Le Mandela
On a cold morning in January I found myself on Penarth Road in Le Mandela. I’d made a commitment in the new year to spending more time eating around Grangetown.
I’ll keep this brief: the experience wasn’t good. There was a major issue with a dish I ordered, and the issue wasn’t handled well.
I left feeling dejected. I wanted to give them another chance, so returned on Sunday of that week. They were closed at the time we arrived, despite Google opening hours stating differently. My new years resolution was in tatters and I skulked over to Brother Thai for a shoulder to cry on that I could trust.
This resolution was remedied in April when I visited the excellent Lahore Kebabish a few doors down from Le Mandela.
Forward to June, my close friend - and reigning Fantasy football champion - Sam Rashdi reached out to suggest a restaurant for us to try:
A third chance? I was ready to potentially get hurt again.
We rocked up on a summers evening in August. The signage updated/improved and the menu vastly expanded from the handful of previously available options. Things are looking good.
The boneless fried chicken was one of the positives from my previous visit, which I hoped to order again. Unfortunately we’re made aware that the starter is unavailable this time around. It’s worth venturing here to try it with their Suyal mayo.
Rashdi has his heart set on eating a yam because he saw a video about them. I try to explain that this is what Americans call sweet potato as I cast my mind back to an episode of Friends featuring Brad Pitt as Will Colbert.
It turns out I’m wrong. In Western Africa a pounded yam is a staple - made by boiling yam chunks (a root vegatable) - and then pounding them into a stretchy dough like consistency. The pounded yam can only be ordered as a side with a main from the ‘Notre Route’ section of the menu.
After checking with a search engine, Rashdi goes for the Egusi. This is a stew made with egusi (melon seeds) that have been ground then cooked with a variety of ingredients including peppers and spinach. It’s certainly an interesting combination and not like anything I’ve eaten before.
Suya is a traditional Nigerian street food of spiced, smoked strips of beef. These meaty slithers are a welcome side dish with a scorching spice mix dusted into a pile alongside.
Their Chicken Sauce Tomate with Jollof Rice is excellent. Chicken slightly overcooked but I’ll let it slide for all the warm and depth coming from the sauce.
Our bill comes to £35.50 which feels cheap. I’ll happily return to explore more of this unique menu.
And with that, a redemption arc of Jaime Lannister proportions complete.
It’s important we have these types of restaurants in our city, else we end up solely with burgers, pizzas, and fish and chips - all of which have their place - but so do venues like Le Mandela.
Cardiff, and more specifically, Grangetown, is rich in cultural diversity. We should embrace this when exploring dining out.