Amazonas, Brazilian and Portuguese street food cafe review, Cardiff

There’s something so very special about home-cooking made with love and served in warm and homely surroundings. When this spirit is channeled into a restaurant environment it’s almost certainly the recipe for success.

Amazonas, a brand new Brazilian and Portuguese street food cafe, located on Splott’s Clifton Street nails all of the above.

Whilst the decor is bright, minimalist and modern, the super-friendly owner (who hails from Madeira) gave us the warmest of welcomes. Having been given a detailed run through of the menu, which comprises of a mix of small dishes with a few larger plates and daily specials thrown in for good measure, we ordered a selection to share and waited for the good stuff to arrive. 

Caldo de cana (sugarcane juice) was served ice cold with a twist of lime and the addition of fresh mint (£2.95). It was reminiscent of the ultimate virgin mojito. A mango smoothie (£2.95) was a bit light on fruit but was still very refreshing. 

Milho Frito (£1.50) were golden cubes of polenta, crisp on the outside and silky smooth and lightly herbed on the inside. Moreish as hell.

Feijão tropeiro (£2) had a breakfast comfort food kinda thing going on - soft beans, salty bacon, cassava flour, scrambled egg and chopped parsley all combined to make a tasty plate. 

A prego (£4), the traditional Portuguese steak sandwich, was better than any I ate in Lisbon last year. The soft homemade flat roll was slathered with garlicky butter and filled with tender slices of thin steak alongside lettuce and tomato. 

Well-flavoured picanha steak pieces (£5.95) were tender of flesh with a crisp strip of fat. A dusting of savoury manioc flour and a squeeze of lime juice added an extra dimension to the dish. 

Finally, a palmito pastel (£3.25) saw a super-light and crisp pastry pocket filled with a soft palm heart paste. A tomato and red onion vinaigrette served on the side was the ideal counterpoint to the sweetness of the palm heart paste. 

The dessert of the day was one of the highlights of the meal. A beautifully smooth and fragrant set coconut cream was topped with a golden prune caramel (£2.95). If you’re a fan of panna cotta and creme caramel then this kick-ass hybrid will be right up your street. 

Everything we ate at Amazonas was delicious and refreshingly different. Wth a bill for two coming in at £30 including drinks and service, I can see myself becoming a regular.

It’s worth noting they see themselves more as a snack bar than a restaurant. In fact, the kitchen closes at 7pm in the evening and they shut their doors at 8pm. However, I defy you to visit Amazonas and just order a snack - I don’t think I could do it.

The Details

Address - Amazonas, 140 Clifton Street, Cardiff CF24 1LY

Telephone - 029 2132 2829

The Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan restaurant review

I’m a sucker for a good CV.

So, when I heard that the new Chef Patron of The Fox & Hounds in the pretty village of Llancarfan (10 minutes from Cardiff Airport) had worked at The Felin Fach Griffin and done stages at Le Champignon Sauvage and the Kingham Plough, I was sold.

With work experience like that you’d expect the Fox & Hounds to serve pub grub with a few fine dining flourishes. That’s exactly what you get.

Homebaked soda bread was crisp of crust and light of crumb. The accompanying butter could have been a little softer. 

Delightfully sweet and clean tasting dressed white crab meat (£9) was dotted with capers, samphire, lightly pickled cucumber and served with a delicate parsley sauce.

Sweetbreads (£7.90) coated in a golden crumb were served with a silky and deeply meat sauce and fresh summer greens. This was a hearty starter and Mrs G commented that it would have been just as tasty without the breadcrumbs. 

The mains both blew our socks off.

Mrs G described her Rosedew farm lamb cannon (£19) as one of the best pieces of sheep she’d ever eaten. The tender and flavour-packed meat was served with a wonderfully offaly homemade faggot, a golden and light potato cake, fresh asparagus, peas and broad beans, sweet braised little gem, pea puree and a meaty sauce. 

My steak was so much more than just a fantastic slab of meat (£19). Here steak and chips were elevated far above the perennial restaurant “safe option”. The delightfully pink rib-eye was joined by sweet onion puree, a golden onion ring, a baby onion and another superb sauce. 

On the side, triple-cooked chips were of the very highest order. But a dinky pot of cottage pie was the star of the show - golden-crusted fluffy potato sat atop belting beef mince in gravy heady with rosemary. A confession, I wiped the pot clean with my fingers. 

Desserts maintained the exceptional standard of the mains.

A sticky toffee pudding souffle (£6.50) was super light and and twanged with caramel sweetness. A pool of toffee sauce at the bottom of the dish was a pleasant surprise whilst a scoop of creamy banana ice cream deftly avoided tasting artificial. 

A smooth, sharp and not too sweet set lemon cream (£6.50) was adorned with first-rate fragrant strawberry sorbet, pieces and coulis, and crumbled honeycomb. 

 
The Fox and Hounds is another cracking addition to the Vale of Glamorgan.

With Hang Fire Southern Kitchen, the Hare and Hounds, Bar 44, Restaurant James Sommerin, The Gallery and now the Fox and Hounds all calling the Vale home, it’s a very exciting time for food in the county.

The Details:

Address - The Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan CF62 3AD

Web - http://www.fandhllancarfan.co.uk/restaurant/

Telephone - 01446 781287