Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Doing their bit to convince the world of the joys and virtues of going vegan is the Vegetarian Food Studio in Cardiff. This is an unlikely location for an Indian restaurant, and yet its popularity will sweep away any notions of typical curry houses and what you generally come to expect. The food is hot, spicy and completely fresh, with a confluence of clean and distinct flavours that also include a few ventures into Oriental, Gujarati and South Indian cuisine.

Starters could include chilli pakora, large jalapeno pepper stuffed with a special masala or deep fried mashed potato balls filled with peas and spices, served with tamarind chutney. Curries amongst the main course tread unfamiliar ground with the delicious okra; barbeque roasted aubergines with onion and tomato, and delectable spinach with cottage cheese. There's a wide assortment of breads and rice to go with the curries while kulfi for dessert is pure bliss, particularly if your taste buds have been scorched a little.

Refreshed from its refurbishment, The New Conway, nestled in the Cardiff suburb of Pontcanna, presents a casually elegant and contemporary face. Its traditional core remains, laced with individual style. Guests can linger in a living room style dining room that has cosy fireside sofas or venture outdoors, weather permitting. Holding the fort is head chef Stefan Nilsson who has worked in some of Europe's finest Michelin starred restaurants.

The blackboard menu offers classic pub favourites, daily seasonal specials and the chef's own quirky creations. On any given day enjoy such fare as potted prawn and crab with toast, ham hock and shitake mushroom terrine, slow braised ox cheek with root vegetables and truffle mash, duck breast with Koffman cabbage, broccoli and perl las pie, pan fried cod fillet on champ, fish and chips and sausage and mash. Also try the house signature dish, 21-day mature Usk Valley ribeye with Lyonnaise potatoes and red wine jus. The bar serves a selection of guest ales and offers an eclectic wine list that is available by the bottle and glass.

Things seem to move fast at Wagamama - the Asian inspired, noodle restaurant chain that was started in 1992. As soon as you decide what you want to eat, your order is taken via a PDA, and wirelessly networked to the kitchen, so it can be made fresh and served right after. The restaurant chain does not believe in taking reservations, and all customers are seated on a first come, first serve basis. In fact, be aware that most of the tables are long ones and you will often be asked to share them.

The restaurants are modelled on traditional Japanese ramen bars that have been popular for hundreds of years - ramen are Japanese style noodles, served in a meat-based broth, topped with pork, dried seaweed or even corn. Chilli beef ramen, made of noodles in a spicy pork and chicken soup topped with a marinated and grilled sirloin steak and fresh vegetables, is hearty and satisfying.

Apart from ramen, you could opt for the coconut soup based kare noodles or teppan, cooked on a hot, flat griddle. They also offer many rice dishes like katsu curry, chicken fillet deep-fried in panko breadcrumbs, served with a lightly spiced curry sauce and sticky white rice. Vegetarians are definitely not ignored, as they can opt for saien soba, made using whole-wheat noodles in a soup topped with stir-fried vegetables, seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and garnished with sliced spring onion.

Meat and vegetable dumplings, skewered chicken, deep-fried prawns and raw salads double as both sides and starters. Steamed green soya-beans, called edamame, go well with drinks - hold them up to your mouth and squeeze the succulent beans from the pod. If you've noticed, Wagamama is more about eating healthy food fast and less about the order. Don't be surprised if you're served the main course before the side dish - order isn't important, the aim is, don't wait - just tuck in and share.

Wash down your meal with sake, plum wine or even a Japanese beer. Wind up your meal with coconut reika - three scoops of dairy coconut ice cream topped with a fresh, tangy mango sauce and toasted coconut flakes or the tamarind and chilli Pavlova, with a crunchy meringue base served with a raspberry and tamarind sauce.

At Wagamama, you can also shop for cookbooks, sauces, ramen bowls and t-shirts. The restaurant is all about enjoying genuine, reasonably priced, Pan-Asian cuisine in a sleek but informal setting.

For the lucky residents of Cardiff, Punitha's represents not just any Indian restaurant but an exclusive gourmet experience which is considered by many to be the epitome of fine South Indian dining in South Wales. The decor does away with the reds and oranges you can typically spot in curry houses and instead sports a refreshing combination of white and deep blue which is restful as well as sophisticated. Spices as well as chefs are imported directly from South India, so authenticity is never in question.

Amongst starters, you could try the chicken lollipops, wings marinated in garam masala and yoghurt and fried with corn flour before moving on to a main course of hot and spicy Chettinadu mutton curry with freshly ground chillies, coriander, fennel and coconut.  Finish the meal with payasam, a warm South Indian dessert made from sago, cashew nuts and milk. Wines on Punitha's list complement the food perfectly while the range of cocktails is exciting.