Crispy Dosa, Cardiff city centre restaurant review

Why do people read food blogs?

Is it to be entertained with witty anecdotes and clever turns of phrase?

Perhaps it’s to gawp at beautiful food photography or to find out about cuisines that aren't covered by mainstream media?

Or maybe it’s simply to find out from a trustworthy source whether a restaurant is worth visiting or not?

Whilst all of the above play their part, I’d argue that it's the latter which is the most important.

When it comes to trustworthy blogs, they don’t come more highly regarded than Andy Hayler’s Restaurant Guide. With a knowledgeable yet unflowery approach to restaurant writing, Andy has self-funded reviews of over 1,000 restaurants in London and until the pandemic had visited every three Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.

You can be assured that if Andy says a restaurant is worth visiting then it really will be.

Which brings me to Crispy Dosa on Cardiff’s High Street.

With twelve branches across the south of the UK in locations including Watford, Windsor, Croydon and Bristol, Andy reviewed the Hounslow branch in November 2024 and scored it 13/20 (good cooking, showing sound technical skills and using quality ingredients) with a top rating for value for money.

The Cardiff branch of Crispy Dosa opened a few weeks ago, and much like its sibling establishments, focuses on southern Indian vegetarian cooking.

On the menu, dishes include chilli paneer (£8.99), onion chilli uthappam (£9.49), a mini tiffin (£11.99) and a variety of dosas, including cheese masala (£9.99) and ghee paper roast (£10.99).

Whilst Crispy Dosa serves booze, I opted for a mango lassi (£3.99) as it was the middle of the working day. Creamy and tangy with a good hit of tropical fruit, it was served in a whopping milkshake glass. However, it could have done with being a bit colder.

To start, gobi Manchurian (£8.99) was excellent. A mountain of lightly battered and tender cauliflower florets and stir-fried shredded cabbage were coated in a fiery savoury, sweet and tangy sauce. It was as good as an example of the dish that I’ve eaten and would have been a meal in itself alongside a bowl of rice.

With a name like Crispy Dosa, I of course had to order a dosa for main course.

The behemothic masala dosa covered a good proportion of the table. Light, crisp and pliable, it was well-filled in the middle with warming spiced mashed potato flecked with sweet onions, mixed beans and seeds. At £7.99 it was a generous and delicious lunch.

Accompanying chutneys and sauces were good but could arguably have packed a bigger punch. They included fragrant coriander, creamy coconut, and sweet tomato chutneys as well as a thin vegetable studded sambar.

I was very impressed by both dishes I ordered from Crispy Dosa and their dosas are most definitely worth checking out if you’re on the hunt for a good value meal in Cardiff city centre - this is of course no surprise as Andy Hayler said it was worth a visit.

The Details:

Address - Crispy Dosa  30 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1AB

Web - https://www.crispydosa.com/

Telephone - 029 2297 2849

Fluffy Fluffy, Cardiff soufflé pancake cafe review

There are two things that put me off visiting a new hospitality opening quicker than you can say "undisclosed freebie":

a) Places that hand out free meals to every influencer under the sun - I know, I get it, social media eyeballs drive footfall. But I like to follow my own agenda and not someone else’s.

b) Places with massive queues – as far as I’m concerned, almost no food businesses are worth queueing for when there are plenty of good places where you can sit down immediately. 

So, despite the fact that I’ve been keen to try Japanese soufflé pancakes for many years, there was no way that I was going to stand outside Fluffy Fluffy in the bitter cold for an hour and a half in the weeks after they opened in October 2024. Especially after I’d been advised to run don’t walk down there by numerous people who’d walked straight in and had a free meal.

However, on a Sunday morning in March at 10.30am, after the hype had subsided, Fluffy Fluffy’s minimalist and modern dining space was pretty much deserted.

With twelve branches across the UK, and three more openings planned soon, Fluffy Fluffy originally opened in Canada in 2018 before expanding across the world. Their menu features a range of desserts and savouries, including cheesecakes and croffles, which seem to be a cross between a waffle and a croissant.

But, I was here for one thing, to try Fluffy Fluffy’s soufflé pancakes. Made with whipped egg whites, they’re known for their light and fluffy texture. There are a variety of flavours on offer, including tiramisu, crème brûlée and Oreo.

Fluffy Fluffy’s pancakes are cooked fresh, and they take around 20 minutes to prepare. Fortunately, a batch had just been taken off the griddle as we arrived. So, our order arrived at the table within a few minutes of sitting down.

Both our sets of pancakes certainly lived up to their billing – beautifully light and airy with toasty brown tops and bottoms, I think they’re an upgrade on the American pancake.

The Signature (£8.70) was the clear winner. Topped with thick vanilla-scented whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries and banana slices, it was light, fresh and not too sweet. I could easily have eaten two platefuls.

In contrast, the Biscoff (£9) was exactly how I expected. Drizzled with Biscoff spread and scattered with biscuit crumbs, it was spicy, toasty and seriously sugary. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, then this’ll be right up your street, but it was a little bit much even for me.

We were in and out from Fluffy Fluffy within twenty minutes and I was very impressed. I’d definitely recommend a visit... that is of course on the condition that you don’t have to queue.

The details:

Address - Fluffy Fluffy, 109 Queen St, Cardiff CF10 2BH

Web - https://fluffyfluffy.co.uk/menu/