Despite Cardiff's wealth of excellent southern Indian restaurants, including Purple Poppadom, Mint & Mustard and Ponnuswamy, one part of the city which has missed out until now is Roath's Wellfield Road.
But, earlier this week, Salkaara, a high end restaurant with an existing outlet in Llandaff North quietly opened the doors of its second Cardiff branch on Wellfield Road.
The expansion to the other side of Cardiff is a testament to the success of the original restaurant, but would the new venue be as good?
Read more: The definitive guide to eating and drinking in Roath
Co-owned by Santhosh Nair, a former executive chef of Mint & Mustard who originally hails from Kerala, Salkaara’s menu will be familiar to fans of Cardiff’s other southern Indian restaurants. Dishes like crispy soft shell crab, sea bass with raw mango sauce, chocolate filled samosas and tandoori pineapple all put in an appearance.
On day three of business, a chilly Monday night, there was a warm welcome from the front of house team who were busy putting up their Christmas decorations.
Ice cold pints of Cobra were gulped down with crisp poppadom shards accompanied by a trio of excellent chutneys (£3.95); mouth-puckering lemon, sweet and earthy beetroot, and fresh zingy mint.
Suriyani beef dry fry (£6.50) was a dish for meat lovers. A bowl of tender beef pieces were coated in a mix of dry spices that were heady with coconut and curry leaf.
Gorgeously soft and creamy cubes of zafrani paneer tikka (£6.25) were delicately fragranced with saffron and lightly licked with char whilst a tangy chutney added a lovely note of sweetness to the dish.
I was a little terrified of my main course, chettinad lamb kuzhambu (£12.95), as I was warned it was hot before ordering it. I needn’t have worried as it turned out to be medium heat at best. Yielding chunks of slow-cooked lamb were coated in a thick, earthy and intensely meaty sauce which must have been the result of a long cook.
Nawabi murgh (£13.95) was as good an example of tandoori chicken as I've tried anywhere. Ridiculously tender and well-fragranced, it was served with an excellent creamy tomato-based makhani sauce as well as a mixed leaf salad dressed with lightly smoked chicken. If only all side salads were dressed with meat.
Sides kept up the high standards. Thoran (£4.95), made with crisp cabbage and carrot tempered with curry leaves and mustard seeds, was a fresh counterpoint to the rich curries.
A soft naan (£3.25) was stuffed with sweet fig and topped with aromatic coriander. If you're looking for a change to a peshwari naan then start here.
Finally, pilau rice (£3.75) was distinctly grained and decadently buttery.
Desserts, often an afterthought at Indian restaurants, were as equally well-considered as the starters and mains.
Gulab jamun (£4.50) was a deliciously light yet indulgent pudding. Balls of soft deep-fried dough soaked in saffron fragranced syrup were accompanied by vanilla ice cream.
Finally a tasting trio of desserts (£6.50) all hit the mark. Smoke-licked tandoori pineapple, a crisp samosa filled with rich chocolate ganache, and a silky crème brûlée lightly perfumed with rose water were all excellent.
We had a cracking curry from Salkaara’s new Roath restaurant and it was every bit as good as our previous meals at their Llandaff North branch. It’s fair to say Salkaara has hit the ground running and it’s a very welcome addition to Wellfield Road.
The details:
Address - 24 Wellfield Rd, Cardiff CF24 3PB
Telephone - 02920 562100
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