The Sultan, Cardiff Bay, Turkish restaurant review

There aren’t many restaurant buildings in Cardiff with as storied a past as the Big Windsor in Cardiff Bay (except perhaps the Burger King in Cardiff city Centre).

This grand Grade 2 listed building was formerly occupied by French chef Abel Magneron, who made the Big Windsor famous after World War 2 and cooked for film stars like Richard Burton and Stanley Baker.

His renown is commemorated on a plaque outside the building, which reads:“In the difficult days following the war 1939-1945, Abel Magneron, 1890-1954, here achieved a gastronomic standard which contributed to the further glory of the Entrente Cordiale.”

After years lying empty since its most recent incarnation as the Juboraj, the Big Windsor is bustling once again.

The Sultan Turkish restaurant opened its doors in 2023 and a December trip to see Hamilton at Wales Millennium Centre presented the perfect opportunity to finally visit. Other pre-theatre diners clearly had the same idea, as the classy dining space was buzzing at 5.30pm on a Saturday evening. It’s worth noting that service was swift and friendly throughout our meal, a very important consideration when dining on a deadline.

The Sultan’s menu certainly aims to appeal to a broad audience, with mezze and classic kebabs for the traditionalists, burgers for...those who want a burger, and a selection of specials for the more adventurous. These include pistachio crusted lamb chops (£27.90) with asparagus and pomegranate molasses and a monkfish and octopus kebab (£29.90) with beetroot couscous.

Booze on offer includes cocktails and raki, but I made a beeline for the Efes Draft (£5.90). Ice cold, crisp and malty, I’m always a big fan. Mrs G knocked back a large glass of smooth and red fruit filled Chilean Merlot (£5.70).

Complimentary Turkish balloon bread lived up to its name. A gigantic, puffed flatbread deflated at the first tear. Hot, soft and crisp-edged, it was accompanied by a pot of thick and rich cream cheese.

We ordered a couple of starters to share between four of us. Mixed mezze (£19.90) would have been more accurately described as mixed dips. Martin Short’s character from Only Murders in the Building would certainly have been impressed.

Out of the five different dips on offer, smoky baba ghanoush, green herb and tangy feta cheese-packed girit, and chunky cucumber and fresh mint laden cacik, were the highlights.

Chunky hummus was pretty good, but I wasn’t particularly sold on a thick guacamole like dip that was topped with a clashingly sweet jam. With so many dips to work our way through, our balloon bread was kindly replenished swiftly.

Two hefty slabs of excellent halloumi (£7.90) had just the right ratio of golden crust to chewy cheese. They were served on a dollop of sweet and fragrant fig jam, which worked rather well to balance the cheese’s salty creaminess.

 

Onto mains, and Mrs G and I both played it safe by ordering the mixed shish kebab (£20.90). A good few quid more expensive than my usual haunts on City Road, it was well worth the extra money as this was some of the tastiest kebab meat that I’ve ever eaten in Cardiff.

Gigantic chunks of remarkably juicy chicken and medium pink lamb were both licked with smoke. They were perched on a thin piece of flatbread so there was no wasting all those delicious juices.

On the side was a simple yet very good bowl of stubby grained rice and a well-dressed mixed salad that included pomegranate seeds and\ cornichons.

Bowls of creamy garlic yoghurt and fresh chilli sauce were brought to the table without prompting.

Our friends both ordered from the specials with varying degrees of success.

The Cokertme (£23.90) comprised of tender pan-fried beef strips in a tomato sauce that was sat on a bed of smoked garlic yoghurt and covered with a mountain of crisp shoestring potatoes. Our friend loved it, but I didn’t think it was as good as the mixed shish.

Chestnut chicken (£18.90) would be best described as tasty but a bit weird. Whopping pieces of impeccably juicy chicken (they certainly know how to cook meat at the Sultan) were coated in a sweet, fragrant and zingy lemon sauce that bore more than a passing resemblance to Chinese takeaway lemon chicken. If that’s your bag, then you’ll love this dish. Added interest came in the form of a dusting of crisp fronds of kataifi pastry and soft pieces of chestnut.

We rounded off the meal with complimentary cups of sweet Turkish tea.

We had a delicious meal at The Sultan and it’s great to see one of Cardiff’s most famous restaurant buildings back in action. Whenever a good independent arrives in the chain dominated Cardiff Bay, it’s always a cause for celebration.

The Details:

Address - The Sultan, The Big Windsor, Stuart Place, Cardiff CF10 5BU

Web - https://www.thesultancardiff.com/

Telephone - 02920 497776

Plaquemine Lock, Islington, London Cajun and Creole pub review

Avoiding restaurants on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day and any other major celebration is one of the rules that I live by.

Dining out during a major festival brings a much higher risk of an overpriced set menu of sub-par food as the kitchen is stretched to its limits in a packed-out restaurant filled with lairy revellers, screaming children and soppy couples.

Why not visit a restaurant any other day of the year when these issues are much less likely to arise?

So, I must admit that I had palpitations when I realised that I'd booked a table at one of London's most acclaimed American restaurants on Thanksgiving. And my anxiety was made all the worse when I received a call to say that it was going to be very busy the night we were visiting #FirstWorldProblems.

Plaquemine Lock, a Cajun and Creole pub which is located on the banks of the Regents Canal in Islington, is owned by acclaimed chef Jacob Kenedy of Bocca di Lupo and Gelupo fame. It’s a love letter to his American ancestry as his grandparents were both integral to the construction of the eponymous Plaquemine Lock, which opened in Louisiana in 1909.

With its waterside setting and jovial atmosphere, Plaquemine Lock combines British pub vibes with American hospitality. There’s an excellent selection of craft beers from local London breweries like The Kernel and Hammerton, a range of cocktails that features Sazeracs and Mint Juleps and a Californian focused wine list. To add to the fun, they also host regular live jazz nights and have a cracking value happy hour from Monday to Friday.

Whilst I was worried that it was going to be elbow room only in Plaquemine Lock on Thanksgiving, in fact there was a lovely buzz of families and friends gathering to give thanks. I was thankful that Plaquemine Lock's regular bar and restaurant menus were both on offer and there was no special set menu to be seen.

With their killer bar menu offering up oysters rockefeller, po-boys and crawfish boils and their compact restaurant menu serving up dishes like gumbo and jambalaya, we danced between the two with the primary objective of ensuring we had room for dessert.

A pair of cocktails were both booze packed, in a good way. A rather grown-up Hurricane (£13) was neither too sweet nor too fruity and a fine margarita (£12) was made with smoky mezcal.

As we had a bit of a wait to place our order, we were offered a plate of complimentary cornbread (£4). Warm, sweet and soft of crumb, it was accompanied by an equal quantity of whipped salty butter. It was like eating sponge cake with salty buttercream icing and I was 100% down with it.

Fried green tomatoes (£5) were so good they deserve to have their own film named after them. The tender and meaty toms were coated in a rugged spiced crumb that would make the colonel jealous and served with a piquant remoulade that was the ideal dip.

A wedge salad (£6) was very much up my street because of the healthy ratio of greenery to unhealthy adornments. The crisp lettuce slice was drenched in a funky and creamy blue cheese dressing and topped with plentiful nuggets of crispy bacon.

I've been craving shrimp and grits since the days of Hang Fire and Plaquemine Lock's version (£10) was very good indeed. Creamy, slightly coarse grits were topped with sweet prawns and crisp salty bacon pieces in a whoppingly savoury and meaty gravy. It's proper comfort food.

Onto the mains, and we were somewhat restrained, just sharing a main and a couple of sides.

Eggs Sardou (£20) was a lovely brunch-style dish, which we happened to be eating at dinner. More of that excellent cornbread, this time crisped up on the griddle was sandwiched with perfectly runny poached eggs, tender artichoke hearts and dollops of thick creamed spinach. It was all brought together by a silky and buttery herby hollandaise sauce.

Sides were belters too. A bowl of dirty rice (£6) that was filthed up by the addition of minced pork and the richness of chicken liver.

Smothered okra (£6), with just the right amount of bite, was coated in a well spiced and buttery creole tomato sauce.

We made it to dessert with mission accomplished as we had just enough room to order one each.

Beignets (£6) lived up to the expectations of those I've seen so many times in the film Chef from Café Du Monde. Served hot from the fryer, they were impossibly light yet squidgy, liberally dusted with powdered sugar and accompanied by a pot of compellingly toasty and slightly savoury hot chicory caramel.

A slice of pecan pie (£10) is probably the best I've eaten (except for Eira's from Inner City Pickle). Thin and crisp of crust, it was laden with crunchy nuts and dark sugared caramel. The kicker was a dollop of cockle warming bourbon whipped cream.

We had an excellent meal of well-priced Deep South cooking at Plaquemine Lock in a charming setting. I'll have to update my rules on eating out during major celebration days as I'd gladly go back to Plaquemine Lock for Thanksgiving any year.

The Details:

Address - Plaquemine Lock, 139 Graham Street, Islington, London N1 8LB

Web - https://plaqlock.com/

Telephone - 020 7688 1488