With the wife out with her carer giving me some rest bite care I get bored easy and I normally filling in my time watching films, blogging, listening to music or on the internet but today, I fancied a change.
I was thinking maybe I could just get on the bus for a ride but I slowly went off the idea. I always end up down Cardiff Bay and just sit and watch the world go by. I have a habit of reminiscing about my youth something I have to change and think more about my dwindling future, I am not getting any younger.
I decided I would go out for a meal and a drink and having heard great things about “The Grange pub” I decided to give it ago and it should be top notch being the Pub of the Year in Cardiff. I gave friend Gillian a message to see if she fancied it, but she was unavailable but I shall venture out in to the big world. This was no mean step for me with my long-term mental problems but the other day I push myself beyond my comfort zone twice in a week is big for me.
The owners of the pub are the same that own the popular Canton pub “The Lansdowne” so I was looking forward to the visit and enjoy their food. I was a kind of regular at the old Grange many years ago, not the best experience there were shifty characters who frequented the establishment.
It has stepped up a grade or two since those days and with reviews king now The Grange as plenty of impressive reviews online. The outside looks the same the lay out inside had changed a bit if my memory is right but it was a breath of fresh air. From the posters the pub is looking to for fill the niche as a local entertainment/events venue.
I jumped the bus down to Grangetown, which has changed so much since my youth when the shops were typically white owned with their shop selling the standard kind of British goods. Today you would be hard pressed to recognise the shops with the demographic of local people changed over the years. There are two Polish shops one being a mini-supermarket another catering for a number of eastern European countries and a myriad of Asian shops, takeaways and others.
I thought it opened at 11am, but add an hour stupid Peter - so there I was hanging around waiting for a pub to open I hadn’t been in that position in donkeys years. Once inside it was comfortable I checked out the menu board but I had an idea what I wanted which was recommended ‘Three fried eggs and chips’. I have been told I must try the chips if it was the last thing I do on this earth.
On the menu board they made a big thing about the chips being ‘Proper Chips’ not frozen. I can confirm they serve real chips not frozen as many do. Even some fish and chip shops use frozen chips, sacrilege. Hands down, these were the best chips I have eaten in a restaurant or pub since that mystery pub we found coming home from a football match back in the early eightes. It helped me that it was very quiet helpfully in the pub as this was part of my ongoing battle with my mental illness so a big tick for me today. I nearly headed for home during my wait for the door to open but I stood firm to my plans.
Later as I stood on the junction of Clare Road and Penarth Road, I could see the shops now long gone. Standing out was the old Ninian cinema which as not changed I remember jumping out pretending to be a cowboy or Flash Gordon after Saturday morning club. There are many good memories.
No comments:
Post a Comment