Rok: The new Swansea restaurant going down a storm in Mumbles

A new contemporary restaurant overlooking the stunning Mumbles coastline has opened to the public in the last week and diners can’t get enough of it.

Rok restaurant, located at Bracelet Bay, just past Mumbles, is the latest venture by the Secret Hospitality Group. The sleek restaurant replaces much-loved Italian Castellamare whose owners retired during the pandemic.

With top award winning chef John Cook at the helm, Rok serves a carefully crafted menu of delicious main meals, small plates, sides, sharing plates and desserts all made with the best produce available across Wales. 

John comes to Swansea in high esteem after most recently being chef-patron of award-winning restaurant Rocket & Rye in Cowbridge, which won the Best Local Restaurant in Wales award in The Good Food Guide last year.

Whether you fancy one of the beautifully-presented small plates of smoked salmon with citrus and olive, mussels with spring onion and tarragon or braised ribs with miso garlic honey there is plenty of choice to suit all tastes.

Also on the menu are succulent high-quality main meals including a Rok burger with longhorn beef, cheese, pickles and sauce, pork belly with tarragon mustard sauce, and a beef fillet with steak sauce. Whilst vegetarian options include a delightfully presented Miso grilled cabbage, burrata, crispy onions.

Managing director of The Secret Hospitality Group, Ryan Hole, said:

“We wanted to create something really special, something that the breathtaking location deserves and something which we feel Swansea needs. 

“The menu is quite simple, in a good way, nothing fancy or over the top. Our focus is on sourcing the very best possible produce and we have spent months doing that. For example, we use longhorn beef for our burgers which is from Huntsham Farm in the Wye Valley, a really unique and specialist farm which supply a lot of the Michelin star restaurants in London. 

“Our slogan is ‘eat with freedom’ which means we have created the menu to allow the customer to eat how they want. They aren’t forced into a price point or a set menu – You can eat for under £20 or you can spend £60 on a steak – we wanted it to be accessible to the majority of people.” 

The opening weekend has certainly impressed diners with Charlotte Haywood commenting on the restaurants Facebook page that the food is ‘unbelievable’.  

Whilst fellow diner Tom Beynon would post: ‘My initial impression on arriving was wow, and it lived up to it all night. There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a very popular venue.’

“The reaction has been fantastic, better than we could ever have imagined it would,” continued Ryan.

“The feedback from customers has been exceptional and we have got our outstanding team to thank for that who have gone above and beyond to ensure everyone enjoyed their experience.”

Rok is open Thursdays, 12pm to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm, Fridays 12pm to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm, Saturdays 12pm to 11pm and Sundays 12pm to 6pm.

Booking a table in advance is recommended and you can do this by phoning 01792 712210 or making a reservation through the restaurant’s website.

[Lead image: Rok Mumbles]