Tukka Tuk Canteen, Whitchurch Road, Cardiff: restaurant review
On October 11, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanTukka Tuk Canteen, on that long stretch of Whitchurch Road which is home to a slack handful of Cardiff’s more interesting independents, is a lively proposition. From eye-catching cartoon murals, swathes of rich browns and coppers, and a handpainted sign mimicking those from on docks in Kochi, where fisherman return to sell their catch and
Mesen, Rhiwbina, Cardiff: review
On September 25, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanI first ate at Mesen in mid-June this year, a few weeks before it opened, in one of those sessions you’re (well, I’m) invited in to try the menu and give some pre-launch feedback. It’s not always as much fun as it sounds: try telling the owner and chef- usually, sitting opposite as you eat-
Mini Kitchen , Cathays, Cardiff: Chinese restaurant review
On August 28, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanGoogle has Cathays’ Mini Kitchen as part of Fortune House a couple of doors away. Ignore that: it isn’t, and the menu is a world away from chicken balls, pork chow mein and special fried rice topped with scarlet-sauced sliced meat: Chinese food through a British filter. This is something else altogether. Much of the
Pinoy Carinderia at Bar 105, Cathays Terrace, Cardiff: Filipino menu review
On August 18, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanThere’s a flag in the window of Cathays Terrace’s Bar 105. Crimson, royal blue, an eight-pointed star: the colours of The Philippines. After pandemic upheaval, during which she set aside her catering business to work on the front line, Michelle Green is cooking the food of her homeland. She brings plenty of experience, from prestigious
The Flora, Cathays, Cardiff: new menu review
On August 11, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanMy phone buzzes. ‘The Flora in Cathays has got a chef to take over their kitchen and I think he’s going to do something special here. I just had his lamb flatbread and it blew my mind. The chef has a solid background and the menu looks good, I think he could really benefit from
Tom’s Smashed Burgers, Crafty Devil, Penarth: review
On July 31, 2023 by The Plate Licked CleanTom’s (or ‘Tom’s Smashed Burgers and Dirty Fries’) is a fascinating proposition. They say it’s a sign of ageing when policemen seem too young. Brace yourselves for a sense of imminent decrepitude, then, because the eponymous Tomos is 18. And while you’re wondering whether you could rattle off that phrase after your third Negroni, it
This blog is a very simple thing.
I won’t try to sell you any hand lotion, exercise programmes, coffee syrups or Patagonian nose flutes. You won’t find tips on dating, ‘wellness’ or yoga mats.
I write because I love it (and food, as indicated by my increasing girth). Greed happens to be my Deadly Sin of choice, but at least it is never shy of providing me with subject matter.Â
A simple thing, then: all you get is me wittering on semi-coherently about places I’ve eaten at; hence a ‘restaurant blog’ rather than a ‘food blog’, although there are a few recipes scattered throughout.Â
From mezze to Michelin ‘fine dining’ and all points in between.Â