Franco-Welsh brasserie with big ambitions and some nice surprises

UPDATE: breakfast review now in - see below

Fifty quid is a lot of money. So Le Gallois needs to be seriously good to cut it against the opposition, and expectations are high as we tentatively push the door to do battle for the noble cause of teaandbiscuits©. An exotic Breton voice beckons us in and leads us to a pleasant lounge area (this maitre d' is formidable). That's when the tone of the evening becomes apparent. The minutes accumulate and we begin to wonder if we'll ever be offered a drink. Eventually the chance comes. How about a fresh orange juice? 'Sorry Sir. Not available.' You see Le Gallois is a place where they give an abundance with one hand, but nibble back just a little with the other. The same happens at the table. A wonderful selection of bread is on offer - olive, sun-dried tomato, walnut - just as long as you don't mind trying to lever the near frozen butter which accompanies it out of your personal mini pot.

But there's a glorious redeeming feature: the occasional arrival of wonderful surprises. Having ordered, a thimble of spiced cauliflower soup turns up. It's a stunning appetiser. And before dessert there's a miraculous raspberry panna cotta, perfectly flavoured. And you simply must have coffee (preferably with one of the dozens of vintage spirits available) just to experience the most stunning chocolate truffles which come too.

Almost forgot the menu itself. The starters were classy, especially the asparagus which was beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection. Panfried 'John Dory' and pot-roasted pig followed. Both formidable, and with just the right accompaniments. Don't expect platefuls - that's for plebs you know. And if you're drinking red wine check out the Vin de Pays Les Dames de Ricardelle 2003. It's fantastic value and a classy swig. As for desserts, perhaps I am a pleb myself, but isn't custard a thick yellow eggy thing? That's certainly not comes with the Rhubarb and Custard but it tastes good all the same.

One final gripe. When a waited asks if I'm enjoying the meal, it would be nice if he stayed to find out the answer. Perhaps they are worried what the answer's going to be. They shouldn't be - this is a terrifically enjoyable place. Is it worth fifty notes? Almost.

Breakfast menu - reviewed 16/9/07
There's a killing to be made on breakfasts in Pontcanna. Brava and Cibo are running the culinary equivalent of a banknote printers' as the stream of affluent punters shows no sign of drying. With the current shortage of weekend tables there's a lot of logic in Le Gallois opening its doors for a bit of haut-cuisine petit dejeuner.

The menu's spot-on. Scrambled duck eggs and salmon, eggs Benedict, patisserie and the full fry-up all take their place. Prices are not bad too, certainly no great hike on the competition.

So how do they fare? Well, all depends on what you're expecting. If you want a quiet version of Brava and you're not in a rush then you'll be happy enough. The food's presented with style, the coffee's superb and there's no need to worry about that queue of people waiting at the door to seize your table the second that last bite of toast passes the lips.

But there's a lingering feeling this is a massive missed opportunity. There's zero atmosphere. In fact, if you sit upstairs there's a distinct resemblance to dining in a bizarre postmodern prison thanks to the curious iron-bar wall. The service is not exactly snappy, and there's a good chance you'll have to ask for every drink three times before you get it. Toast consistently comes half burned and half cold, and the patisserie's hardly the pride of France (all bought in apparently.

Not an unpleasant way to spend a Sunday morning then, but in the same way that shopping in Tesco at 3am is not the worst of shopping experiences. Both get the job done, but you also get a strange feeling that you're not really supposed to be there.....