The South Kitchen is hiding in plain sight on Broadway. It probably doesnt look like your idea of a restaurant. It is easy to miss- I have passed it on foot so many times, and sometimes the front looks shuttered when the side entrance is open. But it’s certainly time you knew about it. The Read More
It’s easy to come up with a list of Cardiff’s restaurant peaks. Those times when inspiration, sourcing and technique bring us something definitive, something which sets the local standard to widespread recognition. Think Tom Simmons’ chips or mushroom butter. Bar 44’s croquetas, Asador’s chuleton, or anything Tommy Heaney does with lamb (and oysters). Milkwood’s breakfast Read More
Moving into the former Grazing Shed on St Mary St, Cardiff’s Eat The Bird is the first opening outside Devon for a small, award-winning group. Fresh from their two silver medals at WingFest, and against notable competition too, you’d hope they have come in earnest. Reading around online though, I was prepared to write what Read More
Open for just over a month as I write this, Clare Road’s Al-Madina is another unadorned, uncomplicated Grangetown find. It’s not just the plastic sheet-covered tables and it-would-be-an-upgrade-to-call-it-bare- bones decor: there’s no social media, no Google listing yet, no invitation evenings with prescribed hashtags and 13 identical captions. How utterly refreshing. The bilingual menu- Arabic Read More
The cutlery at Harafs doesn’t have elegant lines and reassuring weight: it’s a jumble of odds and sods in a canteen style plastic tray. There’s no written menu either, and you’ll probably end up eating with your fingers- there’s a basin by the kitchen if that bothers you- and drinking your soup straight from the Read More
I love watching a chef work the tandoor. It’s something about the calm, economical movements, I think: the minimal fuss. You appreciate their efficiency, especially knowing, from limited experience, how ferociously hot those ovens are; and how reaching in and slapping the dough-laden gaddi ‘pillow’ against the sides- and getting it to stick- is harder Read More