TROY
If your global cuisine of choice isn’t available from one of the sizeable selection of walkout eateries on Cardiff’s Albany Road, chances are a short stroll to City Road will remedy the problem. Takeaways are ten a penny; though cosy, cheerfully priced sit-down joints are rather more rare. Behind its modest awning and kebab shop front section, Troy’s charcoal grill restaurant and meze bar is slightly squirreled away, merely adding to a hidden treasure aura.

Specialising in lip-smacking Turkish and Mediterranean dishes, overwhelming first impressions are the menu’s sheer breadth. Lengthy deliberations later we select Karisik Meze, a colourful selection of cold starters including couscous, stuffed vine leaves, hummus and assorted green vegetables that conjures up images of hearty Aegean banquets. My partner, meanwhile, plumps for a traditional takeaway staple, fried vegetable rolls, piping hot parcels of nutritious goodness. If Troy’s starters don’t sate appetites then their mains definitely will. Tavuk Kanat is our personal recommendation, plentiful chicken wings grilled to perfection in full view of the restaurant, served with salad and rice. Mushroom-based vegetarian option Mantar Sote also went down well, overflowing with tomatoes, onions, peppers and a covering of cheese.

Refreshments are equally appealing, with free Turkish Tea offered for afters and a miscellany of Turkish, Cypriot and Kurdish wines, plus potent Turkish spirit Efe Raki that separates the men from the boys. And Troy’s distinctly continental opening hours trump nearby competition, meaning more nocturnal diners and those seeking a late lunch/early evening meal can fill up on a touch of culture without breaking the bank. Gloriously traditionally Turkish - from the first whiff of the charcoal grill to the last Efe Raki whipcrack to the back of the throat.

Adam Kennedy

Troy
192 City Road
Cardiff
CF24 3JF
029 2049 9339
www.troyrestaurant.co.uk

Brasserie Centrale
The Marriott Hotel might seem like an odd place to be promised a ‘home from home’ experience, but that is what the Brasserie Centrale claimed to offer as J and I arrived at the recently refurbished fine-dining restaurant in said place of posh kip.
To become suitably appetized, we shared the charcuterie board: sourdough, and a variety of cured meats with cornichons, pickled onions (yes!) and tangy mustard getting our taste buds on their toes for what was to come.

J then officially started with a huge portion of wild mushrooms on brioche, perfect comfort food to settle the fragile post-Bank Holiday psyche, while I had the escargot because… well because I could.

For mains, J had the special – red mullet with an apricot and raisin piqued basmati timbale that somehow pulled off the neat trick of crossing a number of continents while managing to keep the caravan of flavours in tow. I had the salmon and prawn fishcakes. Robust and big on taste compared to the more delicately spiced ‘Thai’ affairs we are used to nowadays, these were old-school in the best way imaginable and served with hollandaise sauce, poached egg and a bed of spinach that would have troubled Popeye himself.

Finishing with crème brulee for J, and chocolate mousse for me, I weebled my way back to my actual home with the nagging feeling that if the Marriott truly is representative of a ‘home from home’ experience, particularly in terms of the excellent service, I am obviously short-changing myself back at my humble abode.

Matthew David Scott

Brasserie Centrale
Cardiff Marriott Hotel
Mill Lane
Cardiff CF10 1EZ
029 2039 9944

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