Ah, the humble Sunday roast. It’s my favourite meal of all time, specifically my Mum’s one. Believe me when I say the bar is high, it’s a notoriously difficult meal to get right commercially. For roast beef, I want the meat to be juicy and pink, gnarly on the edges. For pork – crackling, always. Lamb, juicy, pink and lashings of mint sauce. Who orders chicken for a roast dinner? Not me, that’s for sure.
And then you have the supporting acts – crispy roast potatoes, a mix of veg (if it’s soggy I don’t want it), the Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese (if you’re lucky)… the list goes on. The correct sauce to go with the meat, extra points for homemade. Last, but definitely not least, the gravy. It makes or breaks the whole thing for me. I’m team Thick Gravy through and through – I will die on this hill!
Introducing Aura’s Sunday roast platters
So, how did Aura‘s offering do?
Very well, in fact. I was cautiously optimistic before trying it, as we often visit Aura as paying customers and are always impressed with what we have. However, a sharing platter can be tricky – you need enough to go around without anyone missing out!
There was no need to worry. There were 3 of us at the table and we all finished full and happy.
We had:
- prime cut beef tenderloin, cooked medium rare, with pressed slow-cooked pork shoulder
- roast potatoes
- honey-glazed parsnips
- stuffing
- green vegetables
- root vegetable hash
- Yorkshire pudding and gravy
- Cauliflower cheese (+£6.50 add-on)
For £21.95, this was great value. As you’ll see below, the portions were plentiful and everything tasted great. Lovely coating on the potatoes, and the gravy – yes. Rich and packed with flavour, I was a very happy woman.
If you’re not a meat eater fear not, their cauliflower cheese option is £14 alongside all the trimmings above.
The pictures speak for themselves…
The cocktails are always good, especially the espresso martinis and margaritas. If you have room, I’ve always enjoyed our desserts here – the sticky toffee bread and butter pudding sounded delightful. One for next time!
If you haven’t been before, Aura is the restaurant within The Coal Exchange Hotel, and offers a full menu alongside a cracking bottomless brunch and pre-theatre options. You can get a main course and drink for £22.95pp, and it’s a five-minute walk to Wales Millenium Centre afterwards! I’ve been coming here since it was Culley’s, a firm favourite for good reason 🙂↕️
Still need convincing? I’m sure that’s not the case, but here’s a video anyway!
