Dock of the bay

Another day another eating opportunity, but where am I? Oh yes, I find myself dreaming of another cool cat… Otis Redding. So I find myself sitting in the morning sun, sitting on the dock of the bay

Norwegian Church

Watching the tide rolling away, wasting time. Left my home in Atlantic Wharf, headed for the Cardiff Bay. So what is there to do with some hard earned spare time Down The Bay (previously known by my resident old git as ‘down the docks’)? Apart from napping there is always a range of culinary temptations to stroke the whiskers over, and today feels like one of those for dropping a steer…

Bayside Brasserie [1]

Bayside Brasserie [10]Bayside Brasserie [8]

 

 

 

 

Sitting here resting my bones, watching the tide roll away…

Bayside Brasserie [2]

 

Looks like nothing is going to change… then I see the menu, and I realise why two thousand miles I might roam just to make this dock my home..

Bayside Brasserie [5]

Bayside Brasserie [6]

Bayside Brasserie [3]

 

When the ambience is as laid back as this there is little else more satisfying than just sitting on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away.

Bayside Brasserie [7]

 

 

So until we speak again this is satiated Juno finishing with some harmonic whistling.

Agricultural demise

Cardiff City 3 Ipswich Town 1

IMAG1350

“WELSH INDUSTRIAL REVIVAL TOO STRONG FOR ENGLAND’S TRACTOR BOYS!”

Until we speak again this is Pundit Juno bringing you all you need to know about football in less than 10 words.

[With thanks to farmgirlfare.com for the posted image… it’s not me, I’m too urban].

Take that, Sheriff!

Cardiff City 2 Nottingham Forest 1

City v Forest

“#TRENDING WITH MORE LIKES THAN A FACEBOOK CONVENTION!”

Cartoon Sheriff of Nottingham

Until we speak again this has been Pundit Juno bringing you everything you need to know about football in under 10 words.

[With thanks to coolclips.com for the image of the Sheriff of Nottingham].

Wind Power

Wind turbines: Wind turbines 'killed goats' by depriving them of sleep    As an indoor cat I don’t usually give much thought to the whole issue of renewable energy supplies, so long as at this time of year my in-house heating engineer remembers to turn the damn radiators on. But, there I was one day, minding my own business and continually being  
interrupted by the background noise of some BBC Radio programmes, when some political dude starts rapping on about the state of the planet, and how all you humans are ruining it for cats like us. Plotting an escape

Now I’m not averse to a little breeze around the whiskers from time to time, but this whole wind power thing seemed to be political dude’s answer to all of our problems. Only for a whole bunch of what were called NIMBY’s (Not in my back yard) to phone in proclaiming nothing but an ugly end to our beautiful environment. It seemed to a sophisticated cat like me that the whole political thing generates enough wind to keep me going in cat food for an eternity.

Then it dawned on me… perhaps local politics held a solution! With all of the recent passionate UK attention generated by politics in Scotland, followed by the immediate low point of interest generated by a bunch of numpty’s voting in the looney tunes of Ukip in the English constituency of Clacton, Senedd 1perhaps it would be to Wales, and more specifically my adopted home of Cardiff that we should turn for sustainable sources of wind.
There it was, right on my doorstep, the beached wooden stingray, aka The Senedd, aka the home of the Welsh Assembly… the ultimate source of hot air dressed up as a local seat of power!

On closer inspection it would appear the design of the building, whilst admirably made up of home grown sustainable sources of wood, steel and slate, also had the structural foresight for the job… the politicians are densely housed deep in the basement of the building, and directly above them is the large funnel for capturing the hot air…

Senedd [7]

Senedd [1]

Whilst panoramic views of Cardiff Bay are afforded out of the glass-lined walls, I couldn’t help but think that this also doubled-up as a means of bringing light into proceedings on those occasions when the incumbent politicians were away from their energy-sapping deliberations, desperately searching for the elusive voter.

Senedd [4]

It seems like all of the heat and air generated by debates on the relationship between the Westminster bubble and the Cardiff Bay mushroom has caused structural damage through severe bowing of The Senedd roof…Senedd [8]

… so my next question is where to store all of this wind power to ensure our sustainable energy supplies? The Millenium Stadium has a closable roof and vast acres of space… what goes on in there most of the time? Until we speak again this has been Political Juno engaging the wrath of a nation’s rugby fans.

Taste of enlightenment

As a carnivorous cat I struggle to get the vegetarian thing. However, some would say my lot more often play with our prey rather than eat them; so, perhaps I need to get in touch with my vegetarian side. But where in deepest Cardiff could seriously introduce me to the artistry of the vegetable, and take up the challenge of shifting some of my passionately held gastronomic prejudices? Penarth Road neither benefits from a city centre or Cardiff Bay location, which may suggest why it is not known either locally or internationally as a hub of culinary excellence… more of a highway for ethnic wholesale outlets or a parade of low cost obesity fuelling stations.

But don’t blink, it seems the aubergine may just get its moment in the sun. There nestled in amongst the downbeat signs of bedsit land I am accosted by the surprising temptation of a Vegetarian Food Studio

Veg Studio [6]

What can this message possibly mean? Is the best thing you can do with a vegetable is to photograph it, or draw it, or even paint it? There is only one way to find out, and on closer inspection my senses are reassured by the signs of Indian cuisine, an undoubted home of doing good things to vegetables with a mouth-watering range of spices and fragrances. The decor is basic and functional following a relocation 100 yards along Penarth Road from its previous home of the last 10 years.

Veg Studio [2]

With ethnic murals adding to the authentic setting for the greatly anticipated feast…

Veg Studio [3]

Some of the previous visitors reviews serve to build the expectations: “Amazing”, “I’m not a veggie, but wow”, “Best Indian food in Wales”, “Superb food every time” and “Can’t get there often enough.” The range on the menu is enough to bamboozle even the regular aficionado of Indian restaurants, but this is somewhere distinctly different, and the serving staff are on hand to offer explanations and advice.

Starters of Hara Bhara Kebab and Hot Garlic Chilli Dosa ensure that fabulous tastes sizzle and crackle across the tongue, calmly settled by the contrast of a jug of Salted Lassi.

Veg Studio [4]

The main course is a mix of Chilli Paneer, Masala Mushroom Nu Sak (mild curry), with sides of Almond, Jeera & Cinnamon Rice and Methi Paratha.

Veg Studio [5]

For this cool cat the food was just right, but if you go accompanied by a fellow hot cat don’t be surprised if the chilli dish is deemed not hot enough, and more of the raw onions will be required to spice the palate. For this self confessed carnivore a trip to the vegetable patch has proved to be illuminating, and surprisingly tasty. So, until we speak again this is Spicy Juno wishing that all of your studios be creative and that your vegetables are fragrantly presented.