Saturday 30 January 2021

The Athenian Tree, Canton, Cardiff Greek restaurant and takeaway review


Did I tell you about the time I went on a lads holiday to Faliraki when I was 18 years old?

To cut a long story short, I couldn’t wait for the end of each night so I could get to the kebab shop and guzzle a gyro wrap stuffed with crisp spit-roast pork, fries, salad and tzatziki. Such was my enthusiasm that I dripped kebab fat all the way down the front of my brand new white Ralph Lauren shirt on the very first day of the holiday. 

So, it’s fair to say I’ve got a heck of a lot of time for Greek kebabs.

This leads me onto the Athenian Tree, a sister restaurant to Cathays’ much-loved Hellenic Eatery, located downstairs from the Purple Poppadom in Canton.

Much like the Hellenic, the Athenian Tree’s good value menu focuses on Greek dips, salads, grills, wraps and bakes. It’s the kind of no-nonsense comfort food which leaves very little room to hide.

A couple of on the go lunches were a very good introduction to their food.

A pork skewer wrap (£4.70) saw crisp and juicy pieces of oregano seasoned meat stuffed into a soft-griddled pizza alongside crunchy fries, fresh salad and a good dollop of garlicky tzatziki.


A chicken gyros (£4.70) substituted the pork for slices of crisp and tender meat shavings and the tzatziki for golden mustard twanged yoghurt. 


On a separate occasion we ordered a home delivery which was more of a mixed bag.

Athenian feta (£6), a must order at the Hellenic Eatery, saw thin sheets of rustling filo filled with a creamy and tangy ooze of melted feta. This decadent treat was liberally drenched with sweet honey and scattered with sesame seeds.


Cretan salad (£6) comprised of a crisp, grassy olive oil-soaked rusk topped with sweet fresh tomatoes, crumbled feta and fragrant oregano.


An Athenian meat platter (£26) was generous in portion but didn’t travel that successfully - coarse textured country sausage and tender pork souvlaki were the standouts. Golden hand cut fries were on the soft-side, shavings of pork and chicken gyro and herby beef patties were fairly decent, whilst a chicken souvlaki was pretty dry.


A soft griddled pitta did the job…


whilst dips were all great - complimentary mustardy yoghurt and garlicky tzatziki, and an additional pot of spicy and feta laced tyrokafteri (£1).


I really liked the Athenian Tree and can heartily recommend their takeaway wraps and starters. A few of their takeaways will certainly save me another trip back to Faliraki.

The Details:

Address - The Athenian Tree, 185 Cowbridge Rd E, Cardiff CF11 9AJ
Telephone - 029 2022 8976

Thursday 21 January 2021

The Heathcock, Cardiff, pie takeaway review


Pi is a constant. It is transcendental and never ending in its brilliance.

Sorry, I got that wrong.

Pie is a constant. It is transcendental and never ending in its brilliance.

Whether it's apple, steak and ale, rhubarb, mince, corned beef, feta and spinach, short crust, suet, filo or puff, pie is the answer to many a problem.

Thankfully, the Heathcock pub in Llandaff has just the pies we need for these times.

Available for collection on Fridays and Saturdays, they offer bake at home pies for one (£12) or two (£22) with sides included. You can pre-order easily online and collection takes place via a clever little homemade hatch at the front door of the pub. 


The week I ordered there were two varieties of pie available: steak and ale and chicken, bacon and leek. Enamoured by the idea of sharing one massive pie, Mrs G steered our decision towards the chicken and bacon.

Nine inches in diameter with a suet crust lid spilling over the top, the pie took just over 30 minutes to bake in the oven. It was a torturous wait but more than worth it. 


Filled with tender shreds of chicken, salty nuggets of bacon and sweet leeks brought together in a white sauce heady with tarragon, its golden lid was crisp and light with a soft interior. The extra crisp edges overhanging the case were inhaled as luxury finger food.

Before you interject and say that it can’t be a pie as it didn't have a base I’d like to pre-empt you with a) yawn, it tasted lush b) it avoids any risk of a soggy bottom c) if Fergus Henderson says it's a pie then all other arguments are moot.


Braised red cabbage studded, the perfect foil to all that richness, was sweet and savoury with a delicate balancing acidity. Its hit of thyme and glug of red wine brought extra complexity and decadence.


Thick buttery mash soaked up all of those sauces a treat. 


The Heathcock makes truly epic pies. If you’re craving a hearty dinner of the highest order then get involved.

The Details:

Address - The Heathcock, 58-60 Bridge St, Cardiff CF5 2EN

Saturday 16 January 2021

Ten years of Gourmet Gorro

When I started my blog as a New Year’s resolution ten years ago, I never would have imagined I’d have kept it going for this long, racking up over 600 blog posts. 

Over the last ten years, Cardiff and South Wales’s food scene has changed immeasurably. Good restaurants were a lot thinner on the ground back then and Cardiff’s street food scene didn’t extend far beyond chips and chicken curry off the bone on a Saturday night on Caroline Street. 

So, I thought I’d take a look back over the last decade of my blog, picking out notable restaurant openings (and closures) as well as some other iconic Cardiff restaurants. 

2011

My first ever blog post was a drunken and slightly obnoxious look at Wellfield Road’s old skool New Himalaya curry house. Other places I visited during my busy first year included a dim sum banquet at Canton’s Happy Gathering, Grangetown’s historic Clark’s Pies, the groaning sandwiches of New York Deli and Cardiff’s first third wave coffee shop, The Plan. I also declared my love for the doner kebabs at KBS

My first blog post to gain traction was The Crown Social at the Parc Hotel, a short lived offshoot of the Crown at Whitebrook, headed up by the highly regarded Martin Blunos. 

I also enjoyed a takeaway from Punitha’s, Albany Road’s much missed Southern Indian restaurant, and met other Cardiff bloggers at a Chinese banquet at City Road’s .CN. Finally, I visited Yakiniku, a hidden gem of a South Korean restaurant located in the Cardiff Newport hinterland. 

2012

In 2012 I visited a number of places which have made a lasting impression on Cardiff’s restaurant scene. Anand George's Purple Poppadom and his high end take on Southern Indian cooking have influenced numerous businesses across the city. 

I also visited Bar 44 Cowbridge when it was the only restaurant in the 44 stable and the Potted Pig when it was the hottest ticket in the city with Gwyn Myring and Tom Furlong at the helm. David Le Masurier changed direction in life by opening Pettigrew Tea Rooms and Casanova’s refined Italian cooking and Fish at 85’s delightful fish dishes were other highlights. 

But, the two things which stick in my memory longest are stupidly (and successfully) taking on a Man v Food challenge at the North Star and winning the 2012 Wales Blog Award for best food and drink blog.

2013

2013 was notable as the year which Hang Fire burst onto Cardiff’s food scene. I visited them on their second week of trading at Splott’s Canadian pub and our superb meal was the sign of things to come. 

It was also the year of the emergence of Cardiff’s gourmet burger. The burgers from Got Beef’s pop up at the Mackintosh Sports Club in Roath and the Grazing Shed’s first branch on Barrack Lane were game-changing. 

That year, I had my first taste of roti canai at Woodville Road’s sadly departed Cafe Malaysia and Portuguese bakery Nata & Co opened their first branch on Adamsdown’s Clifton Street. 

2014

Tony Frawley’s superb Neapolitan style pizzas are my favourite in the city and in 2014 I visited Anatoni’s in their original Cyncoed location.  

Restaurant James Sommerin opened its doors on Penarth seafront after months of delays in its construction process; its closure this year was one of the most high profile losses of 2020. 

Other notable meals included delicious Korean BBQ from Canton’s Kimchi and the superb joojeh kebab from Adamsdown’s Mowlana. I also had numerous falafel sandwiches from Crwys Road’s Falafel Kitchen - if you had one before they closed in 2018 then I’m sure you’ll remember them as fondly as I do. 

2015

2015 saw the opening of the Hare and Hounds in Aberthin under the stewardship of Tom Watts-Jones; a seasonal tasting menu I ate was one of the best meals I’d ever had in South Wales. 

Tommy Heaney, another chef who’s had a considerable impact on the South Wales food scene, began to flex his muscles at Leicester’s at the Great House in Bridgend. It was also the year in which Bar 44 finally arrived in Cardiff; this opening heralded a huge leap in the quality of Cardiff’s restaurants. 

That year I had a brilliant burger at the much maligned Burger & Lobster; I still rate it as one of Cardiff’s best ever. The fresh pasta at Roath’s Il Pastificio impressed diners from across the city; its over-expansion and demise was yet to come. I also re-evaluated the patisserie from Whitchurch Road’s Cocorico and was blown away.

2016

In 2016, Ceri Johnston opened the Early Bird on Woodville Road and introduced the city to her brilliant brunches and baked goods. 

Curado Bar opened on Westgate Street, bringing their Spanish holiday vibes, epic Spanish booze selection and hearty Spanish cooking to Cardiff. 

I was also impressed by the Malaysian street food from the understated Wok-ker Shaker in Riverside, devoured a Chinese feast at Woodville Road’s Zi’s Cafe, and had my first killer croque madame from Le Cafe du Chat Noir on Wellfield Road.

Clifton Street’s Amazonas brought something very different to the city with their Brazilian and Portuguese street food; it’s another missed part of Cardiff’s world food scene. 

2017

2017 saw Cardiff’s restaurant roster level up again with the arrival of Asador 44’s flame cookery and Milkwood’s modern Welsh food. 

A trio of now closed businesses left their mark on the city - Small Bar kicked Cardiff’s craft beer scene up a gear, Burger Theory's residency at Kongs rustled up some top drawer fried chicken burgers, and Caban’s great value BYOB vegetarian and vegan cooking was perhaps ahead of its time. I also had the first of many addictive portions of lamb kothu parotta from City Road's Ponnuswamy.

Finally, I told the story of Abel Magneron, perhaps Cardiff’s greatest ever chef. 

2018

2018 was another big year for the city as The Heathcock opened their doors in Llandaff, Tommy Heaney initially popped-up and then opened permanently in Pontcanna, and the prolific John and Ceri Cook set up Dirt vegetarian supper club following the closure of Arbennig

Other highlights included a visit to Cardiff Indian institution Madhav’s in Riverside, the bargainous paneer rolls and pani puri from Albany Road's Pooja, and Keralan Karavan’s modern take on Indian street food. 

Simon Wright made a foray into Cardiff’s food and drink scene with the opening of the teeny Wright’s Wines in Castle Arcade. And Tony Frawley split from Da Mara and reopened Anatoni’s on Roath’s Wellfield Road. 

2019

We’re now pretty much up to date but a few places which arrived in 2019 have further bolstered Cardiff’s food scene.

Grady Atkins, a former head chef at the legendary Le Gallois, re-cemented his reputation with the opening of Paysan pop-up French restaurant at Bloc Coffee. Tommy Heaney opened Uisce, his more informal offshoot of Heaney’s and Leyli Joon introduced Cardiff to her spice-layered cooking. 

Hard Lines also found a permanent home for their excellent coffee; Longa’s Turkish breakfasts set Instagram alight; Salkaara raised the bar for Indian food in North Cardiff; and Nook’s no-reservations seasonal small plates were bang on trend. 

2020

The less I probably say about 2020 the better. But there’s no doubt it’s been the year of the pivot. In order to survive COVID-19 many of Cardiff’s restaurants have adapted to takeaway and delivery models. Places like Matsudai Ramen, Kapow Ribs, Ty Melin Bakery, Mercado 44 and Milkwood’s gourmet sandwiches will no doubt define this annus horribilis. 

The future

I really hope the next ten years are nothing like 2020 and Cardiff’s restaurant scene continues to flourish. Fingers crossed I’ll be checking in with you in 2030 to discuss the arrival of Cardiff’s first augmented reality badger cafe and Cardiff Market will be well established as one of the UK’s best indoor street food markets.

Saturday 9 January 2021

Purple Poppadom, Canton, Cardiff Indian takeaway review


As it looks like we’re in lockdown for the foreseeable future you’re going to have to put up with my reviews of takeaways and home delivery meal kits for a good while longer.

Over the last year it’s been a glaring omission on my part to have not ordered a takeaway from Anand George’s Purple Poppadom. His high end Indian cooking and street food is some of the best in Cardiff and he's influenced a number of the city’s other best Southern Indian restaurants.

When an email dropped into my inbox promoting Purple Poppadom’s Winter set menu, it was an offer that was too good to resist on an icy cold mid-week day in January. Available Tuesday to Sunday for delivery or collection, the set menu for two offers poppadoms and chutneys, starters, main, sides, naan and rice for a very good value £27.95. 


A mahoosive bowl of crisp poppadom shards were served with a trio of big flavoured chutneys; properly zingy lemon, creamy mint and chilli yoghurt, and fragrant mango. 


A pair of whopping pieces of chicken tikka were coated in a nicely char-licked yoghurt marinade whilst sweet tiger prawns were coated in a light batter which thrummed with chilli and garlic. Accompanying perky salad was served with more of that delicious herb yoghurt.


Mains were even better.


Seriously juicy chicken saag was bathed in a thick sauce heady with ferrous spinach, sweet caramelised onion, tomato and fenugreek. 


A light and fresh thoran saw crisp cabbage and carrot shreds tempered with fragrant coconut and curry leaf and warming mustard seed and chilli. 


Decadent dal makhani is one of my favourite Indian sides and Purple Poppadom’s version didn’t disappoint; the black lentils retaining a good texture and the aromatic sauce laced with cream. 


Buttery distinct-grained pilau rice was fragrant with cardamom. 


A decent naan bread was soft with a nice chew.


We had an excellent takeaway from Purple Poppadom; everything was grease-free and layered with spice. If you’re craving a curry which is a cut above the average then I seriously recommend checking out their set menu.

The Details:

Address - Purple Poppadom, 185a Cowbridge Road East,upper floor, Cardiff CF11 9AJ
Telephone - 029 2022 0026 

Saturday 2 January 2021

So Good, Cathays, Cardiff Chinese restaurant and takeaway review

What day of the week is it again?

During that strange time between Christmas and New Year when the days merge into one, cheese becomes my primary energy source, and I become strangely fascinated by the World’s Strongest Man, it’s an annual tradition for us to have a Chinese banquet with friends.

This year, in the absence of a social life, I had a couple of takeaways from So Good on Crwys Road, a Chinese restaurant whose menu includes Szechuan, Hunanese, Cantonese and Taiwanese dishes.

As well as the usual Cantonese influenced dishes, So Good’s menu features less familiar dishes such as shredded pig maw in chilli oil and wood ear mushroom in chilli sauce. However, there are also plenty other more mainstream spice-laden specials for those who don’t want to step too far out of their comfort zone (me included).  

Hunan style beef (£9.20) saw enjoyably tender pieces of meat bathed in a complex sauce which delivered a good whallop of chilli, garlic, spring onion, cumin and tingling peppercorn. 

Taiwanese three cup chicken (£8.80), a comforting dish named after the equal quantities of sesame oil, Chinese rice wine and Soy sauce used in its recipe, was loaded with tender morsels of meat bathed in a savoury and sweet gravy aromatic with garlic, ginger and star anise. 

Lamb with cumin (£9.20), also one of my must order dishes at Woodville Road’s Zi’s Cafe, thrummed with the earthy warmth of the spice. 

Indulgently soft pieces of braised caramelised aubergine (£7.20) were coated in a rich sweet, savoury and spicy glaze and studded with crisp nuggets of pork mince. If you’re expecting this vegetable side to bring lightness to your meal then you might want to look elsewhere. 

Egg fried rice (£2.50) did a fine job at mopping up any excess sauce.

Slippery sesame oil dressed noodles (£5) were decent too. 

I really enjoyed both my meals from So Good and look forward to working my way through a whole lot more of their menu. Hopefully next time I'll be sat in the restaurant. 

Update - 01/02/2021

On a separate occasion I ordered the General Tso’s Chicken (£8.60) and it was the best of the lot. This American-Chinese classic dish with its roots in Taiwan has been the subject of its very own film.

Super crisp lightly battered chicken pieces were coated in a sticky, spicy, sweet and savoury glaze. 

It was delicious accompanied by pork and prawn packed yeung chow (£6) fried rice.



The Details:

Address - So Good Chinese Restaurant, 48 Crwys Rd, Cardiff CF24 4NN
Telephone - 029 2022 1856