If you’ve ever visited St Nick’s Market in Bristol then there’s a very good chance you’ll have come across Matina.
In case you need a primer, it’s a Middle Eastern food stall that sells delicious kebab wraps and salads; there’s always been a hefty queue outside it whenever I’ve visited; and it can be identified by the ridiculously large mountains of colourful salad that sit on its counter. If they get through that much salad every day, then they must be selling a serious number of kebabs.
Anyway, I’ll get to the point… Cardiff now has its own answer to Matina in the form of Zawa.
Located in Cardiff City Centre’s Hayes Island, Zawa is owned by cousins of the team behind Matina. They’ve clearly taken Bristol’s winning formula and transferred it over the Severn Bridge.
The first giveaway are those distinctive summits of salad, which are more Mount Snowdons compared to Bristol’s Everests.
Much like its cousin, Zawa offers a compact menu of naan wraps and salad boxes that are filled with a choice of chargrilled meat or halloumi.
With everything costing between £5.90 and £8.50, it’s the kind of thing you could eat on a regular basis without feeling too spenny.
On a Monday lunchtime, a queue formed soon after we’d placed our order at 1pm and we overheard a regular lamenting that the line will be too big if they become much more popular.
Wanting to try Zawa’s two key dishes, I ordered the mixed chicken and lamb salad box with rice (£8.50) whilst Mrs G ordered the mixed naan wrap (£8.50). As all the meat was cooked to order, there was about a ten-minute wait for it to be ready.
My hefty salad box was a riot of colour and flavour and a substantial meal for a growing man like me (I’m referring to my waistline, of course). Golden edged pieces of saffron stained chicken shish and well-herbed and juicy lamb kofte were sat on a generous pile of fluffy, cardamom fragranced rice. Fresh as you like salads included fresh mixed leaves, zingy red cabbage and lightly pickled white cabbage.
Homemade sauces showed a level of attention to detail that sets Zawa apart from the average kebab shop. There was tzatziki stacked with green herbs; hot and smoky harissa; sweet chilli that deftly avoided cloying sweetness; thick hummus; and a pomegranate jewelled salad dressing.
Mrs G ordered the mixed chicken and lamb naan, and it scored a two on the guinea pig scale i.e. it was the size of approximately two guinea pigs.
Essentially the same as my salad box but with a freshly made, soft, crisp and elastic naan instead of rice, it was an absolute belter of a kebab. Every mouthful contained a good mix of meat, salad, bread and sauce.
Lunch at Zawa was lush and cracking value for the quality and portions. It’s probably only a matter of time before they build up a cult following to rival Bristol’s Matina. The only thing going against them is the Welsh weather and the fact there’s nowhere to queue under shelter when it inevitably rains. Still, if it means the wait will be shorter, I’ll be packing my waterproofs.
The Details:
Address - Zawa, The Hayes Island, Cardiff CF10 1AH
Telephone - 07472 747454
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