“My Home Sweet Homah”
That’s how Dylan Thomas, described Swansea’s Kardomah Café.
I may as well leave it there because Thomas’ four-word summation will be far more eloquent than anything I’m going to blurt out over the next few paragraphs.
I think it’s fair to say that the Kardomah had a special place in Dylan Thomas’ heart. As part of the Kardomah Gang, a group of Bohemian artists, musicians, poets and writers, he used to regularly hang out at its previous incarnation on Swansea’s Castle Street in the 1930s.
Whilst it was sadly destroyed in the Blitz, the Kardomah relocated to Castle Street in 1957, where it’s been operated by the Luporini family since 1970.
Crossing the Kardomah’s threshold and walking past its many original features, including the cash desk, retro dessert trolley, wood-panelled walls and tiled pillars, immediately transports you back in time.
It shines through in their laminated menu too, which features cooked breakfasts, toasted sandwiches, roast dinners and jacket potatoes, amongst many other things.
Despite being over 100 years old, the Kardomah certainly hasn’t slowed in pace. Orders are taken and dishes bussed back and forth at a quickfire tempo by the friendly front of house team, many of whom are wearing traditional uniforms.
Coffee, the Kardomah's own house blend (£2.50), had a good roasty caramel vibe and light bitterness. It’s a nice touch that you can get a free refill before 11.30am and its 95p afterwards.
A jacket potato (£8.50) ticked all the right boxes with its lightly chewy ochre skin and soft innards. Topped with a generous quantity of old skool tuna mayo and accompanied by a dollop of thick coleslaw with a good tang of salad cream, it was a dish which did exactly what it promised.
A Welsh breakfast Saturday special (£10.95) was advertised on the door on the way in. The fry-up was a nice halfway house between a high end brunch and a greasy spoon. Thick cut bacon was top-drawer and a mound of briny cockles punctuated the dish with their salinity.
Slippery laverbread tasted delicately of the sea and a frilly-edged fried egg, sweet roasted tomato, filthy fried bread and a buttered slice were all bang on. It was only a giant Richmond-esque skinless sausage which I wasn't convinced by - I'd much prefer a course ground juicy number with a snappy exterior.
I couldn't resist a retro trifle for dessert. Sweet strawberry jelly dotted with fruit salad, set custard and thick whipped cream combined well for a very reasonable £3.25.
With its well-priced and down-to-earth cooking, I can see why the Kardomah was packed with families and friends off all generations.
It's a Welsh institution and one which I hope will be around for another 100 years.
Love the place- the customers are so old school & many say to the waitresses I will have the usual & they know the customer & their preferences. The roast dinners are like your Nans - a gem !
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