It’s been open for just over a month and people are already loving the latest addition to the leafy Cardiff suburb
Valentino and Luigi Flore who own Emanuela’s in Pontcanna(Image: Valentino Flore)
Emanuela’s in Pontcanna has been open for just over a month and it’s already adding to the feel of things in the popular suburb with fresh Italian food, outdoor seating and a warm, friendly atmosphere. The new Italian restaurant on Pontcanna Street is located just next to the cosy café and garden Milk & Sugar and the fashion accessories shop Morgan.
The restaurant has been inspired by two cousins’ grandmother’s cooking with the aim of bringing gorgeous food to customers in a laid-back environment. The little row of businesses it sits between is arguably one of the most charmingly trendy in Cardiff, with a new wellness centre on one side, as well as the popular restaurant Milkwood on the other, but they seem to have fit in seamlessly with the rest of the area.
The owners, Valentino and Luigi Flore, are from Sardinia in Italy and have decided to open the restaurant after years of working in the hospitality industry.
They have been influenced heavily by their Italian roots and family’s cooking and say they are incorporating traditional Sardinian food into the menu. For the latest restaurant news and reviews, sign up to our food and drink newsletter here
Valentino told WalesOnline: “It took quite a long time to find the right place to open a restaurant in Cardiff. We’d seen a lot of places so when this one came up we didn’t think about it, we just did it.
Inside Emmanuela’s in Pontcanna(Image: Valentino Flore)
“The reason behind the name of our grandmother was that we got the keys of the restaurant on the day of her birthday.”
Although Valentino has lived in Cardiff and worked in different restaurants for around 16 years, he says his family’s influence and having grown up in Sardinia still heavily impacts his life now.
He said: “We used to make a lot of bread at home, and fresh pastas and all that stuff.
“Some of the recipes have passed through from my grandmother’s to my mother’s and now to us as well.
“But we’re always on the phone back home just trying to get some suggestions from them and get different ideas of things we could do.
“They seem really proud and happy about it, and we’re trying to get a few of these traditions into the restaurant now with a bit of Sardinian cooking because that’s not really common in Cardiff right now, maybe a little more in London but not here.
“We still keep some of the traditional Italian, but we do sometimes like to add, like, Sardinian cheese to them.”
The restaurant has been a hit with the community in Pontcanna since opening(Image: Valentino Flore)
Despite only being open for just over a month, the business has been welcomed with open arms.
Valentino said: “We’ve had some good feedback from people in the area and we are actually surprised because to have been open for only a month, we are doing well.”
Design wise, the inside of the restaurant feels fresh, light and airy – and surprisingly big for a small space.
Discussing the idea behind the design, Valentino noted: “We just started room by room, because we needed to strip out mostly everything as the place was all covered with wooden planks and we just wanted to keep it simple.”
The interiors are light and airy(Image: Valentino Flore)
The business, Valentinto points out, is still very much in its early days. When asked what their plans are for the restaurant and the area, he explained: “We are just seeing what works and getting to know how everything does in the area but people seem to be enjoying it.
“Of course, there might be some changes but we want to try and keep everything as traditional as we can.”
When we went to visit, the first thing that comes across is that Emanuela’s seems to fit in with the rhythm of the area perfectly.
One of their pizzas, fresh out of the kitchen(Image: Valentino Flore)
When arriving, they were fully booked inside but like other businesses next to it, they are embracing alfresco dining so I got to sit outside.
I feel like the first thing to do when you try out a new Italian is to sample a classic margherita pizza, and I can confidently say that it’s one of the best I’ve had in Cardiff.
It was everything you’d want from a proper Italian-style pizza as it was crispy on the outside but soft and airy on the inside, with just the right amount of chew.
The tomato sauce was also lovely and fresh with a balance of tangy and sweet flavours, and the mozzarella was creamy and melted perfectly, blending with the sauce rather than overpowering it and it wasn’t overly cheesy.
Margherita pizza at Emmanuela’s in Pontcanna(Image: Bethany Gavaghan)
On top, there were also some fresh basil leaves that gave it a nice fragrant, earthy kick that to me made it feel complete.
I washed it down with some San Pellegrino and while I went for one of their more classic staples, there’s so much on their menu that I’m keen to sample on future visits.
They do a breakfast menu including staples like a full breakfast and an eggs benedict. And on the main menu, alongside pizzas they also do a variety of pastas, a lasagne and a risotto dish as well as some delicious-looking sides.
Where’s your favourite Italian restaurant in Cardiff? Let us know in the comments below.
Dining and Cooking