodie bible the Good Food Guide, no less, as part of its 100 Best Restaurants list, which rewards places in classic ‘neighbourhood’ locations for their connection to the community as well as their food, service and atmosphere.
Rocket & Rye is a cosy venue on the High Street with tiled floors, small wooden tables, bench seating and flamboyant wallpaper. Walking from the front section to the rear glasshouse where there’s more seating, you pass the open kitchen where the team are hard at work. There’s also outdoor seating available when the weather’s kind.
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We decided to try booking online for the following night – a Friday – and were surprised to find many timeslots still available. But while there were only a few tables occupied when we arrived at 6.30pm, it soon filled up. We were shown to our table in the glasshouse and were talked through the menu where there is a deal on offer from 6pm to 9pm – three small plates for £22. There are 10 you can choose from (including French fries) and with them averaging around £9, this seemed like a no brainer.
(Image: Karen Price)
After ordering a Welsh lager and a medium glass of red wine, we looked through our options which included steak, courgette and mussels. While there were some lovely-sounding dishes – which are made with fresh produce from local suppliers – it took a while for us to come up with what we thought would be a good mix between us. We love fish but the only seafood on offer was the mussels and while there were cucumber, aubergine and courgette dishes, it would have been nice to have had a choice of greens like broccoli or cauliflower, but that was just our opinion and the menu is ever-changing.
In the end we plumped for the chicken wings, middle white pork, halloumi, stracciatella tomato, crispy aubergine and French fries (three each but to share) – and, to be honest, it was a really good mix. There were about four tender chicken wings which were coated in the most delicious dressing of miso honey butter with sesame seeds. While there wasn’t too much meat, which isn’t unusual for wings, this dish was a star thanks to that moreish dressing.
(Image: Karen Price)
The pork dish changes daily and tonight it was served as pulled pork in a taco. The meat was beautifully tender but the taco was a bit too hard. The halloumi was spot on and the sour cherry and radicchio accompaniments were a genius choice. Sometimes when veg is served in a coating it can be too thick and greasy but the crispy aubergine was perfect and the green yogurt with lentils and chilli dressing gave a lovely umami flavour, contrasting nicely with that gorgeous chicken wing sauce.
(Image: Karen Price)
I adore tomatoes and the stracciatella tomatoes was among the best version I’ve tasted – beautiful ripe and juicy pieces of tomato served with another favourite of mine, pickled fennel. A lovely pairing. As for the French fries, you can’t go wrong with nice thin chips with a golden coating that are fluffy inside – and this is exactly what we had here. They either come as they are or with a topping of porchini salt and Paramsan, which is what we went for, and those cheese shavings certainly elevated them.
(Image: Karen Price)
There were three desserts on offer – Knickerbocker Glory (£7.50), pavalova (£8) and chocolate mousse (£8). My partner had the first option which came in a tall glass with wafers on top and was laced with raspberry ripple and peach but he was left feeling underwhelmed and said the icecream was ‘too runny’. My chocolate mousse was deliciously rich and the salted caramel sauce contrasted with the bitterness of the chocolate while the lovely crumbly shortbread also added sweetness.
Overall verdict? The atmosphere was lovely and relaxed and there was a nice ‘Friday feel’ as diners kicked off their weekends. The service was a little slow especially when it came to clearing away our plates afterwards, which is a bit of a pet hate of mine when the tables are small and you have so many plates – but it was a clearly a busy night and the staff were very friendly and helpful. You couldn’t fault the actual food – the balance of flavours, the freshness and the textures were a winning combination.
Rocket & Rye definitely deserves the accolades it’s getting and if you love small plates you won’t be disappointed. You will find it at 30 High St, Cowbridge CF71 7AG.