Time for a new challenge I thought. How about sampling some of the local cuisine on offer? You know me, I like to do things in order, not have too much choice. That way I don’t have to make a decision on where to go next. So I thought I would go to one of our local streets, Wellfield Road, start at one end and see how far I got. Here’s the story to date:
Yamas
Yamas Greek restaurant is a recent arrival in Wellfield Road from a couple of years ago but now seemingly firmly established and was serving to a full house the evening we were there. A warm summer’s evening certainly helped convey a Greek atmosphere. We had the Saganaki Cheese (grilled cheese with honey and sesame) and a Yiasou (chicken and pork gyros, a chicken and a pork souvlaki, a Greek sausage and a stuffed bifteki with pita, salad and fries). Left very full!
Troy
Troy Grill & Meze Bar moved into Wellfield Road in around 2019 into the old Home Zone curtain shop (where will we go next time for our curtains?). It is Kurdish cuisine made and served by friendly smiling faces. We started with some tasty Muska Boregi (pastry filled with feta cheese & parsley) before moving onto some freshly cooked shish served with rice and salad.
Wok to Walk
A world-wide franchise with around 15 outlets in UK. It arrived in Wellfield Road in 2012. You order the noodle, filling and sauce combination you want and it’s made there for you in front of your eyes. Their tag line is ‘cooked with lightning’. The scientist in me was tempted to ask how exactly. I had the chicken katsu, egg noodles and Hong Kong sweet and sour sauce, in a box filled to the brim. All very tasty.
Subway
Subway has been in Wellfield Road since round 2010, moving into that was the old travel agent (remember those?).
A friendly place and popular hang-out for local schoolchildren. I had the chicken teriyaki on toasted 9-grain multi-seeded bread with cheese, lettuce, tomato and olives and hickory smoked BBQ sauce plus a chocolate cookie and pepsi to send the calorie calculator into meltdown. I always find eating a Subway such a messy affair and end up needing a shower afterwards.
Tesco
Back in the 60’s and 70’s these premises used to be Cirel’s, the gentleman outfitters. Before Tesco arrived in about 2010, it used to be One Stop.
My meal deal included crumbly Greek Feta salad made up of feta and semi-dried tomato and pasta and a mango, passion fruit and apple smoothie and some mild cheese and onion crisps. The labelling seemed keen to emphasise what I was missing which was 45% of the salt, all the sugar and all the mayonnaise.
Bentley’s
A café since the 1940s. Used to be the Penylan Café/bakery, then became Ferrari’s Café before becoming Bentley’s. It had a brief time as Chai Street Kitchen in 2017 before the current reincarnation of Bentley’s. Ever so popular, with customers queuing out the door the day we visited. We had the Set Breakfast which filled us up nicely for the rest of the day.
Greggs
I fought my way past security, cleverly disguised as four red bins and into this popular bakery chain outlet which arrived in Wellfield Road around 2010. No spare seats today so I took my coffee and vegan sausage roll to the nearby park and sat in the Spring sunshine.
Waterloo
This is one of five teahouses in the chain that began in nearby Waterloo Gardens. They have been here in Wellfield Road since 2019. They moved into, what was way back, Tilley’s shoe shop and for a while kept the H.A.Tilley shop-sign uncovered during the restoration.
We shared a poached egg with hollandaise and spinach on sourdough toast plus poached avocado, miso ‘butter’, crispy onion, seeds, chilli oil, on sourdough washed down with Yunnan Gold black tea and genmaicha green tea.
Coffee #1
The ever popular Coffee #1 chain was started in Wood Street, Cardiff in 2001. In 2011 it was purchased by the brewery S.A.Brains. it now has 100 outlets and since last year it has been fully owned by Café Nero. It has been in Wellfield Road since ~2007.
Tŷ Melin
Tŷ Melin (Mill House) Bakery is a fairly recent and welcome addition to Wellfield Road, arriving in 2021. It’s their second shop, the first being in Cardiff Marina.
You are looking at a picture of a man defeated by a cake – a first for me. Their almond pain au chocolat are humongous. A doggy bag was needed.
Cameo
A lovely vegan board with sides of bread and skinny fries, sat in the sunshine with a beer and coffee – what’s not to like.
Never been here before and never will again as we learnt it’s closing on Monday and re-opening in a month’s time as something else. I can see this is going to be a never ending project!
I wonder if the Ruth Jones painting is going to stay. What’s occurring?
Saraztro
What better way to brighten up a grey day than to wander down Wellfield Road for a bit of lunch. Saraztro Greek Restaurant & Bar opened around 2019 and now seems well established and nicely busy at lunchtime. A chicken souvlaki wrap and a halloumi wrap went down a treat.
Green & Jenks
Green & Jenks deli have a long history in the area going back to a dairy business in the early 1900s in Mackintosh Place. They have had a deli in Monmouth for many years and about six years ago returned to Roath and opened up in Wellfield Road, fighting to establish themselves at one end of a crowded market.
They have remodelled lately, doing away with their gelato and take-away coffee and replacing it with vegetables and a gift shop.
I was about to give them a miss when I noticed their cake offering and grabbed some Gower coffee whilst I was there. Whoever would have thought that global warming has reached the extent that they can now grow coffee on the Gower.
Joe’s
It’s probably 45 years since I had my first Joe’s Ice Cream in Swansea. I used to walk past the shop in St Helens Road every day on the way to and from college. They have been in Wellfield Road now for many years but of us had ever been there, so today we put that right.
I was sat there working out on my fingers how long ago I had my first Joe’s when a lady on the next table, of senior years, said she was 12 when she first had hers in Swansea. That beat me so I shut up from then on and enjoyed my chocolate sundae.
Cardiff Capers 