Tasty tapas in trendy trattoria for the Cowbridge clique

If Bar 44 were just a cafe it would be the simplest place to review. This is the perfect place for an afternoon cuppa. Lounge around in your leather armchair peeking out of the first-floor bay windows as the great Cowbridge populace tootles by, and occasionally even gets out of its Mercedes into the fresh air. But Bar 44 has bigger ambitions. It wants to show that there are happening people in Cowbridge, to get them drinking expensive cocktails, play them fancy music, and even eating foreign food.

Problem number one - Bar 44 has absolutely perfected the art of playing music that tiny fraction too loud. It's a great skill. And have a look closely next time you go in. You'll see everyone giving themselves back-ache leaning over the tables. That's because they are struggling to hear what anyone's saying.

And here's potential problem number two - wonger. Cowbridge people are rich you see, so they have to pay c.£4 for a tapas dish, and it would be a crime to give them a decent cocktail for less than £4.50. Serves them right. They shouldn't have had such posh jobs in the first place. And anyway, fair enough if the food's good.

So is it? Actually yes, mostly. Smoked anchovies were a hit, chorizo selection would have been at home on a Madrid summer's evening, garlic prawns were plump and beautifully seasoned, and bread was spot on. But the highlight is definitely the cheese selection. Apparently they get these Spanish wonders from a London supplier and they are stunning, especially the rosemary-seasoned ewe number.

Alas it's not quite plain sailing. I'd love to know how they keep the wines, because they managed to serve up a 4-quid Sauvignon Blanc with absolutely no taste left in it (and far too warm) and a Merlot which tasted as if the bottle had been open for the last week. At least they replaced the white just to confirm we weren't imagining it. And a message to the serving staff - can you take a rest from clearing and cleaning tables for one minute? You'll know when we've finished. It's when the plates are empty and food is no longer disappearing into the black hole between our teeth. Thank you.