Madhav, Riverside, Cardiff Indian cafe review

Located in the Riverside area of Cardiff, Madhav is a family run vegetarian Indian street food cafe and supermarket.

Whilst their decor is basic, the menu is packed with cheap as chips dishes such as masala dosa (£4.75), onion bhajis (£2.50) and vegetable biryani (£4.99).

Madhav has high profile fans too as Shauna from Hang Fire named it as one of her favourite places to eat.

Riding solo before a trip to the cinema, I ordered more than I should have done (all in the name of research, of course).

A cup of masala chai (£2) was deliciously spicy and creamy. 

Complimentary poppadoms were fresh as can be but perhaps suffered slightly as a result because they were still a touch oily.   

A trio of samosas (£2.50) were bang on - the golden pastry triangles were filled with a warming spiced potato and pea mix (I’m sure they might have been some cinnamon in there). A minty yoghurt raitha was lovely spooned all over them. 

 
A thali (£6.99), Madhav’s speciality, was a kaleidoscope of lovely things and a bargain to boot.

A pot of mixed vegetable curry was bathed in a deep flavoured almost meaty gravy; tender Bombay potatoes were twanged with chilli and curry leaf; a thin dhal was heady with mustard seed; a hyper crisp spring roll contained spicy potato and vegetable mash; aubergine, pea and onion curry was packed with perfectly tender veggies; chilli and lime pickle spiced up the show; and super soft chapatis and fluffy rice provided welcome bulk.

A crisp and sticky jalebi was enjoyable but a bit too one dimensionally sweet for my taste. 

A bowl of bhel puri (£2.50) saw light puffed rice, onions, tomatoes, bombay mix, potatoes and fragrant coriander coated in a tangy tamarind sauce. It was deliciously crisp and light when it first arrived but it rapidly become soggy. To be fair though, I really shouldn’t have ordered this much food. 

 
I had a lovely and cracking value thali from Madav. If you want some tasty Indian street food then get down there.

The Details:

Address - Madhav, 59 Lower Cathedral Rd, Cardiff CF11 6LW

Web - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Madhav/160024137361939

Telephone - 029 2037 2947

Hills, Brecon burger restaurant review

Sandwiched between a caravan park and a bus depot on the outskirts of Brecon, Hills isn’t exactly where you’d expect to find one of Wales’s best burgers.

Named after the Hills family who own the gaff, it’s apt because of the restaurant’s fantastic views of the snow-capped Brecon Beacons.

 
Having opened in April 2017, it took Hills less than a year to become a finalist in the 2018 National Burger Awards. Their Juan Hilario burger, topped with chorizo, manchego, confit onions and pimento ketchup, didn’t win but I’m impressed.

And, with local suppliers including Alex Gooch bakery, Paddy Sweeney butchers and Llanfaes Dairy ice cream, all the signs are in place that Hills will be worth the one hour drive from Cardiff.

The restaurant is a cavernous space that could accommodate a legion of burger munchers. 

 
A half pint of Tiny Rebel Cwtch red ale (£1.75) was a delight, as always. 

Whilst Hills’ menu offers ten different classic, monthly special and vegetarian burgers as well as hot dogs and steaks, they also have a build your own burger option with eclectic toppings including sauerkraut, creamed corn, black pudding and halloumi. 

I opted for the double bacon cheeseburger (£14), which unbeknownst to me was a quadruple cheeseburger as they come with two patties as standard.

It was a towering juicy delight. 

Four super-pink and super-juicy coarse ground patties were sandwiched with oozy American cheese, melty Monterey Jack and richness balancing burger sauce. The simple combination of flavours was damn tasty.

The Alex Gooch demi-brioche roll is one of my favourite burger buns for a reason. Sturdy and soft it held together under the weight of all the beef.

Looking back at my photos I suspect the bacon was missing. However, I was too lost in a meat trance to even notice. 

Morg highly rated his even more ridiculously proportioned double cheeseburger with pulled pork and mushrooms (£15). He set to work with a knife and fork. 

Rhys “the bottomless pit” loved his cheeseburger (£15) with pulled pork, runny fried egg and side of buttermilk fried chicken. 

Sides were good but not quite at the same level as the burgers.

Crisp fries (£2.50) were served with a light dusting of rosemary salt. 

 
Salt cod fritters (£5.50) were coated in a beautifully crisp crumb but the headline ingredient was a little recessive compared to the chopped parsley which was flecked through the potato-based filling. 

 
A quartet of meatballs (£6) were top drawer - juicy, perfectly seasoned, not too dense and coated in a fresh tomato sauce and a good grating of parmesan. 

 
Hush puppies were the most average of the sides (£5) as they lacked crispness and were oily. However, it’s hard to knock the pile of melted cheese and bacon that sat on top. 

 
Desserts were both excellent.

A sticky toffee pudding (£5) wasn’t of the traditional variety but the large piece of light, moist and nutty sponge was joined by a liberal amount of lovely toffee sauce and a scoop of creamy Llanfaes Dairy vanilla ice cream.

An ice cream cookie sandwich (£5) kicked ass too. A trio of crunchy and chewy chocolate chip biscuits were sandwiched with plenty more of that lovely ice cream. 

We had a superb burger at Hills and there’s no doubt it’s one of the best I’ve had in Wales. A brisk walk up Pen y Fan followed by a cheeseburger would be an awesome way to spend a Saturday.

Whilst the monster burgers we constructed weren’t cheap, next time I’ll order the more reasonably priced single cheeseburger (£9.50). I’ll also be able to eat it without dislocating my jaw.

The Details:

Address - HILLS, Bishops Meadow, Hay Road, Brecon LD3 9SW

Web - https://www.hillsbrecon.co.uk/

Telephone - 01874 611714