This is a small Cardiff branch of the global public affairs consultancy Grayling. Though there are…read moreno more than five members in the team, they are experts in the field of welsh politics, and are held in high regard throughout the UK. Their office is ideally situated in the 2 Caspian Point building in the heart of Cardiff Bay, thus guaranteeing that close links are kept between themselves and the Senedd (The National Assembly of Wales building). This additionally ensures that team members can attend assembly committees, and First Ministers' questions on behalf of their clients at ease. Finally I would just like to add that through my own experiences with Grayling, I've found the Cardiff team to be incredibly friendly and very easy to get on with (very important qualities).

Working Word is a Cardiff-based PR company offering individual PR services or integrated PR…read morepackages to a range of companies and organisations. This ranges from the more obvious media relations and event management type of services to crisis communications, internal staff communications, and web content. Their client list includes several well known Welsh bodies including the Welsh Assembly Government, Careers Wales Gwent, UNESCO Cymru Wales and the Welsh Language Board, and they've worked with private sector companies in a range of industries - including managing S4C's digital switchover campaign. Their website provides a decent range of case studies showing the results achieved for a range of their clients, and latest news from the company. Apparently, last Saturday the Working Word team were part of an attempt to break the record for the world's largest language lesson at SkillsCymru, Wales's largest careers and skills event - but there's no update yet as to whether or not they succeeded!

Good Relations Wales has a team of eight and a conventional, 'corporate' brand identity. Founded…read moreback in 1989, it's not one of Cardiff's 'funky', new-fangled PR agencies but rather one of the more well-established, traditional PR companies. They've been involved in some high profile campaigns for the likes of Cardiff Bus (introducing the 'bendy bus' to the city), NHS Wales, Digital UK (helping Wales make the switchover to digital TV), Hugh James, and Learndirect, amongst other well known organisations. With their no-nonsense strapline -"Better communications. Better results." - they seem like a professional, straightforward company with a very experienced team that includes former journalists, a former Welsh MP, plus PR experts and marketing specialists.

10 Feet Tall is a cooky and eccentric vintage looking bar sister to buffalo bar and Mr Smith's that…read moreserves so great meals with wonderful drinks. As if that wasn't enough it hosts live music certain nights and quiz nights. It once hosted a Doctor Who themed quiz night. If that's not enough to please you then I don't know what will! I was luckily enough to go to a staff party in their function room upstairs with a full bar. The whole mood and atmosphere is very relaxed and we all had an excellent time there. They even supplied us with their food. They food looks unique and tastes incredible. Although I was confused to deciding whether what I was eating was a roasted parsnip or a well cooked French fry. To this day I still don't know what it was. This bar is a great place to hang out in groups. It's a friendly place that offers a variety of cocktails and it has a happy hour. The only thing that brings it down slightly is the prices like it's sisters Buffalo and Mr Smith's. So prepare to dig a little deeper in your wallet. 10 Feet Tall is a wonderful bar where you can enjoy a lunch or have great night out with all the events that they host. Just be warned you may spend a little much. I would go after pay day!

I'm a real fan of this place, even if they have no idea what a Cosmopolitan is. They've never got…read moreit right, but the resulting drinks are always drinkable, at least. This bar opened just before I went away to New Zealand and it has been a very pleasant rediscovery on my part. Great nights have been had here, and as I'm not really a fan of just getting too drunk, this is a wonderful place to get tipsy and chat about the Enlightenment. Atmosphere really is the thing that sets this bar apart from others in the surrounding area. And atmosphere is the one thing that keeps bringing me and my cohorts back time and time again. It's classy and funky without seeming snobbish in the slightest. Which is quite an achievement, I think. An excellent place for a night out, or the beginning of a night, if you're that way inclined. Best to get there a little earlier to claim the seats and fill up on tapas.

Cambrensis Communications Ltd is another shop fronted PR company in the Pontcanna area, just a…read morestones throw away from Effective Communication. I find this interesting. A lot of the businesses in this area, from the butchers and deli's to the cafes and hair stylists, see a lot of the 'who's who' in Cardiff (as well as a few interlopers: apparently Will Young is known to hang out in Café Brava when he's in Pontcanna visiting a friend), and so it seems that these companies have gravitated to where they need to be. There's quite a few new businesses in the area who have clearly opted to position themselves so that they can capitalise on the standing of the area, but not so Cambrensis Communications Ltd. This family business, that has now grown into an 'extended family' scenario, have been operative for many years. Their founder has had 40years in the PR industry alone. A progressive company, that has had to adapt and grow more flexible due to the ever changing financial and media conditions that present new challenges on an increasingly frequent basis, Cambrensis Communications Ltd continues to flourish. Offering a comprehensive suite of services that include; creating PR campaigns, media relations, media training, TV and radio production including corporate video and DVD production, as well as a broad ranging event management service that even includes wedding planning, launches, and conferences Cambrensis Communications Ltd is a bilingual company and consequently handles several accounts where Welsh speaking is a must.

Cafe Jazz is unique bar-restaurant which offers something that few other Cardiff bars offer: jazz…read moregigs in a fairly unpretentious setting, plus good food and decent wine. You could easily walk past without spotting this place, but look out for the Sandringham Hotel and it's just next to it, with a red sign. The evening gigs include a weekly jam session, and regular jazz gigs organised by the Cardiff Jazz Society and the Preservation Jazz Society. The line up is pretty varied, from ragtime bands and blues bands to acoustic trios and Latin jazz - featuring some incredibly talented musicians - and not all of them 'old blokes' as one reviewer says (I've seen plenty of groups including people in their 20s upwards, so it's a real mix). There's even a small dance floor where some people get up to shake their booty during some of the livelier gigs. Beyond the bar and slightly separated from it is the small restaurant area where you can still hear the band without it being as loud - so you can still enjoy a bit of conversation over supper. The food is very reasonable, too - both in quality and price, and when I last had ate there they had traditional bread pudding with ice cream on their dessert menu!

I have a soft spot for this cafe. It is, admittedly, not the most luxuriously decorated of places…read morein Cardiff centre, but it's quite a fun and comfortable little dive. There's usually something a bit different going on here, and you can find live music and other performances on many night of the week. They have a full bar (and are in fact more of a bar that a cafe - deceptive naming, I know!), and do serve food. The food isn't really the best, considering there are so many fantastic food places nearby, but the atmosphere can more than make up for this on a good night. The staff here are very friendly and there can, on popular nights, be a great air of community spirit in the air. I once applied for a job here, and although I didn't get it, they sent me a very nice letter to say so, rather than just sucking my CV down into a pit of oblivion. Polite and different.

Whenever I've been to a recruitment agency, the people inside are generally pretty helpful. After…read moreall, they make money from finding you a job. I recently popped into Acorn because I was on my way back from a job interview in a place I didn't really want to work (I hate call centres) and figured as I was already suited, booted and looking generally employable, I would have a go. I was told there was nothing I could do in the branch and I have to search for vacancis myself online. That's not a problem obviously but in my previous dealings with agencies, the point of it was always that they did the searching for me, and then they pocketed an hourly rate from my employment. So went to a different agency where they actually did earn their money and do the searching on my behalf.

This employment agency is part of a big national chain. They have a good reputation in Cardiff and…read morehave secured several major temporary staff supply contracts. For example, the Welsh Assembly Government has an exclusive contract with Acorn and uses them for any temporary staff they need. In addition many of the local councils in South Wales use this branch of Acorn because they know that vetting procedures are strictly adhered to. The big attraction to a job seeker of registering with this agency is that it can provides access to some of the best employers in the area. Many workers, after working as a temp., find that they are considered favourably when a permanent vacancy with their host organisation occurs.

Blanket Communications has gone for a kind of retro look and feel with its brand, and describes…read moreitself as a 'boutique' communications company - yet still provides the full range of services from PR to print, advertising to design, and copywriting to online provision. Their team is made up of PR people, editors, marketing specialists, designers, web experts and print experts. They have quite a few smaller clients, including several independent Cardiff restaurants, featured in their portfolio, including the very well respected Mint and Mustard (see separate review of that!), its sister Indian eatery Chai Street, plus Lebanese and Moroccan restaurant Mezza Luna. They were also chosen to launch the Cardiff branch of the Yo! Sushi chain. Outside of the food industry, they have worked with South Wales Police to create an anti-burglary campaign, and created an award-winning waste awareness campaign for Cardiff schools called The Really Rubbish Campaign. Although this company doesn't have as broad a range of clients covered in its online portfolio as some of its local competitors, I like their clean, waffle-free website copy which comes across as very honest, and their funky design comes across as forward-thinking.