Cardiff Arcades

A couple of highlights from Cardiff's Arcades.

1) Wally's Deli. 

How the heck I've not been in here before is beyond me. A brilliant deli in The Royal Arcade that stocks floor to ceiling treats from an excellent cheese counter featuring Red Devil Snowdonia cheese, to classic pick n mix sweets, to intriguing preserves and chutneys, to colourful pasta to, an array of spices, to Italian, Spanish, German and Polish Charcuterie...I could go on. It's hard not to get carried away and buy most of the shop but I would recommend this tasty wild boar pâté with red wine and cranberries. 

 Wally's has various Christmas related products in at the moment, with assorted mustards, wines, chutneys (including goosebery & mint!) so it's a great place to buy some Christmas presents. 

2) The Plan. 

This café, tucked away within the Morgan Arcade, has been tipped as an excellent barista by newspapers and bloggers alike. However, I didn't go for coffee this time. Instead I went for lunch. The Welsh burger has recently been added to their menu and I hope it stays there. Accompanied by sautéed potatoes, salad, homemade coleslaw and salsa; this rustic beef patty housed in a cibatta roll was delicious! 

Bargain Bite: Kama Lounge

Bargain Bite!

So after being back home in London over the summer I've ventured back to Cardiff for my second year of University. After packing the car, travelling and unpacking everything again, food - and lots of it - was very much in order.

Just down the road from my new house is the Kama Lounge, Noodle Bar. I've been here a few times now and think it deserves a little accolade for being a damn good place to get hefty but extremely tasty portions of rice or noddle dishes for a fiver.

The food isn't stodgy like your average take-away joint which is handy because these guys also do home deliveries/take away.

You can pick and choose the ingredients, sauces, type of rice or noodles or get set boxes.

In particular the Schezeun noodles, Singapore noodles and Thai green curry rice dishes are worth ordering.

Schezeun noodles

Singapore noodles

Thai green curry with jasmine rice

The side dishes are also quite large so it's best to share one portion.  The tempura vegetables were well cooked and accompanied by a thin sweet chili sauce.

The decor inside the bar-come-restaurant is a bit hodge-podge-charm and the staff are laid back but very helpful. I would say that it is more often than not visited by students who would rather avoid the fast food outlets littering the streets of Cathays but it's perfectly suitable for non students who like a good meal too.

Gaucho Grandeur

I finally got around to dining at Gaucho. More specifically, the Richmond branch. 

Three words I can think of to sum up the experience are: indulgence, accomplished and cordial. 

A thoroughly enjoyable meal which is a must if you enjoy a well prepared steak. It is on the dear side and a slight niggle is that you have to buy the accompanying sauce for your steak. However, once you taste the food any concern about value is forgotten. 

Complimentary breads. Soda bread and parmesan rolls with salt, pepper and vinaigrette 

Beef, chicken and cheese & onion Empanadas with a sweet chilli sauce

Chorizo sausage. Argentine chorizo: a combination of pork and beef and grilled Romero pepper

What about The Steak then?

The waitress presenting the steak options before placing the order

Medallions of Lomo Fillet steak, 225g

Bife De Lomo Fillet steak, 300g

With the trimmings.

Churrasco De Lomo Fillet steak, 400g

A spiral cut, marinated for 48 hours in garlic, parsley and olive oil

Pan-fried monkfish with Mayan gold potatoes, white crab meat, 

spring onion and saffron aioli

Crushed Mayan gold potatoes 

And for dessert....

Apple pancake, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon and popcorn

Argentine Baked Alaska. Sabayon ice cream and rhubarb compote

White chocolate and yoghurt mousse with mango coulis and coconut tapioca

Cheese board selection including: Kirkham's Lancashire, St James, Cashel Blue and Innes Brick 

with Malbec and Torrontés paste and oat cakes

I Heart Roast

Photos of yet another lovely meal at Roast. If you still haven't eaten there...why not?

King prawn cocktail

Chorizo with egg

Scotch Burford brown egg with Macsween's haggis and caper mayonnaise

Poached egg, asparagus and guacamole tart

Roasted breast of Goosnargh duck breast with yellow beets, rhubarb paste and wine reduction

Beef Wellington. Enough said.

Newlyn monkfish curry

Trinity burnt cream (Crème brûlée)

Bramley apple crumble with custard

Sticky date pudding with toffee sauce and Neal's Yard Crème fraîche  

Foodies Festival, Battersea

Some photos from the excellent The Foodies Festival in Battersea.
Check out their Facebook page too for other people's awesome photos.

Phwoar! Check out that hog!

Some beautiful hand crafted bread and cheese boards by
Burrwood Boards. 

Bloodshot vodka Bloody Mary's. Fantastic! 

Cooking demonstrations by chefs at The Ivy restaurant. 

An impressive chicken and artichoke dish cooked by two 19 years olds. 

And trout with spring broth cooked by Gary Lee. 

Paella! It tasted as good as it looks. 

Banoffee ripple Purbeck ice cream.

Hammersmith's Sipsmith gin.

Tregothnan tea from Cornwall.

I also sampled some of Kamm And Sons cocktails made from their selection of ginseng spirits, which were deliciously potent and full of flavour. The Gatsby and Sunshine Mary particularly smacked some!