Grano, Birchgrove, Cardiff, Italian cafe and bakery review

From the moment you walk through the door at Grano and are met with fridges of Italian cheese and charcuterie, a hulking bread oven with racks of freshly baked focaccia, and an impressive display of cakes and tarts, it’s clear that it’s a place which puts quality produce front and centre.

This Italian cafe, deli and bakery, which has recently opened in Cardiff’s Birchgrove on the former site of Organicafe, serves a compact menu of salads, focaccia sandwiches and cheese and charcuterie boards.

From the outside, there’s little indication of the modern and roomy seating area which opens up once you get past all that produce.

To drink, a bottle of assertively herbal Galvanina Chinotto (£3.95) was reminiscent of sweetened cough syrup - I always love it but I'm not sure why. Mrs G enjoyed an oat milk latte (£3.60) - the fruity Sumatran coffee not too roasty and bitter as I often find in Italian gaffs.

My sandwich (£7.45) was a simple combination of three components, but what a trio they were. Two pieces of freshly baked focaccia with a lovely crisp exterior and soft, airy crumb, were stuffed with soft and seriously creamy burrata and garlic-twanged mortadella, the best mystery meat known to man.

A runny-centred burrata (£10.95) was the star of another simple yet very effective dish combining peppery rocket, wafer thin slices of Parma ham, a sticky balsamic glaze, extra virgin olive and hyper-crisp toasted house sourdough.

To accompany the dish, the menu suggested a choice between focaccia and sourdough bread and when Mrs G requested the former they weren't sure if there was enough available - as a nice touch a bowl of the stuff soon appeared at the table.

Finally, a whopping tuna salad (£10.95) was made with plenty of well-dressed leaves and mixed olives.

With an impressive selection of fresh bakes on offer, including a rather delicious looking ricotta and pistachio tart, we stuck to two classics.

A crisp and brittle cannolo (£3.50) was packed with smooth sweetened cream cheese dotted with dark chocolate buttons.

A brilliantly comforting tiramisu (£3.50) had a good oomph from the booze and coffee soaked sponge which was tempered by a light, silky and rich custard. It's a dish which I often find too heavy from the over-use of whipped cream; this was the antithesis.

We had a delicious lunch at Grano. It's the kind of café anyone would be glad to have in their neighbourhood and I'll certainly be back for more of their mortadella. 

Update - November 2024

On a recent visit to Grano, they’d added a selection of pinsa to their menu. The super light, thick and airy crisp crust reminded me very much of Roman style pizza by the slice. I ordered the piccante (£12.50) topped with sweet and earthy pumpkin puree, fiery and fatty 'nduja, melted smoked cheese, and crisp salami. It's easily up there among the best pizzas I've had in Cardiff.

Grano are also now open on Friday and Saturday nights when they serve a special pizza menu. If they're anything like their pinsa then they'll most definitely be worth checking out. 

The Details:

Address - Grano, 104 Caerphilly Rd, Birchgrove, Cardiff CF14 4AG

Web - https://www.instagram.com/grano.cardiff/

Telephone - 029 2233 8255

Saraztro, Roath, Cardiff Greek restaurant review

More than any other cuisine, Greek food has the power to transport me to sunnier climates.

One dip of a bowl of pitta and tzatziki and I’m sat in a seaside taverna in Crete.

One munch of a gyros and I’m taken back to Faliraki and the memory of my brand new white Polo Ralph Lauren shirt, which I soiled with kebab grease on day one of a reluctant lads holiday when I was 18.

On a sunny autumnal day, the window seats at Wellfield Road’s Saraztro are a lovely spot to watch the world go by.

With a menu focused on well-priced Greek cooking, dishes include grilled whole calamari (£11.95), vegetarian moussaka (£12.95), and grilled halloumi (£10.95). There’s also a few wildcard options in there including a handmade cheeseburger (£8.95) and a chicken salad (£11.95).

Bottles of crisp Mythos (£3.80) and Efes (£3.80) sent us on our way to sunnier shores.

Out of our two small plates, a trio of meatballs (£5.95) were the star. Gloriously tender, light-textured and well-seasoned, they were coated in a thick, fruity tomato sauce and served with crisp and soft griddled pitta bread.

Thick taramasalata (£4.50) was good too, nicely balancing salty fish roe, olive oil and a balancing zip of lemon juice.

Onto mains, and a pair of chicken souvlaki (£11.95) skewers were nicely golden and delicately charred yet still commendably juicy. Served alongside thick and creamy fragrant dill-twanged tzatziki, super crisp paprika dusted chips and a half moon of olive oil fried pitta bread, which was pleasingly reminiscent of fried bread, it was a very enjoyable dish.

A good Greek salad (£7.95) was well-loaded with cubes of tangy feta, fresh tomato, cucumber, yellow pepper, kalamata olives, and red onion that was dressed with olive oil and oregano.

We had a very tasty lunch at Saraztro. Their Greek food hits the spot when you’re looking for a spot of summery cooking on Wellfield Road.

The Details:

Address - Saraztro, 57 Wellfield Rd, Cardiff CF24 3PA

Web - https://twitter.com/saraztro

Telephone - 029 2049 0600