Vanilla Pod in Swansea

Went for the Chinese buffet on Friday 2nd Feb, what a treat! Even with a short staffed team the service was wonderful, you can see how the students are building their confidence and skills in both the kitchen and front of house. Food was tasty, excellent value at £7.50 for 2 courses and overall had a really lovely lunch. Will be back 😄

This has to be one of Swansea's hidden gems. Vanilla Pod is a dining experience in the heart of Gower College where the students do all the cooking and silver service. The food is restaurant quality and far exceeded my expectations. We were there for the Christmas lunch which was very good - the quality of the produce was excellent and the portion sizes were generous. The staff although in training were attentive and friendly - it's good to know that there are students still wanting to go into hospitality. It's a very popular venue so booking is essential. They seem to cover most events including Beaujolais Day.

This restaurant is run by the catering students of the college - we had an early Christmas dinner celebration. The 3 courses were excellent and set price included cocktail/mocktail and coffee. Amazing value, will definitely return.

Fifteen of us out for a 3 course meal, delicious food, great value and attentive staff. It was also lovely to support are up and coming faces of hospitality.

Excellent food and very attentive, friendly service. Good value for money too. Highly recommended and will be visiting again.

Myself and my husband attended back in July 2023. I have a number of allergies and the students went above and beyond to cater for my requirements and advise accordingly. Each member made me feel secure in my choices and confident that they understood the implications should I have any gluten, wheat, dairy or nuts on my food. It is quite often I attend an eatery (with prior notice), and am served half a plate of food (in comparisons to my friends and family) due to my allergies. Safe to say this was not the case at the Vanilla Pod, with plentiful substitutes being arranged in readiness, enabling me to leave full and content from my meal and not searching for my next bit of food. The abundance of food was plentiful and the service was warm, approachable and incredibly accommodating. It's wonderful to see the staffs passion and enthusiasm in this tough industry and I wish them every bit of success. A delicious meal and we are looking forward to our next visit.

Visited Lunch time with Eight friends. A hidden gem had three course lunch Usual starters soup prawn cocktail beautifully prepared and presented pea soup A1 hot bread fresh and tasty The main meal was an assortment of meal risotto cod chips corn beef hash and veg pie. Again great in taste quantity and quality The dessert Pear and bread butter pudding with coffee or tea to finish.All meals presented A1 staff great immaculate appearance. And attention to detail beyond reproach. a credit to the college and staff. very reasonably priced Another visit already booked Thanks to All

Wow, excellent lunch and customer service by all. Tasty three course meal and amazing presentation.

Terrible food.. so called pork bao bun was just a slice of jellyish pork fat.. inedible. I ate the frozen chips and homemade coleslaw.. was not asked if what I wanted for dessert and had a coffee.. what a total waste of over £12!! ..the students were nervous and it wasnt their fault so i didnt complain and also did not want to embarrass my friend. Bottle of vinegar was smashed on the floor by accident, i felt sorry for the student. But ripped off that I was charged in full for this awful experience Avoid bistro lunch!!

Fantastic food and wonderful service.Nicola Rees and her team of students should be applauded for the fabulous dinning experience they offer dinners.The hard work and attention to detail all goes to add to the memorable visit to their wonderful restaurant.Hard working educators like Nicola Rees set an example to many within education, the mutual respect between staff member and students is evident.I can't recommend this restaurant more highly,please go and visit and experience it for yourself .

My friends and I went for the Taste of the Sea, Seafood night. The care and the attention to detail from Nicola and the students at front of house was superb. The table settings were exquisite, double linen tablecloths, linen serviettes, and a lovely water, candle centre piece on each table. I loved the fact we had proper fish knives( haven’t seen those for years). Cutlery and glasses were gleaming. Not a smudge to be seen or allowed under Nicola’s watch. We had a 7 course seafood meal. The food was excellent, world class. No attention to detail was spared. Even the warm crusty rolls and the petit fours were made in house! Huge congratulations and well done to Nicola and her amazing front of house students and also the wonderful chef and kitchen students! We had the most incredible time. It went from a meal out to a real occasion! Thanks to all

Food was faultless as always, service first class. The menu was a French theme and comprised of French onion soup which was almost a meal in itself, main course was Confit of Duck leg served on a bed of red cabbage accompanied by Dauphinoise Potatoes, the dessert was the favourite Crepe Suzette, all the food was expertly prepared and served by the excellent staff.

A RIGHT ROYAL KNEES-UP. Organised afternoon tea for 12 sewing mates. Was not disappointed. From start to finish an excellent time was had by all. Greeted with a glass of Prosecco, then shown to our table which was decked out with bone china tea cups and floral decorations in red, white and blue. We had a choice of 4 teas after which the food was served. The presentation I can only describe as perfect from the first course to the last ( by which time everyone was full). The standard that the students achieved was excellent. They all have a great future ahead of them. Thank you one and all for what was a most enjoyable (food was outstanding) and memorable lunch. A special mention for Nicola and especially Jack who made sure everything ran smoothly.

Excellent food last night in vanilla pod gower college. The taste of italy experience was excellent across the board. The service from the youg staff was exeptional. Attention to detail first class. Standard if food superb. All our party of friends had different choices and everyone was very happy. Excellent value for money

What a perfect eve for a friends 40th. Food, Service, Drinks were superb and the staff were very attentive. I will definitely be coming back.

I was so impressed by the whole experience. The settings, the service and the menu were all excellent. I didn’t even feel like I was in a college!I had steak Diane flambé before our very eyes and it was melt in the mouth delicious!The dessert was outstanding. I had Crepe Suzette which I’d never had before and it was amazing. The orange and lemon sauce was prepared in front of me and I got see the flambé again! Such a treat!This is definitely a hidden gem if you want to experience fine dining at a fraction of the price!Oh and the cocktails looked amazing too!

First visit to the Vanilla Pod, wont be our last. The students were lovely and welcoming. The food was amazing, nice choice of a meat course, fish course and a vegetarian course. We left feeling we had been to a top restaurant.

An excellent experience. Food , atmosphere and friendliness/ attention of students acting as floor staff all excellent. This is a restaurant staffed by students as a learning experience. My personal experience of the meal (6 courses) is as good , if not better, than many I have experinced of tasting menus in hotel restaurants.

I would recommend this place as a student of gower college swansea. Vanilla pod has highest hygienic standards and great food to provide and to taste. I would also recommend Thursday nights. £20-£25 per person, last order is 1.15pm Tuesday, Thursday and friday. Thursday night last order is 6.30pm.Vanilla pod is open Tuesday,Thursday and Friday. Lunch 12-2pm, Dinner 6.00-9.00pm. Vanilla pod is training restaurant. To make reserve your table ring 01792 284252/284218.

Had another fabulous mouth watering evening meal last night. The students do an amazing job and have the opportunity to learn skills and deliver them. Each and every time i go the food simply is spot on and i am already looking forward to my next visit.

Lovely friendly students serving delicious 5 course meal. Great value for money too. The menu was well thought out and planned. Really impressed, will definitely return. :-)

Food was delicious, service was faultless. Amazing to see our talented students having put so much thought and effort into the menu. Will definitely be back.

A real gem, fantastic value for money . Service by the students was faultless and the food cooked by the students was gorgeous. A lovely evening and also giving the students an opportunity to practice their skills with paying customers. We had 7 courses and a free cocktail or mocktail all for £20! well done Gower college on this initiative

Superb five courses, beautifully presented in lovely surroundings. Catered for our every need, dietary requirements etc. Lovely attentive service & excellent value made all the better knowing it was supporting young adults in pursuit of a career in hospitality. Will definitely be recommending to everyone

Food was excellent, all 5 courses... service outstanding, we were made to feel really welcome. Would highly recommend .

Went here with Friends, the food was outstanding!! As it’s a student run kitchen the staff are all in training, they were attentive, and helpful! We had a great demonstration of their cooking too. Would highly recommend!

I visited one of the Vanilla Pod's Thursday evening service with a few of my friends. The menu was 5 courses with choices for starters, mains and dessert plus vegetarian options for everything. The whole evening was absolutely superb! My friends and I provided a bit of a challenge as we are two vegetarians, a coeliac and one who will eat anything! The students and the team dealt with everything with aplomb. We all enjoyed every single piece of food, it was definitely up to a great restaurant's standard. The meal started with a Glamorgan sausage amuse bouche, this was followed by a choice of starters - camembert for 2, pea soup or scallops. The camembert was delicious and I don't know what they did to the bread but even that was out of this world! The intermediary course was smoked salmon with brown bread but they kindly made us vegetarians a goats cheese and caramelized onion tart with unbelievable melt in your mouth homemade pastry. The mains were either duck breast, steak Diane, pan fried salmon or vegetarian lasagne served with vegetables and saute potatoes. By this point I was getting pretty full so the students kindly boxed up half my lasagne for me! It was so good I didn't want to waste it! Desserts were Bakewell tart, bread and butter pudding or a selection of cheese. The bakewell tart was absolutely delicious with raspberry ice cream that had real raspberries in it. Yum yum yum! My coeliac friend had a bespoke dessert of meringue, fresh berries, ice cream and cream to make sure all our dietary requirements were catered for. To top it all off we had coffee/tea and a white chocolate truffle as well as a complimentary cocktail with our starters. The students were fantastic and made our experience far better than some other restaurants in Swansea! The whole evening was really enjoyable and it was great to learn along with the students...they certainly know how to slice smoked salmon better than us. To top it all off the cost was only £20. Will definitely be back...sooner rather than later!! Thank you Vanilla Pod at Gower College Swansea.

Having experienced the taster menu at Christmas time, we couldn’t wait to return and we were not disappointed. As the Gower College Swansea training restaurant, the students serving us were knowledgable and service was always with a smile. A friendly greeting at reception and we were escorted to the restaurant and shown to our table. A welcome cocktail followed by a delicious 6 course menu at £20 a head, I urge everyone to try this place. You will definitely not be disappointed!

Excellent eating experience.. From walking in the door and being greeted by the fabulous students, seated and drink order taken, was maybe 5 minutes. Meal was served hot and tasted amazing. The service was very friendly and helpful whilst always being attentive. I have never had a bad meal or experience yet. They amaze me with the cooking delights every time i go and bring something different to the table with themed evenings as well. This little hidden treasure come highly recommended for an up close and personal dinning experience....Bravo :)

Which restaurant could you choose on Valentines evening for an 8 course menu from the top drawer with excellent service, refined cuisine, amiable atmosphere with champagne cocktails thrown in for just £25? Not many but at Gower College's Vanilla Pod restaurant you get the "full monty". We frequent this place quite often but for the second year running their Valentines Evening is the best of the best. The menu is quite imaginative and professionally presented as you can see from the image. Proceedings kick off with a sumptuous Amuse Bouche of champagne cocktails and large oysters labelled "Two in a bed". For starters the prawn linguine was light with perfectly prepared al dente pasta and my wife's Pea and Mint Oil soup was delicately with a subtle taste. We were a little perplexed as to whether the second course - a combination of king scallop with apple, black pudding and bacon - would work but the surf-turf coupling was delightful. The strawberry sorbet provided a welcome interlude before the main event. We chose the steak Diane which involved a quite theatrical fiery and faultless presentation of its preparation at the table. It was complimented with crispy asparagus, vine roasted tomatoes and slow cooked potatoes with rosemary. It was devine and easily the "piece de resistance" of a fine evening's cuisine. The desert of heart shaped waffles with in house strawberry ice cream was unusual but difficult to compete with such a supreme main course. It was great to experience what our young chefs of the future are capable of producing during their professional training and auspices well for the future of fine dining in South Wales.

As a group of no less than 17 we truly enjoyed our meal. It was fantastic food of three courses for an excellent price. I will definitely book again and think the staff was amazing.

I attended the Christmas evening meal last night at The Vanilla Pod and brought along family and friends so 7 of us.My brother and wife and my nephew and his partner hadn’t been there before and they were very pleasantly surprised. The food was absolutely amazing, every course was delicious. The waiting staff were excellent and very attentive. The atmosphere was warm and we certainly settled in and felt right at home. I have been a few times to the Vanilla Pod and it never ceases to amaze me how fab it really is. It truly is a little secret piece of heaven THANKS to the staff & students for making it a lovely evening for all of us and we will see you in the new year.MERRY CHRISTMAS

What a fabulous evening at the Vanilla Pod - the training restaurant at Gower College Swansea. A wonderful welcome by the students. The meal was superb and the service was on a par if not better than some local restaurants. The students this evening really excelled themselves and smiled throughout the evening. I really didn’t expect the quality of the food or the service to be of such a high standard.... a real treat and a fraction of the cost of other local restaurants. Well done to the staff - Mrs Vickery and Mrs Rees and all your excellent students.

We visit this hidden gem a number of times during the academic year. This is a training restaurant, which you quickly forget. The welcome, ambience service and of course the food is always 5 star. This Greek Evening was superb, the stuffed vine leaves delicious. We are both dairy free, which usually causes a problem, not here the menu was adapted beautifully without question or hesitation. The wine menu is extensive enough and the free cocktails are a nice touch. This is indeed a hidden gem...will we visit again..absolutely.

We were greeted and seated as soon as we arrived and as I am disabled, the staff accommodated all my needs. Everyone was pleasant and courteous, food excellent and high standards in all aspects of our visit. Excellent teaching obviously shines through and all students very eager to make our meal a pleasant experience . We shall definitely return.

Have been eating at the Vanilla Pod ever since it opened. Can’t fault the service by the training students and very supportive staff. The food is fresh, beautifully presented and excellent prices. You wouldn’t get a 3 course meal for £9.99 at such high standard anywhere else in Swansea.

This is the third time we have dined here and the experience gets better every time ( although it was great the first time we visited.Where else can you get a 5 STAR , 5 Course meal for £20 to £25 a head ?The service and food is beyond belief .To see Steak Diane and Crepe Suzettes cooked at your table by totally professional people is worth the money on its ownWill be back again next month

Being a lecturer at the college, I took some students for breakfast on a Wednesday morning where the Vanilla pod have opened a cafe serving cooked breakfasts, toast, and tea cakes and also burgers and fish and chips for lunch.Although people may think I have a biased opinion, I have to report on what I experienced and as have to say we were treated like royalty waits on hand and foot. The food was delicious and so reasonable £3.25 for full breakfast with tea/coffee, the students serving were also polite and very professional offering a speedy service. I would definitely recommend to anyone in or outside the college to visit and will definitely be returning for breakfast or lunch very soon.

Valentine's evening at the Vanilla Pod what a fabulous night! A really warm welcome Nicola and her team of students are wonderful. We had a welcome Valentine's cocktail waiting for us with a choice of Alcoholic or non- alcoholic. We opted for the alcoholic cocktail which was delicious. The food, with each course being amazing was delicious. The Vanilla pod is a hidden jewel of first class service and first class food. This restaurant is up there with the top eateries in Swansea and half the price. If you haven't been yet, pick up the phone and book yourselves in you definitely will not be disappointed. A really lovely special night with lovely people x

This place is a little gem. It's Swansea's Gower College training restaurant. The service is naturally outstanding. The food is by definition, textbook. As for the restaurant manager, well she is lovely.Today, I had the Welsh rarebit canape followed by a starter of a mixed salad with pate and sardine. I went for the poached salmon main. The desert was deliciously flavoursome; a cinnamon flavoured cake and flavoured custard.I had a nonalcoholic cocktail and coffee too.I thoroughly recommend a visit to Vanilla Pod.

I recently visited here with my girlfriend for the 'Chinese' themed evening. We were welcomed by one of the students who seated us. The welcoming was very warm and friendly. The restaurant already had a few customers sat down, and the atmosphere was brilliant! Around the restaurant here were oriental themed decorations dotted all around, which added to the theme of the evening. Once we were seated, we were offered two very beautiful cocktails, one alcoholic and one non-alcoholic. I chose the alcoholic one, it came very quickly, and tasted amazing, it had a lychee on the side, and it had lychee liquor in it. It tasted fantastic, and had a brilliant pastel pink colour. I also read the regular drinks menu, which had a brilliant selection of soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, including wines and spirits.The menu was very interesting, as it was a special themed night things were done a bit differently. It began like it normally does, we had our amuse bouche, which was five spiced cockles, prawn crackers, spring rolls and prawn toast. We then had our starters, I enjoyed peanut chicken skewers, and my girlfriend had chicken Chow Mein, both starters were delicious! After this we had our intermediate brought to us, which was a chicken and sweetcorn soup, again it was lovely. We then had ginger sorbet which again was delicious! The our main courses were brought out, this is where things were slightly different. We were given a bit of each main course, lemon fish, sweet and sour chicken, and to top it off, beef in black bean sauce. Three other bowls were brought out to us also, a bowl of mixed vegetables, Chinese style. A bowl of noodles, and a bowl of rice. All of these things were amazing!Now for the desert! It was amazing! I'm confident enough to say that The Vanilla Pod must be the only restaurant in Swansea that flambe food at the table, or do any table theatre for that matter! Both my girlfriend and I ordered flambed pineapple. It was lovely, however what really made the desert special was the fact that one of the students there, who is a competitor in the World Food Skills competition, flambed the pineapple right in front of our eyes! I also know for a fact that there are two students in this college who are entries in this competition, and between them they do all sorts of table theatre, but, what is brilliant is that all the students here are trained and capable of doing all sorts of table theatre.Overall this visit was phenomenal and really impressed me! I would recommend this gem of a restaurant to anyone! The standard and quality of this restaurant is second to none!

Excellent! Good quality food with amazing service. Always enjoy it . I would like to recommended that place to everyone :)

I woke up late missing breakfast and was lucky enough to get a break. I recently heard that the vanilla pod started doing breakfast during a Wednesday morning. I didn’t book but was able to get the last table. We were welcomed by friendly staff and the service was prompt. I ordered the vanilla pod buster and a choice of tea or coffee was included. When the breakfast came it was hot and very delicious. It was only £4.50 which is an amazing price and was good quality for the price. Good value for money. I would highly recommend this to everyone. I will definitely be coming again.

While on my break, I stumbled across the vanilla pod and found out that they do breakfast. I chose the vanilla pod buster which is a full breakfast which includes tea and coffee for £4.50. That is amazing. The staff were so friendly and the service was excellent. I dont like black pudding so they gave me the opinion of having something differnt, so i had extra hash browns which were cooking perfect. The food was hot and very tasty. I would definitely reccomend to my family and friends.

Vanilla Pod is based within Gower College Swansea and its a fantastic opportunity for you to support the students. Whilst they obtain essential hands on cooking and serving skills to the general public which is critical towards developing their skills they have an opportunity to show off some incredible dishes with themed evenings. The service is excellent and delivered with smiles and conversation. I have visited on many occasions with friends and family. I attended the Metro themed menu last night and it was 10/10..Go treat yourself and you won’t be disappointed.

This was the second time we have visited the Vanilla Pod and on both occasions we were amazed at the standard of service , the excellent food and great atmosphere at this resturant.

The service people were very attentive and helpful. The food was amazing. I went for a 7-course meal with a friend and was not disappointed. Was worth way more than the £20 it cost! Amazing. Well done guys. Will definitely be coming again. Mrs. Rees was a legend too :P

Amazing place for lunch with the girls or family meal had a wonderful experience really good service all the food was fresh and tasty.

Lovely food to high standard great service highly recommend lovely atmosphere well worth a visit can’t wait to go back again

What an amazing little secret within Gower College Swansea.I have visited this lovely restaurant many times for lunch and breakfast, I’ve never been disappointed!!It has a lovely atmosphere and the staff and students are very friendly, polite and attentive.The restaurant management is supervised by the catering lecturers and staff, while the chefs, servers and bar staff are all students learning their trade. The food is fantastic value for money, and knocks the socks of other restaurants in the area. Their breakfast is excellent value for money, and having recently tried the burger... WOW... just amazing! On Thursday evenings they provide a fine dining experience with themed menus of up to 7 courses. These are always well attended so I would recommend booking in advance.A real treat!

We have been to the restaurant on numerous occasions and every time the meal has been fantastic. The atmosphere is lovely and students are always polite. Highly recommend it

I've been her a few times and the breakfast is outstanding and the service is always efficient and friendly. I'd recommend to all!

We went for my birthday on a Thursday evening and the food was absolutely spectacular! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

I've been to The Vanilla Pod many times and as usual there was a lovely choice of meals on the menu. Food was very well cooked and portion size was abundant. Staff very attentive and I'm always made welcome. Keep it up!!

My colleague and I, who work in Gower College, have lunch in the Vanilla Pod every Wednesday.The food is always delicious but in particular the burger is outstanding! It is only £3 but you would easily pay £15 for it in town.Service is also outstanding.A hidden gem!

The big breakfast in the Vanilla Pod on a Wednesday is absolutely fantastic. The quality, size, presentation and service is fantastic and i couldn't want for more. Looking forward to getting through the rest of their menu :) 11/10

Have been here on several occasions and never fails to amaze me with brilliant food and wonderful atmosphere all helped along by lovely staff led by wonderful lectures!

Fantastic food. Absolutely brilliant service. The lecturers were a delight to speak too. I will be sure to make another visit.

The Vanilla Pod is most definitely one of Swansea's hidden gems! Fine dining, at a very affordable price!The food in the restaurant is prepared and served by the students on the Hospitality and Catering course within the college, under the supervision and tutelage of some of the best lecturers you're likely to encounter. As such, you're provided with an environment and experience to rival that of any of the professional establishments in Swansea.The 7 course menus on the themed Thursday evening services never disappoint, with choices of dishes on each course to suit pretty much any appetite!

This is inside a college and you are serviced by the students which is great as it helps them and you get great food for the price. They do lunch Tuesdays, Wednesday and Friday also evening meal on Thursdays early. So you have to chose when but worth a visit.

The vanilla pod is gower college catering and hospitality restaurant where the students are trained by first class lecturers.The food was some of the best food I think I have ever tasted , there were five courses and a wide range of options offered, each course was expertly cooked and served in a lovely setting.It was a treat to go to such a fantastic restaurant and experience such top class food .Possibly the only thing that could have improved it would possibly be a vegetarian option. However the staff were very accommodating .