Review of 'Blue Sky Cafe & Taproom'
On a brief stop in Bangor on the way to Anglesey we wandered along the high street looking for somewhere to eat. A few things looked interesting but then we noticed over the time we were there a good number of people seemed to head down a wonderfully painted alley. Following them we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves outside what looks to be a popular local eatery: Blue Sky Cafe & Taproom.
The restaurant consists of a small ground floor dining area around a bar. We had to wait for a few minutes in the tiny space at the bottom of the staircase while waiting for a table to become free just inside the main door (it was cold outside). Despite it being a Friday lunch it was quite a busy place so we waited for about 10 minutes before being taken upstairs to our table near the preparation area at the back.
The upper dining area has a small stage off to one corner (they have live music regularly in the evenings) and large windows on three sides taking in the surrounding landscape which, to be fair, is not that great consisting of the service areas of shops to the left and right and a view over the shop roofs to the front though there was a nice view of the impressive Bangor University on a hill beyond the high street. The space has an open ceiling with wooden beams, much like a barn, and wood used throughout. Obviously very trendy, much of the drink and food menu is written in chalk of various colours on boards above the food preparation area (and entrances to the incredibly decorated toilets - custom artistic painting on the walls with amusing names for each). The place was decorated with the work of local artists on the wall (which was for sale) and a selection of prints available off to one side.
The two A4 page menu consisted of lunch (11:30 to 15:45) on one side and drinks on the other. The lunch menu is divided into “Beef Burgers”, “Chef Specials”, “Baskets” (Chicken and Falafel) “Plant Burgers”, “Loaded Chips” and “Sides”. Prices are reasonable with nothing more than £13 on the menu. The pan-world somewhat fast-food dishes are generally quite healthy in nature using local ingredients served up in familiar fast-food fashion but care and attention.
From the “Chefs Specials” I chose the “Buddha Bowl” (“falafel, chopped salad, hummous, charred peppers, black rice, seasonal greens, tahini cream”; £12.50) which was quite substantial with four large falafel balls on top of a massive mound of greenery including a good sizes blob of hummous. Not a huge amount of flavour but wonderfully fresh and, surprisingly, quite light.
On the side I had a small order of their oddly named “Salt and Pepper Chips” (£4.50). I say “oddly” as although there was salt and pepper on the chips there was a whole lot of other things such as hot peppers and spring onions that added to an interesting savoury snack. The thin chips themselves were, at least initially, crispy with a lovely fluffy inside.
My companion also ordered from the “Chefs Specials” section the “Welsh Rarebit” (“homemade rarebit on toast, bacon, egg”; £9) which was quite substantial with a good amount of tasty, but not too strong, Welsh cheese in a creamy sauce.
For drinks my companion had a wonderful “Black Spicey Chai” (£4)…
…while I had a pint of “Rhubarb and Ginger” (£3.95) “homemade soda”. If we were drinking there are a whole lot of craft and local beers on offer, listed on the walls but the drink menus covers mostly non-alcoholic options including numerous coffees, teas as well as hot chocolates and soft drinks (there re five varieties of homemade sodas coming in half and pint sizes).
At just under £34 for the two of us (no service charge added), we had a good sized, good quality lunch that was full of fresh ingredients that seemed to bring the food alive. The staff were friendly but not particularly attentive. The food was delivered at a fairly relaxed pace though no one seemed to mind with most customers happy to chat away in the calm environment (though it was a bit buzzy because of this and also due to the lack of many soft furnishings in the large open space).
A fun, and relaxed place for a bite to eat in Bangor. Despite the lack of a huge amount of flavour in our dishes, we would definitely return again to try some of the more interesting menu items.
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2024-03-08
Cuisine: American/British
Address: Ambassador Hall Rear of, 236 High St, Bangor, Wales LL57 1PA
Location: Bangor (Wales)
Map:
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Telephone: +44 (0) 1248 355444
URL: https://www.blueskybangor.co.uk/