Torfaen
The Open Hearth

The Open Hearth

Sebastopol, NP4 5DR, Torfaen, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Brunch • British


"My husband booked the Open Hearth so we could go out as a family for my birthday. It had been a lovely sunny day so we did anticipate that the place would be busy. However, as we had booked the table they knew we were coming so we assumed that that would be sufficient with regards to the service etc. On arrival, we were greeted and shown to our table. The gentleman then proceeded to fire off a load of things on the menu that we couldn 't have as they had run out of ingredients. We put that to one side and ordered our food. We waited a little while for our food but as the bar area was so busy we just put it down to that. In the end, it was the kitchen staff who ended up bringing our food out. The food was ok, just basic 'pub grub '. My husband 's steak was supposed to be cooked medium but it ended up coming out well done. The staff were so busy, there was no one really to approach about this and he didn 't want everyone else 's food to go cold so he ate it. After finishing our food one of the girls from behind the bar cleared our plates away and asked if we wanted dessert. We said yes and waited for her to bring the menu. It never arrived. Eventually the same girl came back and asked again if we wanted desserts and again we said yes. We were given the menu and waited to order. Again, no sign of anyone so I went looking for someone to order our desserts. I noticed on the specials board that they were doing a dessert with strawberry ice cream so I asked if I could just have a dish of strawberry ice cream for my little boy. They checked with the kitchen and apparently we couldn 't have that, we could only have whippy ice cream! Desserts finally ordered and we waited. My husband and son had their desserts brought to them and we waited for my dessert. We waited and waited and waited..........After my husband and son had finished their dessert we were then informed by the gentleman behind the bar that they couldn 't bring my dessert as they were serving food to other tables! I was shocked. Surely, you should finish serving one table before proceeding to the next. By the time my dessert arrived we were just ready to go home. I explained that I didn 't want my dessert as it had arrived too late. The girl who brought it did apologise but it was too late. I sent it back and asked for the bill. There wasn 't ever an offer off taking any money off the dessert as it had arrived so late. They were obviously happy just to scrape it in the bin rather than try to make amends. We paid the bill and left. I have noticed on a previous review that someone has said the same thing about the service and the response from the Open Hearth was that they prioritise their booked tables over their walk ins. However, that certainly was not the case for us. We booked the table over a week before we turned up and we arrived in good time yet they prioritised other food over completing our order. Surely it is basic practise to complete one order before proceeding to the next. Unfortunately, the whole experience was not enjoyable and we all came away very disappointed. We will note be returning again nor will we be recommending it."

Cafe Venetian

Cafe Venetian

1 Monmouth Walk, NP44 1PE, Torfaen, United Kingdom

Cafe • Cafés • Pizza • Seafood


"I reside in Barry however decided to take a trip shopping with my family to Cwmbran shopping center. We decided around 2 o'clock we were all feeling thirsty and slightly peckish. We decided upon Cafe Venetian with its big Venice style windows surrounding the cafe perfect for people watching. Upon entry we were greeted by the manager who was very kind to us, asking how our day was and proceeding with general chit chat. This was a delightful surprise and a very refreshing experience when entering a cafe. To have the manager and members of staff making you feel wanted and that no task was to small or large for them. They were polite, interested in helping us and clearly happy. The staff were wonderful in particular Simran the manager. We ordered two cappuccinos and they were freshly made with a real Italian coffee machine and fresh coffee beans. Simran and the rest of the staff are clearly very skilled baristas as on our coffee we were treated to some excellent coffee art. This was in the form of a Swan and a Love Heart which just made our time in cafe Venetian that little more special. The Coffee taste fantastic. We only waited 5 minutes for our food to be bought over. The chicken burgers came looking very well presented with fresh salad in a hot fresh bun. They were delicious and very cheap in price too. As we left the cafe a member of staff opened the door for us and wished us well on our day. Overall a true little gem of a cafe full of wonderful staff and very reasonable prices. I will most certainly be returning and would recommend this cafe to anyone visiting the shopping center"