Le Monde

Advantages: Quality, selection of food and drinks.
Disadvantages: Perhaps the stairs.

Le Monde is situated in the heart of Cardiff City Centre close to the Central Station on St. Mary Street. A long flight of stairs takes you to the first floor where you will find this dimly lit restaurant called Le Monde. Owned by Martin Martinez who is Spanish, this restaurant has a definate Spanish theme with it's romantic soft background music. The floors are wooden and are covered in sawdust. The tables are mainly for four covers, but some ...
...just bare wooden tables. Le Monde is the best known fish restaurant in Cardiff although they do serve alternatives to fish. No need to book here. You choose a table and when you are ready to order you take a trip to the refrigerated displays where there is a huge selection of fresh fish and meat. The staff will take your order from here. For starters there are fresh oysters, langoustines, prawns, octopus, escallops, seafood cocktail..........and ... Read review

Advantages: Good food, 'unique' atmosphere
Disadvantages: Fish only, no table reservation

Located in St Mary's Street (no 61) behind a fairly bland facade. You climb a flight of wooden stairs from street level - the stairs are sprinkled with fresh sawdust, just to create "atmosphere". The restaurant is spacious and has a fairly low level of lighting. This can provide a "romantic" ambience, but sometimes it's hard to see what you're eating! An extensive range of fresh fish and shellfish is set out "on ice" for you to make your choice. ...
...walls are covered by blackboards chalked up with a great variety of wines at a wide range of prices. The service is brisk and efficient, but tends to lack that "friendly smile" that would otherwise make you happy to pay the gratuity. The choice of dishes is reasonably good, within the constraints of a fish restaurant and the season. The quality is consistently excellent. Prices are reasonable, depending on your choice of dish. If they are available, ... Read review

Advantages: absolutely delicious food, wonderful atmosphere
Disadvantages: walking down the stairs after a few glasses!

...gem of a restaurant. Le Monde has an absolutely unique atmosphere of elegance, good food and vivality to it. It actually has a rather unique way of doing things. There are no menus, what you see is actually what you get. Behind a wonderful glass counter there is a display, often stacked high with 30 types of fish. I can recommend the dover sole which they will filet for you at the table in an impressive display of skill. Never fear meat lovers! ...
...from the considerable cellars of Le Monde. The prices are high but you most certainly pay for quality. Steaks go for around £13.95 while a lot of the fish is weighed. Dover sole's average at about £20-25 as do the Sea Bass but if you are lucky each batch which is so fresh, may contain a larger Dover if that is what you require! I can thoroughly recommend Le Monde, whether it be a business function or a romantic date. Also they have a function ... Read review

Good restaurant for groups or a themed evening. Not for couples. We experienced a similar restaurant in Bangkok so thought we would try it. It has a pub feel. A large group was having a reception. There was one person serving at the counter and this is a problem when you have to choose and deliberate over your food. Two items we asked for from the blackboard were not available and had not been wiped from the menu, although unavailable wine had been crossed off. The queue is a free for all so if a large group pushes in you may have to wait some time to put in your order. If you want the proper experience go to Bangkok.

Advantages: not too crowded, reasonable service, snooker tables, magazines and newspapers
Disadvantages: not open on Sundays during the Summer.

...papers and magazines, with Sperl becoming a favourite place for me to leaf through the FT or Wall Street Journal, or try and halt the lapsing of my French over a copy of Le Figaro or Le Monde. The seating has a somewhat well-loved and well-used look, although the café would not have the same atmosphere if it were to be redecorated with the wood panelling and dark velvety seating making way for something more contemporary. Amazingly though, Sperl also boasts snooker tables, although they are seldomly used – I am unsure of how much it costs to play, or even as to whether the tables are half size or third size. Given its location it is unsurprisingly easy to reach, with the 57A bus passing by very close to the door as it wends its way along the Gumpendorferstrasse, or otherwise is it easy walking distance from the U2 (Museumsquartier... Read review

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Advantages: Great snow. Huge pistes. Great apres ski
Disadvantages: You have to leave... (read on for a few more

...which is not great. Apres Ski This is not to bad, there are many pubs & clubs most of which are all next to each other. • The Frog and Roast Beef has live music and a really friendly atmosphere, it is run by English people, and boasts to be the highest pub in Europe! • Malaysia is also great for live music, and has a real atmosphere. Don’t be put off by the entrance (youll see what I mean) it turned out to be my favourite place to go. • Le Monde was packed with people, many of whom were middle aged men, but if you don’t mind that its another good place to be. Val Thorens does not have the prestige of places like Courchevel, but it has the skiing unlike anywhere else on earth!... Read review

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