Food, fun and mini adventures in Cardiff

Enjoying a fresh Kale salad at Benugo's

Life has been so busy lately I feel like I've not done many updates on what we have been getting up to in and around Cardiff. We have been exploring so much of the local area lately I thought I would share a few foodie places we have been enjoying and some mini adventures in the city. We have also done a lot more outdoor exploring but I will keep those for another post so this one is more about accessible family friendly city stops and places to eat with kids (as well as childfree).

Firstly we were invited to try out the new menu at Benugo's, John Lewis in St Davids two. I love how well they cater for vegetarians with some fantastic fresh dishes as seen above with their Kale and Pomegranate salad as well as child friendly options, it's also great to see this London based British company expand to Cardiff.

John and I also managed to stop into Jamie's one morning and try out their new breakfast menu, I did a much larger post about our time here, do check it out as it's great seeing more and more places offering a fresh breakfast menu to get the day started.

A new coffeeshop that has recently been added to an impressive collection of artisan independent cafes in Cardiff is 200 Degrees and between them and Little Man they make some of the best Cortados around. They also have some delicious pastries, breakfast roles and granola that are packaged to grab and go. The stylish New York inspired interior with fast wifi makes for a great place to relax and they are very family friendly which is always a win in our books.

Enjoying a pain au raisin at 200 Degrees

If your looking something a little bit stronger than coffee or just fancy a refreshing Spitzer on a Friday after a long week than 29 Park Place has a really cool and creative cocktail menu. I highly recommend the Rosie & Gin which is perfect to sip on a warm sunny afternoon with friends. They also have a brunch and lunch menu and daytimes are family friendly, in fact we have take the boys for brunch here a few times as the pool table and retro TV games are always a hit with them.

The Rosie and Gin cocktail at 29 Park Place 

Getting back to some family friendly mini adventures there is a new temporary addition to the National Museum in Cardiff and believe me you don't want to miss this if you have kids who are dinosaur fans. The special exhibition that is Dinosaur Babies, showcases full size dinosaur skeletons, touchable models and a huge 2.5meter dinosaur nest and will be on show until the 5th of November, even though it does mean purchasing an ticket at an additional charge we certainly felt it's worth it especially as the rest of the museum is free and it kept the kids entertained for hours, plus its educational.

Another popular summer activity is heading out onto the water at Roath park with the paddle boats and rowing boats. This can get quite busy in the hight of summer so why not head down there before the schools break up as the rowing boats are already available for hire. We went a few weekends ago and had so much fun paddling around as we tried our hand at rowing. They also offer peddlerz for kids to try out on their own and the activities are run by Parkwood outdoors who offer an array of exciting things to do across Wales, encouraging kids to get outdoors and reconnect with nature.

With the recent heatwave we also headed just out of the city to Barry beach, yes this beach has had some bad press in the past few years but the regeneration of the area has had a really positive affect and this is a great place for those families who live in Cardiff and don't have a car but want to enjoy the simple pleasure of the seaside on a sunny day. You can now hire beach huts for the day and there is also a climbing wall near the far end of the beach, plus coastal walks. If you have not been in a while I highly recommend you get your towels and suncream ready and hit the beach with a picnic and spend the evening there.

I've also put together a little week in the life vlog sharing a few more things we have been getting up too. Oh how I do love this time of the year, warmer weather means lots more adventures. What have you been getting up to?