For the last six years Ten Feet Tall has been busy building up its reputation as one of Cardiff’s best city-centre bars.
Positioning itself somewhere between cocktail bar, nightclub and restaurant it could be seen to be trying a little to hard to be all things to all men.
But on the whole it manages to pull it off, although not without losing a little of its soul along the way.
The three-story building on Church Street oozes appeal from the outside, helped by its less glamorous neighbour in the form of Betfred.
And once you get drawn in you’re greeted by an incredibly well-stocked bar and friendly bar-staff. As you would expect there’s a vast range of spirits and a decent selection of both red and white wine, although the draught beer selection is a little disappointing.
At £3.75 for a pint of Amstel and the same for a medium glass of white wine it’s reasonably priced for a city-centre bar of its type, and there was no danger of struggling to find a place to sit down on a Wednesday evening.
It’s always pleasing once you’ve found a seat to be able to actually talk to the person you’re with and thankfully Ten Feet Tall doesn’t fall into the trap of blasting music out in the belief that it creates atmosphere.
There was music, but it was at the right volume and the atmosphere created itself, as it should do in any bar worth its salt.
On the downside it sometimes felt like everything was a little false, from the bookcase-patterned wallpaper to the rather garish lanterns hanging from the walls. It shouldn’t be enough to put you off going, but it felt as though Ten Feet Tall isn’t quite as intimate and trendy as it thinks it is. In fact there’s a slight hint of the chain-pub about it.
On balance the reasonably priced drink and lavish selection of booze behind the bar wins out. It’s pleasant without being exciting and for a quiet drink or two in the city centre it should certainly be on your list, although not quite at the top of it.
