Mill Lane and Wyndham Arcade, Cardiff

The Food Blog was last on Mill Lane  / Lon Y Felin in September 2011, when we noted the changing nature of its eating establishments. In recent years, it has been out with the French bistro and traditional Italian, and in with South American cuisine and Hawaiian cocktails. This is Cardiff’s Café Quarter. It comes into its own during the summer, when the outside tables under the trees are bustling.

On the corner of St Mary Street and Mill Lane:

Peppermint Bar & Kitchen

63 St Mary Street CF10 1FE (2039 9199)

Peppermint opened in August 2011 (taking over from Zync in this corner location). It’s an independent party, drinks and food venue on two-floors (with another one in Swansea). The food menu offers a wide range of light dishes, and there’s a late-night bar. Outside seating on pedestrianized Mill Lane.

The Mocka Lounge

1-2 Mill Lane CF10 1FL (2022 1292)

The mocka lounge is a café and nightclub. It opened in 2009 and serves food, lunches and light bites until 7pm. Cocktails a speciality. Open until the early hours.

Sushi Bento

3 Mill Lane CF10 1FL

Opened in 2012 Sushi Bento is a restaurant and take-away offering bento-style Japanese street food. This location was formerly occupied by Flavour Eurasia.

Soda Lounge

4 Mill Lane CF10 1FE (2039 8380)

This large bar and nightclubbing party venue is part of the Le Monde complex, which also fronts onto St Mary Street. A ground floor lounge (comfy seats) and bars on several levels, including a roof terrace (and exclusive Attic bar). Some food served, especially for parties. The original Soda Bar operated on St Mary Street from 2002 to 2008.

Retro Lounge

7 Mill Lane CF10 1FL (2039 8380)

The Retro Lounge is the “home of the 90’s vibe”. A place to party and drink cocktails, rather than eat and, I can’t lie to you, it's also the “home of Stacey’s Hen Night”.

The next shop (Cardiff Bridal Centre) sells wedding dresses.

Las Iguanas

8 Mill Lane CF10 1FL (2022 8373)

This was the first Cardiff location for the Bristol-based chain (with another in Cardiff Bay). Las Iguanas’ Latin American cuisine offers something different and has become very popular in Cardiff. Menu features Mexican classics, popular Brazilian dishes, grilled sandwiches and salads. There are popular dishes from other Latin American countries and special nights featuring the cuisine of particular countries. Cocktails (seemingly obligatory on Mill Lane) and pitchers of Sangria are popular.

The next shop (Private) sells sex aids.

It looks a little sad and out of sorts today, but The Private Shop was here in pre-Internet times (when shops like this were the main outlet for porn) and therefore it pre-dates all the bars and restaurants around it. Private was here when the area opposite (now a Marriott Hotel) was an outdoor vegetable market, recalls Peter Finch in Real Cardiff who describes the contents of its shelves (p. 70), and nearby was “the infamous rock and blues Moon Club.”

Juboraj

10 Mill Lane CF10 1FL (2037 7668)

Juboraj Indian Restaurant in the Café Quarter is part of the local family-owned Juboraj group, serving high-end Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. They have been in Cardiff for around 20 years, with establishments also in Rhiwbina and Lakeside, and most recently in the Big Windsor building in Cardiff Bay. The Mill Lane restaurant has undergone an extensive refurbishment recently, to bring it up to standard. An extensive menu of classic and authentic Indian cuisine.

Aura (“dedicated underground music venue”) opened in 2012 and is now shut. The adjacent The Ladybird Lounge nightclub opened in 2011 (upstairs 10 Mill Lane). The latter’s advert boasts: “as featuring in The Valleys.” You have been warned.

Kapu

11 Mill Lane CF10 1FF (2066 5500)

Kapu Exotic Cocktail Bar and Island Grill opened in June 2012, and as one of the year’s most radical refurbishments. The previous outlet, operated by same owners, was Gios Italian restaurant. The food menu in Kapu focuses on grilled steaks and chicken, ribs, burgers, fish and shrimps; with tofu skewers for vegetarians. Kapu is Hawaiian for forbidden; other Hawaiian phrases and pineapple chunks characterize the menu. Palm tree décor completes the Hawaiian theme; in case you missed it.

Opposite, just beyond Carluccio’s at the end of the Library Building:

Marriot Hotel

Mill Lane CF10 1EZ (2039 9944)

The Cardiff Marriot is a four-star hotel in a prime location, handy for the railway station and the restaurants of the Café Quarter. The main dining location is the Centrale brasserie. Chats downstairs has an outside terrace and is promoting sharing platters and sparkling wine for the Café Quarter crowds this summer.

The Library Building has three eateries on the ground floor. These are also listed as St David’s Centre restaurants (in the centre’s information), but here they will be considered as part of Mill Lane:

Carluccio’s

16 Mill Lane (3 Library Building) CF10 1FL (2023 2630)

Carluccio’s Caffe is a deli and café. This Italian food venture was started by celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio. It is the only Carluccio’s in Wales. Pasta is the big thing here (not pizza), with other features of the menu including the risotto of the day, fish dishes (e.g., fish soup, pan-fried sea bass) and meat dishes (e.g., slow-cooked beef stew, Milanese-style chicken, veal). Open for breakfast. I left with some olive bread and chocolate brownies last time I visited the shop. Events held here include pasta and risotto making classes, and wine tasting evenings.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

15 Mill Lane (2 Library Building) CF10 1FL (2066 8379)

gbk was ahead of the game on the gourmet burger trend, but has now lost some of its usp as gourmet and posh burgers are everywhere. Interesting options include Persian lamb, Wild boar, Avocado bacon, and Blue cheese; though ordering the Bunless burger is probably an indication that you’re in the wrong place. The kids enjoyed it here more than I did, with the milkshakes proving popular. There is another gbk in Cardiff Bay.

Wagamama

14 Mill Lane (1 Library Building) CF10 1EX (2064 1564)

I like the refectory tables and ethos of Wagamama. The food does not seem as economical as it used to be back in the day, but the free green tea helps keep the bill down (and it’s just the thing). Large bowls of ramen noodles have always been the staple, but I’ve been exploring other areas of the menu. On my last visit I went for the Teriyaki chicken donburi: teriyaki-glazed chicken in a bowl on sticky rice, with shaving carrot, water cress, spring onions and sesame seeds on top; served with a fresh crunchy hot relish. Some of the dishes can be surprisingly spicy (in a good way). There is another Wagamama in Cardiff Bay. Take-away can be ordered. The Wagamama Lounge is touring Bestival festivals this summer.

On the corner is the entrance to the main Cardiff Library; head up to the fourth floor for the Food and Drink book section. Outside is Jean-Bernard Metais’s impressive sculpture Alliance, with its circle and spike elements. Peter Finch was responsible for the concrete poetry underneath: twelve historical ways of spelling Cardiff.

Back on the main stretch of Mill Lane, next to Kapu:

ASK Italian

28-32 Wyndham Arcade CF10 1FJ (2034 4665)

ASK Italian restaurant is on the sharp corner of Mill Road and Wyndham Arcade. A 2012 rebrand (with Italian being added to the name) involved a new menu devised with the help of the Theo Randell. Seems a few of the Italian chains are taking these steps to become more distinctive in a crowded marketplace. At first, pizzas on a plank, Frutti di Mare stew, Panzanella, and Sicilian-style gelati; though may have toned the novelty down a notch by now. Good list of imported Italian wines.

Wyndham Arcade was built in 1887 to a design by J.P. Jones. It runs at an angle between St Mary Street and Mill Lane. In Real Cardiff Three (p. 69), Peter Finch describes a throughfare that once housed fruit and veg stalls and an army surplus store. Walk towards St Mary Street: on your left, after Havana House (tobacconists stocking plenty of cigars) and The Bear House (there's a stuffed bear in there somewhere).

Servini’s

6-10 Wyndham Arcade CF10 1FJ (2039 4054)

Servini’s has been in this location for 16 years (after 15 years around the corner in St Mary Street). It’s a family-run business, currently owned by Melvyn Bishop. Servini’s is particularly noted for its large breakfasts; also lunch (e.g., hot baguettes, pasta dishes, salads, and burgers). Seating inside and outside along the covered arcade.

Kiwis

55 St Mary Street CF10 1FE (2039 8965)

Bar encountered when we walked down St Mary Street, where it has its front door. Kiwis used to be in a smaller location in the middle of Wyndham Arcade.

Walk back along the arcade. On the other side, past Rebel Rebel (tattoo parlour and lots of alternative stuff, including those pottery dragons my sister likes):

Bill’s

27-39 Wyndham Arcade CF10 1FH (2023 1524)

Bill’s Restaurants have their origin in London’s Covent Garden and retain a market feel. You first enter a shop section that sells a range of products (e.g., relishes, cooking sauces). Breakfasts are a popular option here. Varied lunch menu encompasses burgers, skewers, mezze plate, salads and plenty of puddings. Meat can be swapped for halloumi for vegetarian options. I ate here last year and thought there was a bit of a mismatch between the rustic image and the fussy food we were served (e.g., very small mussels in a very small pot). There are now over a dozen Bill’s around the UK, owned by restaurant entrepreneur Richard Caring.

Creating a Community Garden 9

In my previous post on Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys (April 2013), I described the completion of the garden and the first plants and seeds going into the soil. The garden is now flourishing and the first crops have been picked.

 

From the uniformity of marked out plots in April, a collection of distinct little gardens has emerged. Each local resident has stamped their own individuality on their patch of ground. Different gardening techniques are being deployed and a wide range of food plants are being grown.

 

I have runner beans, potatoes, peas, chard (yellow and red), spinach, a couple of courgette plants, a couple of bull’s blood beetroot, rhubarb and strawberries on my plot. I have already harvested spinach, and my eldest had the first strawberry. Ok, I should have split those rhubarb crowns up a bit more before transplanting them!

Runner beans and potatoes have been a popular choice to get the garden established. From certain angles the garden looks like a forest of bean poles. There’s a profusion of salad (lettuces, radish etc.), various brassicas (now covered due to pigeons!), broad beans and, amongst other things, sweetcorn, marrow, onions, garlic, tomatoes, beetroot, and herb gardens and flowers.

There are now two communal sheds and two greenhouses on site, and some well-tended deep beds. There is an area for wild flowers to attract beneficial insects. A large water tank is filled from a shed roof, while a mains tap and long hosepipe are available for watering.

The project was set up with the help of Community Foodie (Creative Rural Communities), a Vale of Glamorgan Council initiative to promote local food production. A Steering Group of plotholders has been established, to make sure things continue to run smoothly. The area has been leased to Dinas Powys Resident's Association, who collect the rents (that will pay for water and other costs). There is an email mailing list and a Facebook page for correspondence and discussion.

An area with a table and chairs has become a focus for socializing on sunny days.

A social event in the garden is planned for Saturday 14 September (12-4pm). All welcome.


Nightingale Community Garden on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/nightingalecommunitygarden/

Previous posts:

April 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/creating-community-garden-8.html

March 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/creating-community-garden-7.html

Feb 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/creating-community-garden-6.html

Jan 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html

Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html

Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html

World Environment Day 2013: Vale of Glamorgan

UN World Environment Day (5 June) is marked globally on an ever-increasing scale. Today, the Vale of Glamorgan Council organized its first World Environment Day event at the Civic Offices in Barry. This year’s theme is food waste (“Think Eat Save”).

Councillor Rob Curtis (Cabinet Member for the Environment and Visible Services) welcomed attendees. He set the scene with some stark statistics. Around a third of all food grown is wasted, which is also a massive waste of the energy, water resources and land (especially through deforestation) used in producing food; while 1 in 7 of the world’s population goes hungry. Relatively little food waste occurred 40 years ago, but since then it has become a source of great social injustice and a terrible waste of limited resources. However, a change is now underway, and everyone can play their part in reducing food wastage.

Initiatives taken by the Welsh Assembly Government to address the issue were summarized by Jasper Roberts (Head of Waste and Resources Efficiency, Welsh Government). In recent years, 400,000 tonnes of food have been wasted in Wales annually. A Welsh Government Waste Strategy is now in place to reduce this figure. Instead of it going into costly and environmentally-polluting landfill sites, food waste is increasingly being channelled into recycling, composting and biogas-production schemes. The necessary infrastructure for collecting and processing food waste is being put in place, with the Welsh government favouring anaerobic digestion (AD) as the method to produce energy from food waste.

Clifford Parish (Operations Manager for Waste Management, Vale of Glamorgan Council) noted that all households in the Vale of Glamorgan now have kerbside collections of domestic food waste. This waste is taken to a site in Cowbridge for turning into compost. He noted that meeting high recycling targets was an initial step; reducing the amount of waste actually generated is the next goal. The Council is working with WRAP (Waste action and Resources Action Programme) to identify ways of doing this. WRAP campaigns to reduce waste by focusing on things like smart shopping, good storage, appropriate portion size, reduced packaging, reusable containers and staff training; it can draw upon its long experience of working with the hospitality industry and other food businesses.

John Homfray (Cowbridge Compost) told the story of how a bit of farm diversification led to a major food waste composting operation on the outskirts of Cowbridge. He took in some wood waste for money in 2004, bought a shredder and spread it on his fields. In 2006, the farm was processing the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s green (garden) waste kerbside collections; and by 2011 all the kitchen waste as well. It is planned to process waste with an AD plant by 2015, to produce biogas as well as compost. Green and food waste lorries from around the Vale arrive daily, increasingly joined by lorries from other parts of south Wales. The waste is processed (three tonnes of green waste to one of kitchen waste) by being moved every 4 days along a series of 8 bunkers, and it takes 60 days to mature. Anyone can come to the site and get compost for free (“you’ve already paid for it”), but if you’re collecting in a family car it is advised to keep the windows open!

Rob McGhee (Rural Regeneration Officer for Food) talked about how the Community Foodie initiative is helping communities grow their own food. One of the success stories is Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys, which I have followed from initial planning stage to completion on this blog. One of the aims of Community Foodie is to help reconnect people with food, a big challenge when so much food is processed and too many children do not know how food is grown.

After a lively Q&A session and a break, Elen Jones (Fair Trade Wales) informed us of Fair Trade’s success in getting a fair deal for farmers of crops such as coffee and bananas. The growth in Fair Trade products has been due to consumer pressure. A number of major chocolate and coffee brands now use fair trade ingredients. Fair Trade schemes ensure better working conditions, greater environmental sustainability and a more transparent supply chain. Wales became the first Fair Trade Nation five years ago; around 50 towns and cities, 60% of its schools, and all its universities and colleges have signed up to the scheme. The next challenge is to extend Fair Trade cotton. Elen suggested a big step forward would be for all school uniforms in Wales to be made using Fair Trade cotton.

Anne Sharp (Knowledge and Strategy Manager, Energy Saving Trust) outlined some of the Trust’s behaviour-changing projects in Wales, aimed at reducing energy usage and food waste. The ‘Living Wise Cardiff’ project focussed on 1,000 residences in Rhiwbina, assessing attitudes to energy use before and after an education programme. The results suggested most people had changed their energy use behaviour as a result of the project. A key tool is the Water Energy Calculator, which anyone can use on the Energy Saving Trust’s website.

Craig Mitchell (Welsh Local Government) talked about the Welsh Government-funded Waste Awareness Wales campaign, with its Love Food Hate Waste slogan.  Fresh fruit and vegetables account for 40% by weight of food waste. Other commonly wasted foods are meat, fish, bread, rice and pasta. The campaign raised awareness about wasting perfectly good food, and the economic and environmental benefits of reducing waste.

In addition to the speakers, a number of Information stands proved popular. One stall was devoted to the Change 4 Life campaign. I have cooked all 14 meals in the campaign’s Supermeals recipe book, aiming to get people eating healthily on a low budget. They now have a newer booklet concerning packed lunches for children.

The plastic bag charge introduced by the Welsh Government was acknowledged by several speakers as a very positive step in reducing waste and environmental pollution.  Rob Curtis noted that plastic bags were now much less commonly picked up on Barry Island volunteer beach clean-up days.

Key themes that emerged were communication and education. In particular, campaigns such as those seen at this event should ensure a new generation in Wales do not have the wasteful habits of their parents. Whatever your age, however, it was clear there are many ways for everyone to become involved in changing the scandalous food waste situation.

It is hoped that World Environment Day will become an annual event for the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

Some links:

Nightingale Community Garden
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/creating-community-garden-8.html

Change 4 Life Supermeals Challenge
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/change4life-supermeals-challenge-day-14.html

Cowbridge compost
http://www.cowbridgecompost.com/

Castle Arcade and Castle Street, Cardiff

Castle Arcade is the first of Cardiff’s celebrated Victorian and Edwardian arcades to be visited on this walking tour. Its L-shape connects the High Street with Castle Street. It was built in two stages, between 1882 and 1887; three-story for the most part with a two-story section at the Castle Street end. There are small businesses (e.g., violin maker, wig consultant) and offices (e.g., Friends of the Earth) on the balcony level. All the food businesses are on the ground floor.

On your left as you enter the arcade is Barker menswear (1-5 Castle Arcade). They are currently having a closing down sale. I bought a shirt. Along the arcade or through a door at the back of the shop:

Coffee Barker
7-13 Castle Arcade CF10 1BU (2037 1491)
It started out as an independent clothes shop in 1970, but doubled its size back along the arcade to include a café. Will the café soon extend to the High Street? A possibility. Robert Barker founded the original designer clothes store, while Charlotte Barker now manages Coffee Barker. Stylish and a little quirky, Coffee Barker is a popular place for brunch and lunch. Brunch includes combinations of bacon, sausages and duck eggs (e.g., scrambled with mustard seeds), alongside muesli and porridge. Soup of the day is served with rustic bread and the sandwiches are large. There’s an attractive cake selection and, of course, all the usual tea and coffee options. Coffee Barker is one of Cardiff’s notable indie alternatives to costabucks; and a good place to relax and catch up with the papers. I recently had an enjoyable bacon and egg croissant with coffee, while admiring the décor (e.g., old tiling, art deco glass, brickwork). A dalek and Homer Simpson looked in at me through the window: they keep guard outside The Joke Shop across the arcade.

On the bend in the arcade:

Madame Fromage
21-25 & 18 Castle Arcade CF10 1BU (2064 4888)
Madame Fromage was founded in 2004 by Karen Cunnington; originally in Duke Street but it soon moved to its current location. It’s a family-run café, specialist cheese shop and deli. The café has extended across the arcade (no. 18) into the opposite corner unit; the cooking has tended to focus on Welsh and Breton cuisine. Around 150 cheeses are typically available, predominantly from Wales, England, France and Italy. If you are of a certain age, reading the cheese labels (e.g., Y Fenni, Teifi with laverbread, Stinking Bishop, Bomber, Gorgonzola dulce, Gruyère, Wensleydale) may put you in mind of the Monty Python Cheese shop sketch, although Madame Fromage probably stocks all the cheeses requested in that sketch; with the probable exception of Venezuelan Beaver Cheese (“Not today Sir, no”), which was the only made-up cheese name (though online cheese shop Venissimo claims to stock it!). We are also partial to Pieminister Pies here on the Food Blog, so it was good to hear that since the start of this year Madame Fromage is now stocking them (I left with Heidi and Hamhock). A catering business also operates from here.

Celtic Cakes
37 Castle Arcade CF10 1BW (01633 662684)
Celtic Cakes is on your left as you carry on down the arcade. Here you can order celebratory cakes. The window display is always worth a look: dragons, rugby players and fairytale castles are perennially in fashion.

Opposite are offices of National Theatre of Wales (no. 30), next door to which is Pizza Express (32-34 Castle Arcade). Pizza Express extends through to the High Street, where it has a front door.

Troutmark Books (very good selection of second-hand books) is across the arcade, while on your right toward the exit to Castle Street:

Restaurant Minuet
40-42 Castle Arcade CF10 4BW (2034 1794)
Music lover, chef and former owner Marcello Genesi retired in 2010, after running Café Minuet for 24 years (est. 1986). New owner Nadine Lodwick worked in this Italian restaurant for 20 years, so knows the much-loved recipes and is carrying on the Minuet tradition. Café Minuet recently changed its name to Restaurant Minuet. Classical music informs the décor and the menu descriptions. The menu features pasta, pizza, salads, spinach compositions, meat (mainly chicken) and fish dishes. It’s a small cosy space, with seating extending out into the arcade. Arrive early for lunch, there may be a queue; no table bookings are taken (11am-4.30pm). Certain menu items (e.g., slipper sandwiches, mini pizzas, calzoni) are available to take-away – via the new take-away hatch off the kitchen.

On your right, as we exit to Castle Street is a newsagent. The unit opposite (formerly Cegin y Ddraig and then a florist) is unoccupied.

Exiting Castle Arcade, turn left and walk along Castle Street:

Revolution Bar
9-11 Castle Street CF10 1BS (2023 6689)
This Havana-themed bar, restaurant, and nightclub is a popular party venue. Rum and cocktails to drink, and with a large food menu that includes burgers, pizza, flatbreads, pasta, steaks, fish and chips, salads and sandwiches.

Dempsey’s
15 Castle Street CF10 1BS (2023 9253)
Irish pub owned by Brains Brewery, with a plaque proclaiming it the oldest pub in Cardiff (former names include The Globe). Meals are served at lunchtimes and early evening; with some Irish-influenced pub food washed down with Guinness. There’s an upstairs function room, and the Four Bars music venue (e.g., jazz every Tuesday and Wednesday) 

Riverside Market Garden

A group of us from Nightingale Community Garden went on a study visit to the Riverside Market Garden (RMG) on Friday 12 April. The event was organized by our Vale of Glamorgan Community Foodie Rob McGhee and his colleagues from Torfaen and Bridgend.

The RMG was set up as a social enterprise by RCMA (the organization that operates Riverside Farmers’ Market in Cardiff). It is located on the edge of St Hilary on Coed Hills Farm, which it shares with the Coed Hills Rural Artspace, in the heart of the Vale of Glamorgan. RMG grows food for a local organic vegetable box scheme (with many customers in nearby Cowbridge), the Riverside Farmers’ Market and a number of restaurants in the Cardiff area (e.g., Arboreal in Cowbridge and Casanova in Cardiff). It is run as a cooperative with around 150 local shareholders (shares start at £50).

Head Grower Sophie Durnan gave us an introductory talk, followed by a tour of Coed Hills. The RMG was started four years ago and comprises a 5-acre field, on which are two polytunnels. Crops are grown in rows across the 300 foot-wide field. The focus is on high value crops, and a wide variety of produce for the vegetable boxes. Crops grown include kale, cauliflower and other brassicas, courgettes, squash, leeks, fennel, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a range of salads. We were taken around the field, which will shortly be ploughed ready for the planting of this season’s crops.

The field is split into six areas in terms of crop rotation. Green manures are grown as part of the rotation; this is now known to be the best way to incorporate nitrogen into the soil. A short-term crop, such as rye grass, mustard or clover, which can be subsequently flailed and dug in, improves the soil more than if a field is standing fallow for an equivalent period of time. This philosophy is extended at RMG, where crop residues (e.g., last year’s cauliflowers) are cut up with a flail mower and dug in, rather than being removed and composted. Brassicas are not grown on the same part of the field again for around 5 years, to prevent the recurrence of diseases such as clubroot. The brassicas like the alkaline soil conditions here; though they are covered with a fine plastic mesh to prevent attack by flea beetle, which is prevalent in the area.

The soil at Coed Hills is clayey and stony. Root crops, such as carrots and parsnips are not grown in the field (although there are some early carrots currently in a polytunnel). Potatoes are also not grown; although a small amount may be in future (it is unlikely that RMG will invest in the expensive machinery for growing potatoes on a large scale). For the organic box scheme, potatoes and some other crops are supplied from organic farms in the area.

 

In Dinas Powys, we also have heavy clay in our newly-established Community Garden and we picked up some good tips on working on clay soil (see next Community garden post).

Winter salads are flourishing in the RMG polytunnels. These are not heated, but have produced more salad than they can sell over the winter. Pallets containing seed trays hang from the roof of the tunnels – a good use of available space. Plants grown in the tunnels include broad beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, aubergines, ruby streak mustard and some basil. Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) is currently abundant in the polytunnels and forms the basis of the winter salads produced by RMG, though it was noted how diverse their salad is with flavours from different leaves. Lunch included plenty of miner’s lettuce, along with young carrot tops and other green leaves fresh from the polytunnel, to accompany homemade bread and a choice of borsch or pumpkin soup.

 

After a walk around RMG’s field, we saw the permaculture and forest gardens; the latter has recently been planted. Trees are planted further apart than in a regular orchard, because below them will be a profusion of shrubs and other crops – an entire edible landscape. Drainage ditches (with attractive bridges across) snake across the site to a large pond that is being built at the bottom of the hill. The initial setting up is very important for permaculture and forest gardens. Get it right and things look after themselves, with the diversity meaning there is much less weeding or pest control than in monocultures. A couple of large containers nearby are currently being converted into mushroom production units (e.g., shitake, oyster).

 

 

The Coed Hills Rural Artspace was established at Coed Hills in 1996, as a unique centre for art, sustainability and education. The workshop area was built in 1999 and houses metalwork, woodwork, mosaic, textile, printing studios and facilities, where craftsmen and artists work. Around the site are sculptures, tepees, standing stones and an impressive labyrinth cut into the grass by David Goff-Eveleigh around the time of the National Eisteddfod in the Vale of Glamorgan last year. Diverse activities are available at Coed Hills, from nature conservation demonstrations, to drumming workshops, and a sweat lodge.

 

A key point arising from the day was the benefits that can be derived from people working together in Community Gardens. Bulk orders can be split, seeds swapped and equipment borrowed or exchanged. People learn from each other, both within individual gardens or at meetings such as this one, which concluded with a productive Community Networking session.

 

Riverside Market Garden:

http://www.riversidemarketgarden.co.uk

Community Foodie on Facebook (more photos of the day):

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.499021840155604.1073741827.384372374953885&type=1

 

 

Creating a Community Garden (Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys):

April 2013

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/creating-community-garden-8.html

March 2013

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/creating-community-garden-7.html

Feb 2013

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/creating-community-garden-6.html

Jan 2013

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html

Oct 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html

Aug 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Feb 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

Jan 2012

http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html

 

 

 

Creating a Community Garden 8

In this strand, I have been following the creation of Nightingale Community Garden in Dinas Powys (see links below), on a site that was formerly an unsightly abandoned play area. This month, local residents started gardening there for the first time.

The contractors (Gerald Davies Ltd) finished work on the Community Garden on 6 March, when the compacted red gravel pathways were completed.

On 14 March, Stuart Hockley led work on subdividing the plots with wooden planking, helped by Keith Hatton and Rob McGhee of the Vale of Glamorgan’s Community Foodie initiative. I helped with a couple of borders, including the one to my own plot.

A secure shed was erected on the concrete area at the back of the site. Four deep beds have also being set up in this area. Giles Metcalf has worked on the deep beds and the wood from the cut trees, some of which will be used in the garden.
 

More recently, screening has been placed along the far fence by the shed to provide the neighbour on that side with more privacy.

A tap now provides water in the garden. Rain water is also being collected off the shed roof in a storage tank.

On Sat 16 March, the official hand-over took place. Elizabeth Millard collected the money, in her role as chairperson of the Dinas Powys Resident’s Group (who have taken on the lease of the land from the council), and Plot Holder Agreement forms were signed. Merry Metcalf took on the role of garden secretary on a temporary basis, making sure all the necessary paperwork was in order for the handover.

Charges are being made according to plot size: £1 per metre squared. This should raise £537 in the first year toward water rates and other running costs of the garden, which now needs to be self-financing.

Councillor Keith Hatton, who co-initiated the project and has been involved throughout, along with Rob McGhee, welcomed local residents on hand-over day. They explained arrangements for the combination locks (on the gate, shed and water tap) and future plans for the garden (e.g., greenhouses). Plot-holders were reminded not to park on nearby grass verges, not to hang coats over fences, not to walk mud onto the public footpath, and generally respect the fact that the garden is in a residential area. An official Opening Day is being planned for May or June.

The first plants in at Nightingale Community Garden were broad beans transplanted by Angela Peterken and her team. Angela is working with five families associated with Dinas Powys Infants School on the garden’s largest plot.

Unfortunately, the weather during the first couple of weeks was very cold and wet. This, together with the heavy clay soil that is hard work to dig over and retains the water, meant that little work got done during the rest of March.

Many of the plots were rotavated on 11 April to help break up the clay. This made a big difference. Sand and grit is also coming this week, for those who want to work it into their plots.

On Sat 13 April, this rhubarb was the first thing I planted in my plot.

I expect when spring eventually does arrive, we will see more action on the gardening front and I’ll report next month on developments. In the meantime, a group from Nightingale Community Garden, myself included, went on a Community Foodie-organized trip to the Riverside Community Garden (Coed Hills near St Hilary in the Vale of Glamorgan) to pick up some tips. That will be the subject of my next post in this strand of the food blog.

Previous posts:

March 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/creating-community-garden-7.html
Feb 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/creating-community-garden-6.html
Jan 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html
Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html
Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html
Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html
Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html

 

Pontcanna 2

We are in Pontcanna, Cardiff. Turn right into King’s Road. On your left is The Dairy (200 King’s Road). I found little information about this building actually being used as a dairy, but it was formerly Pontcanna Pine Warehouse, a flea market, and it was nearly turned into 14 flats and a convenience store. More recently, it was a design hub and the location for a Ffotogallery exhibition in 2011. Now, at weekends, it has become Cardiff Street Feast: a large-scale Supper Club with Milgi, Chucks, and the Tiny Rebel Brewery.

Opposite, down a courtyard:

Artisan Brewing Co.
183a King’s Road CF11 9DF
Simon Doherty started the Artisan Brewing Co. in a converted garage at the end of the driveway here in 2008. His microbrewery specializes in making continental-style lagers, and he is not afraid to experiment. The beers have been sold under the Bare Naked Beer brand-name. However, Pepsi won a two-year copyright case to stop the use of the word Naked in this context. I interviewed Simon for the Buzz Food and Drink Guide 2011 (link below), and caught up with him again for this post to find out about the rebranding of Artisan Brewery Co. beers.

While Simon was overwintering in Australia and Thailand, a re-branding competition to name ‘The Beer with no name’ (I liked that name!) was running on the Artisan Brewing Co. website. After due consideration, Simon announced the new brand-name last Saturday (2 March). In the end, it was one he had been thinking about himself for a while: Pipes. He is surrounded by pipes in his garage brewery. So we need to get used to ordering “a pint of Pipes”. The new artwork will be unveiled shortly and, reassuring, the beers remain the same. You can buy bottled beers direct from the brewery on Saturday afternoons (noon to 6pm), and get them on draught there on the first Saturday of each month or in independent bars around Cardiff, including Milgi Lounge. I had a fine pint of the Bavarian wheat beer in Gwdihw last week, before a meal in Madeira. Other current brews include Bohemian Pilsner, Helles Lager (Munich style), Smoked lager, and ALT beer.

My interview with Simon Doherty in Buzz Food and Drink Guide 2011 (p. 24): http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1tciv/BuzzFoodandDrinkGuid/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=
Across the road:

Kemi's at Pontcanna
186-188 King’s Road CF11 9DF (2037 2055)
Kemi’s opened here in Septmber 2012, building on the success of Kemi’s@Craft in the Bay (Cardiff Bay). There was a free sampling celebration last Friday (1 March) to mark the first six months. The Lunch Menu offers salads, including Kemi’s salad feast and exotic salads, quiche, baguettes and jacket potatoes; with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. There are cakes and desserts, served with hot and cold drinks, from 9am to 5 pm (10am weekends). Kemi’s is family-friendly, with the Little Menu aimed at little ones.  The café is eat-in or take-out, with a range of food in the deli-style display counter. Kemi’s cater for dinner parties and weddings, and also run a cookery school. This was formerly the site of Wyatt’s Garden Store and, for a while, Crème Café.

On the other side of the King’s Road:

Mimosa Lounge (175 King’s Road) closed in July 2012 and this site is currently empty (Mimosa Kitchen & Bar in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay, on the other hand, has recently re-opened after a major refurbishment).

The Cinnamon Tree
173 King’s Road CF11 9DE (2037 4433)
A popular and traditional family-run Indian restaurant, owned by the Uzzaman Brothers; their father opened the family’s first Indian restaurant in 1960 on Wellfield Road. Classic Indian restaurant dishes, though the menu also features surprises that have previously included ostrich, duck and venison dishes. The restaurant is one two floors, with the buffet being a popular option.

It's worth having a look in Caban (160 King’s Road), a Welsh-language bookshop that also sells Welsh-language and local artist CDs. You can get a coffee here at the counter, and there are a couple of seats by the window.

King's Road carries on in a southerly direction to join Cowbridge Road East (we visited La Cuina, 11 King’s Road when we walked down Cowbridge Road East).

Turn around, cross Sneyd Street, pass Flowers with a Twist florist, and start walking up Pontcanna Street.

On you left:

Cameo Club
3-5 Pontcanna Street CF11 9HQ (2022 0466)
The Cameo Club Bar Bistro and Lounge is a members-only club that dates from the 1960s. A recent development lets non-members eat in the bistro at lunchtime.

Keep walking along Pontcanna Street. On the corner with Estyn Street:

Brava
71 Pontcanna Street CF11 9HS (2037 1929)
Brava café and restaurant opened just over a decade ago. It offers breakfast and brunch, from 8am (e.g., American pancakes, eggs benedict, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs), and lunch (e.g., soup, quiche, burgers, pasta dishes and salads). In the evening, Brava takes on a bistro atmosphere and serves meals until 9pm. Brava encourages BYO: no corkage after 6pm. Owners Andrew and Lee are keen to source Welsh produce. Brava displays work by local artists.

The Smoke House
77 Pontcanna Street CF11 9HS (2034 4628)
Earlier this year, Diner 77 closed on this site. It had operated here since 1977. Fans of its American dining ethos, however, need not fear, because new venture - The Smoke House - will retain the American-style diner feel while updating the style. The new owners are Richard and Jaz Davies, and the Head Chef is Sean Lewis. Authentic American BBQ will be on offer from their Hickory Burning Smoker: ‘Memphis’ style dry rub pork ribs, Hickory slow smoked beef brisket and BBQ chicken. Also on the menu will be grills and burgers, including classic rib-eye steak and blackened butt (I guess that one might taste better than it sounds), while you will also find dishes for “non-smokers”, including shrimp and tuna. All will be revealed when The Smoke House opens later this month, on Friday 15 March.

Cibo
83 Pontcanna Street CF11 9PH (2023 2226)
Cibo Italian Café Bar opened here about 15 years ago and is popular for its Italian bistro food and coffee. The menu features pizzas, such as the Fiorentina (spinach, egg and nutmeg), calzones like the Calzone al Cibo (Gorno’s Italian sausage, tomato, spinach, parmesan and taleggio), pasta dishes, and main course salads. They do take-away and delivery, which can now be done online.

Fish at 85
85 Pontcanna Street CF11 9HS (2002 0212)
Fishmonger and restaurant operated by Channel Fisheries (of Brixham, Devon). Opened in June 2011 and managed by John Lester, this is the company’s first retail outlet (although they supply many restaurants, shops, and even the Royal Family by appointment). Padrig Jones is Chef. Mussels, oysters, scallops, squid and a wide range of fish on the menu and on the fishmonger’s slab, some fairly unusual. You can come in and purchase fish to cook at home, or choose your fish and get them to cook it. They supply several top local restaurants with fish and seafood; when I walked past the small Pier 64 van pulled up outside. A new a la carte menu has been launched in the 20-cover restaurant, which includes Roast Monkfish, boulangere Potatoes and creamy curried mussels; and Sole, pak choi, mash, sherry and shallot Jus. There’s also a fixed-price menu. Eating here is not for everyone, with the sight and aroma of the long fish counter nearby, but it has become a minor mecca for Cardiff’s fish and seafood lovers. Fish at 85 has recently starting cooking classes.

Pontcanna Post Office and Pontcanna Stores
89-93 Pontcanna Street CF11 9HS
Convenience food store, off-licence and post office.

At the end of Pontcanna Street you’ll see Coffee #1, the big Brains-owned coffee shop, which we will pass again shortly when we walk down Cathedral Road. Take the left turn down Mortimer Road.

Walk along to the junction of Mortimer Road and Conway Road:

The Conway
58 Conway Road CF11 9NW (2022 4373)
The Conway pub had a major overhaul when the Knife and Fork Food Company (who also own Woods Brasserie in Cardiff Bay) took it over in 2009. Inside, the division of traditional drinker’s bar for locals and lounge dining room has been retained. The new Conway quickly gained a good reputation for food (and has had repeated entries in the Michelin Pub Guide). Chef Stefan Nilsson likes cooking fish and offers signature dishes like Hake, new potatoes, samphire and cask cider sauce. Vegetarians are well-catered for, with dishes such as Halloumi stack with sweet pepper and avocado butter chips and onion rings. The menu is constantly changing, as you would expect when good seasonal food is on offer. In addition to modern takes on classics like fish and chips, expect the odd curveball (e.g., Chocolate ganache with Irn-Bru caramel). Wye Valley ales are the house beer. A model gastropub (just when it was becoming a dread word). Quiz night is Sunday. The Conway also hosts special event evenings. Recently Nick Otley was here launching a new Otley Brew, while on 12 March there’s a Pudding Club, with the patisserie chef Stefan Romare visiting from Stockholm.

Creating a Community Garden 7

For the past year, I have been chronicling the creation of a Community Garden in Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan. The garden was recently christened Nightingale Community Garden, because it lies between Nightingale Place and Sir Ivor Place. The first meeting was held in January 2012 and the main contractors - Gerald Davies Ltd - started working on the site a year later. They should be finished by the end of next week. Local residents will take charge of their plots in mid-March and start growing their own food.

The topsoil started arriving on 18 February: 340 tons of it from a location in Llantwit Major. It was spread about a foot thick across the site.

Once all the topsoil was down, the compost started arriving. This was obtained from a farm on the far side of Cowbridge. It was made from the Vale of Glamorgan’s kerbside kitchen caddy and garden waste recycling collections. Local residents were very understanding, as the process was a little smelly. The compost formed a layer 6-8 inches on top.

The pathways were marked out, and constructed using wooden edging and gravel.

The area left to concrete in the corner behind the electricity sub-station will be used for a communal shed, seating and BBQ, and deep-beds. In the longer term, a greenhouse is also planned. A tap will soon be fitted in this area, from an extension of the Welsh Water network.

The steering committee drew up plans for the plots and assigned them to those who have expressed an interest. At a meeting this morning (2 March 2013) people saw for the first time the size and location of their plots. Gravel boards will be used to further sub-divide the main plots.

Elizabeth Millard (Chairperson of the Dinas Powys Residents Group) and Councillor Keith Hatton, who initiated the project over a year ago, addressed those assembled. They thanked Rob McGhee of Creative Rural Communities for project managing so effectively and stressed the community aspect of the garden. They summarized what had been achieved and what is planned.

The next meeting at Nightingale Community Garden will be on Saturday 16 March at 10am. Plot holders will be given a Plot Holder Agreement to sign and asked for the first years hire money (to cover costs of water etc - the Community Garden needs to be self-financing). They can then take control of their plots. I will report back, as the first plants are transplanted and the first seeds are sown.

Previous posts:

Feb 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/creating-community-garden-6.html

Jan 2013
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/creating-community-garden-5.html

Oct 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/creating-community-garden-4.html

Aug 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/creating-community-garden-3.html

Feb 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/creating-community-garden-2.html

Jan 2012
http://sfnottingham.blogspot.com/2012/01/creating-community-garden.html