We timed our arrival last Friday at TEN Bar & Kitchen at Llanyrafon Golf Club to perfection.
As we walked through the doors, singer/ songwriter Chloe Griffin announced she was going to perform one of her own songs- ‘Dream Catcher’. The 20-year-old started writing songs as a child and has been performing since she was 14.
She featured on Cwmbran Life in January and it was a total fluke that on the evening we decided to try out the menu at this new (ish) Cwmbran venue we had the bonus of live entertainment with Chloe.
Two old friends we hadn’t seen for a while were sitting on a tall table by the bar and before we’d finished saying ‘hello’ they recommended the chicken souvlaki skewers in pitta bread (£12). I was planning to try one of the pizzas but seeing the two large empty wooden platters in front of Sarah and Ben changed my mind. I’m not saying they licked their platters clean but…
Also on the specials menu was beef meatballs in tomato sauce with garlic bread (£10). Sorry Smithy and Joey, but we’re ‘sharers’ so we ordered one of each.
Back to Chloe. She writes songs, she sings covers and her own songs, she plays the guitar, and she brings her own gentle style to everything she plays.
She slotted in perfectly to the atmosphere in TEN where, as a diner, it felt comfortable to either watch her perform, chat to the person next to you, or just tuck into your food and enjoy the music. I did all three at different points- and got my phone out and snapped a few photos.
‘Dream Catcher’ didn’t just impress us in Llanyrafon. Last week, her song was played on Radio Wales by Adam Walton whose ‘BBC Introducing’ show brings listeners the ‘best in new Welsh music’. Pop down to the comments and I’ll include a link and time so you can enjoy her special song. Adam’s show featured 34 tracks and among them was one by the Manic Street Preachers, a rock band from just up the road in Blackwood.
As her track ends, Adam says: “Wow. Not for the first time tonight, I’ve got goosebumps. I mean, it’s kind of elemental because the ingredients there are the simple elements of recorded popular music, acoustic guitar, kind of brushed drums, and layered vocals, but the possibilities inherent within that are something else. Chloe Griffin is from Cwmbran.
“However you combine those ingredients, if there is no kind of magic or soul or atmosphere with it then it’s going to be a bit brown and sludgy isn’t it? That’s not brown and sludgy, it’s the absolute opposite. It’s got a wonderful kind of melancholic glow to it.
“I like that very, very much indeed. You’ve probably picked up on that.”
Following Dream Catcher, we had ‘Wonderful Tonight’ (Eric Clapton) followed by Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles) before Chloe took us into the interval with ‘Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay’ (Otis Redding).
Back to the food. First to arrive were the meatballs, served in a gorgeous deep soup bowl that my hands immediately wrapped around to feel the warmth. The skewers and pitta bread quickly followed and to make our ‘sharing’ equal we were relieved to spot two large skewers on the platter- a fair split of one each meant no ‘arguments’.
The skewers came with a generous serving of fries and a dollop of tzatziki. I couldn’t help using the fries to soak up what was left of the thick tomato sauce in our meatball bowl. I’m not sure if the Greeks mix up their meals but it had to be done.
Great customer service. I lost count of the staff members who asked us how everything was going with our night. At the end of the meal, I think our empty plates, but most definitely not licked clean, said it all.
Total bill was £37.70. This included two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc blush, a Diet Coke, and a bottle of Peroni 0.0%.
Scroll to 2hr 35min 7sec on this BBC Sounds link to enjoy Chloe Griffin’s ‘Dream Catcher’ broadcast on BBC Radio Wales 🙂