Two new booming and exciting pop-up food businesses outside Swansea Arena have got us excited for the future with an expected food hub likely to take residence in Cupid Way.
KoKoDoo Korean Fried Chicken and FrozziYo Frozen Yoghurt are both new exciting additions to South Wales that have often been overlooked as many don't realise they are open, except regular visitors to Swansea's Coastal Park.
On a hot summer's day, it is the perfect opportunity for outdoor food venues to thrive and so we visited the pop-up stalls flying the flag for street food outside Swansea Arena. You can get more Swansea news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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Understandably, much of the emphasis on Swansea Arena has been directed to the big names and entertainment being brought to the city. Take a few steps away and you will find two exciting pop-up food chalets.
KoKoDoo Korean Fried Chicken is an award-winning franchise first started in London in 2006 and brought to South Wales after Graham Baister wanted to diversify his shoe manufacturing business.
"Covid really taught us the importance of food and how much it thrives in a delivery setting, I knew Swansea loved chicken and spotted a gap in the market and the decision to bring KoKoDoo here just made sense," he said.
The Korean Fried Chicken has been a fan favourite in Swansea after first impressing at the Swansea Bay Pop Up, serving a staggering 5200 meals in eight weeks.
Serving authentic Korean Fried Chicken alongside dumplings, fans can choose between four homemade sauces of Sweet and Spicy, Honey Glazed, Sticky Soy and Fiery Chilli for £9.00 with a choice of sticky rice or delicious skin on fries.
Sides of Chicken dumplings, breaded prawns and pumpkin croquettes are amongst the choices of additional options ranging from £2.50 to £4.50.
Acknowledging that their business' permanent home was still being developed, KoKoDoo wants to continue its successful momentum and has become a popular favourite with Marina residents and delivery apps, Graham and Jay manning the stall also keep delivery drivers well looked after with drinks on a hot day.
Anyone who has been to the recent Swansea Bay Pop Up will recognise the name and more importantly the smell of mouth-watering chicken but fans may be surprised to discover the spot is also popular with Halal meat eaters and is expanding into vegetarian options upon opening on Cupid Way.
"We're trying to create a food hub for Swansea and in particular the street food, I have a lot of ideas about what food to bring from elsewhere and we're excited to start. The store is going to be very much a 50/50 between takeaways and deliveries, it will be a one stop shop," added Graham.
Being sold by the story, I opted for the honey-glazed chicken with sticky rice and some coleslaw. To my delight I was given some chicken dumplings on the house, the business is very much trying to spread 'word of mouth' of their opening with their freebies.
The double fried chicken is crispy, sticky and sweet with a generous serving in every respect of the dish from chicken to side - no expense is spared in getting your money's worth at £9.00
Street food has a tendency to be slightly more expensive than conventional food but more often than not, the quality justifies the price and that certainly was the case here, I would even argue it was good value.
Vegetarian options are not currently offered outside Swansea Arena due to concerns of cross contamination but the venue hopes to cater for all needs at its new home in Cupid Way.
Full after the substantial chicken meal, you have an ideal choice for desert with refreshing frozen yoghurt with a handful of toppings and sauces which will increase up to over 40 in their permanent home.
Options from sweets, fruits and chocolate will all be available alongside more flavours of frozen yoghurt never before seen in Swansea.
FrozziYo Frozen Yoghurt is a family-operated business from Katharine Partner and 18-year-old daughter Jess who had a "love" for the frozen alternative to ice cream from their visits to America.
"We visited America and would see these frozen yoghurt stands along every corner and questioned why there wasn't anything like it in Wales which really encouraged us to dive into it.
"We're an alternative to ice-cream and dairy with vegan friendly options available and arguably healthier thanks to the use of Coconut milk" said Katharine.
The duo is excited by the prospect of opening a larger location with a greater array of sauces, flavours and toppings. The Cupid Way venue will also have a flowing chocolate tap, for your sweet tooth needs.
The entire layout of the stall is interactive and popular with youngsters who get to do everything themselves, one for parents to keep an eye on.
Fans of a cold treat can get tubs ranging from small to extra large (£2.50 to £6.95) but there is a no holds barred approach from the owners meaning users can "fill as high as their tub will allow with toppings included".
Visitors can choose between a handful of sweet and chocolate toppings, a wide array of sauces and sprinkles to go with their flavoured frozen yoghurt.
Flavours currently being served are Strawberry Tart, Chocolate, Dairy Free Vanilla and Dairy Free Salted Caramel. I opted for a £2.50 tub and found I could get more than my money's worth from toppings and treats.
Having been full up from the Korean Fried Chicken I wanted to have something light and chose the Salted Caramel and Biscoff syrup on top, a fan favourite according to Jess. It was light and sweet to eat - perfect for the hot summer's day - and I could not fault the flavour as I couldn't put my fork down.
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