Snac Casual
I went to see Snac Casual at Brecon Tap fourteen months ago, in December 2022. They had recently started up and were in the early stages of figuring out the route they wanted to take with their pop ups.
Back then it was an emphasis on street food type small plates cooked over fire. The Texas hot link sausage with pit beans encapsulated this initial strategy.
Fast forward to February 2024, the brothers behind Snac brought it to the capital for the first time - and as luck would have it - only down the road from me at the grade II listed Insole Court. They’ve stepped things up a notch since my last visit.
The vision has now taken a more clear shape, with their small plates being offered in a laidback setting, at affordable prices, plus a set/tasting menu available if you fancy a pop at everything on offer.
Seven plates to share between two come at a cost of £60, £30 each - the rice pudding dessert there for an optional further charge.
The men in the kitchen are Jamie and Sion Morris.
Sion (left) spent five years slinging burgers at the hugely successful Hills, Brecon, before leaving to explore different styles of food at places including the River Cafe Glasbury and gastropub The Three Horseshoes Inn, Groesffordd.
Jamie (right) has worked around Europe, before spending a few years in Cornwall, then moving back to his homeland with a stint at Rocket & Rye in Cowbridge, named as the best local restaurant in Wales by the Good Food Guide in 2023.
There is a lot to like about their food. Many of the dishes in their latest menu seem to draw inspiration from different parts of the world.
A puffy miniature flatbread, baked in their own oven that they transported down to Cardiff, contained Italian ingredients of San Marzano tomatoes and basil leaves.
Rarebit croquettes, a nod towards their Welsh roots, tangy throughout with mustard, perched on a spicy, sweet, and sticky chilli jam.
Asian influence with skewered duck, served pinker than Alan Brazil mid-debate on talkSPORT, with ribbons of spring onion, coated in a glossy pineapple and soy sauce caramel with a shine that a Love Island contestant’s teeth would envy.
Braised squid contained a medley of celery, chick peas, and tomatoes with a herby green oil - similar to the composition of a Mediterranean stew.
The main event of this menu was flat iron steak, in a rich roasted onion sauce, served with the French potato and cheese dish Tartiflette - note that the cheese used was earthy Tunworth - and tenderstem broccoli scattered with gremolata and buckwheat.
We did of course, opt for the additional baked rice pudding.
Their food is simple and accomplished, and I feel it’s only going to keep getting better.
Jamie and Sion can juggle their work in several kitchens simultaneously, and mix things up with their menus - the hint is in the name: casual.
Having carved out a healthy reputation in Brecon, a more permanent residency is at the forefront of their plans: a pub kitchen, small restaurant, or cafe that could be used to host Snac for two or three nights a week.
The boys want to offer a daily changing menu composed with fresh produce, scrawled on a blackboard in the style of an old school bistro, a casual dining atmosphere, and “good music”.
They’re helped out by Marnie who works at Arabella’s in Brecon by day, and runs their front of house operation by night.
The team behind Snac are beginning to fit their pieces together - now they need a hand with finding a venue where they can become a fixture.