QBAO, then. Cathays, Cardiff. I sit at the window and think, I see why I’ve seen this place called a ‘hidden gem’. To be fair, the signs are all there. There’s the location in Cardiff’s heavily populated student area, cunningly concealed on the junction of two streets with busy footfall. There’s the eye-catching two-tone lilac paint job. And of course, there’s the fact it is so popular, especially during term time, that each time I have visited, I’ve been lucky to grab the last seat. Perhaps the clincher, though, for that sought-after ‘Hidden Gem’ (sorry, drum roll… ‘HIDDEN GEM!!!!’) status i ..read more

North Point, named after the district the owners grew up, is Cardiff’s first Hong Kong-style café. Husband and wife Anson and Claris were born there, just before the 1997 handover to China which ended 156 years of British rule. They moved, fell in love with Cardiff, wanted a new challenge, and here they are on Salisbury Road. North Point is their homage to the Cha Chaan Teng (literally, ‘tea restaurant’) style café-diner: informal, inexpensive, busy: open for a quick lunch and early dinner, a quintessential slice ofHong Kong. Somewhere for a quick bite, rather than somewhere to linger for hour ..read more

‘Please allow me to introduce myself/I’m a man of wealth and taste…’ preens Mick Jagger as the Orchard Road table fills with bowls and bamboo steamers. Well, he’s half right, I think as I congratulate myself on coming here for the third time in as many weeks. Clearly, I’m in need of some restraint: but even on a menu busy with some very good things indeed, it’s the Singaporean cereal prawns which have been irresistible each time. Plump, sweet, and cooked as close to perfectly as I’ve ever known. Prawns as they should be, but so rarely are: but it’s the crisp, finely grained batter which hooks ..read more

Chennai Dosa arrives in Cardiff as a fully-formed idea. With branches as far afield as Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, Croydon, Leicester and more, the prospect of their take on Southern Indian meets Sri Lankan cooking might have a few local rivals worried. Based on my two visits, they shouldn’t lose any sleep, at least not until some significant issues are addressed. Service is very pleasant, but skittish- I am asked for my order within two minutes of arriving, despite the menu running to seven pages, excluding drinks, and if I’d like another beer when I am only a quarter-way through the pi ..read more

I don’t have anything new to say about Victoria Park’s 591 by Anatoni’s. Don’t worry, though: no one else has, either. Local pizza reviews trudge a well-worn path. Almost 3 years ago, reviewing Scaramantica, Tony Frawley’s former place, they were already ‘…a well-worn route to Review Predictability via Cornicione Parkway and Airy Crust Central.’ But here’s the point. In 591’s case, it’s actually a good thing. Something to celebrate, even. Pizza may come and pizza may go in Cardiff- the Brass Beetle has recently shut, while a new Dusty’s has opened in Llanishen- but it’s Tony Frawley’s return ..read more

Wavey Bar sits opposite Hastings’ True Crime Museum on Hastings seafront. That would be a gift to any writer if it turned out to be a disappointment, an easy but snarky segue into a hatchet job. Happily, this review will be anything but: Wavey Bar is the kind of place which gets under your skin in every good way possible. Open since 1st of May last year, and nestled within Hastings’ White Rock Baths, Wavey Bar sits under the promenade with a clutch of neighbours. Brewing Brothers, Patty Guys, Bok Shop: just down from the Pier, the sweep of sand and its clutch of boldly-striped beach huts, all ..read more

Favourite Cardiff opening (aka the ‘Relieved it’s every bit as good as I wanted it to be’ award): Tukka Tuk Canteen, Poca Parallel appeared as confidently as you’d expect, but my heart belongs to two local favourites who opened long-awaited new restaurants this year. Anand George’s quiet revolution continued as, despite formidable hurdles, Tukka Tuk Canteen launched impressively. Few have the vision to cover everything from tasting menu formality to food festival truck to market stall to casual restaurant. Even fewer ensure each is done consummately well. Rupali and Anand’s vibrant celebratio ..read more

A confession- you Proper Foodies, prepare to clutch those pearls- but a restaurant’s claims around sustainability, whether genuine or just PR window dressing, don’t loom large when I’m choosing where to eat. When the language around a place is dominated by ‘sustainability credentials’, I find myself rolling my eyes and muttering YES BUT TELL ME ABOUT THE FOOD. I should care more, I know: mea culpa, mea maxima culpa and all that. I don’t really care what you do when I’m not there: just feed me well when I am.  Fallow walks that line with some style. It’s all right there on the menu but ne ..read more

Canton’s SEN Bros is where ‘Hoja’s by SEN Bros’ was, and is moments away from SEN BBQ on Cowbridge Road, but has nothing to do with either. Got that? All clear? Marvellous. It’s the former owner of BBQ- ‘call me Sen’- who built its strong reputation, but sold up last year and now runs Bros. Now unrecognisable from the daytime café which did a good line in breakfasts and industrial-strength Turkish coffee, the right hand side is dominated by a hefty charcoal grill which is the heart of the place. There’s little on this menu which doesn’t come straight from the coals. Sure, there is a short list ..read more

Tukka 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 nearby shacks display “You Buy I Cook” for a wholesome version of fast food: this doesn’t look like anywhere else. It has taken a while for owners Rupali and Anand to get here: more than anything, Tukka Tuk Canteen is a testament to sheer dogged perseverance ..read more