Setting up a food business in your own home was very 2020-21.
From cookies to chilli sauce and brownies to biryani, there were plenty of people who got in on the side hustle action during lockdown.
However, whilst many of these cottage industries have fallen by the wayside as the pandemic has (hopefully) begun to disappear in the rear-view mirror, one business which has had longevity is Hug Paeng.
Based out of a home kitchen in Roath, I originally interviewed Hug Paeng’s owner Sranya Khaengkhan for WalesOnline shortly after she’d set up the business in 2021.
Mrs G and I were both seriously impressed by their fresh and fragrant Thai food, which utilises curry pastes that Sranya makes from scratch. And in the years since, several people have told us it’s their favourite Thai cooking in Cardiff.
As I haven’t reviewed Hug Paeng on this blog, I thought it was high time for a revisit. Open in the evenings from Tuesday to Saturday, you can order to collect from Hug Paeng directly via their website. Or if you’re looking for home delivery, they’re available on the usual platforms.
Hug Paeng’s menu is reassuringly concise, offering green and red curry and spring rolls as well as a selection of seasonal specials. This month there’s pineapple fried rice, tom yum soup, and stir-fried homemade rice noodles. It’s also worth noting that Hug Paeng’s curry pastes are vegan and almost all the dishes are available with tofu or vegan chicken (as well as chicken or king prawns).
As were a bit early to collect our takeaway, we had a couple of halves of Hobby Horse from the Andrew Buchan on Albany Road, which is located just a minute from Hug Paeng HQ. Our order was ready as soon as we knocked on the door and by the time we got home, it was still nice and hot.
Totally crisp and grease-free veggie spring rolls (£4.75) were loaded with a savoury and spicy mix of carrot, glass noodles, onions and dried black mushrooms and accompanied by a pot of sweet and spicy sweet chilli sauce. They were excellent, and as they were baked, they felt less naughty than your average spring roll.
Green and red curries were both belters - heady with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, and chilli, and decadent with creamy coconut milk. Beautifully fresh and fragrant, I think you could tell that they were cooked using scratch-made curry pastes.
The chicken red curry (£10.25) just edged it for me with a more rounded richness and fiery chilli heat. In the depths of the bowl were plentiful pieces of beautifully tender and lightly caramelised grilled chicken and vibrant vegetables, including courgettes, green beans, carrot and tangy pineapple.
The milder and more herbal green curry (£10) was laden with bronzed-edged tofu pieces and plenty more fresh vegetables, including peppers, aubergines and courgettes. It was so rich and meaty yet still vegan.
Generous pots of sticky grained fragrant jasmine rice (£2) were a lovely accompaniment for the curries.
A seasonal special of sen yai pad krai chicken (£10.25) saw thick, lightly glutinous and soft homemade rice noodles stir fried with tender chicken thigh, golden omelette pieces, carrot shavings and kale. Fragrant with lemongrass and galangal and accompanied by a dollop of sweet and fiery chilli paste, it was a comforting yet different fried noodle dish to any I've encountered.
The finest example of a tom yum you'll encounter was hot, sour, sweet and savoury with an excellent complexity. This was no mere starter, but a meal in itself. In its depths bobbed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, onions and courgettes. A prawn version (£10.75) was packed with plump sweet prawns and cubes of light, well-caramelised omelette whilst a tofu iteration (£8) contained airy tofu puffs and meaty grilled tofu.
You can tell that everything Hug Paeng serves is homecooked with a lot of care and attention rather than churned out in bulk. Their gorgeously fresh and fragrant Thai food is the kind of takeaway food I’d gladly eat every week.
The Details:
Address - Hug Paeng, 23 Donald Street, Cardiff CF24 4TJ Wales, United Kingdom
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