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Wales Online
Entertainment
Elizabeth Thomas

First look inside Rosa’s Thai as popular chain opens first Welsh restaurant in Cardiff

A popular Thai chain restaurant has opened its first Welsh site in Cardiff.

Rosa's Thai, which has sites all across London as well as in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool, has opened on Church Street in the capital.

Set up by Thai chef, Saiphin Moore and her husband Alex, the opening of Rosa's Thai Cardiff marks the 27th opening for the group.

Read more: Popular Cardiff restaurant 3B's closed and ‘looking for a new home’

Restaurant manager Samuel Davies, 30, said he is "really excited" about the chain opening its first Welsh site in Cardiff.

"Saiphin, the founder, is still really involved in the company and I'm really excited to start my journey with them," he said.

Inside the Church Street restaurant (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Behind the bar on the first floor (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

The company was set up by chef Saiphin, who grew up on a mountain farm in Khao Kho, northern Thailand. When she and her husband moved to the UK, Saiphin started selling home-cooked meals at offices and markets.

A permanent stall on London's Brick Lane was set up in 2007 and the couple set up their restaurant in 2008 on Hanbury Street.

He said that the restaurant's first few days of opening have been "really good."

The restaurant had a soft opening on Monday and Tuesday, before opening fully on Wednesday.

"[The team] are really good, really keen. It's about the people, they're all such lovely people. It's about training them to do the job well. It's really exciting," Sam, originally from Swansea, said.

The menu offers a range of options, including curries, noodles, and stir fry dishes. Around 30% of the menu is also vegetarian and vegan.

It also offers seasonal specials, which currently include a tom yum noodle soup, salt and pepper crispy tofu, oyster mushroom tempura, and stir fry chilli tofu and green beans.

According to the team at the restaurant, the top-selling dishes at the Cardiff site so far have been the panang and massaman curries.

Manger, Sam Davies, who was previously head chef at Las Iguanas in Swansea (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
The restaurant's downstairs bar (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
Inside the kitchen (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

"I like spicy food, so I would recommend the drunken noodles, the krapow, and the classic green curry. I love Thai food - that's why I took the job," Sam said.

"It's hard to find a green curry that's a really good quality one - they kind of dumb it down for the British palate, and often it's not as good.

"But here, they keep the quality really good. The pastes are authentic, made in Thailand, so it's really good."

The restaurant has also introduced a new range of Thai-inspired cocktails, including a 'boozy' Thai iced tea and a pineapple kaffir lime sour.

Sam has come into the management role from his previous position as head chef as Las Iguanas in Swansea.

The downstairs dining area (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
The downstairs bar, with the story of how Rosa's Thai was set up (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
The Rosa's Thai menu (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)

"My food knowledge is quite good, so it will probably transfer here," he said.

"I can keep an eye on the food and make sure the quality is tip-top."

Prior to becoming head chef, Sam was a holding manager at different TGI Friday's restaurants in London. He then moved back to Swansea to be closer to family.

"The whole team has been amazing, and everyone that I've met from the company has been really lovely," he added.

The restaurant is open for business seven days a week, between the hours of 12pm and 10.30pm between Monday and Thursday, between 12pm and 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and between 12pm and 10pm on Sundays.

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