Three Flames, Cathays, Nashville hot chicken takeaway review

We very rarely eat takeaway anymore. In part, it’s because we enjoy the whole experience of visiting a restaurant. The dining room, the service, and the ambience, all add to the sense of occasion. The day that going out for a meal stops feeling like a special treat is the day that I give up writing this blog. 

The other reason is because takeaway food quality is inevitably compromised on its journey from a restaurant kitchen to a punter’s home. Especially things that are supposed to be crisp, which quickly become soggy whilst steaming away in a takeaway container. I like to eat a food business's food as it's supposed to be be rather than after its been sat on the back of a delivery bike for half an hour. 

Which brings me to Three Flames, a recently opened Nashville hot chicken takeaway joint that’s located down a back lane in Cathays. Whilst there’s no way you’d ever stumble across it and their passing trade must be non-existent, you can be rest assured that I’m not going to describe it as a covert trinket, stealth sparkler or some other insufferable cliché.

Having used Google Maps to track them down to their home in what looks like a converted garage at the back of 98 Crwys Road, I was mightily impressed to find a crowd of people waiting for orders at 8.30pm on a Sunday evening. 

Specialising in Nashville hot chicken, Three Flames’s menu comprises of sandwiches, sliders, wraps and loaded fries, all of which are available in a variety of heat options ranging from Spark (mild) to 3rd Degree (extreme). If hot chicken isn’t your thing, then they also offer a selection of beef burgers and a veggie option too. 

I'd preordered my meal on Three Flames’s website, which allows you to live track your meal, and was looking forward to waltzing to the front of the queue to collect my dinner. However, when I arrived on time, the tracker showed that my order had already been collected, and I then had another 10 minutes to wait for it to be cooked. The friendly front of house team was very apologetic but there’s not much point in whizzy technology if it doesn’t work. 

As I was ravenous, and a little bit tipsy, I decamped to the nearest street corner to eat my dinner within a few minutes of it being cooked. 

My Nashville sando (£10.99 including fries and dip) saw a run of the mill toasted St Pierre brioche bun overflowing at the edges with a colossal and supremely juicy buttermilk marinated chicken thigh that was coated in an uber-crisp gnarly crumb and topped with creamy slaw and cleansing pickles. I’d opted for the mild spice level, and it delivered a big hit of flavour with just a delicate kick of heat. 

Served on the side was a mound of exemplary spice dusted crinkle cut chips, and a pot of tangy, creamy and spice-twanged Flamer Fuel dip. 

Even taking into account the unremarkable bun, this was a first-rate fried chicken sandwich meal.

On a second visit during the middle of the week, I had no such issues with the pre-order technology. In fact, quite the opposite as when I arrived a few minutes before my allotted collection slot, my meal was already sat waiting for me. I’m not sure for how long. 

By the time I’d made the 10-minute walk to Roath Park to guzzle my dinner on a park bench, the condition of my chicken tender meal (£9.99 including fries and dip) was somewhat compromised. 

Whilst the pair of mahoosive chicken breast tenders had thankfully retained their heat, tenderness, and crispness, the crumb coating started to fall away when I picked it up. They were sat on a token slice of toasted brioche that was a little bit too sweet for the job – cheap white sliced bread is clearly used in most Nashville hot chicken joints for a reason. 

Whilst the chicken had held up pretty well on its journey to the park bench, the same couldn’t be said for the pile of crinkle cut chips that were sadly tepid and limp.

This time around, I’d ordered my chicken at a medium heat level and whilst it was full of flavour, it was still pretty mild, even in comparison to mild Nashville chicken heat levels that I’ve had elsewhere. I’d certainly go hotter next time. 

An accompanying pot of ranch dip was pleasingly creamy and tangy – it was an ideal foil for all that spicy deep-fried stuff. 

So, what can I say about Three Flames? At its best and when consumed immediately, they serve generous portions of cracking value, top notch Nashville hot chicken. However, after ten minutes sat in a takeaway container, it’s a much more mediocre experience. 

But, I guess that’s the inevitable challenge for a business that operates exclusively as a takeaway. Unless you’re planning on eating your dinner in your car or on a street corner, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be tasting Three Flames at their very best, which would be a shame as their very best is very good indeed. 

The Details:

Address - Three Flames, Rear of 98 Crwys Road, Cardiff CF24 4NQ
Web - https://threeflames.uk/
Telephone - 029 2297 4007

Picton and Co, Cardiff Bay restaurant review

Dinner and a show – it’s a great way to spend an evening.

After all, it’s basically a classier version of what we do every night anyway – guzzle some food and then slob out on the sofa for a few hours before bed.

When it comes to places to see live theatre and comedy, there aren’t many finer venues in the UK than Wales Millennium Centre. And with the new arena set to open in 2028, there’ll be no shortage of places to see a show in Cardiff Bay.

But, the area’s shortage of great independent restaurants makes the dinner part of the night a bit of a challenge. Whilst the Sultan, Yakitori #1, and Tiger Yard are all very good options, I think the Bay has been missing somewhere with a bit of style for pre-theatre dining.

Picton and Co, an all-day deli-café-restaurant, previously looked like it might have fit the bill. But, the last time we saw a show, back in 2024, they didn’t start serving dinner until 6pm. So, it would have been a bit of a rush to get our bums on seats in time for curtain up.

Thankfully, they’ve since got their act together, and now serve dinner from 5pm, meaning there’s plenty of time for a bite to eat. So, we decided to check it out before a Saturday night trip to see James Acaster.

Picton and Co is owned by veteran Cardiff hairdresser Ken Picton, and he clearly knows more about style than just wet perms and mullets. The bright and modern venue, with a big central bar as a focal point, has a great vibe.

Whilst Picton and Co’s daytime menu leans towards brunch dishes, focaccia sandwiches, and Japanese rice bowls, their evening menu offers eclectic small plates with influences drawn from across the globe. Duck leg bao, Moroccan lamb chops and smoked octopus pintxos were a few of the dishes that didn’t make it onto our final order.

Much like our last visit, we kicked off the meal with a couple of cocktails. This time around, they were made by multi award-winning mixologist Jamie Lock, who you may well recognise from Cardiff venues like Penny Royal, Heaneys and Dead Canary.

A Chutney Collins (£11) and Dirty Margarita (£13) were both seriously drinkable yet delivered layers of complexity and palate warming chilli heat. The former combined vodka, manzanilla, mango, pickled chilli and ginger whilst the latter saw a classic margarita zhushed up with olive brine and pickled chilli.

We followed them up with a boozy yet classy Manhattan (£14) and a Pear-shaped Sour (£12), with plenty of fragrant citrus and floral notes.

Picton and Co’s dishes are billed as plates rather than small plates and I can see why. We ordered five dishes between the two of us and were absolutely stuffed.

A mound of meaty AF oyster mushrooms (£14) were coated in the crispest of crumbs and drenched in a savoury and spicy gochujang sauce. Freshness came from a garnish of coriander, heat tempered pickled red chillies and spring onion.

Whilst Cardiff has its fair share of excellent carrot dishes, Picton and Co's carrot ceviche (£10) can hold its own among the best. Sweet and charred edged carrot slices had a nice bite and were lifted by the freshness of lime. The clincher was a pool of intensely umami and nutty hazelnut butter that added a wallop of flavour with every mouthful.

There was tons going on with smoked jeyuk pork belly dish (£20), but it worked. The slab of char crusted meat, which an excellent flesh to fat ratio, was accompanied by sweet and sharp apple puree, charred apple, and a background thrum of spice. Taleggio cheese sauce was perhaps one ingredient too many but I rather enjoyed the creamy and funky note it brought to the plate.

Smoked patatas bravas (£10) were an elite version of the Spanish classic. Colossal, ruggedly crisp and tender bronzed spuds had a beguiling smoky note and were served with pools of honking alioli and sweet pepper ketchup and a drizzle of sticky honey.

Finally, grilled buffalo chicken (£16) was a huge-flavoured hot mess. Despite looking like Jackson Pollock had thrown the ingredients at the plate, they were all natural bedfellows - charred yet tender chicken thighs, poky and sharp buffalo sauce, shards of crisp chicken, funky blue cheese nuggets and sweet yet cleansing charred apricot.

Despite being stuffed there was no way I was going to pass on the s’mores parfait (£9). It very much lived up to its billing. Not too sweet frozen chocolate parfait was coated in squidgy toasted meringue and topped with glossy hot chocolate sauce with a nice bitterness. Piles of buttery biscuit crumb completed the excellent riff on the American campfire classic.

We had an excellent meal at Picton and Co with its whopping flavoured flame-licked food, creative cocktails and friendly service. It’s a classy Cardiff Bay indie and a belter of a venue for a pre-show meal. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we’d happily make a trip to the Bay just to eat there, even when we’re not seeing a show.

The Details:

Address - Picton and Co, Unit 9 Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay CF10 5BZ

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

Telephone - 029 2066 2080