Bohémien, South Wales, French pop-up review

Having enjoyed Tom Martin’s cooking whilst he was head chef at Llanerch Vineyard, I’ve been keen to visit one of his Bohémien supper clubs, which roam across south Wales on a weekly basis.

A keen Francophile, Tom’s cooking lives by the mantra of “more butter, less bullshit”. It’s the kind of indulgent food that sounds right up my boulevard.

At each event, Tom serves a menu of between four and seven courses of French cooking that ranges in price from £38 and £50. Riffs on classics include paté en croute, braised beef cheek with potato fondant and tarte au citron.

With a Saturday night free and an event conveniently taking place at Snail’s Deli in Rhiwbina, we took along Mrs G’s mum as an early Mother’s Day treat. The seven course dinner (£50 a head) kicked off at 6pm and ended at 9pm - just the kind of timings that suit me and Mrs G who operate on the same meal and bedtime schedule as the average 10-year-old.

Snail’s bright yellow exterior and cosy and eclectic interior give it the ideal vibe for a French pop-up. Squint your eyes and you could almost be in Montmartre.

On the booze front, Snail’s has a well-priced selection of wines by the glass and bottle with nothing costing more than £30. We knocked back a couple of bottles of fruity and easy-drinking Villa Rossi Sangiovese (£22.95).

Each course was delivered in quick succession by the friendly front of house team with Tom providing a brief introduction to each dish.

First up, was a slice of beautifully soft and tender smoked ham terrene with a hint of mustard. It was topped with a good dollop of decadent Russian salad made with tender potatoes, peas, carrots, grated egg and pickles coated in a silky mayonnaise. No one I know appreciates a good Russian salad as much as Mrs G and this one very much passed muster.

The second course was the most underwhelming of the night, partly because it was served lukewarm – an issue which affected a couple of other dishes due to the lack of a heat lamp in the kitchen. I guess that’s one of the challenges of running pop-ups in different venues.

A French onion risotto was made with a base of long-cooked caramelised onions which provided a good sweetness, but it lacked the layers of stock-rich umami intensity that I typically associate with this French classic. Instead, truffle oil provided the dominant note with a decent grating of nutty comté providing a welcome second fiddle.

Next up came my standout dish of the night, an absolute stunner of a slow-cooked piece of rolled lamb breast. Tender, seamed with fat and intensely meaty, it was topped with soft flageolet beans and sweet confit garlic, and brought together with a drizzle of rich cooking juices and the vibrancy of a green herb oil.

Tom introduced the fish course by saying that you don’t see trout on enough restaurant menus and I firmly agree. A beautifully cooked piece of sweet chalk stream trout was garnished with a light almond crumb and served alongside tenderstem broccoli, silky broccoli puree and a decadent beurre blanc with a balancing zing of lemon. However, once again this dish suffered from a lack of heat… nobody wants a tepid broccoli puree.

Things hit their stride again with a refined take on a pot au feu. A meaty rolled chicken thigh was stuffed with a flavour-packed herby chicken mousseline. The skin on the outside was a little flabby, but this was easily removed. Garnishes were all bang on, including an intense chicken consommé, a savoy cabbage leaf stuffed with rich shredded chicken, and hefty chunks of toothsome root vegetable.

The second rice dish of the night was the other weakest link of the meal. A rice pudding bavarois had a lovely creamy and cinnamon scented flavour going on but it was a little too set with gelatine and the rice still a touch chalky. However, I was fully on board with a gorgeous condiment of vibrant macerated pineapple cut with the fragrance of fresh mint.

We rounded off the meal with a scoop of dense and creamy chocolate orange ice cream which very much hit the mark for a Terry’s devotee like me. It was billed as being served alongside spiced French toast but as it wasn’t made with egg and was super crisp instead of squidgy, it was more reminiscent of a caramelised melba toast.

Overall, we had a really fun evening at Bohémien. Whilst there were some real highs and a few disappointments, Tom is clearly a chef that can deliver big flavoured French cooking, something I think we need more of in south Wales. Add the cosy vibes at Snails and their well-priced wine into the mix and it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable night out.

The Details:

Address - Snails Deli, 6-8 Beulah Rd, Rhiwbina, Cardiff CF14 6LX

Web - https://bohemien.uk/

Telephone - 07468 427284

Casablanca, Roath, Cardiff Moroccan restaurant review

Location, location, location.

There’s a reason why they say it three times.

Whether you’re buying a house or running a restaurant, it’s often crucial to how well things work out.

Location can impact everything from passing trade, competition, and curb appeal to parking places, spending power and transport links. 

So, it’s interesting that Casablanca’s 800 metre move from City Road to Albany Road clearly seems to have done them the world of good.

Whilst this Moroccan and Lebanese restaurant opened on City Road in 2023, I’d always considered it to be just one of the many restaurants on this jam-packed street that I’d eventually get around to visiting.

However, as soon as I saw they were relocating to a newly renovated venue a few minutes’ walk from our house, I was keen to get stuck in as soon as possible.

Plenty of other people clearly had the same idea as us because on the Saturday night we visited, just a few weeks after their move and at the start of Ramadan, they were absolutely slammed. Numerous walk-ins were turned away and a few adjacent tables had hefty waits to get their orders in. Fortunately, we avoided any of these issues and had swift service from the friendly front of house team.

It’s fair to say that Casablanca have done a cracking job with the refurb of their new home – it’s a beauty of a dining room with contemporary design features mixed with traditional tiles, wall plates and an assortment of Moroccan objets d'art.

With its focus on Moroccan cooking, Casablanca’s menu has a real point of difference. Dishes on offer include chicken pastilla, lamb tangia, and an assortment of tagines and couscous.

To drink a Casablanca Spritz (£6.50) delivered a light and refreshing combination of citrus and mint whilst a peach and mint tea (£6) had a good hit of sweet stone fruit and a cooling freshness. 

When I realised that Casablanca also serves alcohol, I followed my soft drink up with a pint of Poretti lager.

We shared a couple of starters, and both were delicious.

Chicken briwat (£7.50) saw a trio of crisp filo triangles stuffed with warming spiced diced meat. They were delicious dredged through a pot of light textured yet potent garlic toum. Salad leaves, which were buried beneath the pastries, looked a bit lacklustre and there really wasn’t much point to them. 

A generous bowl of thick and silky tahini rich hummus (£6.50) was studded with whole chickpeas and drizzled with oil.

Warm khobez bread was the ideal shovelling implement.

Having been tipped off about the lamb tagine (£17.50) by a good friend, it was the first on our list of dishes to order. We weren’t disappointed. A whopping nudgingly tender slow-cooked lamb shank was a cracker of a piece of meat. Topped with plump apricots, prunes and sultanas and the crunch of almonds, the hefty piece of meat was sat in a bowl of rich meaty broth with a compelling savoury sweetness.

Served on the side was warm, soft and tightly crumbed Moroccan batbout bread, which very much reminded me of a Geordie stottie. I was in my element.

Our other main – chicken seven vegetable couscous was delicious (£18) but not quite as good.

A mound of stock rich couscous was topped with a tender half chicken with commendably juicy and flavoursome dark meat. However, the breast was just on the verge of tipping towards dryness. The colourful vegetable garnish comprised of a nicely cooked mix of courgette, carrot and squash as well as a pile of sweet, cinnamon-spiced caramelised onions flecked with plump sultanas.

Vital saucing and additional layers of flavour came from a jug of compellingly chicken and citrusy broth.

On a separate visit, I tried out Casablanca’s daytime menu, which offers brunch dishes like shakshuka, sujuk and eggs, fatayer pastries and batbout sandwiches.

I opted for the Casablanca shakshuka (£12) which was served in a bubbling terracotta cauldron that was hotter than the earth's core. It was just as well because otherwise I would have inhaled the delicious dish within a matter of minutes.

A mix of soft peppers, potatoes, aubergines and two runny-yolked eggs were bathed in a lightly spiced 

and not too sweet chunky tomato sauce.

More of that addictively soft crumbed stottie-like batbout bread was served on the side.

A pot of light and fresh mint tea (£2.50) was the ideal accompaniment.

We both really enjoyed Casablanca’s delicious and well-priced Moroccan cooking, and it brings something different to Albany Road. I hope they do well in their new home - their location certainly stands them in good stead.

The Details:

Address - Casablanca, 112 Albany Road, Cardiff CF24 3RU

Web - https://www.facebook.com/CasablancaCardiff/

Telephone - 029 2047 2772