Caroline Street - a take-away centre and other Cardiff, United Kingdom Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Fast Food/Snacks/Takeaways

The centre of Cardiff's fast-food world is still Caroline Street. Evreyone seens to visit there after the pubs and clubs close, to fill their tummy's before catching a taxi home.

There are two traditional 'fish'n'chip' take-aways, several pizza outlets and kebab shops.

The local council hates it and would like to see the end of it. In 2003 the trendy new Brewery Quarter opened next door and in their opinion Caroline Street spoils the view!! In 2004 a local council worker managed to find a rat fast asleep in a kebab shop window. It very conveniently obliged to stay asleep while the worker took photos for the local newspaper. If you are the second unlucky person to find a rat, I would recommend PLENTY of chilli sauce... :-))

But there are plenty more reasons to continue visiting there!!! Lots of people still want cheap take-away food.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Caroline Street, off St Mary's Street
Directions: Off St Mary's Street opposite Prince of Wales Pub. A short distance past the Brewery Quarter.

Restaurant Name: Fast Food/Snacks/Takeaways

['Bwyty Allan' - Food Outside (I think)}

Another Cardiff institution - Hayes Island Snack Bar. Originally when it opened in 1911 it was a parcel office. It is now reborn as a rather quaint wooden cafe. The Snack Bar was under threat of closure several years ago, but instead the Council saw sense and preserved it. Now it serves a full range of snacks and hot food, cheaply and conveniently.

Seating is outside in the fresh air. This is OK most of the time - there is lots going on to watch, buses, shoppers and... ..erm... more shoppers, tourists and taxis.

There used to be a problem with pidgeons in the trees - make sure to look above your head and make sure one of these flying rats isn't aligning its sphincta over your repast.

Fortunately, during the wetter months of the year a covered awning is available for shelter - very sensible - this is not the South of France!!!

There are some stylish old public toilets in the same area. Check the wind direction before you choose your seat because sometimes the sweet smell of urine can come wafting over from the gents :-)))


Leave a Comment

Theme: Fast Food
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: The Hayes, City Centre
Directions: Around the corner from Cardiff Visitor Centre and directly in front of St Davids Concert Hall.

Restaurant Name: The Cantonese, Riverside

Probably the best Chinese restaurant in Cardiff, and only five minutes walk from Cardiff Central Station - The Cantonese in Riverside. It is in the heart of Cardiff's small Chinese community, on a street of Chinese supermarkets and takeaways.

Located up a flight of steps on the first floor of a modest sized house, the restaurant area id very spacious, cleverly decorated with dragons racing around the ceiling. The bar is excellent too, right on the corner of the building with views up and down the street.

The restaurant's staff, all of Chinese origin, dressed in black, are friendly, helpful and humerous.

There is a MASSIVE menu, including seafood, vegetarian dishes, chicken, pork, beef, lamb, duck, veal... and usually a rather worried lobster in a large tank of water by the door, with its claws taped-up! We had the mixed starters (6 GBP each) and I had the lamb with ginger and spring onions for my main dish (8 GBP). The service is very stylish. For example we ordered some 'aromatic duck' pancakes for starters. The crispy duck was brought to the next-door table where the waiters proceeded to shred it there expertly and fold it into pancakes.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$31-40  » Currency Converter
Phone: 029 20372163
Address: 44 Tudor Street, Riverside, Cardiff
Directions: Walk across the River Taff from the bus and train station. You will find yourself in Tudor Street. The Riverside Cantonese is a white building, about 200m on your right.
Website: http://www.riversidecantonese.com/

Restaurant Name: "Vegetarian Food Studio"

The 'Vegetarian Food Studio' is only a short walk from Cardiff Central Railway Station. It serves a wide variety of Indian food (including some Southern Indian specialities). You can also stock up on a colourful selection of burfi (indian sweets made with condensed milk). The restaurant is not a typical British-ified multicioloured asian restaurant, but instead is cafeteria style, more similar (I am told) of restaurants in India.

My favorite dishes are the Dosa pancakes (which I don't come across too often) though the potato curry filing can be very ..erm ...filling. And there's nothing better than a mango lassi to wash everything down.

The restaurant does not serve alcohol but, if you bring your own beer or wine the proprietors are quite happy for you to drink it, for a modest 'corkage' payment of £1.

I believe the restaurant is open 7-days a week until about 10pm in the evening.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Indian
Comparison: less expensive than average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: (029) 20238222
Address: 109 Penarth Road, Grangetown, Cardiff
Directions: You need to cross the River Taff from the city centre. The restaurant is on the south side of Penarth Road, not far past the river bridge. Buses 8 & 9 pass nearby (get off at the bottom of Clare Road).
Website: http://www.vegetarianfoodstudio.co.uk

Restaurant Name: Positano

Positano is in the heart of Cardiff on a corner directly opposite Cardiff's 15th century church. With big glass windows looking towards Cardiff Market and Old Library, it is a great location for watching Cardiff people go by.

It seems to have a slightly younger clientelle than some of the other nearby restaurants. The food is quite alright, no complaints, washed down with nice Sicilian beer. There is a good choice of pasta dishes. For the pizzas, *you* choose the topping(s). There is also a wide variety of meat dishes and, when I last visited, there was a choice of a dozen fish specialities too.

Prices were around 4.5 GBP for a starter and 10 GBP for a main dish.

Favorite Dish: I had the brocolli and spiced sausage on bruschetta for starters and, for the main dish, penne with asparagus, mushrooms and tomato.

Opposite Positano are two other italian restaurants (where the view is not so good). Topo Gigio has an open kitchen but, because it rarely gets full enough to sit upstairs these days, you are unlikely to see your food being cooked. What a shame!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Italian
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: (029) 2023 5810
Address: 9-10 Church Street, Cardiff
Directions: Opposite St Johns Church tower.

Restaurant Name: Ba Orient Dim Sum Bar

An interesting, cosy, popular restaurant and bar right by Cardiff Bay, that specialises in Dim Sum - a sort of Chinese tapas. There is an extensive menu of these small Chinese dishes.

Inside the restaurant it looks fabulous - deep colours, beautiful furnishings (including illuminated marble tables), lounges filled with soft cushions. There is a long bar and, when the eating has finished the music gets louder, the restaurant turning into a late night place for drinking and talking.

The general idea is to buy a variety of dim sum dishes, some rice and noodles, and share them.

Favorite Dish: We spent an entire evening from 8 till 11pm, working our way through the Dim Sum menu. There are a wide selection of boiled dumplings, deep fried pancake rolls, rice and noodle dishes. Our bill, at the end of all this came to less than 20 GBP each, including drinks and 10% tip.

The noodle dishes were especially delicious, a curious mixture of soft and crunchy noodles. The pineapple rice dish is also spectacular, served inside a real pineapple. My personal favorites were the chiu chow dumplings and the prawn & mango spring rolls.

Many thanks to Jane, the diminutive Chinese Malay waitress, whose big personality and friendly enthusiasm made the evening all the more fun!

Leave a Comment

Theme: Chinese/Dim Sum
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 029 2046 3939
Address: Unit 27, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay
Directions: A ground floor corner unit overlooking Cardiff Bay. Well alright, looking out at the back of Cadwalladr's Ice Cream Cafe, which is directly in front of it.
Website: http://www.baorient.com/

Restaurant Name: Thai Edge

Fairly new addition to Cardiff, a lively, pleasantly decorated Thai restaurant with super food. You will be waited on by gen-u-ine Thai staff, colourfully dressed in traditional Thai clothing. With a smile and a bow. An Asian friend of mine eats there regularly and strongly recommends the place.

The menu is extremely long. Many of the dishes are verrrry hot, but these are marked with either two, or three chilli symbols! There is a wide variety of meat, seafood or vegetarian dishes.

Prices are not cheap but certainly reasonable expect to pay at least 25 GBP for a starter, main dish with rice, and a couple of drinks. However the wine is over-priced, to say the least - the cheapest bottle of sweet wine is 13 GBP!

Favorite Dish: The soups (especially the hot ones) are recommended by my 'expert' friend.

Meanwhile, I now know the difference between 'green' and 'yellow' curry - if I went again I would definitely have a yellow curry, full of many different subtle spice flavours. The green curry is very sweet, with coconut for example, very eatable but not so subtle.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Other
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$41 and up  » Currency Converter
Phone: 029 20235665
Address: The Old Brewery Quarter (off Caroline Street)
Directions: The Old Brewery Quarter has entrances on St Mary Street and Caroline Street ('Chip Alley'). Thai Edge is right on the corner of the junction with Caroline Street.

Restaurant Name: Ramon's Breakfast Cafe

Less than 10 minutes walk from the National Museum of Wales is Ramon's Breakfast Cafe, quite an institution in the area. It is a traditional 'greasy' breakfast cafe popular with students, builders and the local population in general.

Unlike a lot of breakfast cafe's, it is open 7 days a week, so an excellent cure to the Sunday morning hangover :-)

Ramon's has changed very little over the years I have been in Cardiff. However these days it also boasts a 'non-smoking area', hidden away down a side passage :-) There is also a new 'garden', which I haven't yet had the delight to try.

Ramon's is really, reeeeeally cheap. It is also very popular, being in the heart of Cardiff's student area. So you may have to wait for a seat on busy mornings. And the chances of seeing the world go by through the steamed-up front window are virtually nill :-))

Favorite Dish: Currently you can get an 'ordinary full breakfast' for a ridiculously cheap £2.75. 'Full' is the operative word, event the 'ordinary' breakfast fills me up for the whole day. Expect a minimum of egg, bacon, sausages, fried potatoes, fried bread, bread and butter, baked beans or tomatoes, tea, coffee or orange juice. Then there are a variety of 'specials', which are generally bigger, with 'black pudding'.

Ramon's also offers full vegetarian breakfasts - veggie burgers, veggie sausages, onion rings, egg etc.

They also offer a full roast dinner and other main meals.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Breakfast
Comparison: least expensive
Prices: less than US$10  » Currency Converter
Address: Salisbury Road, Cathays, Cardiff
Directions: 10 minutes walk northeast from the National Museum of Wales, crossing under the railway. Near Cardiff University Student Union Building.

Restaurant Name: Tenkaichi Noodle Bar

This is my personal favorite Japanese restaurant in Cardiff, by far. It is about 10 minutes on the bus from the city centre, close to the student areas of the city. The place is fairly small, simply furnished with long wooden tables and very popular with local Japanese.

Favorite Dish: The Bar serves hot food and drinks in beautiful plates, bowls and mugs. Personally I dislike sushi, it always leaves me hungry. But the dishes at Tenkaichi are excellent value, enormous and very pretty. The Bento boxes are good if you want a little bit of everything, including hot soup. At my last visit I had a bowl of chicken, ginger and spinach soup - it came in a bowl 10 inches across, with big slices of chicken, half an egg, loads of noodles in a delicious spicey sauce!

They also serve eel (to eat) if you are feeling adventurous!!

Prices for a main soup, rice or noodle dish around 7 GBP, Bento boxes more expensive, around 10 GBP.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Japanese/Sushi
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 029 2048 1888
Address: 236, City Road, Cardiff
Directions: Catch 8 or 9 bus from city centre. Tenkaichi is near the Albany Road 'death' junction, top of City Road. Carparking sometimes possible in nearby side streets.
Website: http://www.tenkaichi.co.uk