Sip and Salt and Tomi, Roath, Cardiff restaurant reviews

My original opening theme for this week’s post was going to be the fascinating revelation that both Tomi and Sip and Salt are next door neighbours in Roath’s Globe Centre.

But I then realised they share something else in common that’s marginally more interesting – they use marketing methods that have put me off from visiting.

In the case of Tomi, an Italian-Kebab-Egyptian diner and takeaway, it’s their use of AI posters to promote their meal deals and specials that made me sceptical. And in the case of Sip and Salt, a cocktail and burger bar, it’s the free meals they’ve handed out to influencers.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand how hard it is to run a hospitality business in the current climate and that you’ve got to try anything to get people through the door.

But, nothing makes food less appealing to me than formulaic computer-generated posters of slightly weird looking plates of food or the excessive positivity of influencers who’ve already got one eye on their next free meal.

So, what made me change my mind about visiting both restaurants?

In the case of Tomi, it was good old word of mouth from someone who’s opinion I trust.

And in the case of Sip and Salt, it was seeing the freshly baked buns they use on their own social media posts. One of the biggest quality indicators of a burger joint is the buns they use – if you’re buying in St Pierre brioche buns then there’s a limit to how good you can really be.

But, I digress.

I found myself visiting Sip and Salt for a weeknight solo meal.

Occupying the former site of Kuro and Little Vietnam, it’s a cosy spot where I could happily spend an evening nursing a few drinks. Which is just as well, because Sip and Salt serve an interesting range of classic and creative cocktails.

I ordered a Matt's margarita (£10.75) as it’s billed as their signature cocktail. It was excellent - ice cold with a big hit of lime, a nearly frozen viscosity, and a barely discernible quantity of booze. I knocked most of it back within a few minutes and immediately had a light head.

From the selection of starters that includes padron peppers, beef croquettes and crispy king prawns, I picked the halloumi fries (£7.50). A trio of bricks of melty and salty cheese were coated in a hyper crisp panko crumb and sat on blobs of sweet chilli jam with a deceptively potent hit of harissa. It was very tasty but on balance, I think I prefer my halloumi fries without breadcrumbs.

Onto mains, and Sip and Salt serve a selection of beef brisket, chicken and veggie burgers as well as steak sandwiches and salads.

A Smoky Stack burger (£14.50) combined a first rate soft and sturdy Alex Gooch challah bun filled with a double stack of well-crusted, nicely beefy and still juicy patties.

A hot mess of other toppings all worked very well together - there was crisp streaky bacon, sweet and smoky bacon jam, an ooze of smoked gouda, tangy burger sauce, cleansing gherkins and a slice of sweet tomato. This was a very good burger indeed.

On the side, Cajun fries (£2.50) were crisp and dusted with a savoury and spicy seasoning.

Now, onto Tomi, an understated looking diner and takeaway that’s located in RomaEat’s original home on Albany Road.

Whilst the mainstay of their menu is a selection of pizza, pasta and kebabs, they serve a Friday night special of koshary, Egypt’s national dish.

When Mrs G’s work colleague, who’s travelled extensively to the Middle East, advised us that it was better than some of the versions of the dish that he’d eaten in Egypt, we headed down as soon as possible.

£7.99 buys you a colossal foil bowl that's laden with mixed pasta, rice, wholemeal vermicelli, lentils and chickpeas topped with fruity tomato sauce and crispy onions. 

On the side, there are bowls of zingy and fragrant garlic and lemon vinegar and chilli sauce.

This was a delicious dish, and exactly the kind of hearty comfort food that I crave now the weather has turned baltic.

And for dessert (if we hadn't already had enough carbs), there were complimentary mini pots of creamy rice pudding.

Despite being initially reluctant to visit both Tomi and Sip and Salt, they’re a pair of Roath business that are most definitely worth checking out. I’ll certainly be returning for more burgers, cocktails and bowls of comforting koshary.

The Details:

Sip and Salt - Unit 11 The Globe Centre, Albany Rd, Cardiff CF24 3PE

Web - https://www.sipandsalt.co.uk/

Telephone - 029 2063 0140

Tomi - 123 Albany Rd, Cardiff CF24 3NS

Web - 029 2063 8464

Persian Nights, Cardiff Persian restaurant review

You often get the feeling pretty soon after arriving at a restaurant whether it’s onto a good thing or not.

In the case of Persian Nights, a Middle Eastern restaurant located on Cardiff's Woodville Road, the positive vibes hit you as soon as you cross the threshold and encounter a clay oven where a friendly baker churns out freshly baked bread to order.

All the other signs are promising too, from the warm welcome to the cosy interior with nods to Persia, and the compact and reasonably priced menu of grills, strews and dips.

We kick off the meal with kashk bademjan (£8), a beauty of a hot dip that combines savoury charred aubergine with sweet caramelised onions, a hint of garlic and dried mint, the creaminess of whey and a scattering of crispy onions. 

It's lovely with the aforementioned freshly baked bread that arrives seconds after being plucked from the fiery oven.

Chicken kebabs often disappoint as they tend towards being slightly dry. This is most certainly not the case at Persian Nights as their joojeh kebab (£16) is remarkably juicy. Marinated in golden saffron and lemon, and lightly charred around the edges, it's arguably the best chicken kebab I've eaten in Cardiff (alongside the now sadly closed Mowlana).

On the side, there's a mountain of fluffy rice with an optional pack of salted butter included for extra decadence. There's also sumac dressed onions and a charred fiery green pepper and a sweet tomato, the latter of which could have been cooked a bit more.

I order the makhsoos mixed grill (£20), which has all the same components as joojeh, but with a lamb koobideh kebab thrown into the mix. The minced lamb kebab is excellent - it's juicy, tender and well-seasoned without any bounciness from being overworked. A jar of tangy sumac is also brought in case we want to add extra fragrance to the meat.

To accompany our kebabs, we order ghormeh sabsi (£7), a brooding bowlful of earthy stewed herbs, tender kidney beans and dried lime.

Whilst Persian Nights serves the ubiquitous baklava, there's also a trio of Persian desserts on offer - saffron ice cream, frozen vermicelli with rose water, and nan khame (a cream bun).

We of course order the cream bun (£4.75) and it’s very good. Light choux pastry is absolutely crammed to the edges with thick vanilla scented cream.

We’re recommended a pot of tea to go with it and opt for mint (£6). A giant ornate pot of the stuff is fragrant and lightly tannic. It’s a lovely balance with the sweet bun.

We had a cracking meal at Persian Nights and it's clear we're not the only ones who think they're onto a winning formula as by the time we left at 6.30pm on a Wednesday, the restaurant was almost full. If you're looking for a top-drawer Middle Eastern meal in Cardiff, then I'd highly recommend paying them a visit.

The Details:

Address - Persian Nights, 119-121 Woodville Road, Cardiff CF24 4DZ

Web - https://www.persiannights.uk/cardiff/

Telephone - 029 2063 0355

Hon's BBQ, Texas barbecue, Hackney Wick review

One of my main concerns when visiting a low and slow barbecue restaurant is whether the meat has actually seen the inside of a smoker or not. 

After all, when it's done properly, barbecue is a notoriously labour-intensive cooking process, with restaurants having to start smoking their meat in the middle of the night so that it’s ready in time for lunchtime service.

There are no such worries about at any corners being cut at Hon’s BBQ in Hackney Wick because you walk right past their canal-side smoker to get into the restaurant. As you do so, there’s an alluring waft of smoke from the hulking cuts of paper-wrapped meat that sit finishing off their long cook.

Hon’s BBQ serves “Texas barbecue with an Asian twist”. Seeing as Texas BBQ and Chinese roast meats are two of my favourite things in the world, a restaurant serving a mash-up of the two was always going to be on my agenda. Hon’s is owned by Man Hon Luk, a former record shop owner who began hosting barbecue pop-ups in 2022 before opening his first permanent restaurant earlier this year in a minimalist high-ceiling space on the former site of Silo.

There's no doubting Hon’s meat focused credentials. Of the six main dishes available on their compact menu, five are for carnivores.

As we have a booze sesh planned later in the day, we stick to the alcohol-free drinks, a sparkling Yanwu cold tea (£5) and a bready Lucky Saint alcohol free lager (£6.50).

Dishes arrive as and when they're ready, which I’m never fully sold on as it can mean less than ideal meal sequencing. In our case, rice arrives halfway through the meal and vegetables at the end. Still, I appreciate that the various cuts of meat need to be brought out as and when they're pulled off the smoker for optimal freshness.

The first plate to arrive is Hon's take on duck pancakes (£16). Thin slices of blushing smoked duck have an excellent flavour and tenderness and are delicious served with their classic accompaniments - sweet hoisin, thin pancakes and finely sliced spring onion and cucumber. A minor quibble, but there's a lack of crispy skin, one of the features which usually makes this dish so compelling.

100g portions of smoked meat come thick and fast. Ox cheek (£15) is the star of the show with an excellent bark, smoke, beefiness and soft, gelatinous connective tissue. The pickled components, pink onions in this case, each play an important role in balancing the richness of each dish.

Lamb breast (£14) with a good thwack of pepper and cumin and an intense meatiness is very good too. It’s topped with a pile of crisp and cleansing cured cucumbers.

I'm least sold on the triple-cooked pork belly (£13) due to the excessive fat to meat ratio. But the flavour and tenderness of the meat is all there and a thick, sticky, sweet and savoury soy-based sauce and crunchy pickled daikon radishes are excellent.

Our final meat is a beauty of a smoky and tender short rib (£36) that's shushed up with a tingling hit of a Szechuan peppercorn, garlic and chill oil that isn't backward at coming forward. Arguably, however, the meat's fine flavour is slightly overshadowed by the potency of the oil. 

Sides are both very good. Beef dripping scallion oil rice (£4) is every bit as naughty it sounds. The glistening grains scented with a compelling hit of meat and allium.

Finally, grilled typhoon shelter green beans (£8) are one of the most memorable dishes of the meal. They’re so good that I'm filing them under “dishes that I’m going to badly attempt home.” A pile of charred beans is bathed in a sweet, savoury and sharp dressing and topped with the crunch of fried breadcrumbs.

The only dessert on offer seems like the kind of thing served out of obligation. It’s perfectly pleasant but not at the same level as the rest of the meal. A slightly over set creamy coconut panna cotta is topped with a sharp and fragrant mango gel and a dusting of desiccated coconut. It’s all a bit soft and lacking textural contrast.

We had a lovely lunch at Hon’s and it’s clear there’s a lot of passion which goes into their smoked meats. My only lingering doubt is about the success of the fusion of Texan and Asian flavours - the majority of dishes are greater than the sum of their inspirations but I can't say this about everything. 

The Details:

Address - Hon's BBQ, First floor, Unit 7, The White Building, Queen's Yard, Hackney Wick, London E9 5EN

Web - https://www.honsbbq.com/

Biedronka, County Durham, fine dining Polish restaurant review

I’m a big fan of Polish food but I usually think of it as rib-sticking, hearty fare that sustains you during the long and cold winter months rather than refined, precise cooking. 

So, when I heard that the former head chef of Hjem was opening Biedronka, a “fine dining Polish restaurant” near Beamish Museum in County Durham, you can consider my interest most definitely piqued.  

The person behind Biedronka is Marek Dziedzic, who originally hails from near Poznań in West Poland and was part of the opening team at Hjem in 2019. He was there when Hjem became the first restaurant in Northumberland to win a Michelin star in 2021 until they closed earlier this year.

Biedronka, which means ladybird in Polish, is located at the back of South Causey Inn’s sprawling 100-acre site, which combines a 60-room hotel, wedding venue and pub. Walk past the pod dining rooms (I thought they were just a pandemic thing) and the colourful chirping budgie display, and you’ll find an imposing stone farmhouse that’s home to Biedronka. 

Whilst the signless building doesn’t exactly draw you in, it’s the complete opposite when you get inside. The large table at the heart of Biedronka’s dining room makes it feel like being welcomed into Marek’s farmhouse kitchen. This produce-laden table isn’t just for show, it’s where Marek and his team plate-up many of the dishes. 

With both chefs and the front of house team bringing courses to our table throughout the night, you get to engage with most of Biedronka’s team. They’re all consummate professionals, striking the right balance between being warm and friendly and slick and knowledgeable. 

Biedronka’s menu reads exceptionally well but it also has the potential to confuse. It’s split into snacks, starters, dumplings, meat, fish and dessert and there are four (£65), five (£75) and six (£85) course options on offer that allow you to add on extra dishes as you see fit. Whilst the easy option would be to opt for the seven-course chef’s tasting menu (£95) where everything is chosen for you, I reckon there's value to be found in the shorter menus. We plump for the five-course option with both meat and fish courses. 

With Polish, Georgian and Slovenian winemakers dotted throughout Biedronka’s wine list, it’s a welcome change from the obvious. Mrs G starts with an excellent traditional method Winnica Turnau Classique sparkling wine (£13) from Poland - extra interest comes from a dosage of ice wine. I kick off with a bready half of Pilsner Urquell (£4). We follow it up with Slovenian whites - a super interesting and herbal Burja Zelen (£17) and a more run of the mill yet very drinkable Quercus Pinot Blanc (£9). Polish Adoria Pinot Noir (£16) and Georgian Pheasant’s Tears Poliphonia (£17) are both superb – complex and full of red fruits.

But most importantly, the food.

Marek welcomes us into the restaurant with the traditional Polish offering of bread and salt. First class shatteringly crisp sourdough is served with thick golden butter and a bowl of sea salt to scatter over it.

My snack, which is based on a Polish canned fish spread called paprykarz, is a lot more decadent than its inspiration sounds.  A slab of meaty smoked eel is barbecued in front of us and topped with a thick sweet pepper and almond dressing that's reminiscent of romesco and scattered with puffs of crunchy wild rice.

Mrs G keeps it lighter with a plate of perky pickles - an artfully presented mix of gherkins, chanterelles, squash, red peppers and padrons. 

It would be rude to go to a Polish restaurant and not order the pierogi, especially when they're as good as the ones served at Biedronka. Crisp-edged, thin-skinned dumplings are filled with soft mash and mild cheese. They’re topped with golden breadcrumbs and sat in a silky brown butter sauce with caramelised notes that add an almost dessert like decadence.

Any salad with black pudding at its core is likely to be my kind of salad. Here, loose textured and grain-flecked Polish black pudding is coated in a crisp crumb and accompanied by fresh leaves, sweet pickled pear pieces, funky gorgonzola, charred Brussels sprout leaves and the crunch of walnut. 

A whole lemon sole to share is the highlight of the meal. It gets the ceremony it deserves as it’s presented to us in its pan before being taken away for filleting. 

Sweet and tender of flesh, it's adorned by a bobby dazzler of a brown butter sauce that's flecked with savoury potted shrimp, zingy capers and crushed hazelnuts and accompanied by strands of soft sweet leeks. 

The meat courses are both belters too.

A slab of blushing pink duck breast is served with meaty cabbage that's been cooked in duck fat, a glossy duck sauce, sweet roast beetroot and a richness balancing grated beetroot condiment that adds freshness and acidity to the plate.

Gorgeously cooked slices of flavour-packed onglet steak are sat on a bed of ludicrously buttery mash and joined by the sweetness of silver skin onions and wild funk of chanterelles. A first-class glossy oxtail sauce brings the whole dish together.  

When I see a souffle, there's no need to look further on a dessert menu. Biedronka’s dark chocolate souffle is intense, not too sweet and has a lovely bitterness. Crisp on the top with a loose almost chocolate fondant-esque interior, it's accompanied by sour cream ice cream that brings a lightening tanginess. 

Rhubarb trifle is lovely but less memorable. There’s a scoop of thick and fragrant rhubarb sorbet, lighter rhubarb jelly pieces, crunchy biscuit and thick vanilla scented custard.

The same warm hospitality that started the meal is present at the end as the bill is accompanied by dinky glasses of ice-cold elderberry vodka. It’s so packed with fruit that its 36% ABV is barely noticeable. Marek leaves the bottle at the table and tops up my glass. He advises me that a second glass is necessary to ensure that I can walk straight.

We had a superb meal at Biedronka and there’s no doubt it’s one of my favourites of 2026. This is Polish cooking with heart and personality that’s been elevated in a way I’ve never experienced before. 

The Details:

Address - Restaurant Biedronka, Farmhouse, South Causey Inn, Beamish Burn Road, Kip Hill, Stanley, County Durham DH9 0LS

Web - https://www.restaurantbiedronka.com/

Telephone - 07710176229