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.

Beautiful Pig

I finally went to The Potted Pig after many months of annoying my friends about paying it a visit. However, I may annoy them even more now that I've eaten there (sorry in advance). 

 

Guided down into the basement which previously served as a bank vault, we were greeted and seated with much attentiveness. And then it was time to indecisively try and choose one of the dishes from the seasonal menu. Their style is influenced by French and New York grill techniques yet the basis for the menu is very much focussed on British produce with a couple of signature dishes such as the offally good breakfast and, of course, their potted pig. 

 Potted pig with toast & pickles

Other starters devoured included potted shrimp and a leek terrine. Two rather gorgeous dishes were the smoked trout and the duck hash which was cooked with skin that crunched to perfection. Think of the best aromatic crispy duck you've eaten, got it? Now top it with a fried egg ready to dribble yolk, et voilà. 

Duck hash with fried egg 

 Smoked trout with poached egg & béarnaise sauce

The mains were generously portioned in comparison to the starters and with an average cost of £13 per dish, ideal value. I had the New York strip Abergavenny steak, as recommended by the waitress, and rightly so. Verging on the side of sirloin and crossed with a T-bone steak this cut had less fat and less chew than the other rib eye and porterhouse options. The hand cut chips had a seriously good crunchy skin and fluffy centre, yet they did seem a tad dry. The cut of meat itself was cooked to medium-rare perfection and definitely worth ordering if you are steak fan. 

10oz New York strip Abergavenny steak with green sauce

Same steak with béarnaise sauce

Other dishes we ordered were the whole bream, the roast chicken and lamb steak on the bone. The lamb was a little tough but otherwise tasted incredible, accompanied by kidneys. I've not acquired the taste for kidneys, however, if you're keen on the renal round things, they were apparently well cooked, blushing with pink centres.

 

Whole bream with Jerusalem artichokes, purple sprouting broccoli and béarnaise sauce 

 

Lamb steak on the bone with jansson's temptation & mustard greens 

Madgetts farm roast chicken with lemon, thyme & puy lentil broth 

Now, who am I to pass up dessert, eh? There were only three options which are all what you'd consider to be British puddings: bread and butter pudding, rice pudding and jam roly poly. The portions were just enough after the huge main courses and surprisingly light for traditionally stodgy food, which was helped by the thin, creamy vanilla custard.

Bread and butter pudding

Jam roly poly

 Rice pudding with jam

The drinks menu was also to be admired. Along with an affordable wine list, the range of spirits on offer included an impressive double page spread just for gin!

The restaurant is definitely a popular choice and on a Saturday night proves even busier. Once we had finished eating we were asked to move to the waiting area to finish our drinks as they needed to prepare for another set of guests. We had been there almost 3 hours and with a limited number of tables for a small venue such as this, it's understandable why they needed to ask us to vacate the table. The waitress was apologetic and offered complimentary drinks for the inconvenience which is refreshing (I'm not sure many restaurants in London would do the same)! 

Now that I've finally paid The Potted Pig a visit I'm probably going to badger people to do the same if they haven't already. Surrounded by a slue of franchise restaurants this more recent addition to Cardiff town centre is a gem. 

Lolly Sloice o' Bœuf

Strictly for the meat lovers out there...

Today I had lunch in the newly opened Ramon's New York Deli in Cathays, Cardiff: the recent addition to the family run greasy spoon, Ramon's of the same area. Keeping the family business going, Gareth Badman (son of Ramon's owner Robin) has caught on to a winner. It's simply an American deli that offers hunks of well cooked and juicy meat encased in the form of a sandwich, wrap or burger. Or bare! Naughty...

The deli sandwiches are an absolute steal at £3.50 each and they will fill a whole and probably push aside your internal organs to try and make more room. Check out the beast that is the Reuben: beef, pastrami, cheese and sauerkraut. 

There's no messing with any salad in the sandwiches. The lolly, lolly sloice o' bœuf speaks for itself! [Points to any Adam and Joe Black Squadron/Podcats out there.] Yes, the ingredients will possibly bring on a coronary just looking at them, but there's something satisfying about getting your chops round a greasy slab of beef, right? Even more so when it has been cooked perfectly without a hint of dryness, sat inside freshly made bread. I had the Chicago deli sandwich: beef with cheese, gravy and Tiger sauce (a horseradish mayonnaise). This is a typical condiment to pair with pit beef in some US restaurants...or at least the one in an episode of Man v. Food. Not sure I'd want to go anywhere near 'The Raven' at Chaps Charcoal Restaurant! *go to 5mins in*

But don't worry, Ramon's New York Deli isn't anywhere near as life-threatening to eat.

The burger and chips is also a great deal at £4.00, including chips. In true diner style you're food sits upon waxed paper and chips are served in little plastic baskets. The bun is fresh and soft and the contents are nothing short of dripping! (In the best possible way).

Just make sure you're hungry when you order as it will fill you up! 

I've come across the popular and renowned New York Deli in the Morgan Arcade in the centre of town which hones in the the more traditional US deli, attracting locals, visitors and tourists. Whereas, with Ramon's deli located close by to pubs and bars such as The Vulcan, Gassy Jacks and Koko Gorillaz, I suspect it will be more of a hot spot for students, as its fry-up alternative is. I just wonder if they can maintain the incredible portions once popularity strikes. Let's hope so!

First stop...Waterloo

As the first post away from home, I happened to visit somewhere with an air of familiarity. Waterloo, London -> Waterloo Gardens Teahouse in Roath, Cardiff. Most Cardiffians will know about this teahouse and probably adore it for the friendly, laid back but proficient attitude. 

The menu comprises an impressive selection of black, green, white, fruit, oolong, rooibos and puerh teas. We ordered pots of the vanilla black tea, jasmine pearl green tea and, as it's approaching Christmas, a pot of Waterloo Christmas tea was a must.

Jasmine pearl organic green tea

Waterloo Christmas black tea: lemon & orange peel and cinnamon 

The barista explained how long to wait for the best brewing results for each tea when he served the colourful individual pots of tea and matching cups. Said cups are in the style of Chinese teacups: sans handle with a lip around the edge. You can probably pour three cups per teapot which is ideal for about £3.00 a pot. 

The cakes were also unbelievably good. Generous chunky portions but very light sponges. Most if not all of their cakes are gluten free and vegan options are available on request. The pistachio and rose loaf was surprisingly moist with the occasional burst of lemon juice coming through.

 Pistachio & rose loaf cake

The elderflower and gooseberry cake was pretty sizeable with sweet and light whipped cream sandwiched between fluffy sponge. Bliss.

 Vanilla black tea with elderflower & gooseberry cake

Waterloo Gardens Teahouse have a real community spirit and embrace local craft and art by displaying local artists' work as well as donating commissions to The Global Fund.

If you're not one for tea, coffee is given as much attention and you can order lunch too. As for my visit, when it hit 4pm the place filled up with people enjoying a hefty Afternoon Tea. It's no secret that I am a BIG fan of Afternoon Teas, therefore I shall be heading back there to devour the plentiful treats! I've also heard that around Christmas time last year they had a harpist in the house(!) and they might be making another appearance this year which would be a lovely touch.