The Tamil Crown, Islington, London desi pub review

I've said it before but I’m a huge fan of desi pubs. After all, delicious Indian food and well-kept beers are a match made in heaven.

Tap and Tandoor in Solihull and the Soho Tavern in Gateshead are both places where we've eaten and drunk very well on our travels. 

On our most recent trip to London, we managed to squeeze in a visit to The Tamil Crown in Islington. Whilst it stretches the definition of a pub as most of its space dedicated to restaurant dining, there’s still room for a few people at the bar to enjoy a pint alongside an onion bhaji or two.

Owned by former Roti King executive chef Prince Durairaj and ex-Market Halls general manager Glen Leeson, the Tamil Crown is currently ranked as the 35th best gastropub in the UK in the ever reliable Top 50 Gastropubs list. Alongside its stablemates The Tamil Prince and Tamila, the Tamil Crown leans towards Southern Indian cooking, as that’s where Durairaj hails from.

We weren't drinking after a craft beer holiday in Tallinn but I think it’s fair to say that the Tamil Crown’s beer selection isn’t the most inspiring, especially when there are London breweries on its doorstep like The Kernel and Pressure Drop. Harbour’s Beach Party Pale Ale (£8 a pint) and Purity Session IPA (£8) are about as exciting as it gets. Instead, I enjoyed a bready alcohol free Lucky Saint lager (£6.50) and Mrs G saw off a fruity and fragrant Desi Spritz alcohol free cocktail (£11.50).

Snacks kicked off the meal, and okra fries (£9) were probably the best I've ever eaten. Hyper crisp and grease free, their potently spiced batter surrounded thin fronds of vegetable.

Beef masala uttapam (£12.50) was the standout dish of the meal. A light and crisp rice flour pancake was topped with slow-cooked, headily spiced shreds of beef which had been fried to a golden crisp on their surface. It was joined by a creamy and fiery coconut chutney.

Finally, a gorgeously juicy and crisp-skinned lime leaf scented chicken thigh (£13.50) was delicious dunked in a pot of fresh and fruity pineapple chutney. It had lux Greggs mango chicken oval bite vibes, and I was fully sold.

Onto mains, and the other standout dish of the meal was a corker of an aubergine curry (£13.50) with soft and sticky chunks of the meaty vegetable and long cooked sweet onions. It was a rich, deeply spiced and decadent curry.

A Chettinad lamb curry (£16) had a well-spiced and meaty gravy and a decent amount of soft and tender pieces of meat. But it was no better than similar dishes I’ve eaten at Cardiff’s myriad excellent southern Indian restaurants.

On the carb front, coconut cream was stirred through pilau rice (£6.50) to give it a sticky rice-like decadence. Its creaminess also worked exceptionally well to balance the punchy spicing of the other dishes.

A good roti (£4.50) was light and elastic, but it didn’t quite live up to the exemplars at Roti King – it just wasn’t as flaky or crisp.

With its combination of big-flavoured southern Indian cooking in a laid-back pub setting, we had an excellent meal at the Tamil Crown. I can see why it’s a contemporary London desi pub success story. 

The Details:

Address - The Tamil Crown, 16 Elia Street, London N1 8DE

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

Telephone - 020 3342 0709

Crispy Dosa, Cardiff city centre restaurant review

Why do people read food blogs?

Is it to be entertained with witty anecdotes and clever turns of phrase?

Perhaps it’s to gawp at beautiful food photography or to find out about cuisines that aren't covered by mainstream media?

Or maybe it’s simply to find out from a trustworthy source whether a restaurant is worth visiting or not?

Whilst all of the above play their part, I’d argue that it's the latter which is the most important.

When it comes to trustworthy blogs, they don’t come more highly regarded than Andy Hayler’s Restaurant Guide. With a knowledgeable yet unflowery approach to restaurant writing, Andy has self-funded reviews of over 1,000 restaurants in London and until the pandemic had visited every three Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.

You can be assured that if Andy says a restaurant is worth visiting then it really will be.

Which brings me to Crispy Dosa on Cardiff’s High Street.

With twelve branches across the south of the UK in locations including Watford, Windsor, Croydon and Bristol, Andy reviewed the Hounslow branch in November 2024 and scored it 13/20 (good cooking, showing sound technical skills and using quality ingredients) with a top rating for value for money.

The Cardiff branch of Crispy Dosa opened a few weeks ago, and much like its sibling establishments, focuses on southern Indian vegetarian cooking.

On the menu, dishes include chilli paneer (£8.99), onion chilli uthappam (£9.49), a mini tiffin (£11.99) and a variety of dosas, including cheese masala (£9.99) and ghee paper roast (£10.99).

Whilst Crispy Dosa serves booze, I opted for a mango lassi (£3.99) as it was the middle of the working day. Creamy and tangy with a good hit of tropical fruit, it was served in a whopping milkshake glass. However, it could have done with being a bit colder.

To start, gobi Manchurian (£8.99) was excellent. A mountain of lightly battered and tender cauliflower florets and stir-fried shredded cabbage were coated in a fiery savoury, sweet and tangy sauce. It was as good as an example of the dish that I’ve eaten and would have been a meal in itself alongside a bowl of rice.

With a name like Crispy Dosa, I of course had to order a dosa for main course.

The behemothic masala dosa covered a good proportion of the table. Light, crisp and pliable, it was well-filled in the middle with warming spiced mashed potato flecked with sweet onions, mixed beans and seeds. At £7.99 it was a generous and delicious lunch.

Accompanying chutneys and sauces were good but could arguably have packed a bigger punch. They included fragrant coriander, creamy coconut, and sweet tomato chutneys as well as a thin vegetable studded sambar.

I was very impressed by both dishes I ordered from Crispy Dosa and their dosas are most definitely worth checking out if you’re on the hunt for a good value meal in Cardiff city centre - this is of course no surprise as Andy Hayler said it was worth a visit.

The Details:

Address - Crispy Dosa  30 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1AB

Web - https://www.crispydosa.com/

Telephone - 029 2297 2849

Ginger & Clove, Whitchurch Road, Cardiff Indian restaurant review

I’ve reviewed so many restaurants on Whitchurch Road lately that I should probably consider renaming my blog Gourmet Gabalfa.

Usually, after a few beers at the excellent Pop ‘n’ Hops, we’re craving a bite to eat and as a result we’ve recently visited Shiraz Grill, Stella Italia and now Ginger & Clove.

Ginger & Clove opened in January 2025 and it occupies the former site of Wildflower Kitchen and the Aegean Greek Taverna. It’s a lovely space with a colourful mural covering one wall and a third of the venue turned over to bar seating to try and encourage people to pop in for a drink.

The restaurant’s menu draws influences from across India but is mostly focused on southern India as that’s where the expertise of the chefs lies. With nine starters, and eight mains, Ginger & Clove’s menu is compact as far as Indian restaurants go. It’s a much more reassuring sight than 100 curries, all of which are made from the same base sauce.

Complimentary poppadum shards, chutneys and glasses of iced water were brought out as soon as we arrived. It’s the little touches like this which always endear a restaurant to me. Both the chutneys hit the mark - a sweet chilli number and a fragrant mint variety that also had a good oomph of chilli.

To start, gobi manchurian (£5.95) saw lightly battered florets of cauliflower coated in a sticky, spicy, sweet and savoury sauce flecked with garlic and onion. This was very good example of this dish, with the sizeable pieces of cauliflower still having plenty of texture.

It was a very good contrast to a Kerala beef fry (£6.95) with its earthy dry spicing and notes of toasted coconut. The impeccably tender nuggets of beef were lifted by a scattering of fragrant curry leaves and the zip of pickled onions.

For mains we showed a bit of restraint, relatively speaking, by ordering a main, side and bread to share.

A nadan chicken curry (£10.95) was billed on the menu as “included by popular demand”. Made to the owner Matthew’s recipe, I of course had to give such a hyped-up dish a go. Super tender bits of boneless chicken thigh were coated in a medium spiced thick and luxurious gravy with layers of spice, coconut and curry leaf. This was an excellent curry.

Its excess sauce was delicious drizzled over a vegetable thoran (£3.95) made with a fine dice of toothsome carrot and radish that was seasoned with mustard, coconut, curry leaf and crispy onion.

A table-topping triangular masala dosa (£7.99) was commendably thin and crisp and filled with comforting spiced potato. A bevy of accompaniments really made it sing. Fresh coconut chutney, a sweet and creamy tomato and onion chutney, and a velvety sambar flecked with carrot and stringy moringa beans, were all excellent.

We had a delicious and cracking value meal from Ginger & Clove with really friendly service. Despite strong competition in the local area, I hope this a restaurant that finds its niche. 

The Details:

Address - Ginger & Clove, 72-74 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff CF14 3LX

Website - https://www.instagram.com/gingerandclovecardiff/

Telephone - 029 2063 0708

Stella Italia, Cardiff Indo-Italian restaurant review

Back in 2021, when I wrote a review of Whitchurch Road’s Vivo Amigo, an enjoyable yet eyebrow raising Indo-Mexican fusion restaurant, I asserted that some culinary crossovers make a lot more sense than others.

Whilst Indo-Mexican food was just about understandable, I declared that Indo-Italian cooking was a step too far.

Fast forward to 2025, and the people behind Vivo Amigo have only gone and launched Stella Italia…an Indo-Italian restaurant.

Whilst my scepticism for Italian-Indian cuisine was only slightly diminished, my curiosity got the better of me and I of course had to check it out.

Located next door and interconnected to Vivo Amigo, Stella Italia’s name, signage and interior don’t give much away in terms of the fusion cuisine on offer. With its red-checked tablecloths and paintings of Venice, this could be any other Italian restaurant. Perhaps a name like Just like Naana used to make or The Gateway of Italy would provide a more obvious indication.

Stella Italia’s menu doesn’t go all in when it comes to fusion cooking either. Their starters and desserts are solely Italian, with familiar options including calamari fritti, sundried tomato arancini and tiramisu. When it comes to the drinks selection, however, draught Cobra and mango lassi provide a nod towards India.

It’s only with Stella Italia’s main dishes where the Indo-Italian fusion cooking is really unleashed. Whilst there’s a selection of classic pizza and pasta, Indo-Italian options include spaghetti mutter keema, penne butter chicken, and butter chicken curry calzone, which also comes filled with biryani.

To start, a trio of coarsely ground and loosely packed beef polpette (£6.50) were tender, honked nicely of garlic and were sat in a thick and fruity tomato sauce with a good grating of savoury parmesan. On the side, soft crumbed pieces of sourdough garlic bread were a lovely mop for all that sauce. This was a very tasty starter albeit the kind of thing you’d find in many Italian restaurants.

Onto the mains and I can only apologise that I that I didn’t order saag paneer spaghetti. That’s one step too far even for my usually adventurous palate.

However, Stella Italia’s Neapolitan style pizzas really are very good indeed. Made with slow-proofed sourdough, they have a thin base and a soft and airy crust. They’re certainly better than some from places I’ve visited who profess to serve authentic Italian pizzas.

Out of the two pizzas I tried across two visits, the Calicut beef (£12.95) was the definite winner. Plenty of hunks of deep-spiced slow-cooked beef combined well with the melted mozzarella, a dusting of parmesan, and a scattering of fragrant coriander and curry leaf. A drizzle of sriracha mayo added a nice extra hit of tangy spice but it was slightly unusual in the fact that it brought a third national cuisine into the mix.

A chilli paneer pizza (£12.95) was also very tasty but similar in flavour with its use of sriracha mayo, coriander and curry leaf. Arguably, it was less successful because of the cheese-on-cheese action, which meant it was richer yet less complex in flavour. Whilst the cubes of lightly spiced and sweet paneer were very tasty, I think they could have taken a bigger hit of spice. However, they did work very well with crisp mixed peppers and red onion slices that added to the chilli paneer vibe.

Gnoccho fritto (£4.95) were the most interesting sounding of the desserts on offer. However, the mound of dense miniature doughnuts were rather unlike the light and airy examples that I've eaten elsewhere. Still, at least they were crisp and grease free and lightly dusted with cinnamon sugar, drizzled with sweet chocolate sauce and accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A cup of frothy, sweet, creamy and well-spiced masala chai (£2.95), however, was excellent. It’s worth popping in just for a cuppa if ever you fancy a brew.

I really enjoyed Stella Italia’s pizzas and their front of house team are excellent. Whilst Indo-Italian cuisine will still be eyebrow raising to many (including myself), I think perhaps Stella Italia has missed a trick by not leaning in even further into their fusion cooking. Why not throw the kitchen sink at it and serve starters like biryani arancini or masala spiced panelle with chutneys as well as desserts like chai spiced tiramisu or cardamom panna cotta? After all, I'd imagine a lot visitors are there because they're curious to try Indo-Italian food. 

The Details:

Address - Stella Italia, 136 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff CF14 3LZ

Telephone - 029 2297 2017

Base Camp, Cardiff, Indian and Nepalese restaurant review

There are a few awkward Cardiff restaurant spaces that I’ve always thought were doomed to failure but have gone on to confound my expectations.

Café Rio, Il Pastificio and Da Mara couldn’t make 2 Penylan Road work before it became the successful Scaramantica.

Jerkit and Munchies (who were infamous for their fried breakfast in a jar) were unable to make a go of 22 Crwys Road before Thai restaurant Tuk Tuk became long term residents.

Arguably though, the trickiest venue of all is 29 Park Place, a whopper of a 110-cover space that has been home to a string of businesses including Bacchus, the eponymous 29 Park Place, Cardiff Arts Institute, Steam Cardiff and Club 29. I’d contend that the handsome building’s size and its neither here nor there location have both counted against it.

Base Camp, a Nepalese and Indian restaurant which opened at the start of December 2024, is 29 Park Place’s latest resident. Could this be the restaurant to finally break the venue’s curse?

There’s an experienced team in place with general manager Ram Sapotka, who originally hails from Kathmandu, a veteran former manager of Whitchurch Road’s Mint & Mustard. In the kitchen, Rahul Chauhan was head chef at Mint and Mustard and Himalayan born Soban Singh Pokhriyal is formerly of London’s Dishoom.

With a menu that draws culinary influences from the Himalayas all the way down to the tip of southern India, I was drawn most towards Base Camp’s Nepalese dishes as there’s not much of this kind of cooking in Cardiff.

Eye catching dishes include lamb jimbu, named after the Himalayan herb used in its preparation, Khumbu noodles and crispy fried Lukla Chicken. However, if Indian cooking is more your vibe, then elevated sounding options include Goan fish curry, Hyderabadi dum biryani, and okra bhel.

We both ordered alcohol free drinks, not because we’re doing dry January, but because we had a big sesh the night before. A Virgin mojito (£6.50) was a good balance of fragrant mint, zingy lime and sugar sweetness whilst a creamy and tangy mango lassi (£3.90) was cleverly spiked with cardamon.

A quintet of steamed Nepalese momo dumplings (£8.50) were well stuffed with fragrantly spiced and juicy chicken mince. They were lovely dredged through a pot of excellent thick sesame and tomato dip seasoned with smoky and palate warming Nepalese timur pepper. A minor criticism, but the dumpling cases were slightly chewy around their sealed edges.

Cubes of gorgeously soft and creamy paneer (£7.95) had a good scent of smoke from the tandoor oven as well as a delicate honey sweetness and earthy funk of truffle.

Onto mains, and lamb Pahadi (£13.50) was rammed full of super tender slow cooked pieces of meat in a thick well-spiced gravy. The cracking curry was pepped up with the addition of batons of fresh ginger and coriander leaves.

Annapurna Himali Dal (£9.95) saw lentils and beans in an earthy gravy that was lightly spiced with turmeric, cumin and garlic. I prefer a slightly thicker dal but Mrs G thought it was bang on.

On the side, bhuteko bhat (£4.95), aka Nepali style egg fried rice, saw beautifully fluffy and savoury rice seasoned with a well-spiced masala and flecked with egg, sweetcorn and spring onion. It was a delicious hybrid of Indian and Chinese influences.

A basket of strikingly dark-coloured Himalayan millet bread (£4.90) was crisp, fat rich and an ideal dipping tool for our pair of curries.

Handily, Base Camp are also open on Monday evenings, and on a second visit, I once again focused on their Nepalese / Himalayan specialties.

For my main, Luckla chicken (£11.95) saw crispy fried pieces of poultry coated in a sticky, spicy and sweet sauce with onions and peppers. It had major Indo-Chinese chilli chicken vibes. 

To start, I had cig oen jimmbu (£8.95), delicious lamb tikka pieces with a really interesting herbal allium fragrance of jimbu, a member of the onion family. It was billed as a slow-cooked dish, but it seemed like a quicker cook to me. 

Meanwhile, Mrs G really enjoyed patta chat (£6.95), crispy spinach leaves with a kaleidoscope of yoghurt, mint and tamarind chutneys.

She also rated an earthy and smoky aubergine masala bliss (£9.95) for main. 

On both of our visits we were impressed by the refined Nepalese and Indian cooking from Base Camp and it’s clear to see the attention to detail and passion in their cooking and service. I really hope they break 29 Park Place’s curse because they bring something a little bit different to Cardiff’s restaurant scene.

The Details:

Address - Base Camp, 29 Park Place Cardiff CF10 3BA
Web - https://www.basecampkitchen.uk/

Telephone - 02921304333