South Kitchen, Roath, Cardiff Yemeni restaurant review

I’m all in favour of compact restaurant menus.

It’s normally a sign of a focus on a few things done well.

At one point Burger & Lobster had the city’s most compact restaurant menu with just three dishes on offer. Whilst it’s long gone, and was pilloried by many at the time, I still think their burger is one of the best Cardiff has ever seen.

Nowadays, the accolade of the city’s most compact menu most likely belongs to South Kitchen, a Yemeni restaurant on Albany Road.

There’s a choice of just two main dishes - lamb mandi or chicken mandi.

It’s clearly worked well for them so far as they’ve recently relocated from their original base in Adamsdown to the former home of Ichiban, a venue with a bigger kitchen and dining room.

On my first visit at six o’clock on a weeknight I bagged the last table. When I attempted a second visit around 6pm on a Wednesday, there was no room at the inn. So, I went even earlier a few nights later and thankfully it was much quieter.

South Kitchen’s dining room is split into traditional Arabian-style floor seating and conventional sit-down tables. However, wherever you sit, your dining space will be covered with a disposable plastic sheet. It’s clearly a sign that mess is inevitable. 

On my first visit, I ordered the lamb (£15) and I was swiftly brought a large stainless-steel plate piled high with rice and meat.

Beautifully tender, slow-cooked lamb with wobbly fat nudged off the bone with ease – I think there was a bit of shank and some ribs. There was a much lighter touch with the spicing and caramelisation compared to Hadramowt’s version, but it was still very good.

A vast amount of fluffy rice was compellingly perfumed. I kept on going back for more and more. Thankfully, there was more and more. 

There was also raw white onion, a slice of lemon and birdseye chillies. I gave the former a miss, but a squeeze of lemon brought welcome zest whilst a nibble on the chilli bought a kick of capsaicin.

A pair of dips brought bags of flavour too. A super fresh and cleansing blend of tomato, parsley and chilli had pico de gallo vibes. Creamy yoghurt with a nutty and peppery twang of tahini and hit of garlic was enjoyable but a slightly acquired taste.

On my second visit, I ordered the chicken (£10). A yellow-skinned half bird was soft of flesh and delicate of seasoning; I made a right mess teasing it off the bone with my hands. It was lovely but I think the lamb edged it for me.

If you’re looking for a restaurant with a compact menu, either because you like to see a few things done well, or just because you’re not very good at choosing what to order, then South Kitchen’s Yemeni cooking is well worth a look.

The Details:

Address - The South Kitchen, 167 Albany Rd, Cardiff CF24 3NT

Telephone - 07547 396432