Trio leave to open own restaurant

THREE of the founders of the popular Cardiff restaurants Porro and the Potted Pig have parted ways with the group to set up their own restaurant.

The trio, Cerys and Tom Furlong and Gwyn Myring, who already own and run The Lansdowne and The Grange pubs, have taken over the site of Pontcanna restaurant Cibo, which closed it doors at the weekend.

Tom and Gwyn first met in the kitchen of Cibo so the move is bringing their careers full circle.

“In fact it was in the Cibo kitchen that we first starting hatching our plans for our place,” says Tom.

The new restaurant, called Milkwood, has a planned opening for mid July.

“The name is a reference to Dylan Thomas, but we won’t be a Dylan Thomas themed restaurant,” Tom said.

They wanted a name that would not limit their menu, which they plan to keep small and focused with only four or five starters and main courses. It is a trend Tom has seen more of in Bristol and London and allows the kitchen to focus on quality and also minimises waste.

“We are getting the keys next week, and we need two to three weeks of building work,” he added.

The place will not be getting a huge overhaul Tom says, but they will “spruce up a few bits and bobs”.

Tom says their departure from the Porro group was amicable and they are very grateful to Jahan Abedi, the multi-millionaire majority shareholder, for the lessons they had working with him and the other shareholders.

The Potted Pig was opened in 2011 inside a former bank vault on Cardiff’s High Street, with Tom and Gwyn in the kitchen. Four years later the group opened Porro on Llandaff’s High Street, followed by another Porro in Roath in 2016.

But they felt the time was right for them to go alone – and decided Pontcanna was perfect.

“It is perfect for our time in lives with small children and living round the corner,” says Tom. And the pair’s history with the venue was also a huge draw.

They had both stayed in touch with the Cibo owners and had said that if it ever became available they would want to take it over. Tom says they first got wind of Cibo’s plans nine months ago and started the ball rolling then.

The Italian restaurant closed on Sunday after having served customers for nearly 20 years. Over that time it had earned an enviable reputation.

It has featured in international guidebooks, such as Where to Eat Pizza.