I finally got to try food from a backyard BBQ with an 11-month waiting list

At the start of 2026 I put my name down for Matty's BBQ Chop Shop - a smoking barbecue restaurant found in a back garden in Penarth. Matty's is so popular I'm still waiting for that slot to open up - but in a smoky twist of fate I managed to taste his food at one of my favourite Welsh pubs where he popped up over one September weekend.

Back in January I featured Matty O'Brien's unique garden BBQ school and restaurant and there were no sessions available for 11 months - that's how delicious his food is. But I was lucky enough to try out some of his dishes at his Bunch of Grapes pop-up. It's my former local in Pontypridd, and I was quick off the mark to get a table for this event!

Drilling down his 10-smoker kitchen garden into a pub dining-room size supper club was no issue for the former musician who sold out the Bunch event in no time and brought with him a menu of slabs of cornbread, pork belly lollipops, short rib and blackened pineapple.

Kicking off with a nice hunk of cornbread, its sweetness kept from tipping over the edge into dessert territory by a healthy swodge of whipped feta. The cornbread was so silky and moreish it just seemed to melt away beautifully in your mouth - easily could have put away three more slabs.

And with it, the slight tartness of the salty cheese pulled you back into starters-ville. Think of a perfect, savoury alternative to a plate of Victoria sponge and this is it.

The next of the four-courses was my favourite. It was a sticky, sweet pork belly lollipop and showed Matty's tremendous cooking and flavouring skills. Outside a sweet, tar-like coating rendered down to a caramelised level, the meat inside was juicy and had retained its rich porkiness. Add to that the sharp, fresh dressing of chopped apple - this was a 10/10 dish, I only wish I could have had another!

Next up was a chunk of oak smoked beef short rib. Again, the succulent meat fell off the bone and the level of flavour was second to none. Served on a bed of slow roasted balsamic tomatoes, this really upped the flavour level and added a juicy, tanginess to proceedings. It would have been lush to have had a bit of bread to mop up all those gorgeous juices, but we'll remember for next time!

Speaking of tanginess, the short, sharp pallet-cleanser of a dessert was charred pineapple and a perfect end to the meaty meal. Light and smokey with a sweet edge, it was the opposite effect of the sweeter corn bread starter - but I liked that brain twister, going against what flavours should be at certain points in a meal.

What was great about Matty's event is that he's very present in the action when he's not in the kitchen. Probably originating from his masterclasses and plenty of demos, he's out front telling people about the food and the cook, about the produce and why he's paired X with Y.

The Bunch of Grapes supper club collaboration with Matty was a great way to sample some elevated barbecue and have a well stocked bar with craft ales and more, on tap - pun intended.