Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Where to Eat
Patricks
MODERN WELSH This is what Mumbles is all about: A relaxed, airy
seafront restaurant, with dishes, such as parsley-crusted hake filet with a cockle
beurre blanc, that reflect the ethos of using local produce. They've even got a green-
house and raised beds for micro herbs and fresh shoots. Lunch dishes (all £11) fea-
ture the likes of beer-battered pollock, pea purée, hand-cut chips, and tartare sauce.
A children's menu offers slimmed-down versions of main dishes. This is a
“restau-
rant with rooms,”
16 of them (£115-£175 double).
638 Mumbles Rd.
&
01792/360199.
www.patrickswithrooms.com. Main courses £17-£23. AE, MC, V.
Daily noon-2:20pm, Mon-Sat 6:30-9:50pm.
Restaurant @ Pilot House Wharf
BRITISH/SEAFOOD In the former pilot
house at the marina, this seafood restaurant sits above a fishing tackle shop. Most of
the dishes are solidly British, involving the catch of the day, but there are a few
Mediterranean touches. There are also plenty of dishes other than fish.
Trawler's Rd.
&
01792/466200.
Main courses £15-£24. MC, V. Daily noon-2pm; Mon-Sat 6:30-
9:30pm.
Entertainment & Nightlife
In addition to the
Dylan Thomas Theatre
(see above), there is the
Grand The-
atre,
Singleton Street (
&
01792/475715;
www.swansea.gov.uk), next to the Quad-
rant Shopping Centre. It is a Victorian delight that has been refurbished and
redeveloped into a multimillion-pound complex, and hosts international opera, ballet,
and drama companies, along with dates from top touring entertainers.
Wind Street
(rhyming with “dined”) is the nightlife hub, a cobbled street full of
pubs, bars, and shops. Try
The Bank Statement,
57-58 Wind St. (
&
01792/455477;
www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk), one of the chain of low-price, good-beer pubs that pride
themselves on taking over unwanted old buildings; here it's in an ornate Victorian
bank. More self-consciously trendy is the
No Sign Wine Bar,
56 Wind St.
(
&
01792/465300
).
Other nearby streets (none as busy) also have decent offerings. The
Exchange,
10
Strand (
&
01792/462896
), offers glimpses of Ireland, with live music and generous
amounts of Celtic
joie de vivre.
The
Potters Wheel,
85-86 Kingsway
(
&
01792/465113;
www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk), a member of the same chain as the
above-mentioned Bank Statement, offers food and drink in a setting that's nostalgi-
cally evocative of turn-of-the-20th-century Wales.
Where to Stay
Dragon Hotel
Right in the heart of the city, the Dragon has been around for 50
years and has just had a multimillion-pound revamp. It has understated, modern style
in the rooms and the smart
brasserie
(2-course dinner £17). There are also excellent
health facilities with an 18m (60 ft.) pool, gym, and beauty treatments. The first-floor
lounge has its own snack menu. The breakfast buffet is £14.
The Kingsway, Swansea SA1 5LS. www.dragon-hotel.co.uk.
&
01792/657100.
Fax 01792/456044. 19
units. £78-£149 double. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; room service; indoor
pool; gym.
In room:
AC, TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (£8.20 for 24 hr.).
Morgans
This boutique hotel occupies the grandiose, Grade II-listed former
Port Authority building. The decor really does use the setting well: Rich and heady with
a sumptuous Morgans Bar and Champagne Bar, plus the upstairs
restaurant
with its
18