Despite it being another brutal year for Wales’ hospitality industry, with restaurants and bars forced to close for almost a third of the year, there’s never been a better time to eat out in Cardiff.
A clutch of high-profile new openings have bolstered the city’s food and drink scene while long-standing independent restaurants continue to deliver the goods time and time again even in the face of challenging circumstances. From cheap eats to fine-dining I’ve rounded up the 12 best things I’ve eaten in Cardiff over the last 12 months.
In no particular order here they are.
1. Reuben sandwich - Scruffy Pups
Scruffy Pups, a hidden dog cafe in Llanrumney, undoubtedly makes one of the best sandwiches in Cardiff. It’s a labour of love too.
Their reuben sandwich is made with Welsh salt beef that’s brined for seven to 10 days and then slow-cooked for 24 hours before being stuffed into thick toasted bread alongside cleansing kraut and pickles, Swiss cheese, tangy Russian dressing, and American-style mustard.
Where: Ball Lane, Llanrumney, Cardiff CF3 4JS
Read more: Tom Simmons - How one of Wales' hottest chefs rose to the top and came out of the pandemic swinging
2. Vegan crispy shredded beef - In Cafe
This Crwys Road Chinese restaurant serves a range of vegan versions of familiar classics such as aromatic crispy duck, sweet and sour chicken balls, and prawn toast.
But it’s their vegan crispy shredded beef which is the standout. Hyper-crisp shreds of wheat and soya protein are coated in thin batter and bathed in a sticky, sweet, savoury, and slightly spicy sauce flecked with onion. There’s no sogginess or chewiness in sight.
Where: 76 Crwys Road, Cardiff CF24 4NP
3. Fried quail - Kindle
Kindle ticks all the boxes on the trendy restaurant checklist – small plates, natural wines, open-flame cooking, and a focus on sustainability all feature at this Bute Park restaurant from the same team as Dusty’s Pizza and Nook.
The highlight of our visit was a super-crisp crumbed piece of quail served with silky and buttery champ and glossy meaty gravy. Fried chicken, mash, and gravy is a classic combination and here it is elevated brilliantly.
Where: Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9SZ
4. Lemon pepper wings - Wingman
Mike St Amand, the former head chef of Hang Fire Southern Kitchen, has struck out on his own by opening a duo of Cardiff street food businesses. One of them, Wingman, serves an epic range of great value wings in creative flavours such as spicy teriyaki, garlic parmesan, and raspberry scotch bonnet.
My pick are the lemon pepper wings with a sweet, sticky, citrusy glaze tempered by the warmth of pepper. They’re like a lux version of Chinese takeaway lemon chicken.
Where: The Old Brewery Quarter, Boom Battle Bar, Cardiff CF10 1FG
5. Deep-fried treats - Bacareto
Bacareto is a city centre Venetian bar which oozes effortless cool. The highly-regarded Grady Atkins serves a bar menu of small plates and you can wash them down with a few glasses of wine or spritzes.
A trio of deep-fried treats stick in the memory – creamy mozzarella, oozing taleggio-filled arancini, and crisp, soft-centred chickpea fritters.
Where: 13 Church Street, Cardiff CF10 1BG
6. Lobster with cauliflower puree and chicken sauce - Bones Supper Club
Lee Skeet is probably the biggest cooking talent in Cardiff at the moment. Having trained under Marcus Wareing and Gordon Ramsay he also headed up a Michelin-starred kitchen in London. This year he’s been cooking single-handedly at supper clubs in Cardiff Bay and Pontcanna and he's just announced his first permanent restaurant, Cora, which is opening in the upstairs of Cafe Milkwood in January.
The highlight of one of our visits was a meaty and tender lobster tail accompanied by a buttery and silky cauliflower puree, glossy chicken sauce, and the refreshing hit of white grape. This was classical cooking of the highest order.
Where: 83 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9HS
7. Duck penang curry - Moo Moo Thai Tapas
Cardiff does pretty well when it comes to top notch Thai cooking nowadays. But my pick of all the Thai dishes in the city is the duck penang curry from Moo Moo Thai Tapas on City Road. In fact it’s one of the best pieces of duck cooking I’ve eaten in the city.
A gloriously tender roasted duck breast with well-rendered fat and crisp skin is drenched in an addictively fragrant, spicy, and creamy sauce topped with lime leaves.
Where: 244 City Road, Cardiff CF24 3JJ
8. Cappella Sistina pizza - RomEat
RomEat serves great-value thin and crisp Roman-style pizza slices and whole pizzas too. Their slightly unusual Cappella Sistina is definitely my pick of a strong line-up: a slightly sweet butternut squash puree base is loaded with creamy mozzarella, crisp and salty pancetta, and fiery ‘nduja sausage.
Where: 123 Albany Road, Cardiff CF24 3NS
9. Mushroom croquettes - Tom Simmons
Tom Simmons is a whizz at cooking anything but he’s particularly a dab hand at making addictive deep-fried snacks. His tea-brined fried chicken is epic and so too are his mushroom croquettes.
Delicately golden crumbed croquettes (£5) are filled with silky bechamel that honks of mushroom. A dusting of savoury parmesan and blobs of silky chive mayo add further indulgence.
Where: 3 & 5 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna, Cardiff CF11 9HQ
10. Venison mince on toast - The Heathcock
When it comes to hearty, seasonal cooking The Heathcock in Llandaff hits the mark time and time again. Take their venison mince on toast. An intensely meaty mound of game mince is sat on decadently golden and crisp duck fat toast. If there was any risk of it being too rich then a good dollop of creamy yet fiery horseradish is there to save the day.
Where: 58-60 Bridge Street, Cardiff CF5 2EN
11. TMB pie - Ty Melin Bakery
Everything Ty Melin Bakery makes is lush from their almond pain au chocolat to their loaded croissant bombs and chocolate chip cookies. But their TMB pie is my favourite – it’s an addictively rich slice of buttery, sugary, oaty, and salty goodness.
Where: Bayscape, Cardiff CF11 0AZ
12. Sunday roast - Bar 44 Cardiff
When I’m asked to recommend a Sunday roast dinner in Cardiff Bar 44 is always the first place to roll off my tongue. Every element of their roast dinner is on point including their dry-aged picanha of Hereford beef, jamon fat roast potatoes, manchego cauliflower cheese, and chorizo Yorkshire pudding.
Where: 15-23 Westgate St, Cardiff CF10 1DD
Other highlights
Despite only 12 dishes making the final cut I’ve eaten plenty of other cracking dishes this year.
Fresh’s chicken, salami, and truffle mayo baguette never fails to deliver when it comes to bags of flavour and Scaramantica’s lasagne pizza combines two of Italy’s best dishes.
Anand George’s Keralan fried chicken has been a welcome addition to Cardiff Market’s food selection and Uisce's loaded crumpets are always a luxury piece of comfort food.
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