The Vulcan Lounge

Went for a Sunday roast the other day, for £6.25 you can have chicken, pork or beef. I really enjoyed my meal and the piece of chicken that I had was large and boneless — delicious. Beware, it is fresher’s period right now and The Vulcan is demonstrating this with free sweets and a paddling pool filled with balls, very confusing.

There’s a certain kind of bar that only exists in areas heavily populated by students. This bar is dreadfully pretentious with mismatched furniture and quirky details. However, unlike the more central boozers that push prices up to firmly remind you of how classy they are, the Vulcan keeps pulling in the students with rather impressive deals on food and drinks.
Lampshades of various sizes and patterns hang from the ceiling, where an upside down table is surrealistically glued alongside an ashtray and half-​smoked cigarette. These bold yet classy decorations are matched with a fun and sophisticated exterior. Yes, lashings of gold paint and an oversized Victorian-​style lantern perhaps don’t work ‘on paper’, but this formula certainly works in life.
Look out for the events held every day throughout the week. Monday’s evening for wanna-​be pop-​stars on the open mic is always entertaining, and Sunday’s movie night brings demanded films to the big screen.
If variety is the spice of life, watch out… The Vulcan Lounge may burn.
URBAN CHALLENGE: Sit at a table because you like its name (you’ll see what I mean when you get there!)

When I was invited out to the Vulcan Lounge, I was like what, really! There? It used to be The End pub, and it wasn’t exactly glamorous, not at all… I went along anyway, and O.M.G WHAT a transformation, the place looks great! Visually, it’s gorgeous, really cosy and smart. The atmosphere is always fantastic, especially on the open mic nights that they have on a Monday– the artists are always credible, and it almost turns into a sing-​a-​long session, it’s definitely a crowd pleaser and a lot of laughs.
It’s definitely first– date material in there, lots of cosy, nice softly lit corners to cuddle up in! And great for groups too, with large tables and a large bar area. There’s a lovely outside area too for smokers and hot beer garden days!
Price wise, pretty good. Inexpensive and quality hand in hand. What more could you want. It’s usually quieter than the other busy student bars in Cathays, so feel free to escape from it all in The Vulcan Lounge.

I tend to go in here a lot, but mainly for the musical entertainment — in the main the open mic night on a Monday. The Vulcan Lounge is an improvement on The End. The interior is inviting and quirky — look out for the table, chair and lamp on the ceiling — and there are plenty of little snugs and sofas for an intimate evening.
The open mic night is really friendly, if a little repetitive if you go every week, but then there are some occasional surprises; One week I arrived to find a Danish Prog Rock band setting up! Local bands also often play and as its such a friendly setting you’ll find some good quality music from well known locals in the open mic.
The beer is cheap as it is a student friendly venue, and the staff are friendly. In fact, with NUS you get a discount on certain beers. And they have more novelty vodkas than I have ever seen!!!
I wouldn’t bother with ordering food though, They do say they’re a Gastro pub, but I’ve attempted to eat in there a few times and its has not arrived, or I’ve been too late etc. Basic pub fare really.
Oh, and it can get a bit confusing with the name — this isn’t the one they tried to knock down, this is the other one…

Formerly The End, the revamped Vulcan Lounge adds a touch of style to the Cathays pub scene. The whole place is newly refurbished and has elegant furniture and quirky décor, and even though it’s all new the Vulcan feels like it’s been there for ages.
It’s a comfortable place to spend a few hours drinking and happily the drinks are fairly cheap and there’s a pretty good selection too. Food does well here too, the menu is on an old school clipboard and although it’s not huge it does have a lot of good meal options on it as well as starters and sharers and the all important puddings. Instead of plates you get a chopping board upon which your food is delicately arranged. It sounds a bit poncy but they do manage to pull it off so the overall dining experience feels a bit more classy than usual.
The staff help this impression too, the bar staff are friendly and the waiters and waitresses are helpful and polite, and if you’ve got a bit of a special request then they do their best to accommodate. I was there for a friend’s birthday and had gone in earlier to drop off a cake, and the girl behind the counter was unbelievably friendly and helpful with our booking and with the cake. I was so impressed with the whole evening so I’m happy to recommend the Vulcan as a party venue.
As well as the food and drink the Vulcan plays host to open mic nights every so often and they also do a good pub quiz, both of which are nice extra touches to an already classy and comfortable pub.

This place was classy even before it got classy… if you know what I mean? The fact that it’s now had a reburb that shows it in its true colours is simply a case of a place fulfilling its promise!
It’ll come as no surprise to many that the people behind the Vulan Lounge are the same people that transformed the North Star into a shining beacon of contemporary style. Tim Rice, the illustrious Cardiff based designer responsible for the magnificent results out in Maindy /​Gabalfa is now working his magic in Cathays. And that’s not all… The winning formula that has made The North Star such a manifold success is being down-​scaled and transposed onto this centrally located pub cum lounge. That means great food, live music and high levels of customer satisfaction!
Rowan Liggett, one of the people behind MMP (Miniature Music Press), and responsible for the music nights at The North Star is also providing the entertainment here. So, for those of you without a car. well… rest assured, they’re bringing the good times to you, instead of making you hanker for something that is just a little too far out of reach…
The Vulcan is still closed mid week until the work is complete.
Here’s what I wrote about The North Star:
The North Star is a vast pub cum restaurant and music venue occupying a prominent position on North Road in the Maindy /​Gabalfa area of Cardiff. It is an incredibly inspiring and important addition to the cultural wealth of the city. Opened in October last year, it is already the home to a cosmopolitan mix of locals, business people and students, as well as regular visitors from all over the city and beyond.
When you walk into The North Star you can appreciate why it has such a draw. The old Victorian mansion-​sized building has been lovingly refurbished with impressive style. The modern look, embellished with antique flourishes and an eclectic use of period furniture, has been created by Tim Rice, one of Cardiff’s most successful designers, leading The North Star to be shortlisted for ‘The Best Bar and Restaurant Design Awards’ within months of its unveiling. It also scooped up another accolade when it was voted the fifth best ‘cheap eat’ in the UK by The Guardian.
There’s more to say about The North Star than I’ve got space here on Unilocal.It’s a multi-​faceted business that offers a lot, to many. Managed by a brother and sister team, with Alex taking care of front of house, and her brother conjuring up epicurean delights in the kitchen.
The food, organic and locally sourced wherever possible, is extensive in range and all homemade from scratch, including the relishes, dough’s and even the Yorkshire puds! Dishes are predominantly Italian, but the menu frequently includes Welsh favourites like cockles and lava bread, Monmouthshire lamb and potted pig. With deals like ‘2 for 1′ operating from Monday to Friday, customers are visibly increasing on a weekly basis.
Specialty dishes are changed regularly, usually prompted by the advice of their local butcher, J T Morgan, who tips them the wink about all the best seasonal cuts on offer. Established in 1861, J T Morgan Butchers have occupied a position of importance at the indoor market, in central Cardiff, for more years than anyone can remember. A family butchers that have moved with the times, they are presently one of the most recognized purveyors of free range and organic meat and poultry in South Wales.
Not surprisingly, The North Star makes the most of a good thing. As well as fantastic Sunday lunches, boasting the most succulent roasts in town, they’re also hosting BBQ’s on Friday and Sundays over the warmer months.
Live music is on offer most days of the week, kicking off on Wednesdays with the Open Mic Night hosted by Rowan Liggett, who is also Co-​Director of The Miniature Music Press, a really well produced A5 music magazine and ‘What’s On’, that you can pick up for free at a whole host of places around the city.
The North Star also has a sister pub worth mentioning; The Vulcan in Cathays on Wyvern Road, another haunt of the ubiquitous Rowan Liggett, who runs the Open Mic nights here as well. Frequented mainly by students, this is a cool live music pub, also designed by Tim Rice, that is equally well worth checking out.

Blowing away the cobwebs of previous incumbent The End, The Vulcan Lounge hasn’t used its drab predecessor as a model of excellence like a couple of nearby bars we could mention. From the exterior onward it makes sense that this place is run by the folks behind Maindy’s The North Star, classily painted in chocolate-​coloured shades, replete with giant lamps adorning its frontage. Imaginations run wild inside, neatly reusing old wooden doors as seating dividers, and though that innovation doesn’t quite stretch to choices behind the bar, there is a neat line of homemade vodka infusions in a variety of throat-​pleasing flavours. Its gastropub-​lite food (with suitably under-​inflated price tags) picks up any slack too — and if you’re feeling particularly poor, just skip straight to the dangerously decent desserts.

A couple of mates told me about this place so I decided to venture into student town to check it out.
You step into a weird kind of Victorian living room, with lots of light shades and plenty of students. The food is dubbed as ‘Gastro’ which means it sells burgers, pasta, platters and usual grub fair. Surprisingly though the food is really quite cheap, a good bit cheaper than a Wetherspoons and much better.
Its refreshing to visit a place that not only looks great, but offers value for money and good service too. They also have a fun quiz night on a Tuesday, an open mic night and lots of live music.
If being around the students didn’t make me feel so old then I’d probably be here more often, still it’s a great place for a cheap bite to eat and drink for anyone if your ever in that area.

I’ve not eaten at the Vulcan but I have had a few cheeky drinks and I have to say, the atmosphere is really great. Being smack bang in the middle of student central, the drinks are dirt cheap but the interior is not compromised and is actually really pretty.
Somewhere between classic, dark and moody old pub and trendy bar it provides something aesthetic for people who like to drink in an attractive setting.

When I first came into this pub/​lounge/​whatever, I was extremely disappointed. It was newly open so maybe I should have expected there to be some problems but I think it was reasonable to expect that I wouldn’t have to wait almost an hour for my food and to have to remind the waitress about my drink order. And when the food actually came it really wasn’t that nice. To be fair, they did give us a lot of money off.
Regardless of this, I had decided that I wouldn’t be going back. However, I was tempted in when my friends insisted that they wanted to go. There are now live bands playing at 8pm some nights, and there is a 25% discount with an NUS card (for food).
As a bar, then, it’s fine — in fact, it’s pretty nice. The décor is good and I like the relaxed feel of it. I haven’t eaten there since the first disastrous time, though, and think I’ll be keeping it purely as a drinking spot.