Purple Poppadom

With his culinary success firmly established at Mint & Mustard and Chai Street plus a number of plaudits, including South Asian Chef of the Year and entry into The Good Food Guide, Chef Anand George is Cardiff's closest thing to a celebrity chef.

After leaving both restaurants earlier this year, George embarked on a tour with his Poppupadom venture, a partnership with Spiros Catering which saw him taking on the tricky task of a pop-up restaurant.  Whilst the ideas were sound, the meal we ate suffered from Chef using an unfamiliar kitchen.

So when tweets started to emerge that George had found a more permanent home in my old stomping ground of Canton there was an understandable sense of relief.

Tomorrow sees the launch of his latest venture, Purple Poppadom and I was lucky enough to go to a tasting night to see if Chef can still pull of the magic that earned him the Tiffin Cup.  

Clockwise from top left: Caws Aur, Basil Murgh and Bombay Chat (Photo: Cardiff Bites)

In trademark Anand style, for starters we were served a trio of bite-sized Indian snacks.  Caws Aur (Welsh for Golden Cheese) was a combination of soft creamy cheese, deep fried in a light pastry (not as greasy as it sounds).  The menu promised cashew nut spice and whilst I did get some heat, the nutty taste was absent.  Not to worry as it was delicious.  Succulent, melt in the mouth chicken followed with the Basil Murgh, a herb more associated with Mediterranean cooking but wonderfully subtle here.  Finally the Bombay Chat was described as a "dainty pop-in-the-mouth pastry" but anyone who can eat a golf ball in a single bite can probably unhook their jaw!  Encased in a semolina pastry was a cool creamy yoghurt, crunchy vermecelli and tangy chutney.  The pomegranate seed "jewel" was a nice touch, adding a sweet/sour element to the dish, and I liked the combination of flavours and textures. 

Left to right: Salmon Cake, Tandoori Salmon and Smoked Salmon Roulade (Photo: Cardiff Bites)

To say I'm not a fan of salmon is a massive understatement, I loathe the stuff.  So I was dreading being confronted by this fishy trio.  I needn't have worried as chef worked his magic and actually left me baffled as to what I was even worrying about.  The fish cake was just that, a good balance of salmon with potato in breadcrumbs.  It was tasty but not overwhelming.  The Tandoori salmon was a different story - firm and meaty to hold the mustard and honey marinade but tender and juicy.  The roulade was similarly well received and managed to be delicate and light whilst retaining the oil of the fish.

A palate cleanser (another feature of George's tasting menus) of Lychee Sorbet was delicate and refreshing without being too sweet - a mistake he had made at our visit to Poppupadom where he had used passion fruit.

Clockwise from bottom centre - Chilli Coconut King Prawns, Thoran, Garlic Bread, Lamb Varattiyathu, Steamed Basmati and Kozhi Melagu Curry (Photo: Cardiff Bites)

For the main event our server brought us a selection of currys, stir-fried vegetables, rice and bread.  The prawns were spicy and full of chilli flavour without needing to upset delicate palates, perhaps cooled a little by the coconut cream.  The Kozhi Melagu - chicken in a fennel and black pepper sauce was hot and slightly fruity, working perfectly with the crunch of the Thoran - a stir-fried vegetable dish flavoured with mustard and curry leaves.  My favourite, the lamb - tender and melting in a rib-sticking cinnamon sauce, just what we needed after a cold, wet night.  The garlic and Peshwari style breads and rice helped soak up the flavours.

Left to right - Rose-scented Creme Brulee, Chocomosa atop Caramelised Banana and Grilled Pineapple (Photo: Cardiff Bites)

At Poppupadom, the dessert was probably the weakest element.  Chef had obviously taken my comments on board as he brought out souped-up version of the same dish.  The pineapple was grilled simply, remaining hot and juicy.  The banana was now treated as a stand for the chocomosa (yes, a chocolate samosa) which was improved by still being warm when served.  The stand out dish was the brulee - a huge improvement on the disappointing previous effort.  The sugar was thin and crisp and underneath we found a thick, bright pink custard scented with rose-water.  Think Turkish Delight rather than your gran's perfume.  It had perhaps suffered from mass-catering as it was a little grainy but the flavours were spot on.

My only disappointment?  Despite the restaurant opening to the public tomorrow, the website remains unfinished at the time of writing.  This means I can't confirm whether any of these dishes are on the main menu and, if they are, how much they would cost you.  The PRs have promised to get this info to me ASAP but until then I'm a little in the dark (I'll update you in the comments when I have the info).

What I can say is if you are a fan of Indian food, fine-dining or just happen to live within a thirty mile radius of Cardiff - come, you won't be disappointed but your wallet might leave a little lighter.