Blue Diamond’s more than just beautiful flowers and plants
Homemade honey cake(Image: Kathryn Williams)
Go to a garden centre they said, have a look at the robot waiter…. okay, fine. I’m down for checking out a quirky restaurant feature if it means having my cake and eating it, after it was brought over by a hip height android named ‘Kitty.’
But on a drizzly Monday in Cardiff the option of going to a garden centre seemed to be top of quite a lot of people’s list and at Blue Diamond over by St Mellons, the vista was colourful, the huge shop itself, maze-like and the restaurant large and by all accounts, very very popular.
At 2.30pm the place was teeming and a hive of activity – it’s of no wonder, the Blue Diamond shopping experience could take you hours, you’ll be parched by the time you wander through their displays of garden cooking purchases, furniture and fancy lights, gifts and the massively colourful and vibrant plants, flowers and hanging baskets.
The restaurant itself is bright and airy with loads of places to sit and features low sofa seating as well as your expected tables and chairs.
A hive of activity, there’s loads to take in as you consider what you might like to have. The cake counter was insane. I loved it. All homemade, the display of loaf cakes, scones and towering sandwich cakes, gateaus [corr] and meringues was almost overwhelming.
Behind that counter is full of action, tiny towers upon towers of sponge cakes being assembled and a huge mountain of meringue being prepped to pipe. It’s really good to see that attention going into the sweet line-up.
So googly-eyed I was at all the homemade treats, I honed in on a cake I rarely see homemade – Battenberg. A big thick slice with the yellow and pink sponge as vibrant as required and a lovely moist bounce on it too. The blanket of marzipan was soft and sweetly delicous.
Battenberg – also homemade, also one of my favourites(Image: Kathryn Williams)
I also sampled some of the restaurant’s most popular dessert, their honey cake – a stripey layered sponge alternated with sweet sour cream. It was like eating a cloud – in a good way – light, airy, sweet, but not overly. The kind of sweet you’d take on if you’d just said ‘no I can’t, I’m too full.’
I didn’t just stuff my face with cakes, honest. The healthily populated salad bar had the biggest bowl of homemade coleslaw I’d ever seen and was accompanied by pasta salads, quinoa etc and then a line-up of quiches, frittatas and pastry items that looked so good, but so snooze-inducing, so I chowed down on the Caesar salad instead. This salad was light on the dressing but had a substantial helping of nice slices of chicken, plenty of anchovies and crutons. I really enjoyed it, oh yeh, it had lettuce, too!
Caesar salad
My new little friend Kitty is definitely a novelty to visitors, one lady behind be had my desired reaction as a casual observer – “what on earth is that!” she exclaimed – and sits quietly in the corner of the restaurant until needed. A novelty to visitors, but more often than not, a help to the busy staff who seemed constantly on the move in the busy venue.
Rhys Crandon, who is Operations Manager for Blue Diamonds’ restaurants from across the UK explained how ‘Kitty’ ended up in Cardiff.
“We’ve had it just over 18 months, I was looking at ways that we could bring in tools for the staff to help them,” said Rhys. “Our payroll costs are rising and rising, and we didn’t want to cut staff.
“I was at an airport, I think it was in Poland actually, and saw something they were using there. So I looked into it, and trials went out here. It helps the staff a lot in the mornings when it’s a bit quieter. It helps them a lot in the afternoons as well. But it’s been a real footfall driver, so a lot of people come in to see it. Grandparents with their grandkids to see it and want to get served by it, so yeah, it’s quite popular.”
Kitty is intended to take the pressure off busy staff(Image: Rob Browne/WalesOnline)
The robot can be loaded with multiple plates(Image: Rob Browne/WalesOnline)
Kitty’s programmed by the staff at the pass – where the readied plates come out of the kitchen, and get loaded on. The robot then slightly gingerly, makes its way over to the table and tells you to take the order off! You can ask for a real person to serve you, too, don’t worry. But the use of Kitty is quite fun to observe. I’m a chopser and one of those annoying people who talks too much to waiting staff, so maybe it’s not the best for me! However, for kids to have a fun trip out and to ease the load on the busy staff, it’s a clever addition to what already seems like a popular restaurant.
Blue Diamond’s restaurant serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and coffee and cakes. You’ll find it Newport Rd, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 2WJ, UK – just look out for the massive shovel outside.
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