The latest pub to hit Swansea’s Wine Street, Proud Mary, is somewhere we’ve been meaning to try for some time – and their new Sunday Lunch Menu seemed an ideal way to start – here’s what we found.
Firstly, I have to state that this is not your average pub. In recent years, all chain pubs seem to have blended into a homogenous blend of coffee shop, restaurant and music venue, with the result that they don’t really know what their market is any more, and there is little to choose from one to the next bland chain offering on the high street.
Proud Mary is very different – it’s distinctive, it’s proud to be a pub – and proud to shout about it!
Proud Mary has a quirky interior with hilarious caricatures of famous faces (including Joe Biden, the Queen, the Clintons and even Tom Jones, it plays great music, it’s not quiet and it serves a decent selection of popular drinks at reasonable prices. However, the pub theme did not come at the expense of customer service, which was excellent and would put many restaurants to shame – we were personally greeted by the lovely manager Lindsay, who could not have been more welcoming and friendly, and she made a point of visiting every table.
The theme and branding is consistent and on point here, with everything from the decor to the drinks being part of the ‘Marys’ experience.
Our pints of Coca Cola (we are not drinkers these days!) were served in branded pirate-style tankards – and you definitely felt like this was an experience, not just a pub. It’s a fun place, with our taste in upbeat music, which we loved, and it would be perfect for a night (or day) out with friends.
So how was the food?
Well, it’s definitely a change from the ‘pensioner Sunday’ image of the local pub. Marys keeps the focus on fun without losing any of the quality or style – and it doesn’t pretend to be a restaurant, it’s a proper pub that serves proper food in a fun atmosphere.
The Menu is unashamedly simple, it’s a one course Sunday lunch with three choices of meat and a veggie option, served in three different styles – as a plated roast, in a Yorkshire pudding wrap or as a salad.
There’s also a selection of sides and a number of alternative mains such as burgers, halloumi salad and hand battered fish and chips, as well as a children’s roast, enough choice to keep everyone happy while making it straightforward for the kitchen to manage. I’ve often said, the secret to restaurant success is do what YOU do and do it well – and Mary’s certainly lives up to that.
We both went for the plated roast, and, not normally being a fan of chain pub roasts, I was very pleasantly surprised by the generous portion size, calibre of the food and flavour. We both felt this was one of the nicest roast dinners we’ve had in ages – perfectly roasted thick slices of beef, plenty of crispy roasties and their rich, thick cauliflower cheese was to die for! It was a delicious meal and an all-round fun experience – and totally different to anywhere else on Wind Street.
Our verdict: fab all round.
If you are in Swansea and looking for somewhere different from the run of the mill, we would recommend giving Proud Mary’s a try, whether for a meal or for a night out. There really is nowhere quite like it.
As for us – we will definitely be back!
