We had a few days to recover from this before we went to the
Purple Poppadom (a sentence that skates over such sights as my sister and
father pulling a chicken carcass apart with their hands, my sister getting
tipsy on a school night for the first time in living memory, a car blowing up,
and all the other related drama that occurs when the Peas clan is forced to
share a pod) and due to some baby-sitting issues the guest list went through
some flux.
In the end, I was joined by Rasputin, Mr Green, my sister
and her husband, and my seven-year-old niece, La Petite Pea.
Now, on a table this size, it is nearly impossible to keep
track of what other people are eating, and there were some dishes I didn’t get
to try, much to my regret.
Everything was exquisitely done, however. The starters alone
were a masterpiece in presentation and content. Admittedly, La Petite Pea
didn’t like her starter, but my sister and I made short work of her potato
cake, Bombay Chat, and puffed rice salad. It was nice enough, but couldn’t hold
a candle to the Nandu Trio we had both chosen – soft shell crab fried in a
crispy batter that was as light as a thought, a coconut and crab salad with
sweetcorn, and a tasty little crab cake. Writing about it now makes me sad I’m
not eating it right this minute. Mr Green had chosen Fresh from the
Creamery which used paneer, Tintern cheese, and a warm goat’s cheese
to great effect – and although I still preferred the crab, it was really
interesting to see the way they combined Indian and Welsh food.
Fortunately, La Petite Pea enjoyed her main course much
more, and she finished her Lamb Chukka with evident delight. She and my sister
had chosen the most traditionally Indian dishes of the meal – my sister had
Chilli Coconut King Prawns. The rest of the table had opted for dishes that
showcased the same meeting of cuisines that had been apparent in Mr Green’s
starter. Rasputin had chosen the Anglo-Indian Pork Roast, which sated his
appetite for belly pork so fully that I didn’t even get a chance to look at the
plating. I had chosen the Tiffin Seabass, which has to have been the first time
I have ever had mashed potato in an Indian restaurant. I’d have it again –
topped with a piece of perfectly cooked fish and a coconut, mango, and ginger
sauce. It was beautiful, but rather suffered by comparison to Mr Green’s Trio
of Venison. It had a pie, dear reader. A pie topped with flaky pastry and
filled with venison curry. And a burger that was spicy and wonderful. And some
lumps of venison that had been cooked in the tandoor. But mostly – pie. My envy
was only assuaged by the fact that Mr Green is a caring soul who shares pie. Which
was lucky. Events might have taken a nasty turn otherwise.
How can you top pie, though, I hear you question. Well, it’s
tricky, but you can do it. Two words, my dear: chocolate samosas. Chocolate
samosas moreover where the pastry is perfectly crisp and the insides are full
of melted Belgium chocolate ganache and which come with vanilla ice-cream. For
the record, the dessert wine went amazingly well with the ice-cream, and I
would recommend it thoroughly.
It was also remarkably prudent. Dinner for six came to £264,
including drinks, but not including service. They deserved more than the 10%
added to the bill – they’d been informative, professional, and unobtrusive
throughout the meal – so I dealt with that separately. A remarkable place –
surprisingly so, given its location above a row of shops in Canton – and I will
definitely be going back. Darling Julian needs to see this one, and I most
definitely need to try the tasting menu.
Purple Poppadom, Upper Floor
185a Cowbridge Road East,
Canton,
Cardiff,
CF11
9AJ, 029 2022 0026, www.purplepoppadom.com
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