Rotana Wraps & Kebabs, Caroline Street, Cardiff review

Tony’s or Dorothy’s?

When it comes to Caroline Street’s fast food joints, loyalties traditionally lie in one of these two camps.

However, I’m throwing my hat into the ring and pledging allegiance to Rotana Wraps & Kebabs.

I’ve visited twice whilst boozed up late at night and once whilst entirely sober on a Saturday lunchtime.

 
Rotana’s specialism is wraps. A vast array are available from shish and kofte to shawarma, piri piri chicken, falafel and halloumi with prices ranging between £3 and £6.20 for a medium wrap.

It’s worth highlighting the quality and range of their salad. Mrs G declared it to be the best kebab salad she’s had in Cardiff and it’s hard to argue.

Crunchy white and red cabbage, punchy jalapenos, pickled whole chillies, fresh lettuce, cucumber and tomato all feature. But, it’s the crunchy and acidic neon pink pickled turnips which are a particular highlight. 

On both my late night visits I’ve ordered a chicken shawarma wrap with extra halloumi (£4.45). A grill-marked tortilla was loaded with crisp, tender and fatty shreds of meat, melted salty cheese, loads of salad and a big squeeze of minty yoghurt sauce. I highly recommend it. 

On our lunchtime visit we both ordered a kebab instead of a wrap.

Mrs G showed calorific restraint by ordering a medium chicken shish (£5.80) without sauce. Tender, nicely caramelised pieces of chicken were loaded onto a generous mound of salad and a tortilla wrap. 

I went for the lux option and ordered the mix grill (£9.95). A ton of meat included a combination of the excellent chicken shish, inconsistent lamb shish (which was very tender in bits and chewy in others), and a well-seasoned but slightly too soft textured lamb kofte. I drenched my meat in mint sauce and a potent chilli sauce. 

 
I’m a fan of Rotana, especially their chicken kebabs. It’s a testament to the quality of their food that I’d just as happily eat it at midday or midnight.

The Details:

Address - Rotana Grill House, 21 Caroline St, Cardiff CF10 1FG
Telephone - 029 2022 7799

Milkwood, Pontcanna, Cardiff set lunch review

A meal out for one is a always rare treat.

You see, I love food so much that every now and then it’s rather nice to have some alone time with a plate of protein.

Last week, I found myself with a day to spare having tactically booked annual leave after an epic beer tasting at The Bottle Shop in Roath.

It meant I could finally to take advantage of Milkwood’s ridiculously good value set lunch menu. This Pontcanna restaurant serves some of the best modern seasonal cooking in Cardiff and on Wednesday to Friday lunch they offer three courses and a glass of wine for a bargainous £21.

On the day I visited, the regularly changing set lunch menu comprised of two starters, three mains and one dessert.

A pre-lunch snack of dark rye and seed bread was pleasingly warm, crusty and soft crumbed with a good anise twang from caraway seeds. A cube of creamy salted butter was disappointingly fridge cold (the only mediocre element of the entire meal).

The glass of white included in the lunch deal was a light, fruity and very neckable Richebaron Blanc made with a blend of sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.

Onto starter, and thick cut meaty, smoky and oily slices of trout were balanced by the delicate thump of a horseradish dressing. Lightly dressed mixed leaves (grown and bicycled over from Bute Park) and crisp and tangy sourdough toast completed the delicious plate.

A refined take on a gallic comfort food classic was my main course. Perfectly crisp-skinned confit duck was tender of flesh with the fat rendered away nicely. The cracking piece of meat was perched in a vegetable based stew loaded with soft beans, kale and diced potato and joined by al dente tender stem broccoli and a vibrant herb pistou which gave lift to the whole dish.

The only dessert available did not disappoint. Thick, creamy vanilla-fragranced rice pudding (the grains retaining the merest amount of bite) was paired with a light, fragrant and tart rhubarb compote. Homemade biscuits were like a luxury Lotus Biscoff, a very good thing indeed. With their familiar caramel and cinnamon twang, they brought welcome texture contrast to the dish.

Milkwood’s lunch deal is an absolute steal and there’s no skimping on portion size either. If you ever find yourself with a spare weekday lunchtime then I seriously recommend checking it out.

The Details:

Address - Milkwood, 83 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna Cardiff CF11 9HS
Web - www.milkwoodcardiff.com

Telephone - 02920 232226