STREET FOOD CARDIFF | FOOD REVIEW
Weekend Pop-Up, The Depot, Dumballs Road, Cardiff, until Sat 20 Dec. www streetfoodcardiff.com
Ushered through some plastic flaps that looked like they would be more at home in a large meat freezer than Cardiff’s newest foodie gem, what was soon revealed was a beautifully decorated space filled with fairy lights, quirky art installations and the best street food South Wales has to offer.
Hosted in a former tramshed, known as The Depot, Street Food Cardiff (SFC) is an independent collective of street food traders who come together on the weekends to celebrate and enjoy their tasty wares in a new and exciting space designed by Something Creatives. Once you overcome the initial feeling of awe when you walk in, you’re then faced with the near-impossible decision of deciding what to eat. There are several vendors to choose from (and different ones each weekend), each of which looks and smells mouthwateringly delicious.
In a team of three, we devised an action plan. We’d split up, each buying from a different street food aficionado, and then we’d regroup to share our tasty choices. After a few laps to look at menus I eventually settled on some Mexican food, courtesy of El Salsa. I decided to go for a larger burrito (£6), a great staple, and was blown away by it. It was really well balanced, with soft and juicy beef and spice in just-right proportions.
My partner went for three pieces of Dirty Bird fried chicken (£7.50) and it was the most tender chicken any of us had ever tasted – we only wish we had bought more. My other guest headed to Dough Boys and picked out their spicy Mexicana (£7). The stone-baked artisan pizza had the ideal elements: a crisp base, subtly creamy mozzarella and a strong chilli kick.
The overall verdict was that the atmosphere was fantastic and all the food was great, so you can’t really go wrong at Street Food Cardiff. If you fancy catching them, they’ll be about every weekend until their last event on Sat 20 Dec. They won’t be gone for long, however, and you can keep track of where SFC will be popping up in the New Year by texting “streetfood CDF” and your email to 61211.
words HEATHER ARNOLD
