If Pakistani food is under-represented in Cardiff, then Afghan is even more so.
Taste of Peshawar will right that. Just around the corner from Cowbridge Road, the former short-lived Sizzle and Smoke- and for those with longer memories, Zio Piero- this is an unexpected opening and brings regional specialities from the north west of Pakistan, near the Afghan border.
Originally the plan was to open a second restaurant- the original is in Wembley, but brings customers from as far away as Luton- in Manchester. At short notice, this site became available, and you’re going to be happy it did.
For years I’ve been telling you for years that Canton is one of the more interesting areas of the capital to eat. Take your pick: Hiraeth, 591 by Anatoni’s, Mattancherry, SEN BBQ and Bros, Purple Poppadom, Fizz n Flour, the imminent Fowl and Fury and Burger Boyz and much more, and that’s even before the ‘Pontcanna? It’s just Canton for the pretentious’ crowd weigh in. An honourable mention, of course, for the always dependable Rees’ pies and the Syrian menu at Dino’s Café. This, though, is something new.
It doesn’t start promisingly, however. Google says they serve from two, but although the outer door is open the signs says closed. Eventually I get through by phone to find out the new owners have an ongoing tussle with our tech overlords, and they will be serving from three. I hotfoot it back- that sign still says closed- but the welcome is warm.
They have been open for just three weeks, but the reception has been good, they say, especially from the restaurant community. As I sit, downstairs by the kitchen, teetering towers of buttered naan, glistening under the lights, and steaming conical karahis are whisked upstairs for a group intent on doing some serious work.
The menu leans toward sharing. Portions are large, with a tawa feast for up to five or huge karahis listed.
My mixed grill (£18.99) arrives on cast iron, trailing plumes of smoke. There is a light hand on show, from the chicken seekh kebab lightly spiced and delicately done, with no sign of the overworked texture which can be the kiss of death; to the plump chicken wings and tikka pieces, and the standout lamb chops with their sweet meat and their ‘catch’ along the length of the trimmed bone. There is some charring. There is much gnawing. The whole thing is very capably done.
I order the Kabli pilau (£13.99), which I’ve been told to look out for as the national dish of Afghanistan : they bring me maicha. The kabli can be any cut of lamb, the owner tells me when I query it: but maicha is defined by its lamb shank, so whenever he has one, he prefers to send that out. It’s an unmistakable thing, an aromatic mound of Basmati rice, glossy with meaty juices and dressed with thin, sweetened slivers of carrot.
That shank, beautifully cooked, nestles under the gently steaming rice studded with raisins, and with the accompanying tarkari (a chunky daal-like chickpea stew) just begging to be scooped up with naan, it all makes for a sumptuous thing.
I can’t resist a chapli kebab (£16.99) It’s distinctively Peshwari and a familiar favourite. It’s the dish that everyone orders, my server tells me, along with karahi and the maicha. ‘Do you want it spicy or medium spicy?’ he asks, and and breaks into a broad grin when I ask for the former. I wonder if I have bitten off more than strictly advisable.
It turns out I have, in a sense. They are huge, these four ground mutton patties. One theory for the name is that it comes from the Pashto meaning ‘flat’ and each is the size of my hand. Spice-speckled and shallow-fried, they are flecked with toasted cumin and coriander seeds, hot with green chillies, and proudly juicy. (Am I the only person who thinks chapli improve as they cool a little, rather than eaten piping hot? The sweetness of the onion seems to reveal itself better. I bring some home: as an aside, they have just made a very good breakast, stuffed into paratha). A green tea to finish, and the doggie bag is readied.
Taste of Peshawar does what it wants to do very well, I think.You know what you’re going to get here: a welcome, a hearty meal, and leftovers. Some of these dishes are, at time of writing, unique to Cardiff; and in a city whose richness of choice still lags behind many others, that alone is worth celebrating.
Now, what was that thing someone said about Canton being interesting?
126A Cowbridge Rd E, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9DX
7 days a week, from 3pm
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