There’s nothing more humble than an onion; the ‘unsung hero’ of the kitchen according to Cardiff born Antonio Simone, which led to the naming of his newly opened restaurant The Humble Onion in Dinas Powys.
Antonio has worked as a Chef for fourteen years, including at the award winning Bully’s Restaurant, Pontcanna whose owner Russell Bullimore has this to say: “One of our ex-chefs has opened the Humble Onion in Dinas Powys which we have tried and is the best for me.” That’s good enough recommendation for us!
We asked Antonio about his new restaurant which has opened to rave reviews “I’ve always had a passion for food. My parents owned a restaurant, so it’s in my blood shall we say. Over the years I’ve developed my own style and finally thought it was time to begin my own venture. I’ve worked within fine dining establishments, and I believe people want great food in a good social environment and that’s hopefully what we’ve achieved.” If the reviews are anything to go by Antonio you certainly have.
So what kind of food can we enjoy here? “My whole ethos is using humble ingredients and using classic French methods to make unpretentious dishes. Having said that we do offer what we call the not so humble, like fillet steak to help cater for everyone’s needs.
Our food is heavily influenced by French and British cuisine, we use classical methods just showing the ingredients respect.
We use local, seasonal, ingredients wherever possible; being green is a huge part of our vision. It’s also very important to us to use small local suppliers where possible; quality, seasonal ingredients form the base of all our dishes.
In a nutshell, we use local seasonal humble ingredients to create great tasting, honest dishes.” The most popular dishes here include the Egg and Leg; a crispy Burford brown egg and con t chicken leg, with a mustard emulsion, chicory and pickled shallots. Their French Onion Soup, with scorched Comte on top, is their staple dish. Apparently, this soup takes around 6 hours to make but depicts their ethos, there’s nothing more humble than an onion.
We love the sound of those, and also the fillet of beef with sautéed spinach, Portobello mushroom, burnt onion, humble chips and Au Poivre sauce. The menus change each month so there’s always an opportunity for new ‘favourites’, and their wine list is specially selected to complement their tasty dishes. We eagerly spot some more unusual spirits on their drinks list including the handcrafted Whitley Neill Gin, and vow to return.
The Humble Onion
Station Road, Dinas Powys
029 2051 4900
www.thehumbleonion.co.uk
Leave A Reply