Sharing food at your fingertips
T idbits
Issue 1
How to make mezze page 7
Inter nat ional shar ing f ood page 4
C ross restaurant reviews page 2
Local List ings page 8
Double Super Happy: inter view page 4
W here t o buy pr oduce
page 6
@TidbitsMag
The Tidbits Team
Review
Meet the food-loving, tapas-scoffing and mezze-making Tidbits team. Bringing you the very best in international sharing food from around Cardiff is Char Dallin, Lily Howes, Emma Pocklington and Emilee Tombs. Tidbits has been created for the Cardiff JOMEC Magazine MA. We wanted to create a food magazine with a specific focus that could appeal to an audience who enjoy sharing good quality food, of all varieties, both in and out of the home.
For more from Tid bits follow us on Twitter @Tid bitsMag
Three ways with rice
Troy
Yalanci Dolma
These crispy vine leaves are stuffed with stodgy rice mixed with pinenuts. The crunchy wrap of the leaves works well with the soft and tangy filling. With lashings of oil and served with lemon and pepper for extra zest these mini-wraps make a great starter or nibble. £3.50 Troy serves authentic Turkish cusine.
Tenkaichi
Tuna and salmon sashmi bento box
Maki rolls are a familiar sight with sushi and these are some of the best. Filled with crab sticks and cucumber and wrapped in seaweed they have a subtle, almost sweet taste. These rolls came in a bowl with raw fish, salad, pickled ginger and firey wasabi. The perfect option for sharing. £11.30 Tenkaichi provides healthy sushi and noodles.
See listings (page 8) for full details of restaurants
ROTI
Bhel Puri
Part fresh, sweet salsa and part crunchy, zingy snack, Bhel Puri is a medley of spiced, puffed rice grains tossed with chutney, chickpeas, red onion and fresh coriander. Incredibly moorish and the perfect Indian sharing dish, Bhel puri is iconic in West India and incredibly is also low in fat. £2.00
ROTI serves South Indian street food.
Interview 3
Double Super Happy chappy
Make way for the new Tokyo-inspired bar serving up the swankiest sharing food this city has to offer Double Super Happy is the brainchild of Matthew Dalley and David Griffiths, owners of renowned tapas bar Pica Pica. Tidbits sat down with their valued manager, Jamie McGowan, to suss out what this trendy new establishment has to offer. Meeting right before opening on a Friday evening, Jamie and his team are preparing for the weekend rush. I’m ushered to a corner booth as a troupe of waiters in matching black attire set up a strip of tables that have been booked out in advance. “We had our proper, big opening at the beginning of November,” Jamie explains, “but we’ve been trading for about three months before that. We had a soft opening first of all as we wanted to learn all the dishes inside out.” Jamie was brought in as the new manager of Pica Pica just over a year ago. The owners of the Mediterranean tapas bar in Cardiff city centre were looking for someone who had the potential to get on board with the launch of Double Super Happy and work closely with the Pica Pica team. Jamie, very happily, fit the bill. It is abundantly clear that Jamie is passionate about both restaurants and is a very hands-on manager. “I was a big part of the food, the drinks and the design of the place,” he says as he goes on to
DSH’s speciality dim sum meticulously describe the menu. Double Super Happy serves “pan-Asian tapas”, as described by Jamie. Just as at a tapas bar, you’re encouraged to order three or four dishes each and share them with the people you’re with. “That way you get to try a bit of everything,” he says. The dishes range from traditional Chinese dim sum, steamed savoury parcels with fish, meat or vegetable fillings, to satay, spring rolls and Singaporean long yard beans. Jamie explains that meals at Double Super Happy are an incredibly social experience with diners switching and swapping dishes and using all their senses. “People get stuck in with their hands or chopsticks but we do have cutlery on hand where necessary!” Jamie reassures. The mix of flavours, aromas and colours in the cuisine,
combined with the lively music and atmosphere of the hip and modern setting come together to form the ultimate sharing food experience. And let’s not forget the drinks. To wash down your alternative tapas choose between a selection of beers imported from China, Japan and Thailand, sake (rice wine) or Japanese spirit, schochu. Alternatively try one of Double Super Happy’s original cocktails. Sip on a Tokyo Tea midori and white spirits topped with citrus and lemonade - or a lychee and roses martini. If you’ve popped in to grab a bite to eat on your lunch break then never fear as the DSH team have a variety of Japanese teas and other soft drinks available too. “Trade is really picking up and the response we’ve had from local food reviewers and bloggers has been great,” says Jamie. And if the success of sister restaurant Pica Pica is anything to go by, no doubt Double Super Happy will have secured itself as a Cardiff hotspot in no time.
“Dishes range
from dim sum to satay, spring rolls and Singaporean long yard beans”
Jamie, focused for the weekend rush.
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sharing food from Greece – Mezze
Spain – Tapas
Small dishes served hot or cold such as octopus, olives, beans, grilled cheeses and fried sausages. It is common in Greece for mezze to be served with Ouzo, an aniseed flavoured drink which is a symbol of their culture.
The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal. The word ‘tapas’ is derived from the Spanish word ‘tapar’ which means ‘to cover.’ Traditionally, small plates of nibbles would be placed over the top of a glass to prevent dust and flies getting into a drink in between sips. Many foods used as tapas are salty, in order to encourage the sale of more drinks at a bar. Common tapas in Spain includes a mix of cold and warm dishes such as: meatballs, olives, squid, chorizo, prawns and spicy potatoes.
Venice – Cicchetti
Cicchetti are small snacks or side dishes served in bars in Venice, Italy. Common cicchetti include tiny sandwiches, olives, vegetables and hard boiled eggs. They are usually accompanied by a glass of wine which the locals call an ‘ombra’, meaning ‘shadow.’
Argentina – Picada
Picada is a type of sharing food eaten in Argentina. It is usually only cold dishes such as olives, ham, salami and different types of cheese.
around the world
Feature 5
Sharing food doesn’t just mean tapas..
Russia – Zakuski
Zakuski consists of cured meats and fish, pickled vegetables and bread, served as a buffet of appetizers to share.
Korea – Banchan
Banchan are small dishes of food set in the middle of the table to be shared. The main ingredients used in Banchan are vegetables and fish.
China – Dim Sum
Dim Sum is Chinese food served as small, bite-sized portions. It includes steamed parcels filled with meat, fish or vegetables.
India – Thali
Thali, which translates as ‘plate,’ is a large selection of various dishes served in small bowls. Typical dishes include rice, dal, vegetables and roti. In some restaurants, Thali is ‘bottomless’ so that guests can share and eat the food until completely satisfied.
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Get shopping
Ingredients
So you’ve got your recipe and your dinner party planned. Now all you need is some good quality, fresh produce. Tidbits has it covered with three of the best ingredient sources in the city. See our listings (page 8) for location details.
Wally’s Deli
Pring Family Butchers
Nestled away in the Royal Arcade lies a Cardiff landmark: Wally’s Delicatessen. Head here for fresh olives and antipasti, an abundance of cheese, bread and organic, locally sourced meat. Grab some after dinner sweet treats and seasonal produce too.
Pring Family Butchers on Crwys Road in Cathays does what it says on the tin. Good value and good quality meat delivered with a smile. The team here are more than happy to cut or dress your meat to your preference - even making gluten free sausages.
Cardiff Markets There are a plethora of markets in and around Cardiff throughout the week. Highly recommended are the farmers’ markets at Roath and Riverside selling fruit and veg, baked goods, olives, herbs and spices, all from local farmers and traders.
Making mezze
How to... 7
Grilled Aubergine Slice each aubergine in half lengthways and score down the flesh side. Soak with oil and sprinkle over the spices. Leave in the oven on 200 degrees C/Gas Mark 6 for 40 minutes until completely soft and charred. Mix together the yoghurt, lemon and mint and serve on top of the cooked aubergines.
140ml olive oil 2 medium aubergines Greek yoghurt 1 tbsp lemon juice 10g fresh mint.
2 garlic cloves, crushed, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander 1 tsp chilli f lakes 1 tsp sweet paprika
2 garlic cloves, crushed 400g Minced beef 30g f lat leaf parsley 1 large medium hot chilli 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp allspice Pinch of black pepper
Lamb Kofta
150g light tahini paste 3 tbsp lemon juice, 120ml water 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tbsp sunf lower oil 50g Pine nuts toasted 1 tsp nutmeg Pinch of salt
Put all the kofta ingredients in a bowl, mix well and shape into small torpedo shaped balls. Sear the kofta in a hot pan until browned on the outside. Meanwhile mix together the dressing and once the kofta are browned spoon it over them. Transfer to a 200 degrees C/Gas Mark 7 for 2-4 minutes. Arrange on a plate and scatter with pine nuts and parsley.
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Local Listings
Where to eat
Deli Rouge 73 Pen-y-wain Pear Tree Wellfield Road 029 2025 2042 Road 02920483871 Pica Pica 15-23 Westgate Fino Louge 49 Merthyr Street 02930345703 Road 02920 692616 Pretence 83 Whitchurch Road 02920 613658 Mango 105 Cathays Terrace 0290228221 Puccini 120 Albany Road 02920493031 Where to shop Bant a la Cart 231 Food St. Caterers of Cathedral Road 02920 Cardiff caterers-cardiff. 227180 co.uk Continental Deilcatessen Gusto Emporium Llandaff 160 City Road 02920 02920 568606 425240 Deli a GoGo Whitchurch 02920 610956
... n r a e l o t e r sh Whe eyard - Wel n Llanerch vi ng classes tapas cooki 1 07979 14129
Listings
RO T I 290 North road 02920 610334 Tenkaichi 236 City Road 02920 481888 Troy 192 City Road 02920 499339 Valentinos 5 Windsor P lace 02920 229697 Madame Fromage 18 Castle Street 029 2064 4888 Wally’s Delicatessen 38-46 Royal Arcade 029 2022 9265