I’m a big fan of the multi-destination meal.
Whether it’s a tapas crawl around one of Spain’s many gastronomic destinations or simply a visit to an ice cream parlour for two scoops of rum and raisin after fish and chips by the seaside, it all serves to prolong the amount of time I get to spend eating.
Which brings me to a lovely two part lunch on Adamsdown’s Clifton Street, featuring mains from a fairly recent addition to the area and dessert at a brand new opening.
Today Shawarma opened in August last year and serves chicken and lamb shawarma and shish kebabs as well as more niche options including lamb heart and kidney shish, and quzi (rice with slow-cooked lamb). It's a set-up which feels very similar to City Road's excellent Shawarma Laziz.
Today Shawarma is very well priced, with sandwiches costing £4 to £4.50, shish plates costing £6 to £10 and there’s even a five kebab sharing platter with five naan breads for a mere £18.
Whilst there are only three booths in the front of the shop, it’s worth noting that there’s a good-sized yet basic dining area in the back.
Almost as soon as we’d sat down we were brought a bowl of complimentary of thick spiced lentil soup with a good meaty hit.
A chicken shawarma sandwich (£4) was made using an excellent pillowy lip-shaped samoon bread pocket. Crisp and tender shavings of meat combined well with a selection of fresh salad, including crisp red cabbage, fiery and zingy chilli sauce, and creamy garlic sauce.
A lamb wrap (£4.50) was equally good. Made using a fresh naan bread that was baked to order in their tandoor, it was filled with plenty of lightly charred and spiced nuggets of lamb with more of that excellent salad and sauce.
A skewer of lamb kofte was lightly-spiced with chilli whilst a tender lamb shish (£10) was generously portioned. A quartet of blistered cherry plum tomatoes was a nice addition to the plate.
An accompanying pair of naan breads put the bread efforts of many of Cardiff’s bigger name kebab shops to shame. There was even an additional half naan sat beneath the meat to soak up all those juices.
All the food at Today Shawarma was on point from their meat and bread to their salad and sauces. Whilst their shish are delicious, I’ll be dropping by for their excellent value shawarma wraps and sandwiches whenever I’m in the area.
After mains, we headed across the street for dessert.
Sparrow, the newest opening on Clifton Street, was bustling with families and friends enjoying themselves on this coffee shop’s first Saturday of business.
I can see why, as it's a lovely space with its exposed brickwork and reclaimed wood panelling.
Oat milk lattes and flat whites were both very good. Rather nicely, they're served in bespoke ceramic mugs.
A pair of sweet treats were made by Cardiff’s Carrot Top Bakery, owned by a former long-standing team member of Pettigrew Bakery.
A soft and warming spiced swirl of a cinnamon bun and a squidgy doughnut, packed to the edges with creamy and toasty salted caramel custard, were both excellent.
