ChamCham West African street food, Cardiff delivery

*ChamCham is now closed*

ChamCham West African street food has appeared in Cardiff in a number of different formats over the last couple of years. But, I’ve never managed to catch up with them.

In late 2018 they briefly ran the unit on Dumball’s Road which is now occupied by the Caribbean Way.

They’ve also popped up at Llanrumney Hall and Street Food Circus.

Now, during lockdown they’ve started delivering across Cardiff, Newport and the Vale of Glamorgan. So, they can finally come to me instead of me going to them. 

Deliveries take place Wednesday to Saturday with a minimum order of £12 and delivery charges starting at £2.50 (it was £5 to Penylan). Mrs G and I ordered a good cross-section of the menu, which turned out to be just the right amount of food for two greedy people. Our food arrived bang on time and piping hot.

Golden salt fish bites (£4.50) were crisp, soft textured and well-seasoned with the headline ingredient and mixed peppers. 

Goat curry (£7.95) contained a good quantity of tender bone-in meat in a thick well-spiced meaty gravy. 

Fish spinach stew (£6.95) was dotted with big hunks of fish in another thick gravy flecked with a fine dice of sweet onion and iron-rich spinach. 

The standout dish of the evening for me was kelewele (£4.50), a plantain stew laden with pieces of the caramelised sweet-savoury fruit. I could have eaten it by the bowlful.

A couple of pots of Nanu’s pepper sauce (£2) brought fresh, sweet medium-chilli heat to the meal. 

Lastly distinct-grained jollof rice (£5.50) was elevated by the aroma of interesting savoury spice.

Yes, the dishes were a bit on the greasy side. But, with its menu of spice-packed stews, curries, chargrilled meat and fried stuff, ChamCham’s food is just the kind of rib sticking stuff I want to eat on a dreary Autumnal evening.

The Details:

Web - https://www.instagram.com/chamchamstreetfood/

Telephone - 07365 972181

The Dough Thrower, Victoria Park, Cardiff pizzeria review

*The Dough Thrower in Victoria Park is now closed - they have a branch in Cathays*

Victoria Park’s Dough Thrower has been on my “to eat list” for an embarrassingly long time.

With places like Anatoni’s, the recently opened RomEat and the now sadly departed Da Mara on my doorstep, it’s a rare occasion that I ever leave the CF24 postcode to get my pizza hit.

But, with socially distanced (pre-Fire Break) Friday night drinks arranged at a friend’s Pontcanna garden, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to pay them a visit. It also explains why my photos in this post are particularly shocking. 

Having opened back in 2017, the Dough Thrower’s menu features both Neapolitan and Detroit-style pizzas.

Whilst the leopard spotted soft and floppy Neapolitan-style will be familiar to any Cardiff pizza fan, the Detroit-style might not be. Known for its thick, airy and crisp crust, this rectangular shaped pizza is traditionally topped with a lot of cheese and its toppings first before the tomato sauce is placed on top.

Interesting international flavour combinations appear across the Dough Thrower’s menu - Asian wedges, Southern fried chicken dippers, the El Matador pizza with iberico chorizo, and the Los Pollos with smoked pulled chicken thigh, were all some of the dishes which I had to pass up this time around.

A trio of generous golden-crumbed porcini mushroom croquetas (£6.50) were loaded with thick fungus funked bechamel. 

Tennis ball-sized mac and cheese bites (£5.50) were even better, stuffed with a fairly loose textured mac with a good hit of tangy cheese and herb. 

A Detroit pizza (£17) definitely looked the business having been topped with a fresh and fruity tomato sauce and double Monterey Jack, double mozzarella and double pepperoni. It was a seriously cheesy, fatty and meaty proposition with the golden caramelised cheese edges definitely the highlight as the base become a touch dense towards the centre. 

In fact, it was overshadowed by the pair of excellent Neapolitan pizzas.

Impressively light and airy of crust, with a thin and floppy base, the dough had a delicate sweetness due to the addition of a touch of honey.

A Calabria (£13) was well-topped with a good quantity of fiery and fatty 'nduja and a drizzle of basil oil.

The Flaming Goat (£13) meanwhile was topped with creamy and funky goats cheese, sweet and spicy roquito peppers and a drizzle of chilli honey. 

I was really impressed by the Neapolitan pizzas at the Dough Thrower and they certainly belong in Cardiff's pizza premier league. I hope it doesn’t take me so long to have another one.

The Details:

Address - The Dough Thrower, 591 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1BE 

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

Telephone - 029 20307295