Buds, Radyr cafe and patisserie review

Opening a good restaurant, bar or cafe in an underserved suburb of Cardiff appears to be a recipe for independent hospitality success.

With the number of restaurants now competing in areas like Pontcanton, Roath and Cathays, it’s on the fringes of the city where there are still gaps in the market.

Mesen has built up a great reputation in Rhiwbina. Dusty’s looks to have settled in well at their new home in Llanishen. And State of Love and Trust in Lakeside has quickly established itself as one of the city’s best wine and craft beer bars.

Radyr is the most recent Cardiff suburb to have an exciting new independent hospitality business open on its doorstep in the form of Buds. 

Billed as serving “brunch, small plates and patisserie”, Buds is co-owned by Andrew Minto, an acclaimed patisserie chef who won Bake Off: The Professionals in 2021, and Kate Parsons, the chef behind the excellent Nomad Kitchen.

The first thing that strikes you about Buds is the ridiculous number of delicious looking cakes and pastries on offer. Their macarons, cookies and cream layer cake, cinnamon buns, lemon meringue tarts, Biscoff cheesecake and s’mores pie would keep me occupied for a very long time. 

But, we were here for lunch, so it would have been rude not to eat something savoury first. 

On Bud’s menu there’s a selection of brunch dishes such as a fried breakfast (£13), steak benedict (£13) and French toast with bacon (£10) as well as a few really good sounding lunch dishes, including a bacon cheeseburger (£13) and fried chicken sandwich (£13). There aren’t currently any small plates on offer so I wonder if these will arrive with a possible evening opening in future?

Having been advised by a good friend that Bud’s breakfast bun (£10) was the best they’d ever eaten, I couldn’t really order anything else. It was really bloody good. A golden, light, soft and slightly sweet house baked milk bun was a first-class vehicle for a bevy of fried treats – good quality sausage, crisp streaky bacon, a fried egg, and a golden slick of melted American cheese. Saucing came in the form of a schmear of thick and sweet chilli jam. It was a very good condiment but it perhaps lacked the crucial acidity that ketchup or brown sauce provide.

On the side was a crisp cube of excellent hash brown. I’d gladly eat a whole stack of them.

Miso mushrooms on toast (£8) was a much more straightforward affair but every component hit the mark. Soft crumbed, buttered granary toast was piled high with golden mushrooms twanged with the savoury hit of miso.

We decided to share a market salad bowl (£9) so that we had a bit of greenery to go with our meal. I agreed on the proviso that we could order it with fried chicken (£4) on top. I’m glad we did, because it was top notch – the meat was impressively juicy due to its buttermilk marinade, and it was coated in a rugged grease free crumb.

The rest of the salad was very good – a sweet and earthy beetroot pickle was the standout whilst I also really enjoyed a crisp celeriac remoulade and mixed leaves topped with a fruity vinaigrette. A disproportionately large pile of mange tout was the only component that I wasn't fully sold on. 

Whilst the savoury dishes were delicious, I couldn’t wait for dessert.

It’s no underestimation to say that a chocolate and salted caramel tart (£4) was the best example of its type that I’ve ever eaten. Gloriously rich, it combined a thin and hyper crisp chocolate pastry case filled with thick salted caramel, a layer of silky-smooth chocolate ganache and nod towards lightness in the form of a piped cloud of chocolate mousse. If you’re into chocolate and caramel, then this an essential Cardiff dessert.

A funfetti cookie (£3.50) was a proper chonky boi. Crisp on the outside with a soft centre, it was flecked with lightly caramelised white chocolate chips and multicoloured sprinkles. It’s the kind of cookie which people queuing down the street for if it was peddled by a vibey Soho establishment.

We had a cracking lunch at Buds and it’s great to see it so busy after just five weeks of opening. If I lived closer, then I’m sure I’d be down there regularly to guzzle their sweet treats.

I’ve no doubt Buds will be another Cardiff suburban success story. I wonder what the next one will be… are Thornhill and Pontprennau set to become home to exciting independent hospitality businesses?

The Details:
Address - Buds, 7-9 Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff CF15 8DF
Web - http://budscafe.co.uk/

Cicchetti, Radyr restaurant review

It’s thanks to Restaurant Man Russell Norman and his Polpo small-chain’s successful formula of booze-friendly food, cool venues and trendy staff that Cicchetti or “Italian tapas” have become so trendy.

Now, Cardiff has it’s own small plate gaff called... Cicchetti.

Owned by the well-respected Trattoria Group who have existing outposts in Talbot Green and Pontypridd, Cicchetti have cannily spotted a gap in the market in Radyr, which has been crying out for a decent restaurant.

First impressions are all important, and Cicchetti produces the goods.

The breezy buzz of conversation; a bright interior melding contemporary and traditional; a cute bar where you can perch for a Peroni; and a laden deli counter all give the feeling that Cicchetti is a place you’d happily spend an evening. 

A pre-dinner Campari spritz (£4.50) successfully balanced the sweetness of prosecco and the bitter ming of the dark red liqueur whilst a couple of moreish homemade grissini – crisp in places and bready in others – helped keep the wolf from the door.

Cicchetti’s menu is a peculiar beast – whilst half of it is devoted to small plates, the other half is made up of the familiar (yet admittedly exciting looking) selection of pizza, paste, carne & pesce.

Therefore, with no explanation, it’s not clear whether Cicchetti regard their small plates as starters (how they were referred to by the friendly waitress) or as the building blocks for a standalone meal…

Of course, we ditched the mains and launched in with a selection of the smaller plates.

Crisp crocchette (£4.25), filled with a light, cheesy potato mixture, were served with a vibrant summer-coloured mustard mayo.

A solid selection of Italian meats (£5.95) included bresaola, a couple of salamis, mortadella and a superb prosciutto. Mrs G’s plank of just ham (£5.95) was therefore an even stronger option. Accompanying breads were fine but neither the crustiest nor the softest.

An aubergine stack (£3.95) made from layers of tender aubergine, melted mozzarella and a peppy tomato sauce was a bob-on piece of Italian comfort food.

A whopper of an arancino (£4.25) filled with meat ragu and oozy cheese was a little stodgy but equally comforting.

Fritto Misto (£5.25) included some of the most tender octopus I’ve ever eaten. In contrast, the squid and mussels were run of the mill and an advertised accompanying saffron aioli never materialised.

Last up was an excellent frittata which nestled perfectly tender potatoes amongst its eggy goodness (£4.95).

For those with an eye for greenery, it’s also worth noting that rocket is served with every single plate - a whole salad bag’s worth for dinner therefore gets a little repetitive.

Desserts, a sharp lemon tart (£3.50) & a raspberry tartlet (£3.50) were perfectly tasty but lacked the Italian charm of the rest of the meal.

I really like Cicchetti. Whilst the food certainly wasn't faultless and the concept needs a little more clarity, the atmosphere more than makes up for it.

The details:

Address - Cicchetti, Station Road, Radyr

Telephone - 029 2084 8773