*Sadly, Kindle has now closed but they are still around in pop up form*
I recently joined a couple of friends for lunch in Cardiff. I don’t get over there often enough but always enjoy it when I do. We went to Kindle, both very central and hidden away on the edge of Sophia Gardens. The central building is the old park warden’s house, but that’s not where you’ll be eating. It’s home to the toilets and the kitchen. You’ll be sat either outside or in a purpose built wooden lodge.
On arrival, we were taken to the wooden lodge and offered blankets and hot water bottles! It was a windy February day so these were gratefully received although I’d note, it wasn’t cold in there, just not as warm as being properly inside.
Surrounded by natural shades and snuggled under my blanket, I felt an instant calm wash over me. People around us sensed it too, I think, talking in hushed tones as they sipped their wine and tucked in to their food. It was lovely.
Sharing plates
Hmm…where to start?
From the nibbles menu we had the sangak flatbread with burnt onion butter and the haggis empanadas. When you first see the butter, ashen gray, it’s a bit off putting but once it hit my tongue, any concerns I had disappeared. Delicious – somehow smoky and sweet at the same time and perfect smeared on the bread. The empanadas were tasty too, although I’d be hard pressed to tell you it was haggis in them.
From the plates menu, we ordered a lot. The dishes came out in waves and soon the table was piling up with them, much to our delight! We ordered two plates of the baked potato with garlic aioli and I’m so pleased we did. Not because there wasn’t enough food (far from it) but simply because they were SO good. Crispy, charry, soft in the middle and perfect dunked in that powerful aioli.
Next up came the savoy cabbage with hot hone and smoked ghee followed quickly by the roast gem lettuce with capers, parsley and white anchovy (I bloody love fresh anchovies and they pair perfectly with capers so this one was always going to be a winner). Again, the charring on the savoy cabbage was quite shocking to see, almost black in places, but tasted fantastic. No idea how they did it but wow!
And the plates kept coming!
Then we had the fired carrots with cashew nut and chilli crisp. The carrots were one of my favourite dishes. Sweet and soft with another excellent sauce – this time creamy and earthy cashew. That, with the chilli, made for an absolutely perfect bite.
The next few plates included grilled mackerel with creamed fennel and pickled apple and huevos rancheros with beetroot salsa. The mackerel was my least favourite dish of the day. The pickled apple was much needed to pep up the creaminess of the fish and the fennel. The huevos rancheros on the other hand was one of my favourites. With a soft poached egg, it was difficult to share between three but we managed. The crunch of the little tortilla chips with the jalapenos and musky beetroot was heavenly.
The final dish of the day was a flat iron steak with crispy shallot and burger sauce. The smoky charred edges gave way to pink tender meat and the crispy shallots were the perfect accompaniment. I’d say though, even if you’re a big meat eater, open your mind to the veg dishes because actually, that’s where Kindle’s strength lies (or did that day!).
Final thoughts…
No dessert – we were way too full! The Kindle menu is made up of sharing plates. They recommend between 2-3 per person although being three food lovers, we ordered more than that! In fact, as you can see, we settled on 11 dishes and there was PLENTY of food! These are not ‘small’ plates, they’re sharing plates and the portions are good. We paid around £90 for lunch (including 3 soft drinks) which felt eminently reasonable for such a special meal.
The menu is plant-heavy but not devoid of meat, if that’s your thing. They focus on provenance and seasonality (with their own veg beds out the front) and cook over fire and wood smoke. The last place that cooked in this style, this well was The Cauldron which we adored but is sadly no longer open. Fortunately, next time I want seasonal ingredient-led cooking done over coals and on a smoker, I’ve got a new spot to go to. And believe me, I’ll be back soon. Kindle is fantastic. I’ll be dreaming of those potatoes for a long time to come.
