Category Archives: Cats in Cardiff

Hwyl meets hygge

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Its February. Its cold. It feels like its been wet forever. So what… here in Cardiff the traditional hwyl of Wales has been amplified with a splendid addition of hygge from Denmark…

Brod (pronounced Breuhl so I’m reliably informed) has been here in the city and Penarth for coming up to 10 years. Leafy Pontcanna is the longest established, followed by Penarth, and more recently on James Street in Cardiff Bay. All are supplied by their own bakery in Rhymney.

Okay, so I’m not one of the world’s early adopters. But, I have to say, on this occasion, I admit I’ve been missing out on something.

First, there’s the delightfully named Mad Brod for a lazy Sunday morning breakfast treat. A soft, light bread with this version covered by bacon and brie. [Today’s Observer newspaper helpfully provides proof of life, so to speak 😂]…

Alongside the Mad Brod, the above photo also includes a sweet version of proper Danish Pastries… this one being a Ginger, Rhubarb and Custard Spandauer. The following is the stanard-bearer Custard Spandauer from a previous visit (believe me, you really don’t just make one visit to Brod 😍).

If hygge is a Danish form of cozy, contented warmth on a winter’s day, it combines well with the Welsh sense of hwyl being a welcoming sense of joy in the moment. How better to relax and enjoy those quieter, slower moments in life.

Until we speak again, if you want a Danish pastry you really need to go to a Danish bakery and coffee shop. Those things our home-based bakers and supermarkets call Danish pastries… just aren’t by comparison.

The sourdough bread looks pretty good as well 😋

Chez Juno

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Juno might well have been a cool urban cat. Born and raised in London, then transported by her servant to Cardiff. But she knew inner city living was shared with a variety of interesting characters. Borrowing from a Hollies song of the 1960’s… look through any window, and what do you see…

An energetic little thing getting some training in for the pet olympics, maybe…

Then tempting a dangerous eyeball to eyeball vibe…

With a ‘kiss my furry ass‘ touch of insolence…

Then, with topical timing, up steps one of the ‘calling birds’ of Christmas fame…

With a distant relative playing a poor game of hide and seek…

While the inexperienced youngsters are simply peering into dangerous places…

Looking beyond the immediate window, the 2025 brood are snacking outside the local dockside One Stop Shop. Hopefully, they dispose of their plastic rubbish after the hearty meal…

While the local heron just waits… and watches… for the next meal to swim by unexpectedly…

Until we speak again, Chez Juno remains a place of natural wonder deep in the heart of the city. But wait a minute… who’s this imposter?

Speak easy, Caerdydd

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With America’s decision to inflict a further four years of the narcissistic pathological liar on the rest of the world, there seems little reason to afford them the previous levels of attention. Even some of their historic cultural characteristics no longer provide a reason to spend a dime in their direction.

About 100 years ago, the speakeasy was America’s quintessential creation for getting around prohibition. For the last 10 years Cardiff has its own version (without the prohibition) with its own discreet method of entry…

Yes, I’m missing my regular visits to New Orleans. But, the first ever cocktail, Sazerac, created in NOLA, is ably recreated here on my own doorstep…

The Dead Canary (What We Do In The Shallows) also has a uniquely Welsh twist, with a creative drinks menu that includes stories of Welsh coastal history attached to each unique cocktail…

And some quite uniquely presented concoctions. Who needs a glass when you can drink your rum-based cocktail out of a skull? This one named Walter and the Wreckers…

Until we speak again, the speakeasy is alive and well, and discreetly open in a quiet back alleyway in Cardiff city centre…

Lovin’ the ‘Diff – Arcadia

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Is Cardiff more than the sum of its parts? That’s a more difficult equation than you might think. After all, it has at least six quarters for starters! As I gaze over the dock feeder canals surrounding Chez Juno, I’m thinking of adding a ‘Duck & Swan Quarter‘ into the mix (?).

Looking at any city these days, it’s increasingly difficult to determine the DNA when so many multinationals populate identikit shopping malls. But, here in the ‘Diff, we at least still have ‘The Arcades‘. Yes, other cities have an arcade or two, but here, the city centre has somehow retained six of its originals within Cardiff Council‘s thirst for demolishing sections of its history.

I would write my own personal tribute, but I can’t top that of Joao Morais…

With full acknowledgement to the original source, I replicate an ‘Ode To The City Of Arcades‘ for those of you with failing eyesight:

Now if you truly had to choose

what Cardiff things would you enthuse?

A Central Market hot Welsh cake?

A pedalo round Roath Park lake?

The revelry of rugby days?

Pontcanna, Splott, The Bay, Cathays?

Consider, though, you may have missed

our FINE ARCADES from off your list.

They’re beautiful, you must concur,

ideal to any choice flaneur,

and full of any experts who

delight in sharing what they do.

You want a vape, a tailored shirt,

a pair of shoes, a vintage skirt?

A hair cut, board game, something sweet?

A gin, tattoo, or bite to eat?

These grand Arcades, each one unique,

are more than merely worth a pique.

They even offer – though mundane

a place to shelter from the rain.

It’s sometimes easy to ignore

the wealth of riches at your door.

If any place of many trades

deserves cascades of accolades,

it’s Cardiff’s great, first-rate arcades!

Until we speak again, thanks Joao, you put beautifully into words one of the many things about Lovin‘ the ‘Diff!

For more information on these fabulous arcades you can visit: thecityofarcades.com

Hidden treasures

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City centres invariably have to cater for the masses. If it’s gems you’re looking for, then head to where the discerning people go… the leafy suburbs.

Even though I’ve known it in my head, it’s taken quite some time for me to venture into the quiet Victorian terraced streets of Pontcanna in my home city of Cardiff. Home to at least three of the city’s finest dining establishments.

If it’s useful boxes, you need to be ticking, then Thomas by Tom Simmons will probably fill your page. A restaurant developed by a proud Welshman, tick. Quiet and leafy surroundings, tick.

A menu focused on quality rather than quality (with a tilt towards excellent Welsh produce), tick.

Tasty beef tartar starter with flavoursome bread and olives, tick.

Sumptuous Beef Fillet and a delicate Lamb Chop, tick.

A Spanish wine from the Ribera del Duero estates to simply die for, tick.

Finished off with a smooth Penderyn Welsh Whisky, tick.

Until we speak again, don’t tell the masses, but Pontcanna has more than this hidden treaure to be luring discerning folk into the quiet backstreets.

Simple pleasures

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It may be cold and grey but there is something about a sheep-shaggers derby that can really warm the cockles.

For a second consecutive season, Cardiff defeats their South Wales rivals of Swansea at the Cardiff City Stadium…

Until we speak again, 2-0 last season, 3-0 this season… let’s see that trajectory continue!

Saucy times in Cardiff

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I wonder what you were thinking when you read this blog post title… well, sorry to disappoint 😞 I’m sure saucy times are to be had in Cardiff, and I……. no, I think I’ll get back to the actual subject of the post.

I’m talking egg yolk, double cream, mushroom, blue cheese, parsley, black pepper, and parmesan. Add some chicken and a pasta of your choice (penne does it for me), and you have Cardiff Sauce, a carbonara dish that defies most peoples preconceptions of Cardiff cuisine.

Chips and rice with curry sauce are so Caroline Street at midnight after a session on the falling down juice. For those in the know, with time and cash to be a little more discerning in culinary tastes, a treat awaits a mere 200 yards away from the world renowned Chippy Alley.

Ciliegino is a small independent Italian restaurant that quietly goes about its business in the city centre. In my albeit highly biased opinion, it has one major setback… it’s located in the heart of shopping mall foodcourt terrain. A place where chain restaurants thrive at churning out consistent mediocrity.

So, I can happily report at being amazed by the fresh quality of an antipasto duo starter…

The sparse wine list even managed to offer a Puglia gem of an Italian red wine…

Until we speak again, saucy times in Cardiff have taken on a broader outlook, and the Beef lasagne was a homemade treat as well…

Hanoi 1991

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No, this post isn’t going to be about a historic event… or even a memorable holiday trip. This is one of those moments when you realise you’ve been occasionally walking past a culinary gem in a Cardiff city centre arcade for five years. Then, a random look at Google maps reviews brings the shocking truth about what you’ve been missing. It’s 11.30am on a Thursday morning as you realise there is only one place lunch is going to happen… it’s time to visit Hanoi 1991 in Cardiff’s enchanting Royal Arcade.

As with so many gems the menu is pleasingly short… as displayed near the entrance and above the counter. This is Hanoi street food authentically presented and deliciously flavoured.

Grilled Pork ‘Banh My’ with a Vietnamese Egg Coffee… was the choice for a fist visit. But in no more than 48 hours I was drawn back to try the equally appetising Lemongrass Beef ‘Banh My‘.

Until we speak again, I’ll just have to stay mesmerised by that Vietnamese Egg Coffee! If you think a cappuccino style presentation coffee with deep foam made of egg yolk, milk and sugar sounds like a strange combination you would be technically correct. But, one taste and you suddenly know your coffee has just doubled up as your dessert. This was the real reason for returning a second time within 48 hours. The third visit will not be too far away.

Whisper it…

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Cardiff is forever evolving, but awakenings are the order of the day down at the Cardiff City Stadium. Nobody would argue that the first couple of months of the season look pretty much like the old tax offices in Llanishen…

An early sacking of the manager may not be what is ordinarily wished for, but it offers opportunities to dream of new beginnings… something like the changing face of the old Brewery site near the city centre…

But who would have thought the green shoots of renewal would blossom so rapidly…

Until we speak again, whisper it… can we play  Plymouth every week… please?

National security

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Say what you want about the diminished size of the British Armed Forces. But, here in Cardiff docks, the Senedd Cymru (Welsh Parliament) is ensuring its own security against foreign invasion in this increasingly uncertain world.

Until we speak again, a special thanks go to the Spanish Armada surplus stores for the loan of Galeon Andalucia. What, you thought the British Navy had anything more viable? 🤔🤣