Qamariyah, Adamsdown, Cardiff Yemeni restaurant review

When an old friend told me he was going to be in town to deliver a guest lecture on the history of Islam in Cardiff, we hatched a plan to go out for dinner.

Of course, there was only one type of restaurant we were going to visit – a Yemeni one.

Firstly, because Cardiff’s Yemeni population is one of the oldest Muslim communities in the UK.

Secondly, because an anecdote and a few photos from our meal would provide some additional content to pad out his lecture.

Our destination of choice was Qamariyah, a recently opened gaff that’s located on the former site of Mowlana in Adamsdown. Having enjoyed a pint at the Four Elms around the corner, we were ready to guzzle some slow cooked meat.

Named after the half-moon shaped stained-glass windows that form an important part of Yemen’s architecture, Qamariyah is a bright and modern place that mixes tables and chairs with traditional floor seating.

Whilst Qamariyah’s lamb mandi is the headliner on their menu, other dishes on offer include aqda’ah (a traditional Yemeni stew), fuul (fava beans cooked with vegetables and spices) and spiced seabass.

As Qamariyah is booze free, we both stuck to the fresh juices. Lime and mint juice (£4) was deliciously fresh and zingy whilst mango juice hit the mark too (£4).

I let my friend choose what we were going to eat for dinner and we seriously over-ordered. So much so that we were asked to move to a bigger table to accommodate all our food.

Firstly, it’s fair to say that Mowlana have handed over the mantle of Cardiff’s biggest sharing bread to Qamariyah. A ginormous mulawah bread (£2.50) took up half the table. Crisp, flaky, soft, and elastic, it reminded me of a cross between a paratha and a naan. It was seriously good.

Lamb mandi (£12.99), a dish which needs no introduction, saw pieces of yieldingly tender slow-cooked and spiced lamb sat on a bed compellingly fragrant and fluffy rice. Whilst crispy onions appeared to be bought in (unlike the homemade ones at Hadramowt), they provided welcome crunchy contrast. It was another fine example of this addictively comforting dish.

Chicken mandi (£8.99) was also excellent, the meat commendably juicy and fragrant. But, I think the lamb edged it for me.

Key to the success of both of these dishes were little bowls of fragrant salsa that delivered a richness balancing hit of fresh tomato and a little kick of chilli.

The two other dishes we tried were both excellent. In fact, we both agreed the liver (£8) was the standout of the meal.

A sizzling skillet of finely sliced pieces of earthy offal were nicely crisp around the edges whilst remaining soft and tender. They were coated in a compellingly savoury spice mix and flecked with crisp pieces of green and red peppers.

Fahsa (£11), a traditional Yemeni stew, was more meat than sauce… I’m not complaining. A flavour-packed lamb broth was loaded with tender shreds of slow-cooked lamb. A green herb sauce brought fragrance and freshness to the rich dish.

Stuffed, I had plenty of food leftover to bag up for lunch the next day. So, I was grateful for my learned colleague’s overordering.  

With its comforting cooking and good value pricing, Qamariyah is another Cardiff Yemeni restaurant that’s definitely worth visiting. My friend was mightily impressed too and I hope that he managed to find Qamariyah a few new customers by giving them a shout out in his lecture.  

The Details:

Address - Qamariyah, 2 Four Elms Road, Cardiff CF24 1LE
Web - https://qamariyah.com/
Telephone -  029 2297 0249

South Kitchen, Roath, Cardiff Yemeni restaurant review

I’m all in favour of compact restaurant menus.

It’s normally a sign of a focus on a few things done well.

At one point Burger & Lobster had the city’s most compact restaurant menu with just three dishes on offer. Whilst it’s long gone, and was pilloried by many at the time, I still think their burger is one of the best Cardiff has ever seen.

Nowadays, the accolade of the city’s most compact menu most likely belongs to South Kitchen, a Yemeni restaurant on Albany Road.

There’s a choice of just two main dishes - lamb mandi or chicken mandi.

It’s clearly worked well for them so far as they’ve recently relocated from their original base in Adamsdown to the former home of Ichiban, a venue with a bigger kitchen and dining room.

On my first visit at six o’clock on a weeknight I bagged the last table. When I attempted a second visit around 6pm on a Wednesday, there was no room at the inn. So, I went even earlier a few nights later and thankfully it was much quieter.

South Kitchen’s dining room is split into traditional Arabian-style floor seating and conventional sit-down tables. However, wherever you sit, your dining space will be covered with a disposable plastic sheet. It’s clearly a sign that mess is inevitable. 

On my first visit, I ordered the lamb (£15) and I was swiftly brought a large stainless-steel plate piled high with rice and meat.

Beautifully tender, slow-cooked lamb with wobbly fat nudged off the bone with ease – I think there was a bit of shank and some ribs. There was a much lighter touch with the spicing and caramelisation compared to Hadramowt’s version, but it was still very good.

A vast amount of fluffy rice was compellingly perfumed. I kept on going back for more and more. Thankfully, there was more and more. 

There was also raw white onion, a slice of lemon and birdseye chillies. I gave the former a miss, but a squeeze of lemon brought welcome zest whilst a nibble on the chilli bought a kick of capsaicin.

A pair of dips brought bags of flavour too. A super fresh and cleansing blend of tomato, parsley and chilli had pico de gallo vibes. Creamy yoghurt with a nutty and peppery twang of tahini and hit of garlic was enjoyable but a slightly acquired taste.

On my second visit, I ordered the chicken (£10). A yellow-skinned half bird was soft of flesh and delicate of seasoning; I made a right mess teasing it off the bone with my hands. It was lovely but I think the lamb edged it for me.

If you’re looking for a restaurant with a compact menu, either because you like to see a few things done well, or just because you’re not very good at choosing what to order, then South Kitchen’s Yemeni cooking is well worth a look.

The Details:

Address - The South Kitchen, 167 Albany Rd, Cardiff CF24 3NT

Telephone - 07547 396432

Hadramowt, Wedal Road, Cardiff Yemeni restaurant review

City Road's excellent Hadramowt was the restaurant which first brought Yemeni cuisine and their signature lamb mandi to my attention. Combining slow cooked meat and fragrant rice with a bevy of accompaniments, it's one of the best lamb dishes I've eaten in Wales.

Having since read more about the long history of Wales' Yemeni population, it seems rather fitting that both nations' cuisines heavily feature lamb. 

Cardiff's Yemeni population is considered to be one of the oldest Arab and Muslim communities in the UK. With Yemen's port of Aden coming under British control in 1839, the city was used a strategic coal refuelling station for British ships en route to India. 

Yemenis worked as stokers and sailors on the ships, transporting resources to and from Britain, and they arrived in Cardiff as early as 1862, with many settling in Butetown to work in the docks, coal mines and on the railways. Nowadays, there are Yemeni families of five generations who have settled in Cardiff. 

I'm clearly not the only fan of Hadramowt as they expanded in the middle of 2024 by taking over the vast former Grape & Olive site on Wedal Road. 

Gleaming turquoise paint and ornate signage was swiftly erected on the building's exterior but it then appeared to sit dormant for months and I questioned whether it would ever open its doors (I've recently posted about tricky restaurant spaces in Cardiff and I've always considered this to be one of them). 

Just as I did so, Hadramowt's Wedal Road branch finally opened at the backend of 2024. 

Hadramowt’s whopping interior is divided into a number of dining spaces, some with traditional floor seating, and a massive looking function room downstairs. Despite there being a couple of other groups there when we visited on a weeknight early evening, the place felt very quiet. 

With just one starter and three desserts, the focus of Hadramowt’s concise menu is slow cooked lamb and chicken dishes. It’s clear that lamb mandi is their showcase as you can pre-order a whole lamb’s worth for £220… I really need to assemble a team to demolish one.

As soon as we sat down, we were bought steaming hot bowls of lamb broth with beads of fat glistening on its surface. Deeply meaty and earthy spiced with a nice punch of chilli, it was a soothing balm on an icy cold night. 

A glass of sweet mango juice (£2) was tasty but unfortunately served at room temperature. 

Mrs G and I were only ever going to both order the lamb mandi (£12). Whilst this makes my review rather limited, I’d probably recommend you do the same thing.

A whopping plateful was even better than the version I've had from Hadramowt's City Road restaurant. Beautifully fluffy rice fragranced with clove and cardamom was topped with a generous portion of lamb on the bone. Crusty spice edged with spoonably tender flesh and soft fat and skin - it's as good a lamb dish as you'll come across in Cardiff. Toasty caramelised fried onions and sweet sultanas completed the immense dish.

On the side, individual pots of fresh and tangy tomato, chilli and coriander sauce and minted yoghurt were brought without prompting. They were an excellent contrast to the bass notes of the lamb and rice.

There was also a thick, sweet and comfortingly spiced potato stew. 

I was stuffed and Mrs G bagged up a box of half of her food to take home for my dinner the next day.

We had a feast for two from Hadramowt for £24. It doesn't get much tastier or better value than that. If you're yet to try Yemeni cuisine in Cardiff then I can't recommend a visit to Hadramowt to try their lamb mandi highly enough. 

The Details:

Address - Hadramowt, 39 Wedal Road, Cardiff CF14 3QX
Telephone - 07367 070660

Hadramowt, Roath, Cardiff Yemeni restaurant review

Go to Hadramowt on City Road and order the lamb mandi.

It’s a simple instruction I received from a well-informed Cardiffian on Twitter but honestly it's one of the best pieces of advice I've been given all year.  

Hadramowt serves a selection of traditional Yemeni dishes (lamb madghoot, lamb borma etc.) and grilled meats (lamb kofta, shish tawooq etc.) but really there’s only one dish which anyone seems to order.

On both occasions I've visited Hadramowt, almost everyone was tucking into a plate of lamb mandi. And i can see why.

For £11 it’s a multi-step affair and one which is equally about the accompaniments as it is about the lamb centrepiece.

Arriving at the table first is a bowl of gently spiced lamb broth with the odd nugget of soft lamb bobbing in its depths. It's a herald of what's to come. 

There’s also bowls of garlic and mint-twanged yoghurt and a fresh tomato and coriander sauce turbo-charged with chilli, both of which are purpose built for lamb.

Then the main event arrives and it’s an absolute behemoth. It’s the kind of meal which would set you up for the day and then some.

Atop a huge mound of fluffy-grained fragrant kaleidoscopic rice are pieces of impossibly tender bone-in lamb, which have clearly been cooked for hours and hours. There’s bits of rib, shin, chop and shoulder but they fall off their respective appendages with the merest nudge. 

It’s topped with crispy caramelised and charred onions, which add welcome crunch to the proceedings. Everything is delicately spiced without detracting from the flavour of each component. 

As if that wasn’t enough, last to arrive at the table is a bowl of a thick stew dotted with pieces of tender spud, onion and sweet tomato. It's got an Autumnal vibe to it and hits the mark as the days start to turn cooler. 

I could go back to Hadramowt and order some more dishes to tell you about but all I want to do is order their lamb mandi.

I recommend you go and do the same. 

The Details:

Address - Hadramowt, 42 City Rd, Cardiff CF24 3DL
Web - https://hadramowt.com/order-now
Telephone - 07367 070660