A welcoming cosy glow irradiates from this cute little catch at the top of Wellfield Road, Roath. Its bright, bold colours and warm lighting make it stand out from the crowd and appear individual and independent in a cool, funky, hipster-kinda way. Its fresh take on classic Indian dishes keeps you on your toes and entices you to try new things, mix it up. There’s also a custom spice chart on the wall inviting you to be daring and experiment a little – because why not? ‘When in Rome’ as they say.
The jazzy newspaper-style menus
The first thing to put a smile on our faces was the menus which come in the style of newspapers; something funky and different, a nice personal touch I think. Tables and chairs feature the same colour scheme as the sign on the front making the décor flow together nicely and creating a comfortable, warm and inviting ambience. The staff are very friendly and attentive, happy to answer any questions you may have and making a point of explaining that everything is made fresh and to taste; you have complete creative freedom with your dish in terms of ingredients and spice levels – ideal for fussy eaters! Plus, I feel this makes the whole experience more special and welcoming without the worry of who likes a lot of spice and who doesn’t.
First up: cocktails… obviously. Chaiholics Rum Special was my poison of choice: ginger
and cinnamon rum swizzle with a burst of peach. The peach softened the ginger and cinnamon into a sweet, smooth texture which went down very easily; whereas my father’s Chai-jito (adaptation of Mojito) was strong and delicious yet packed a little too much punch for our liking. A good effort, 7/10.
Starters: Okra fries. These I’ve wanted to try for quite some time so leaped at the opportunity! They arrived with a choice of two sauces and were fried with an assortment of light spices and chillies, altogether making a very more-ish but amazing starter we couldn’t stop nibbling on! Delish.
Mains: in my opinion, you can’t really go wrong with a good prawn curry – or in this case, a Goan prawn curry! A top notch treat meal whilst also getting a good amount of protein in – win, win! Despite wholegrain rice not being available on request, the sauce itself was just the right level of heat for me. Not too hot, not mild, but just right… like Goldilocks and her porridge you might say. This was disturbed, however, by my accidental crunching on a chilli seed that’d been hiding somewhere*; that aside, this was lush. My parents both had lamb dishes which I’m told were succulent and tender, coming easily apart which is apparently rare and difficult to get right (not that I would know). By the end of the evening we were all absolutely stuffed and thoroughly enjoyed (almost*) every mouthful. I can definitely say we would more than happily return – and I most likely will.
Wellfield Road is full of little gems like this, of which I have only discussed a few; but whether you live in Cardiff or you’re just visiting for the weekend I definitely recommend taking a look. There’s so much on offer in such a small area you can’t possibly be disappointed! It’s small, cosy places like Chai that create the homely, comfortable and laid back atmosphere of eating out on Wellfield Road, in my experience. Friendly staff, great food, reasonable prices, lots to choose from – what more do you want! Wellfield strikes again: an overall 8/10.
Diolch i chi a hwyl am nawr,
Charles xx
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