Hickory's Smokehouse, St Mellons, Cardiff restaurant review

Having mostly enjoyed the smoked meats at Cardiff City Centre’s Spitfire, next on the agenda was the other new addition to the city, Hickory’s Smokehouse in St Mellon’s.

With over 30 branches across the UK and hospitality giants Green King for owners, I had to admit that I was more than a little bit sceptical.

Located just off the A48, Hickory’s whopping building gives off major Texas Toby Carvery vibes. To be fair, they’ve done a good job with the refurb of the old Melrose Inn, with its assorted Americana, a cinema for the kids, and non-stop soundtrack of country classics. 

And, despite the colossal venue having what must be around 200 covers, it appeared to be a full house on the Friday night we visited. So much for January being a quiet month for hospitality.

This time around, two people who know far more about smoked meat than me were my wingmen - Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet and Jon Bovi, the Wolf of Whitchurch Road.

As our 7pm table wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, we perched at the bar for 10 minutes and knocked back pints of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (£6.45) – this bitter and piney West Coast beer is a classic for a reason and I’m always glad to see it on tap.

A bag of complimentary sweet and salty popcorn kept us going whilst we we waited for our food too. 

Hickory’s Menu is a bit of a monster with options like steaks, burgers, fajitas and gumbo, all featuring. However, we were there for their barbecue, which is smoked in house daily. For a chain of this scale, it’s impressive that they’re not just bringing in vac-packed stuff on the back of a lorry.

Before the BBQ, we ordered a few appetisers and sides to share - these turned out to be my highlight of the meal.

I’d heard good things about Hickory’s giant pretzel bites (£8.75) and they certainly delivered. Warm, super soft and lightly chewy pretzel pieces were well soaked in garlic butter and served with a bowl of thick, beer-twanged cheese sauce.

 

Bourbon bacon bites (£9) were billed as an essential order by two members of the friendly front of house team – I can see why. Crisp and raggedy edged 8 hour smoked bacon pieces were coated in a compelling sticky bourbon glaze. A pot of pokey blue cheese dip on the side was decent but unnecessary.

 

The final starter was a textbook blooming onion (£7) with soft sweet flesh and a beautifully crisp yet grease free coating. A spice-twanged ranch dip hit the mark too.

Onto the headline act and we ordered the Smokehouse platter for two (£70) and a Smokehouse platter for one (£39.50) so that we could put all the classics through their paces. By the time all the gargantuan trays of food had been put down there was some serious table Tetris required.

Firstly, the biggest praise I can give Hickory’s is to say that all their smoked meats tasted fresh and properly smoked rather than simply wafted over a packet of wood chips. 

The Smokehouse platter for one

Highlights were the pulled pork topped with BBQ beans – the big crusty-barked nuggets of meat were excellent. Smoked chicken wings had lovely sticky and crispy edges whilst remaining tender.

Ribs retained just the right amount of bite rather than falling off the bone. But I thought their sweet barbecue sauce coating was one note. A jalapeno cheese sausage had good pops of melted cheese and pieces of poky pepper. However, I think Spitfire’s excellent version has the edge.

Brisket, the hardest cut to smoke well, hovered just on the right side of dryness. My smoked chicken breast had similar shortcomings, though my colleagues fared better with their thigh pieces. Pork belly had a lovely smoke and crusty edges, but one end was noticeably tough. In contrast, a fattier slice across the table was much juicier.

Crisp hot and salty fries were on the money. But coleslaw, which was drenched in a heavy creamy dressing, tasted exactly like the kind of thing you find at the supermarket. Thankfully, jalapeno flecked pickled onions provided some much-needed palate cleansing.

After all that meat, I was stuffed and had to doggy back some to take home for lunch the next day. Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet, however, insisted on dessert and I’m very easily led when it comes to sugar.

The cookie creation (£8.25) comprised of a trio of freshly baked warm, crisp and soft chocolate chip cookies served with a toasty toffee sauce and assorted sweet bits. Whilst the biscuits were very tasty, they were no better than the ones you find in the supermarket bakery aisle (top tip – shove one in the air fryer for a few minutes and thank me later). The star of the show was a pot of frozen custard which had similar vibes to Shake Shack’s frozen custard with its super dense and creamy Mr Whippy like texture.

 

I’m surprised to say how much I enjoyed Hickory’s despite its flaws. Whilst it didn’t hit the highs of the best smokehouses I’ve visited (Hang Fire, Smokestak and Bab Haus), it mostly certainly scratched a BBQ itch. It’s not normally my style to recommend a chain but if you’re looking for a BBQ fix in Cardiff then it’s worth checking out.

The Details:

Address - Hickory's Smokehouse Cardiff, Pascal Close, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 2UZ

Web - https://hickorys.co.uk/venue/hickorys-smokehouse-cardiff/

Telephone - 029 2130 2074

Summer Palace, Cardiff Chinese restaurant review

I’ve got a lot of respect for any hospitality business that manages to survive for more than a year in the current climate.

So, it’s remarkable that Llandaff’s Summer Palace has been in the hands of the Chim family for almost forty years.

Located in a rabbit warren of grade II listed buildings close to Llandaff Cathedral, Summer Palace was buzzing on the wintry Saturday night we visited. Every table was occupied with generations of families and friends, and a steady stream of people arrived throughout the evening to collect takeaways.

It also says a lot about the popularity of the place that we booked three weeks in advance of our meal and had to slightly adjust our preferred time to secure a table. The well-oiled front of house team was clearly used to the crowds too – we had swift and friendly service throughout the night.

Summer Palace’s menu mainly comprises of British Chinese restaurant classics but a few notable points of interest in the chef’s specials include stuffed three delicacies (£15.95), mapo tofu (£13.95) and steamed seabass with shredded ginger (£19.95)

We mostly kept it old skool with our ordering.

Crisp prawn crackers (£4.50) were accompanied by a sweet chilli sauce with a good honk of garlic and throat tickling warmth.

Ice cold bottles of Tsing Tao, of course hit the spot.   

There was no doubting the freshness of lettuce wraps (£8.95) – the iceberg lettuce leaves were as crisp as you can get.

Their filling of pork mince, crisp vermicelli, diced carrot and spring onion was a bit light on flavour, so I made good use of the spare sweet chilli sauce from the prawn crackers to pep it up a bit.

Sesame prawn toast (£6.95) was a bang on iteration of this naughty classic. Crisp fried bread, sweet minced prawns and toasted sesame seeds were all on the money.

Onto mains, and textbook crispy chilli beef (£12.95) was the standout of the meal. Crisp as you liked batter-coated beef slivers were coated in a sweet, sticky and zingy chilli flecked sauce.

Sizzling lamb satay (£18.95) saw a spitting hot skillet laden with tender nuggets of meat and crisp vegetables coated in a spice-thwacked thick and nutty sauce.

If it wasn’t for the high seasoning, then Singapore vermicelli (£9.50) would have been an unmitigated success. The mountain of comforting curry spiced noodles was flecked with sweet prawns, roast pork, fresh vegetables and omelette pieces.

So there we have it, we had a very tasty meal at Summer Palace with fair prices and excellent service. Is it reinventing the wheel? No, but with nearly 40 years of history, it’s more likely that Summer Palace invented the wheel.

The Details:

Address - Summer Palace, 2-4 High Street, Llandaff, Cardiff, CF5 2DZ

Web - https://www.summerpalace.co.uk/

Telephone - 02922 973055 / 07368 231281

Parallel, Cardiff city centre restaurant review 2026

When Paul Bainbridge, the head chef at Parallel asked if we were happy with how our steak was cooked, I’m pretty sure he already knew the answer. His accompanying smile was the giveaway.

You see, when it comes to meat cookery, there aren’t many safer pairs of hands in Cardiff than Paul’s. Before joining Parallel in September 2025, he spent years as head chef at Asador 44, one of Cardiff’s top restaurants and a temple to chargrilled meat.

Since taking over the reins at Pasture’s smaller sibling, Paul has gradually introduced his own ideas onto their menu of flame-cooked small plates and sharing cuts of meat. Whilst the influences remain eclectic, mammoth flavours are the unifying theme.

On a Saturday night, Parallel is a vibe with its moody lighting, funky beats and engaging front of house team. We sat at the bar where it's great fun to see the kitchen team knock out a whole menu using the smallest of charcoal grills and two deep fat friers.

For booze, we stuck to Parallel’s wine by the glass. Mrs G enjoyed a couple of excellent glasses of Pommery Champagne (£13.50), whilst I overenthusiastically ordered a bucket of Louis Latour Grand Ardeche Chardonnay with a lovely hint of vanilla. Glasses of Saladini Pilastri Sangiovese blend (£10.50) had plenty of bright red fruit and a good balancing acidity.

I've had many flatbreads in my time, but Parallel's (£6) is easily one of the best. With its smoky char lines and marriage of crisp and squidgy textures, the addictive bread is generously slathered with beef fragranced butter, diced white onion and a delicate kick of biber chilli.

Alongside it, we had an excellent thick burnt aubergine dip (£7) jewelled with cleansing pomegranate pearls, leaves of crispy kale, and tangy pomegranate masses. To be honest, it was an unnecessary order as the flatbread was so good on in its own.

Pasture's short rib croquettes (£5) are undoubtedly one of the best mouthfuls in Cardiff, so it’s great to see them on Parallel’s menu too. The crisp crumbed balls of intense shredded meat are seasoned with blobs of poky gochujang mayonnaise and slivers of pink pickled onion.

Parallel's fried chicken (£9) sees impeccably juicy thigh pieces coated in a super crisp crumb. Umami charged fiery hot honey and tangy cranberry sauce both build up the layers of flavour.

Parallel’s crab toast (£11) is a belter of a dish too. A brick of soft crumbed toasted milk bread is topped with sweet white crab meat flecked with green herbs and slices of zingy grapefruit. However, it's the accompanying tom yum bisque that’s the headline act. Rich and creamy yet at the same time light and aerated, it sings with the aromatic flavours of Thailand.

After the initial flavour onslaught, it was time for the main event. A 650g T-bone steak (£48) was a lovely bit of meat with its charred crust, tender flesh with a light chew, and good beefiness. 

Whilst the steak was delicious on its own, a pair of sauces were a hit and a miss. Excellent chimichurri combined bright acidity and a hit of green herb, but a thin and underpowered peppercorn sauce was a bit of a let down.

Smoked mashed potato (£10) with lamb shoulder is listed on Parallel’s menu as a side dish but it could easily be a main by itself. Their riff on a Shepherd's pie sees a layer of comforting slow-cooked shredded lamb topped with an airy and lightly smoked potato espuma as well as rustlingly crisp caramelised potato skin shards and a balancing hit of sour cream and chive.

Parallel's carrot (£7) is a dish that needs no introduction and it had been supersized since our last visit. This whopper of a charred and tender root vegetable is glammed up with an addictively sweet and smoky maple dressing, nutty cashew cream, crunchy chickpeas and a fresh and fiery zhoug. It's as good a carrot as you'll ever eat.

If one carrot wasn't enough, we were recommended the Carrot 2.0 (£9) as the best dessert on the menu. The reworking of the ingredients from the OG carrot makes for a hell of a good combination of sweet and savoury flavours that aren’t too rich. A warm and squidgy slice of glazed and grilled spiced carrot cake is topped with creamy mascarpone, fresh carrot ice cream, and herbal zhoug granita.

We had a brilliant dinner at Parallel. It was already one of Cardiff's best restaurants and it's got even better since Paul Bainbridge has joined the team. With a new menu set to launch imminently, brunches arriving in March, and another exciting announcement on its way, it's set to be a big year for Pasture’s younger sibling.

The Details:

Address - Parallel, 11 High St, Cardiff CF10 1AW
Web - https://parallelrestaurant.com/

Telephone - 07742 885440

Yadgar, City Road, Cardiff Afghan restaurant review

Whilst City Road gets a lot of bad press, it’s easily one of my favourite streets in Cardiff.

Where else in the city can you eat almost 20 different global cuisines within the space of a kilometre?

By my estimation you can eat Afghani, African, American, British, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Greek, Indian, Iranian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Lebanese, Pakistani, Syrian, Thai, Turkish or Yemeni cooking. 

Out of the above, it’s Afghan cuisine which seems to be having a moment on City Road as not one, but two restaurants have opened in the last few months.

Yadgar is the latest addition to the street, having arrived just a few weeks ago.

They’ve done a nice job on the refurb of the former La Shish site with its bright and modern interior coupled with black and white pictures of Afghanistan.

Yadgar’s whopping two-sided menu is divided up into Afghan dishes, kebabs and Asian dishes such as paneer tikka, butter chicken and nihari. There’s a lot to get your head around, so we decided to focus on the Afghan dishes as they’re the house speciality.

On the drinks front, excellent mango lassis were ice cold with just the right hit of tropical fruit and creamy yoghurt.

A complimentary salad was the first dish to arrive, and it set the standard for the meal. An impeccably crisp and fresh mix of rocket, red cabbage, carrot and onion were zingily dressed and dusted with zesty sumac.

Next to arrive were complimentary bowls of thick and peppery chicken soup. Flecked with shreds of chicken and pieces of sweetcorn and carrot, it was reminiscent of the chicken and sweetcorn soup you get in Chinese restaurants but with a little extra spice. It was good but I’m never fully sold on the slightly gelatinous texture.

When we tried to order a starter of hummus, we were advised that it would also be complimentary and so we didn’t need to order it. What arrived was a combination of cucumber and mint flecked creamy yoghurt and thick tahini laced hummus.

Both the dips were delicious and served alongside freshly made naan with a pillowy soft crumb and crisped edges. Thankfully, the dips did end up appearing on the bill for £4 - otherwise I’d worry how Yadgar is going to make any money with all those freebies.

Onto the mains, and first up were the mantu (£13). Ten thick cased yet tender steamed dumplings were filled with a mix of minced lamb, onion and carrot. They were very tasty, if a little light on filling, and were elevated hugely by the addition of a spiced tomato and lentil sauce, tangy yoghurt and a mix of fragrant dried herbs.

Kabuli pilau (£13), Afghanistan’s national dish, was unquestionably the star of the meal. Hidden amongst a pile of fluffy, fragrant rice flecked with caramelised carrot were nudgingly tender pieces of slow-cooked bone-in lamb.

It’s certainly up there with the best lamb I’ve eaten in Cardiff. However, what really made the dish sing was the occasional pop of sweet and juicy sultanas.

A bowl of lubya, a spiced kidney bean and tomato stew that was served on the side, provided ideal saucing.

Our excellent value lunch at Yagar provided a delicious introduction to Afghani cooking. It’s one more national cuisine that helps make City Road such a special street to visit.

The Details:

Address - Yadgar, 17-19 City Road, Cardiff CF24 3BJ

Web - https://www.instagram.com/yadgar.restaurant

Telephone - 07851 669762

Chucho's, Byker, Newcastle Mexican restaurant review

Byker _____

If you’re of a particular age then it’s highly likely there's only one word you'd use to fill in the blank.

After nearly 20 years since it’s been on TV, Byker Grove and its motley crew of Spuggy, PJ, Duncan and Geoff, are still what this area of Newcastle is most famous for.

However, I'd argue that nowadays Byker should be just as well known for its tacos as its grove.

The reason being, it’s home to the excellent Chucho’s.

Jesus Tavizon Sosa (nickname Chucho) hails from Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico but has lived in Newcastle for 15 years. In 2017, he opened Chucho’s on Shields Road in Byker, and ever since it’s earned a steady stream of glowing reviews. Even comedian James Acaster singled it out on Off Menu, naming it his favourite taqueria in the UK. 

On a grey and icy day, Chucho’s is a sunny spot with its colourful vinyl tablecloths, primary-coloured walls and sultrily posed Dia de los Muertos doll.

Chucho's menu is dominated by a selection of 15 types of taco, all of which are served on homemade corn tortillas. If you want something else, there are quesadillas, enfrijoladas and burritos.

On the booze front, a good margherita had plenty of citrus and a good whack of tequila. I've always been intrigued the Michaelada, a beer-based cocktail, and intriguing might be the best way to describe it too. Malty modelo lager, spiced tomato juice and a Tajin rim combined to make an unfamiliar yet enjoyable combination. 

A pair of salsas lurking on the table were a herald of things to come. Smoky scotch bonnet salsa roja had a nuclear chilli build whilst a more vibrant yet still hot green salsa was a soothing balm in comparison.

A plate of nachos (£8) had been constructed with the same care as a bouquet of flowers. Gorgeously crisp homemade tortillas were embedded in a pile of comforting refried black beans, thick guacamole, fresh pico de gallo, tangy feta and coriander.

A trio of tacos, made with impeccably fresh soft corn tortillas, were absolute monsters that were well worth their £13.50 for three price tag. 

Crisp battered white fish was paired with shredded red cabbage and a sweet and fruity mango salsa. Earthy spiced nuggets of homemade Mexican chorizo worked exceptionally well alongside a pile of pink pickled onions. Finally, crisp-edged shreds of pork carnitas with thick guacamole were very good too.

We saw a neighbouring diner nodding with approval after every mouthful of his enfrijoladas (£7). So, we decided it was probably a good idea to order a portion. A quartet of soft corn tortillas were stuffed with hearty refried beans and topped with tangy feta, onion and coriander. The clincher was the nuggets of crisp and smoky chorizo (£2 extra) that were scattered over the top.

Impressed so far, it would have been rude to turn down a portion of churros (£6.50) for dessert. Crisp and well-coated in cinnamon sugar, they were naughtily served on a generous pool of Nutella. 

We had an excellent lunch at Chucho’s and I’d concur with James Acaster that they’re some of the best tacos I’ve eaten in the UK. Despite the wealth of excellent restaurants in Newcastle, I’d be itching for a return to Byker for some tacos next time we’re in the area.

The Details:

Address - Chucho's, 279 Shields Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 1DQ
Web - https://www.chuchosmexican.co.uk/
Telephone - 0191 265 7458