Lilo, Kebabs, Food, Blog Review

Lilo's Kebab House is one of many Middle Eastern restaurants on Cardiff's City Rd but is one that I have been back to many times. The restaurant is a mass of people and noise just like in a bustling souk, jostling waiters and noisy managers shouting out instructions, organised chaos that appears to work. Lilo's has been full each time we have been and this Monday night was no exception. Yes, a Monday and they were full, not many restaurants can say that in Cardiff. We have booked on a couple of occasions but they never check and just give you the next available table. This can be 20-30 mins after you arrive depending on when you go!

We were greeted at the door by the manager who was dressed in a suit and appears to mainly greet and say farewell to customers. We were hurried to our table and given menus. We knew we needed to order our drinks quickly as they take time to make. Lilo's is a non alcoholic affair and do freshly made fruit cocktails. There always seems to be plenty of staff around but just one poor guy squeezing the life out of all the fruit. Hence your drinks quite often turn up after your food has arrived! A little frustrating so always order as early as possible.

I love the fruit cocktails (£2.50), I think they are a really good effort at trying to provide an alternative to a coke which is what most restaurants offer. My favourite tipple is the Pineapple, Orange and Mint Juice. Part of the fun is getting a massive brightly coloured curly straw - when I was a kid this is all that was needed for it to be an awesome meal out whatever the food was. Sometimes I feel that not much has changed! Yes, dating myself there a little but hey - each to their own!

The main event though is obviously the food. We ordered a first course of Baba Ghanoush, Hummus, Tzatziki and a plate full of freshly made naan breads to share, half eaten plate above!. This is the sort of food I love. Ripping apart a warm freshly made naan bread and mopping up a trio of dips is a relaxed and friendly start to any meal. The Baba Ghanoush (£2.95) is made from mashed aubergines that have been  roasted and mixed with olive oil and various seasonings. The smokiness of the roasted aubergine comes through perfectly. The Hummus Beruity (£3.25)is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas mixed with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic and was lightly dusted with chilli powder for a bit of extra kick(not sure if that's a pun on Beruit's turmoiled past). Tzatziki (£2.95) is made from yoghurt mixed with cucumber, garlic and salt. Tzatziki has always been a favourite of mine having spent the summer working in Crete when I was younger, there is nothing better than a gyros topped with tzatziki. This Greek starter in a Middle Eastern restaurant fits perfectly and although it didn't have enough garlic in it for my liking, although it  would probably suit most palates.

Unfortunately I forgot to take proper photos of the starters as we devoured them on sight!As you can see out of four naaan breads (£2.00) only one has survived for a photo call. We had to order another round of nana bread - bad idea - as you fill yourself up on bread but they're so good we couldn't help it.

For mains I chose Chicken Shawarma (£6.50). Shawarma is meat that is put on a stick and turned over heat or in layman's terms a kebab. Our chicken shawarma's had been well marinated and seasoned before being cooked over flames and were quite simply delicious. I always have mine with rice as I find eating them with chips a little offensive, although my wife seems to have no problem eating her Lamb Shawarma (£6.80) with chips and I always end up stealing some anyway. So not really that offensive! The meat on both of the shawarmas was succulent, tasty and perfectly cooked.

My mother in law chose Chicken Biriyani (£6.25)which was an unusual choice I thought in a Kebab House, but proved to be a winner. The rice was well seasoned and the flavours that came through really were top notch. Biriyani is an Indian dish that is made from rice, numerous spices and has various meat or vegetables in, and is usually accompanied by a vegetable curry on the side. The biriyani was lovely and spicy and might just be my next favourite dish on the menu.

Having absolutely stuffed ourselves on naan breads and two courses there was absolutely no chance we would be getting dessert. Desserts are not really something I think about when going out for a kebab and I couldn't even tell you whether they offer any.

Lilo's Kebab house is a Middle eastern restaurant that offers cheap, simple food in a fun and relaxed environment. I see the organised chaos and managers shouting at staff over the heads of their diners as an authentic Middle Eastern experience and that's fun! The staff don't have much personality and really are just plate bearers and order takers and if they forget something confusion comes first but you do get what you asked for in the end. I value it for the comfort food it provides me with, which comes at great value and am therefore happy to recommend it for that. Four of us ate a two course meal for £48.20.

74 City Rd
Roath
Cardiff
CF24 3DD

Tel: 02920 450089

Bill's, food blog, restaurant cafe review, Cardiff

Bill's is the most recent addition to the dining scene in Mill Lane and opened in October 2012. Mill Lane has become a dining destination gradually over the last four years, with the bars being beaten back to a secondary presence on the street, which is a blessing!

It certainly looks the part from the outside: a modern British cafe offering all day fare, but a massive step up from your average greasy spoon. Bill's is another chain to hit Cardiff and the owners are also responsible for Cote, although for how much longer who knows, as Richard Caring has recently sold his stake in the business for £113m. Not bad!

Bill's has brought a touch of class to the cafe sector and is as much a restaurant as it is a cafe. The outside looks smart and the fact that it always seems busy is a good sign and one that made my decision for me, when deciding on where to eat in the centre of Cardiff for a last minute lunch. On entering Bill's we were welcomed by a queue of six people waiting to be seated. The hostesses/managers were constantly sitting people and welcomed most with a smile. I was seated promptly on my turn and led to a small table in a corner with a comfortable looking banquette seat. Unfortunately my seat was not that comfortable as my bum was spread on the gap between two cushions, of which I could do nothing about. I squeezed myself into the corner to try and make it more comfortable and not encroach on the couple sitting next to us. Yes they do squeeze you in.

There was a lovely buzz of activity and people socialising all around us in Bill's. From the clientele you could tell that these were people who did lunch and were not hurrying back to work. A very middle class establishment that sells itself on quality rather than price.

The menu has a good choice of dishes and is the same for both evening and lunch, which can be a difficult balance to find, especially when most their competitors offer lunch deals to attract people in. Our waitress took our order in good time, I ordered a berry smoothie (£2.95)and my friend an apple juice (£2.30). It took about 10-15 minutes for our drinks to arrive which wasn't great, especially at lunch time when I would expect quicker service. They appeared to have plenty of staff on to cope with being busy. As this was a quick lunch we decided to order some mini Cumberland sausages cooked in honey and mustard (£4.25) whilst we looked at the menu in more detail. Although they took 20 minutes to reach our table they were delicious. Perfectly cooked and dripping in honey and mustard. A real treat!

Our mains also took along time to arrive at the table, a good twenty five minutes, as I said before if you're in a hurry this is not the lunch for you. My friend's chicken skewers with salad, pitta and coriander yoghurt (£8.95)was simple, healthy and deliciously succulent. A really good healthy dish and a moderate size, which is just as important as it is being healthy! Yes, he is on a diet and runs miles everyday.

My chargrilled marinated half piri piri chicken with rice (£10.95) looked appetising although on first appearances I was worried it might be dry. I was wrong! It was coated in a thick piri piri sauce that clung to the chicken and gave me the spice kick I wanted. Nice and crispy on the outside and succulent chicken on the inside. The rice was perfectly cooked and seasoned with good flavours throughout. An actual salad on the side would have given the dish balance as essentially it was chicken and rice on a plate and rather poor value for money.

We had two double espressos (£4.20) afterwards and asked for the bill, which took about ten minutes to arrive and we had to ask two people for it. Overall the bill came to £33.60, which was expensive for lunch in my eyes, and you can certainly find better value for money elsewhere. The service was slow but satisfactory and the staff polite, but not exactly filled with personality. It will be a while before I return to Bill's, I think there are better and more interesting places to eat in Cardiff, although I must say that Bills appears to be one of the better chains to hit Cardiff.

Open 8am-11pm everyday except Sunday 9am until 10.30pm

Bill's Cafe Restaurant
Wydham Arcade
Cardiff
CF10 1FH

029202313524

www.bills-website.co.uk