CHAIHOLICS | FOOD REVIEW
Wellfield Road, Cardiff. 029 2049 5975 / www.chaiholics.com
Wellfield Road is becoming a lively and tasty place to be in the evenings, and it started with the opening of , the UK’s first chai house. Selling itself on its tea, and tea-infused cocktails, on my visit here I started with a Chaijito, a tea-inspired version of a mojito – very refreshing, the mint pairing well with the Assam tea. I later sampled the perfectly sweet peach-flavoured Chaiholics Rum Special. We tried three starters: the succulent, spicy and bright red Kerala fried chicken, the crispy and flavoursome okra fries and our favourite, lemon pepper prawns which burst with flavour.
Spurred on by the prawn starter, my partner selected the delicious, slightly buttery Goan prawn curry –the combination worked well, as the sauce was flavoursome but still allowed the taste of the prawns to come through. I was steered towards an aromatic lamb shank which was stunning. I rarely go for dairy-heavy curries, but this dish managed to be brilliantly creamy while remaining light. The lamb fell off the bone into the green sauce which brought spices and pistachios together nicely. Hidden underneath the sauce was an onion bhaji-esque bed, like finding tasty treasure. These dishes were paired with a number of sides such as rice and roti, but the lightly spiced apricot Chaislaw was a great addition, and a great accompaniment to both dishes.
Pretty full by this point we opted to share the mango cheesecake. This is more like a fruity yogurt with a cardamom and toasted rice (it works, trust me) topping but it was a sweet, creamy and interesting finish to a great meal. Having tried the food, I can now confidently say that this isn’t just a cafe trying to boost sales in the evening, but a well-thought-out combination that works because of the people involved. The staff are friendly, the owner enthusiastic and the chef extremely passionate and talented (he later told us his credentials – he’s cooked for the Queen!). My only word of warning: book in advance.
words HEATHER ARNOLD