Matsudai Ramen, Grangetown, Cardiff: review
On August 18, 2022 by The Plate Licked CleanMatsudai’s is a very modern success story: it has been well rehearsed elsewhere, but ultimately it’s a tale of resilience, from owner James Chant’s refreshing willingness to talk about his mental health as his original impetus, to reimagining the business in the face of global trials. Clare Road in Grangetown sees this former bank repurposed
The Khyber Cuisine, Grangetown, Cardiff: review
On August 14, 2022 by The Plate Licked CleanScuffed tabletops and vinyl banquettes: it’s basic in here. No designer has preened over this interior. It’s certainly Pakistani, rather than another of the typical Bangladeshi-run kitchens which are synonymous with ‘Indian’. There’s a clue in the wall-mounted picture of the Bab-e-Khyber (‘Khyber Gate’), built in 1964 to facilitate trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan. A mixed
Hadramowt Yemeni restaurant, City Road, Cardiff: review
On August 4, 2022 by The Plate Licked CleanAfter dinner at Hadramowt, I went back for lunch the next day. I find it useful to visit a restaurant twice if I’m going to write about it: that might not be what everyone does, but it seems fair. It’s less about being the first to get my hot take online, desperate for those all-
The ‘Full Parador’: breakfast at Asador 44
On July 31, 2022 by The Plate Licked CleanWhen is an Asador not an Asador? Why, when it’s a Parador! With the hotel upstairs now thriving, Asador 44 now has a double life: as one of Cardiff’s few consistently excellent restaurants, and as the residents’ breakfast room. Just as the rooms above are full of distictive little touches which elevate the experience, so
Ceylon Spicy Pot, Broadway, Cardiff: review
On July 23, 2022 by The Plate Licked CleanSri Lankan food is having ‘a moment’ in Cardiff right now. A sudden proliferation of pop ups and permanents means there are more chances than ever to enjoy flavours which are close cousins of Southern India but still proudly their own. Here on Splott’s Broadway, Ceylon Spicy Pot is the latest to take up the
Marmo, Bristol: review
On July 14, 2022 by The Plate Licked CleanThis feels like the right place to be as you walk in, the air heady with good things which happen here, in this small but high-ceilinged room, and from that tiny kitchen which is essentially an extension of the bar. I sit t at the bar in those tall windows, the light courses in and
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.
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.
From mezze to Michelin ‘fine dining’ and all points in between.