Cardiff’s buzzing independent food scene is set to welcome Ogof – a new neighbourhood restaurant and wine shop that will open later this year on Kings Road (formerly the site of Poca restaurant), on the border between Canton and Pontcanna.
Behind this exciting new venture are co-owners and local residents Alex Vines, Zanna Clarke and Siôn Iorwerth; Alex has spent more than a decade cooking in acclaimed London kitchens including 40 Maltby Street and Rochelle Canteen, followed by running his much-loved ‘Vines’ pop-up in venues across Cardiff. He is joined by Siôn, a Carmarthenshire-born wine specialist whose experience includes opening one of Vancouver’s first natural wine bars, and Zanna, who brings a wealth of leadership and customer experience from a career in the arts and charity sector. Together, the trio share a vision to create a warm, welcoming space rooted in community, sustainability and a love of good food and wine.
Over the past year, Alex has also been channelling his passion for food through Cegin y Bobl – a not-for-profit running transformational cooking programmes for children, teachers and families across Wales. Alongside this, his freelance work for Visit Wales (researching and testing traditional Welsh recipes) has helped to deepen his connection to the nation’s culinary heritage and further shaped the approach he will bring to Ogof.
Alex explained, “Cooking for me has always been about place; drawing on what’s in season, the growers we work with, and the cultural tapestry of Wales. We are thrilled to have finally picked up the keys and can’t wait to get started on our vision for Ogof – a space that celebrates all of that.”
While full details for the new restaurant are still under wraps, guests can expect a focus on seasonal, ingredient-led menus shaped by close relationships with local farmers, growers, and winemakers.
Working in collaboration with Wright’s Wines and other independent UK importers, Ogof will offer wines sourced directly from the UK and Europe, with an emphasis on distinctive, natural wines produced with passion and good farming.
Siôn added, “We want Ogof to be a casual space where good food and real wines are at the forefront; a place customers return to regularly – be it for lunch, a bottle of wine to take home for dinner, a glass before going on somewhere else, or for those wanting to bed down and eat the entire evening menu with us.”
The space itself will be relaxed and informal, drawing inspiration from the cave à manger tradition in France – part wine shop, part restaurant, with seasonal food and natural wines at the heart of the experience; the name Ogof takes inspiration from the Welsh word for cave as a subtle nod towards this.
Zanna concluded “We’ve made our lives here in Cardiff, and in opening Ogof, our hope is that it grows into a place people feel proud of and connected to – a small part of the wider story of food and sense of community here.”
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