Here you will find food ideas from restaurants, recipe ideas, festivals and daily restaurant deals worth buying

Wholegrain egg fried rice recipe

Ingredients

1 cup of rice
2 medium carrots
1/2 savoy or hispi cabbage
5 spring onions
1 shallot
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon chinese 5 spice
1 chilli
3 teaspoons xo sauce paste with 1 tablespoon warm water (I got this from Tesco in the world food section Tesco own brand)
2 eggs

Optional

Cooked prawns
Cooked chicken
Crispy pork chunks

Instructions

I used a teacup of uncooked rice to a pan of salted water and cooked to packets instructions. Mine took 25 minutes but aim to have it cooked just before the veg is done so you can add to the pan.

I cooked a duck in the pan first and fried everything in the rendered duck fat but if you are just having this add some oil to a warm pan then fry the spring onions and shallot for a minute or two to soften.

Add the garlic and chilli then cook for a minute to release the flavour.

Add the mushrooms and fry for a minute stiring so the garlic doesn’t burn.

Then add the carrot and shredded cabbage to the pan and mix. You might have to add a little more oil at this point. Cook for a few minutes to soften and cook the veg then add the teaspoon of chinese 5 spice and stir.

When the veg is done, add the cooked rice to the pan containing the veg and stir to combine.

Crack two eggs into the rice mixture and mix into the other ingredients so they scramble in the heat of the pan and veg.

Add the XO sauce and mix to combine. Cook for another 30 seconds then remove from the heat and distribute between two plates.

I didn’t add any meat to my rice as I had a szechuan spiced duck breast on top but if you want that authentic takeaway taste you could add any leftover meat you might have lying around such as chicken, prawns and some pork nuggets you could crisp up in a pan before adding.

March 7, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

Pan fried scotch egg recipe

Always fancied making a homemade scotch egg but not got a deep fat fryer? Fear not we’ve got it covered with a recipe needing only a standard frying pan below.

Ingredients

1 packet sausage meat
50g breadcrumbs
50g plain flour
1 egg beaten
2 eggs whole
salt and pepper

Optional

Chopped herbs of your choice such as thyme, rosemary or a whole sage leaf cooked in with the butter and disgarded to flavour the pan.
Cayenne pepper or chopped fresh chilli.

Instructions

Divide the sausage meat into two. Season the sausage meat with Salt and pepper and add any of the optional ingredients. Mix with your hands to combine then divide into two.

Make two doughnut shapes out of the sausage mix leaving a hole in the middle big enough to hold one cracked egg but remembering that the whole will close up slightly when cooking.

I found the donugt too flimsy to handle to dunk into the breadcrumb ingredients so i dabbed the plain flour around the edges of the sausage then brushed the beaten egg mixture around the edges too. Once the egg has coated the edges, dab it with the breadcrumbs to stick to the outside of the sausage doughnut.

Melt some butter in a pan then place the sausage donugts into the pan to brown the one side. After a few minutes turn the sausage over and continue to cook the other side for a couple of minutes. Crack an egg into the whole in the middle and cook for a couple more minutes for the bottom to set and sausage to firm up on the bottom.

Transfer to a baking sheet and cook for around 8 minutes making sure the sausage is cooked but you don’t want to overdue the eggs as they are 10 times better runny.

Enjoy on it’s own with a helping of a good tomato sauce or as part of a mammoth fry up breakfast.

March 7, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

sweet potato, goats cheese and chilli rosti recipe

Ingredients

1 medium / large sweet potato
2 medium shallots
1 chilli
50g goats cheese
1 egg
salt and papper to taste

Instructions

Peel then either grate or julienne the sweet potato.

Slice the shallots and chilli then combine with the sweet potato and mix by hand to make sure there is an even distribution of the onion. Add a generous helping of sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Chop the goats cheese into small chunks and add to the potato / onion mix.
Beat the egg and pour into the mixture then use your hands to massage the cheese and egg into the mixture aid the binding process.

Put the oven on around 180C and heat some butter in a large frying pan / skillet. Divide the mixture into 4 patties and add to the hot buttered pan leaving a space between each to not overcrowd the pan.

Cook for around 5 minutes to brown and cook the bottom so that it retains its shape. Turn carefully and cook for another 5 minutes on the other side.

Once both sides have been browned, add to a baking tray and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked through.

This can be added as a side to a lot of dishes. I enjoyed mine with steak and sauteed kale but would go equally well with chicken or bacon for a tasty brunch or supper.

March 7, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Food, Review

The Pot Bistro Restaurant Review Cardiff

I first came across The Pot Bistro back last year whilst researching French restaurants in Cardiff to compile my list of places celebrating Beaujolais Day. After doing a bit more digging and seeing some of the pics of the food they are banging out of the kitchen i’ve been desperate to go try it there.

The only sticking point is it’s based up on Whitchurch Road, just down from Got Beef and Society Standard and being a French restaurant it’s against the law not to have a glass or two of wine to wash the food down with so that’s driving out and the price on Uber getting is recidivous.

Not one to follow tradition I didn’t fancy going out for food on Valentines night and basically pay double for what is pretty much the same food with just the odd dash of champagne tossed in the dessert and on the table so opted to go out on 15th instead.

I bit the bullet and offered to drive so we could finally sample The Pot Bistro, having to make do and ration a small glass of vin du for the entire evening with my meal, who said love is dead hey?

The Bistro is a no nonsense back to basics approach to decor and you couldn’t help but think you are sat tucked away in a back alley cafe in the shadows of the Chateaux de versailles, where I spent quite a few trips away with work back at my time with a well known French Aviation company a few years back. This being the reason I grew fond of French cooking, feasting on Foie gras for the first time, realising lamb could actually be served medium rare instead of resembling tree bark that i’d grown accustomed to with my nans Sunday roast, how much meal time was such a social event out there and how much wine they consumed with their food even at lunch time at the onsite restaurant in the office!

The Pot Bistro had an open plan kitchen setup with a little bar in front of the kitchen proudly displaying the array of spirits on offer. The place was a bit busier than I had expected being mid week but there were probably a few others with the same idea of me not wanting to be vomiting in a bucket watching new loves gazing into each others eyes over a candle lit dinner the night before on Valentines night.

The place isn’t huge though i’d say seating for around 30 but we did have a choice of seat from the waitress. It was just my luck I picked the worst seat i’ve ever perched my booty in, it was beyond painful to sit and basically had to lie back with my head just above the table to find a sweet spot on my back. All the chairs were different though they seemed to be miss matched so it could of been that was the only one like it in the restaurant. I should of just asked to swap but it was quite intimate in there and i didn’t want to make a fuss so my own fault for putting up with it really.

The waitress was lovely and went through the menu with us on what we could have and any extra we had to pay for some more expensive items as we had a 3 course and glass of wine offer through Wriggle Cardiff the app and website specialising in independent restaurants and offering daily deal type offers. Take a look here for more info and discount code AUHPSS will get you a bit more off your first order if you sign up, go to invite friends in the app and add the code in the top right.

The Food

I know i should start making my way through some different items on the starter menu but when you like something it’s hard to deter from that so I went with the seared scallops, french sausage, bacon and sweet potato puree. Mwsh liking scallops just as much as me gave me the death stare on announcing my option to the waitress so felt compelled to try something different and with her utter contempt for soup it was only going to be one runner up and that was the pate.

The scallops were perfectly cooked with nice golden sear on the outside yet succulent and tender in the middle. It was nice to have scallops with a bit of saltiness from a cured meat with the bacon but the herby French sausage brought through different levels of flavour I’d not had with the standard chorizo or black pudding that every Doug or Geraint knocks up in the kitchen of most restaurants these days. The smear of sweet potato gave a bit of sweetness to the salt and meatiness of the sausage and bacon.

The pate was presented in a nice little mason jar that has been a staple in my work bag the past few weeks filled with proats although this was a little smaller but still very generous portion size for one. The pate was so smooth, protected by a thick layer of set butter. I don’t know why but it always seems to be the case that you could feed a family of four with the portion size of the pate in almost all restaurants i’ve ordered pate at yet you only a portion of bread to feed an 8 year old child. Mwsh made her way through about half the pate, which tasted of velvet offally goodness when she ran out of bread. Then here comes the dilemma of do I just leave it or do I look like someone feeding pate to a dog by spooning it on the knife and smearing it onto your tongue scraping it off with your lips.

With some gentle persuasion she asked if there was a spare bit of bread to help mop up the remnants of the mason jar filled with prime french inspired livers and they were more than happy to accommodate the request without a second thought. I don’t know why i’ve never tried this before but sometimes us British are just too damn polite when it comes to dinning out. The extra bread about 3 or 4 toasted slices of baguette were greatly received and meant I could wean another portion off the plate for my own gratification.

The mains and the gloves were off once again with both myself and Mwsh favouring the same plate off the mains and I went with the duo of lamb because it reminded me of the best plate of lamb cutlets I’d ever had whilst on a trip over to France and wanted to relive the sumptuous occasion being in a French restaurant, which is a rare occasion for me in Cardiff with little other options in the City until recently.

She was more than welcome to have the same but we do like to sample a few different dishes so we can share when dinning out but her option might go some way in showing her stance on me picking the best two items off the menu as she went for the bouillabaisse. Basically a fish stew featuring my worse nightmare…salmon!

Out came the mains and my eyes widened with pupils dilated on the delivery of such a thing of natural beauty bestowed upon my stunned open mouth. The thing was epic but soon brought me down to earth with the upside down smile bent thrown across the table in disappointment compared to her dish. Mine was a monster and even though the bouillabaisse looked like it was a well of flavour waiting to be lapped up adorned with a huge prawn it did look a bit like a stew. Reading from the menu we both thought it would be more of a pie as it had potatoes and we saw something on the Instagram account that resembled the description but the potatoes were a side dish of crispy cubes but the place was more of a fish soup and she hates soup.

I was informed the lamb would be cooked medium rare and I was more than happy to agree to the Chef’s recommendation when ordering. There was a decent sized hunk of lamb rump, browned to perfection but plump and glistening with pink and red whilst expertly sliced with my steak knife. There were two lamb cutlets accompanying the rump, generously coated in thick, rich red wine jus. The cutlets were a bit thinner than my plate in France but they didn’t come with a thick juicy rump of lamb so I wasn’t too disappointed. The dish came with a big wedge of tartiflette, which must be French for potato gratin. Not quite as divine as my favourite potato dish, dauphinoise but couldn’t fault them and it was a decent portion compared to some measly slices i’ve had in the past.

There were a few nuggets of my newly acquired taste of black pudding, paired with sautéed leeks within the jus that offered another layer of flavour to the dish.

I only had a little sample of the Bouillabaisse as I’m not a fan of salmon but Mwsh did work her way through the array of fish chunks sitting in the bowl. She said it was tasty i think it was just the image of soup she couldn’t get out of her head as she was expecting a fish pie with fondant, crispy potato swirls pipped on top of the fishy underbelly of the dish. What was lacking in my eyes though as anyone who has a soup, pie, stew of any sort there’s one thing that is universally agreed upon is the broth must and i repeat MUST be mopped up with a big hunk of fresh crusty bread but there was none in sight. I’m sure the waitress would of offered if we had asked but we’d already asked for more bread on the previous dish so didn’t want to take the piss.

There wasn’t a flambeed crepe suzette in sight on the dessert menu thank god but wasn’t sure what to opt for on the choices that were on offer. Mwsh opted for the Cointreau bread and butter pudding with creme anglaise so I opted for the chocolate torte and cream so we could sharsies.

The bread and butter pudding reminded me a bit of a softened bara brith flavour wise and I couldn’t find any hints of the Cointreau but it was a heavenly plate of sugary stodge and the creme anglaise was the perfect touch.

My chocolate torte was so rich, it left swathes of chocolate inches thick inside my mouth and tongue on each spoonful. The creme added a good balance of creaminess to the plate and the smear of raspberry coulis gave a extra hit of flavour to the chocolate party going on inside my mouth.

The Verdict

I was impressed with the nights events and the food we ate and would definitely recommend it to anyone. The breakfast is next on my list there as it sounds right up my street and I need to start ticking off some places for breakfast in the city as I’ve only sampled a handful. There’s a decent selection of wine on the drinks menu, I didn’t enquire about cocktails and I didn’t’ see any draft beer on tap as I was driving but I’m sure there would be a few bottled European options to choose from.

The food was on the ball and the service was excellent. I would recommend the owners or waitresses to try sitting on the chair I was sat in and either take an axe to it or put a new back rest on it as it was so uncomfortable I was actually in pain sitting down and don’t be shy with the bread with the pate starter or the Bouillabaisse but apart from that I’d definitely go back.

They have a midweek deal on at the moment £20 for two courses and a glass of wine or keep an eye out on Wriggle to see if the £20 deal for 3 courses and a glass of wine.

February 17, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

Easy Carbonara Recipe

Ingredients

Should feed 4 people

500g pancetta bacon chopped into small chunks (I used 2 packets of Cure and Simple Pancetta)
2 shallots chopped finely
10 mushrooms of your choice chopped finely
6-8 cloves garlic depending on how many vampires you’re trying to ward off
400g of your favourite noodle pasta (We can’t be having any seashells in this recipe!)
7 egg yolks
100g Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
NO CREAM!!!

Instructions

Start the pan of salted water on boil so it’s ready when you need it. You might need a decent sized pan to fit all the cooked pasta as it’s surprising how big it expands so don’t be using one you usually warm your tin of beans in as you won’t get very far.

Cook the Pancetta on it’s own in a pan slowly to render out all of the lovely flavoursome fat in the rind. Cook it too quickly especially the air dried type of bacon and it will burn before the rind has rendered and you’re left with soggy gelatinous crap to chew on.
Once the bacon has cooked and has a nice crisp on it, remove from the pan and set aside. Now add the mushrooms to the pan of rendered fat, you might want to add an extra chunk of butter to add to the mushrooms to absorb a bit more artery clogging deliciousness to the mix. Cook for a few minutes then add the chopped shallots to start to brown too.

At the same time add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook to desired time. I like a bit of bite but depending on if you’re using fresh or dried cook accordingly to the instructions for desired texture.

Add the garlic to the pan of mushrooms, shallots and add the bacon back in to cook for two minutes, add a good grinding of pepper before removing from the heat. Now remove the pasta from the water but before you drain all the water, take a mug of the cooking liquor.

Leave the pasta drip drain for a minute or two before adding to the pan and mixing with the ingredients. Add half of the grated parmesan to the beaten egg and pour evenly over the pasta mixture in the pan.Take a pair of tongs and mix to combine the egg and cheese mixture a bit before adding a couple of splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water. Continue to to combine the contents of the pan whilst sprinkling in the rest of the shredded cheese so you get a beautifully emulsified pasta noodle with helps the bacon, mushrooms and shallots to cling to.

Notice we didn’t add any cream like most commercial offerings? you really don’t need if as you get all the creaminess you need from the egg yolks, cheese and a helping hand from the cooking liquor to give it a bit of extra moisture.Marlborough

Divide into 4 bowls, top with some ground black pepper and a bit more shredded parmesan to taste. Can be enjoyed with a good glass of Marlborough Sauv Blanc and a crispy wedge of garlic bread.

February 17, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

The best corned beef pie recipe ever

Feeds 4-8 depending how hungry you are

Ingredients

2 tins of corned beef (roughly 300g each) chopped into small chunks
6 medium to large potatoes for mashing
3 medium sized carrots chopped finely
4 shallots chopped
Around 15g fresh thyme, leaves only leave out the stalks. I used roughly half a 30g pack from Tesco for referrence I didn’t weigh it out.
Couple of splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
Couple of splashes of Chiptole Tobasco or I used Cholula brand
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
Salt and ground black pepper
1 packet of ready made shortcrust pastry
1 egg beaten
butter

Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into medium chunks and boil in salted water until softened. I left cool completely for a few hours before preparing the rest.I then used a sharp knife and chopped at them wildly whilst in the pan to make it easier to mash later on.

Add the carrots in a frying pan and cook on a medium heat in a little oil for around 10 minutes. The finer the better as they take bloody ages to cook in a pan otherwise.

Put the oven on to warm at around 180C.

Add the chopped shallots, a little more oil if the pan is dry and continue cooking until they start to soften, brown and the carrots cook a little longer. Add the chopped garlic, stir and continue to cook for another two minutes then add a few splashes of Worcestershire Sauce and stir in again.

Add the chopped corned beef to the pan and mix with the rest of the ingredients and mashing it in with your wooden spoon. Cook for a couple of minutes whilst continuing to mix so that the corned beef softens and breaks down into a mush. Add a generous helping of ground pepper, a bit of salt and a few splashes of the chiptole sauce.

Add the thyme leaves to the pan and mix to combine. Now drop in the chopped cooked potatoes and give a quick stir to mix it with a bit of the other ingredients then use a potato masher to start mashing the potato with the rest of the other ingredients.Try to combine as much as you can but the further cooking will break down the potato further so don’t worry too much.

I added about 50g of butter cut into chunks and mixed into the mash for an extra bit of creaminess.I also added a bit of oil to grease the pie dish so that the mixture doesn’t stick too much.

I couldn’t be bothered to blind bake the bottom of the pastry and just opted for a top piece so then continued to spoon the mixture into the pie dish, making sure to squish it down so there are no empty pockets on the side of the dish.

Smooth out on top so it’s level then drop the piece of rolled shortcrust pastry on top to cover the dish. It might need a little bit of gentle stretching to cover the edges but be carefull not to tear the pastry.

Take a knife and cut around the outside of the pie dish so that there is none overlapping. Then take a fork and press down on the edges of the pasty to crimp and make sure the pastry hugs the pie dish so there’s no gaps.

Once you’ve done a full circle, cut a little crosshair with the knife in the middle to let some steam escape the pie so it doesn’t bubble up.

No to brush the pastry with the beaten egg to give it a lovely golden sheen when it’s cooking trying not to miss any bits of the uncooked pastry. If there’s any mixture left over you can make some little pasties like my nan sometimes does or if you have a little pie dish you can spoon the mixture and top with any leftover pastry .

Add to the oven and cook for around 25 minutes depending on the oven but check from 20 minutes to make sure it hasn’t burned. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes as it will be scolding hot.

Cut into desired wedge size and pair with whatever you fancy from my nan’s favourite peas and gravy or you could go with beans or like I used to have break time in school sandwiched between a buttered roll with a good helping of tomato sauce on top.

This could feed 8 if you had something on the side although I had about an 1/8th of a piece then went back for another helping as I’d just done a bit fo a beasting at the Cardiff Blues bootcamp and was absolutely starving with no bread to go with it 🙁

February 17, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

Superfood overnight oats

Coconut, chia seed, bee pollen and honey overnight oats

Ingredients

50g oats
125ml protein yogurt
splash of whole milk
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1/2 an apple either chopped finely or julienned
2 teaspoons shredded coconut
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons bee pollen

Instructions

Mix the oats, chia seeds, coconut and honey with the splash of milk as i don’t find it mixes as well as just with the yogurt on its own. Add the yogurt, apple and bee pollen and mix to combine making sure it’s fully incorporated so you don’t have clumps of dry oats in the mix.

Leave overnight in a kilner jar to soak and for the bee pollen to break down its outer shell, leaving you with all it’s honey bee goodness. Enjoy for breakfast, mid morning snack or post gym recovery meal. It will leave you feeling full and satisfied for hours.

February 17, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Food

Burger Theory Review at Kongs Cardiff

So after two shakey starts I thought I’d give Burger Theory @ Kongs in Cardiff another try and was hoping for 3rd time lucky on Saturday.

I’d had an invite for the opening night back towards the end of last year but double booked myself and had a few things on being the run up to Christmas and judging by the instagram pics after it was a roaring success and had me salivating at my phone or might of been throthing at the mouth in anger at missing the succulent beef patties oozing with bubbling cheese and mountains of crisped fries!

I didn’t wait long (2 days) to give it a whirl after a few unssuccessful attempts to get a seat at a few other restaurants in town with a few of my mates after a few beers in Brewdog. Although we were taken back by the doormans rather odd welcome into the basement venue when he said “How many of you want to go in?” Bearing in mind this was about 5 o’clcok and pretty dead in St Mary street and only 4 of us, who’d consumed 2 or 3 pints prior to this.

“Ok lads, please don’t tip the place up it’s a low key kind of place”. We all looked at each other in bemusement as we’re not exactly roided up skip rats looking to smash someone’s head in but we gave a suprised reply of “ok no probs”.

Anyway onto the venue, well if you haven’t ventured into the place yet to sample it for yourself yet then shame on you but it’s got the ever popular industrial, weathered look with plenty of concrete, scaffholding and reclaimed wood with the odd metal cage to shield unsuspecting punters from a stray puck to the head from the air hockey tables.

The drinks

First on the cards before anything was a pint of something wet and cold before mulling over holy grail of seared beef concoctions.

I was hoping to have a few in house IPA’s but there were a few local beers from the likes of Tiny Rebel, a few European favourites and a few I’d never seen, couldn’t work out from the lonley branded icon with no writing and the clueless offerings from the person serving me. One thing that winds me up when going for a beer these days especially after the expert knowledge on hand from the givers of happiness behind the bar at the likes of Brewdog, Small bar or Bar 44 is people serving who have absolutely no idea about what it is they are serving. My first visit all 3 people didn’t have the fogiest idea about the beers, what they were, who brewed them or even the strength on them, which lastly should be a legal requirment at least I would of thought if I was driving. They were nice enough but a bit of prior training or even sampling of what’s on tap that week wouldn’t go a miss.

Anyway the first pint was good that’s all i can tell you as nobody could tell me what it was that’s all i know is it had a bee logo on the front. I had one or two more lucky dips and all unoffensive and drinkable.

There was a good selection of beers in the fridge but no menu to see what they were and I find it hardwork going through each of the bottles with the bartender so opted against trying my luck on any of them on my first couple of visits but would definitely like to tick a few off.

One thing I was dissapointed with though was the lack of any decent gins. I was hoping to get to try something I hadn’t seen before but there was just a few of the bog standard pub gins on offer. Being a Bristol based company I thought they might of shipped a few bottles of Psychopomp gin over to show us how they distill their Gin just over the bridge but sadly not. Just yet anyway, I might put a request in as I did get to try a couple at their pop up bar at The Old Bookshop in Bristol the last time I was up there before Christmas.

The food

So as I’ve visited 3 times it’s only right I give my feedback on all 3 visits.

Visit 1

My first attempt at the menu and anything with Kimchi or anything referencing Korean overides anything else on the menu so my mind was made up before I even finished the rest of the menu and jabbed delightedly at the Kimcheese option. Mounted on top of the beef patty was, bacon, cheese, pulled beef rib, chiptople mayo and what was supposed to be kimchi but what I had instead was a few strands of spring onion! No kimchi in sight I was gutted to say the least and even more pissed off because I had talked my mate into having the kimchi fries as he had never tried kimchi and his fries where the same just a few ribons of spring onion and no pungent fermented cabbage in sight and he was dissapointed saying “Well I still don’t know what Kimchi is”. I hate recommending something to someone when it turns out turns out wrong.

Don’t get me wrong the rest of the burger was really good but you can’t advertise a kimchi burger with the main bloody ingredient missing. I’m glad I didn’t pay extra for the kimchi fries now or I would of just ended up paying a few extra quid for spring onion fries.

Everyone else had positive feedback regarding the burgers and my one mate attempted the hairy beast with a whole souther fried chicken on top, which was an absolute beast of a burger to say the least. Not something I’d attempt on a mission for a few beers after it mind as i’d be keeled over with meat sweats but it did look good.

Burgers costing around the £9 mark with standard fries around £3 although I skipped them this time to save some room for beer.

Visit 2

My 2nd visit was about a week later and my last day in work before breaking up for Christmas as I noticed a deal on the Wriggle Cardiff App with 1 burger and 1 fries for just £3.50 at Burger Theory / Kongs and as my mate hadn’t been or used the app before I gave him my referral code of AUHPSS, which he added on buying the deal and got another discount and paid just £1.50 saving over £12. I’m not sure as I can’t remember the last time i bought one but i’m pretty sure you can’t get much change from £1.50 after buying a pot noodle, so off we stormed in the rain after the clock struck 4 and we were done for the day in work.

The wriggle deal meant we could only choose a selection of burgers and not the full range but my next option would probably have been the Blue Cow anyway with Beef and jalapeño patty, crispy bacon, blue cheese, chipotle mayo, homemade ketchup.and my mate from work ordered the same.

Service was pretty quick and only had a few gulps of my beer before the order came out. The burger didn’t look quite as impressive as the first visit with mounds of the topping bursting out and looked a bit flat in comparisson. It was ok taste wise, nothing to write home about just ok really. Better than some of the other garbage like 5 guys and Grazing shed saying that mind but pretty uninspiring but for £1.50 we were impressed.

The fries on the other hand where something else and not in a good way. I’m not sure if because we had the wriggle deal we were just getting the scraps of what was left before opening a fresh bag of salad or fries but the fries looked like they had been plunged into the fryer more than once. They were either reheated or just heated and not taken off said heat for an hour because there was nothing left inside the crisp exterior. The inside of the fry was completely hollow so trying to jab a fork in was nye on impossible as it send carb laden, glass like shards flying everywhere. They were probably the worst fries I’ve ever attempted to eat and both of us left more than half the bag or whatever it was they came in and that must be a first for me.

To finish off a slightly dissapointing visit the guy coming to collect the trays / plates etc bashed the tray into my brand new (well 2 week old) iphone 7 placed visibly in the middle of the table sending it hurtling off the 1.5 metre high tables onto the concrete floor below leaving me with a look of horror and too afraid to investigate.

I didn’t have a case for the thing yet but luckily for me i’d just bought a laminate screen protector for it the day before so just left me with a few scratches on it. The guy was apologetic for the mishap and said I’ll buy you a new one if it’s broke but I just wanted to get out of there to assess the damage in the dimly Amsterdam esque red lit corner I was sat in.

Visit 3

Ok so both visits were within a week of opening so I thought I’d give the kitchen guys a bit of time to settle in and hone their skills behind the griddle or fryer I was hoping too as the burgers weren’t too bad the last time apart from lack of main ingredient.

I’d just sampled my first Bwyta Bwyd Bombai about 5 minutes prior to walking past Kongs last Saturday and Mwsh still hadn’t tried the place plus I only got a child portion in 3B’s so I suggested a pint and sharesies on something from Burger Theory, which she happily obliged.

After trying or at least seeing a few of the contendors on the menu previously I hadn’t noticed the KFC, otherwise known as Korean Fried Chicken. I’d seen some pics flying around of the coca cola ham hock dirty fries on insta recently and would of jumped at the chance of sampling those too if I hadn’t just had a biryani and 2 potato like side dishes less than 15 minutes ago.

I ordered a pint of Tiny Rebel on tap, a new one on me i’d not seen this one before and was pleased to see someone behind the bar who had a bit more knowledge of what they had to offer behind the bar, beer wise this time too. I’d just got the impression they’d plucked people from the streets walking past on my first visit just to open the place but they’ve either managed to find someone whose at least tried then before being able to give advice or they’d managed to give the bar tenders a little bit of training now. Either way it was a great improvement and just gives you a bit more confidence ordering from them compared to someone just shrugging their shoulders and giving you a blank look as before.

It was a Saturday and noticed they had the door open to a corridor to what I found out was a TV room showing the rugby but there were less than 10 people in the main bar area so was quite suprised with the wait we had till the chicken burger came compared to the last 2 visits.

Onto the KFC chicken burger and neither of us could fault it. The chicken was crisp to perfection, slathered in a sticky, sweet and spicy chilli sauce, ample amounts of salad although the burger wasn’t quite as big as I could remember my mate Morgan having on the first visit but the taste more than made up for it. We had a fight over the last few bites that’s for sure. We didn’t opt for the fries this time so couldn’t comment on whether they had improved but I will be ordering the coca cola dirty fries if they’re still on the menu next time.

So all in all a few teething problems and a few good experiences from myself and a few friends. I’m hoping they’ve sorted out the kimchi as I’d like to try the kimchi fries I just hope as they’ve been open a bit longer now they’ve had time to ferment the cabbage, which they couldn’t have done properly in 2 days on my first visit but saying that there wasn’t any cabbage on the burger so they must of just completely missed it out.

I will be back though to work my way through the menu as the burgers and combo of toppings do send the taste buds into an anticiapted frenzy so if the guys in the kitchen are on the ball you are sure to have an awesome meal. I wouldn’t mind givng the Korean fried chicken side a go too so there’s still lots i havent got around to yet.

February 14, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

Coconut, papaya, chia and honey proats overnight oats recipe

Ingredients

Oats (Depending on how hungry you are, I usually add 1 third of a kilner jar as they expand with the wet ingredients)
3 teaspoons chia seed
2 tablespoons desicated coconut
2 teaspoons honey
Splash whole milk
125ml greek yogurt
1 papaya chut into chunks

Instructions

Add the oats, coconut, chia seed, honey and a splash of milk to a kilner jar and mix to combine dry ingredients with the milk. Top with the Greek yogurt and mix again until all lumps have been incorporated into the yogurt and milk.

Close the clasp on the kilner jar and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge, add a splash more milk if the mixture is too dry and top with the papaya chunks before spooning into one hungry mouth.

February 13, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor

Recipe

Pork Bahn Mi Recipe

Bhan Mi Pork Seasoning

Ingredients

500g pork fillet cut into 4 pieces
1 shallot chopped finely
3 cloves of grated garlic
1/2 chilli chopped finely
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons maggi seasoning sauce
1 tablespoon chinese 5 spice

Instructions

Mix all of the above in a bowl and and pour onto the pork fillet pieces then leave to marinade for a few hours or overnight in the fridge, turning occasionally and spooning the seasoning on top to make sure the meat absorbes all of the flavour on both sides. The longer the better.

Warm the oven up and place on around 180C, once warm place the pork fillet pieces topped with the majority of the chopped chopped pieces of garlick, chilli and shallot that’s been used to marinade it in the oven for around 25 minutes depending on your oven but make sure it’s cooked through. Leave it to rest for 15 minutes then carve into thin slithers.

Carrot and daikon pickles

Ingredients

Pre salting
2 carrots julienned
1/2 daikon julienned (Also known as Mooli as I found out trying to hunt it down in Cardiff and found it named Mooli in Cardiff market opposite the spice stall)
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspons of granulated sugar

post salting
3 teaspoons sea salt
6 teaspoons granulated sugar
125ml warm water
125ml distilled white vinegar or rice wine vinegar

Instructions

Julienne the carrots and daikon and place into a deep bowl. I use a potato peeler style juilienne handle I picked up from TK Maxx but i’ve seen them in a lot of kitchen shops for around £5 and it’s my favourite gadgets in the kitchen for making salads and slaws.

Add the salt and sugar from the pre salting ingredients above and mix in with your hands for around 30 seconds then leave for another 3 minutes for the water to leach out. Squeeze the carrot and daikon mixture to release any excess liquid then run cold water into the bowl giving a squeeze and emptying a few times to get rid of the salt mixture.

Dissolve the salt and sugar from the post salting ingredients list in the warm water and when fully dissolved add the vinegar to the mix.

I had two sterilised medium sized mason jars with a clasp and filled each one with an equal mix of the carrot and daikon but use one larger one if you have it. Top with the vinegar solution so that the vegetables are fully submerged. I topped it up with a tiny bit of water as there was just a few straws of veg poking above the mixture then put in the fridge to pickle. Some recipes i’ve seen said you can use them after a quick pickle of 30 minutes but I opted to do them and leave overnight in the fridge.

Bahn Mi Topping

Ingredients

1 packet of pate, I opted for brussels or you could use a chunky Ardennes
hoi sin sauce
mayonnaise
Sriracha sauce (I already had a bottle of Sriracha May in the fridge so just used that instead of mixing both myself)
Jalapenos
Cucumber cut into battons
Small handfull of chopped corriander
1 crispy baguette type bread (Arguably this is seen as the most important item of the dish and to make it authentic the Vietnamese use a crusty french style bread but they don’t have any vietnamese bakeries in Cardiff so i’ve had to opt for a salt and pepper baguette from tesco as i love the pepperiness)

Instructions

Cut chunk of bread to your liking depending how hungry you are and whether you’re sharing or not. Slather a wedge of pate on the bottom of the sliced baguette, topp with the cucumber battons then expertly layer the sliced pork to sit on top.

Spread a good dollop of your mayo on the top half of the bread wheather you want to go spicy and add some Sriracha is up to you. I did but Mwsh didn’t want any as she was being a wimp this morning. Sprinkle some chopped corriander so it sticks to the mayo combo then add a little squirt of hoi sin over the pork.

Top the pork with a few slices of jalapenos and a generous helping of the carrot and daikon pickle. You may have to stand on the baguette to shut it and if you’re going to use a knife and fork get the hell off my blog right now! Enjoy at your leisure, just make sure you have a few napkins to wipe your brow and contents off your face and beard. Enjoy with a beer unless you’re sat in front of your PC in work 🙁

February 13, 2017/0 Comments/by nicky batchelor