Yakiniku
On Thursday morning, I woke up to both good and bad news.
Bad news: an email from Poca, one of the most anticipated Cardiff openings of the year, at the site of the formerly adored La Cuina on Kings Road, Pontcanna. Unfortunately, they explained their opening night that evening was cancelled. Gutted for the team, but looking forward to visiting from the 5th of July onwards.
Good news: a message from Steph with a restaurant recommendation. You might remember Steph from my Chinese Fast Street Food piece, she’s my champion Asian food advisor.
Every cloud has a silver lining, and all that.
I don’t click the link she’s provided via Instagram DM, instead I Google search it as I fire up my work laptop for the day. All I find is a hotel near Marshfield, I must have the wrong place. However, as so often is the case (or so my girlfriend tells me), I’m wrong.
And with that, I called them to book a table for the same evening.
Yakiniku is a Korean/Japanese restaurant located within the Seoul House Hotel (also known as Cae-Garw Lodge). The venue is situated right on the border of Cardiff/Newport, officially pinned to St. Mellons. It’s the kind of place you’re unlikely to ever stumble upon, unless your car broke down on the side of Newport Road on the A48.
One side of the building exterior is slightly derelict and shoddy, but don’t judge a book by it’s cover. The foyer is welcoming and tranquil (albeit dated & quirky), I felt like I was in someones home.
Sure, the carpets were probably laid around the same time that David Attenborough was born, but I’m here to review their restaurant. Not film an episode of Homes Under the Hammer.
We are greeted at reception by a sweet lady named Kang, who apologises for her bluntness at the start of our phone call earlier that morning. She thought I was a cold caller - I guess that says a lot about my telephone manner. Note to self: stop asking people how they are today when they pick up the phone, or risk sounding like an over-exuberant salesman.
This little restaurant has been open for around 20-years, run by Kang and her family for the last 7. However, all I could find online in terms of reviews was a Gourmet Gorro piece from 2011!
There are grills installed on each table, and I’m getting a Kimchi vibe on Cowbridge Road which can only be a good thing.
Kang asks whether we’ve visited before, then proceeds to talk us through the menu and recommends several dishes.
When I’d checked out their menu online earlier in the day, I thought the prices hadn’t been updated in 16-years. Partly because they were so cheap, and partly because there was a note at the bottom of the page which said: ‘Copyright 2007 Seoul House Ltd’. Again, I was wrong. Astonishingly, these prices were up to date.
There are 6 starters, averaging at around £3.60 each. The costliest main dish is a ‘Chap Che’ (stir-fried noodles with beef & veg) coming in at £8.90, though note I have excluded the combination BBQ platter (£15) available in the ‘Yakiniku’ (grilled meat) section - more on this later.
The menu is short, easy to navigate for someone who is not much of an Asian food expert, and contains vegetarian options aplenty. Check it out for yourself via the link provided at the top of this block of text.
We kicked things off with some Vegetable Spring Rolls & a sweet chilli dip (£3.50). Plentiful filling, tightly rolled, a crunchy wrapping. Simple.
Kimchi Gyozas (4 for £3.50) in a rounded dumpling, packed to the rafters with spicy kimchi, tofu, and minced pork. There was a lovely kick of spice in these, enough to leave your mouth tingling, but not leaving me grasping for a glass of water.
More traditionally shaped Gyozas (5 for £3) were crammed with vegetables, fried in oil to allow a crispy bottom, steamed to produce a soft top & tender filling, and lubricated with some soy sauce.
The Yum Yum Chicken (£7.50) was the course of the evening. Deep fried chicken wings in a hot, sweet, sticky sauce. I could have eaten a bucket full.
Kimchi Ramyun (£6.50) are a Korean brand of instant noodles (ramyun translating to instant noodle in Korean). I’m told they are a much less spicier version of Shin Ramyun, one of the best-selling instant noodle brands in South Korea.
If these have less heat than the Shin Ramyun, I won’t be going near those anytime soon. This broth was nourishing and spicy for me, probably within the upper limit of as much heat I can handle.
Considering these can be purchased for £1 in some supermarkets, I was surprised by the mark up of £6.50.
Further kimchi arrived in the form of Kimchi Fried Rice (£6), containing more spice, zing, and comfort.
We couldn’t go to a restaurant named Yakiniku and not order something from their menus grilled meat section.
Kang lights our grill, and leaves us to fry up our own beef ribs, belly pork, and vegetables, which comprises the BBQ platter (£15).
The thin cuts of meat are delicious when wrapped in a lettuce leaf (ordered separately at £1.90) that has been smothered in a Korean bean paste.
So, to recap. We had: 5 vegetable spring rolls, 5 vegetable gyozas, 4 kimchi gyozas, yum yum chicken wings, a bowl of ramyun, kimchi fried rice, and a platter of pork belly & beef ribs.
With a lemonade & 10% service our bill totals at £54.90.
Yakiniku has a sense of mystery around it, the few I have spoken to are aware of it’s presence but weren’t sure if it was still running after all these years. I can confirm it is, and it’s well worth the trip for a traditional, eccentric experience. There aren’t many restaurants like this anymore!