When an old friend told me he was going to be in town to deliver a guest lecture on the history of Islam in Cardiff, we hatched a plan to go out for dinner.
Of course, there was only one type of restaurant we were going to visit – a Yemeni one.
Firstly, because Cardiff’s Yemeni population is one of the oldest Muslim communities in the UK.
Secondly, because an anecdote and a few photos from our meal would provide some additional content to pad out his lecture.
Our destination of choice was Qamariyah, a recently opened gaff that’s located on the former site of Mowlana in Adamsdown. Having enjoyed a pint at the Four Elms around the corner, we were ready to guzzle some slow cooked meat.
Named after the half-moon shaped stained-glass windows that form an important part of Yemen’s architecture, Qamariyah is a bright and modern place that mixes tables and chairs with traditional floor seating.
Whilst Qamariyah’s lamb mandi is the headliner on their menu, other dishes on offer include aqda’ah (a traditional Yemeni stew), fuul (fava beans cooked with vegetables and spices) and spiced seabass.
As Qamariyah is booze free, we both stuck to the fresh juices. Lime and mint juice (£4) was deliciously fresh and zingy whilst mango juice hit the mark too (£4).
I let my friend choose what we were going to eat for dinner and we seriously over-ordered. So much so that we were asked to move to a bigger table to accommodate all our food.
Firstly, it’s fair to say that Mowlana have handed over the mantle of Cardiff’s biggest sharing bread to Qamariyah. A ginormous mulawah bread (£2.50) took up half the table. Crisp, flaky, soft, and elastic, it reminded me of a cross between a paratha and a naan. It was seriously good.
Lamb mandi (£12.99), a dish which needs no introduction, saw pieces of yieldingly tender slow-cooked and spiced lamb sat on a bed compellingly fragrant and fluffy rice. Whilst crispy onions appeared to be bought in (unlike the homemade ones at Hadramowt), they provided welcome crunchy contrast. It was another fine example of this addictively comforting dish.
Chicken mandi (£8.99) was also excellent, the meat commendably juicy and fragrant. But, I think the lamb edged it for me.
Key to the success of both of these dishes were little bowls of fragrant salsa that delivered a richness balancing hit of fresh tomato and a little kick of chilli.
The two other dishes we tried were both excellent. In fact, we both agreed the liver (£8) was the standout of the meal.
A sizzling skillet of finely sliced pieces of earthy offal were nicely crisp around the edges whilst remaining soft and tender. They were coated in a compellingly savoury spice mix and flecked with crisp pieces of green and red peppers.
Fahsa (£11), a traditional Yemeni stew, was more meat than sauce… I’m not complaining. A flavour-packed lamb broth was loaded with tender shreds of slow-cooked lamb. A green herb sauce brought fragrance and freshness to the rich dish.
Stuffed, I had plenty of food leftover to bag up for lunch the next day. So, I was grateful for my learned colleague’s overordering.
With its comforting cooking and good value pricing, Qamariyah is another Cardiff Yemeni restaurant that’s definitely worth visiting. My friend was mightily impressed too and I hope that he managed to find Qamariyah a few new customers by giving them a shout out in his lecture.
The Details:
Address - Qamariyah, 2 Four Elms Road, Cardiff CF24 1LE
Web - https://qamariyah.com/
Telephone - 029 2297 0249
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