132 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff. 029 2062 4519
****
From something that tourists run into abroad, and gigglingly try it anyway even though they expect it to be a bit grimy, ‘street food’ is seemingly now being rebranded into £8 BBQ pork sandwiches out of a van in London. Er, thanks for that, I think. Although Chai Street is in one of those old-fashioned ‘building’ things, its menu is predominantly inspired by India’s side-of-the-road fare.
I’m reasonably sure Buzz is only reviewing it now because they’ve started opening in the evening, having began as a breakfast/lunch joint in late 2009, but the basic concept gets my thumb aloft, and the food follows suit. The ‘street classics’ – snack-y creations based on simple ingredients and easy to eat on the move – work equally well as starters. My partner and I share a pav bhaji, which is a spiced potato curry served with a toasted bread roll. Having been mockingly asked across the table if I was going to write something like “for a second, I thought I was on a beach in Mumbai” – well, obviously I’m not, but it’s dead nice, like.
While the mains too are, unfussy and accessible creations, they’re anything but lazy or complacent, and remind you that Chai Street is the younger sibling of Mint & Mustard, Cardiff’s high-end Indian situated next door. I go for the fish curry – three big fillet chunks of swordfish in a slow-burner tomato sauce – which is flaky yet tactile and has you forking up bigger and bigger mouthfuls. Conversely, the thali chosen by my partner has at least 10 different component parts – deciding what to eat first is a bit like standing in front of a disassembled car engine, but I don’t hear a bad word about it, and can vouch for the raita being a delight.
Two desserts, a payasam and gulab jamun, and a drink each brings the total to an utterly reasonable £32. Chai Street really ought to take off in its new evening mode: it has a definite niche in Cardiff’s Indian pantheon, but isn’t hamstrung by notions of ‘authenticity’ either. NOEL GARDNER