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Food and Drink

Traditional Welsh dishes include laverbread made of seaweed, cawl (a leek broth) and bara brith, a type of fruit loaf. Glamorgan sausages and several varieties of Welsh cheese are also typical. Welsh lamb and black beef are also highly rated. Brains SA (Special Ale) beer is brewed in the centre of Cardiff and drunk with gusto throughout the city.

Despite its cosmopolitan pretensions, Cardiff is unlikely to set the world on fire as a gastronomic centre. Fish and chip shops and takeaways are still more prevalent than bijou brasseries or top-class restaurants. The so-called CafÉ Quarter around Mill Lane does offer good open-air dining, weather permitting. High-quality restaurants can be found near the castle and new eateries are springing up on the waterfront. For fish and chips head for Caroline Street - the most vibrant spot in the city when the clubs close.

Restaurants
: Metropolis at 60 Charles Street (tel: (029) 2034 4300) offers Mediterranean cuisine from a varied menu. Bar Metro, which serves excellent cocktails, is located downstairs. Benedicto's at 4 Windsor Place (tel: (029) 2037 1130) is open lunchtimes and evenings for excellent Mediterranean cuisine including seafood, vegetarian and à la carte menus.

The suburb of Pontcanna just to the northwest of the city centre is home to some charming restaurants and bistros including Le Cassoulet at 5 Romilly Crescent (tel: (029) 2022 1905). Nearby Le Gallois, 6-8 Romilly Crescent (tel: (029) 2034 1264) serves modern British cuisine with an international flavour. A two-course lunch here is a good deal at £8.95.

For traditional Welsh fare, try Blas ar Cymru ('Taste of Wales') at 48 Crwys Road (tel: (029) 2038 2132). Celtic Cauldron Wholefoods, 47-49 Castle Arcade, has a selection of hearty Welsh and vegetarian food.

For international cuisine try Tangs' Chinese Restaurant at 15-23 Westgate Street (tel: (029) 2022 7771). The steamed sea bass is a speciality but must be ordered in advance. Alternatively, the Riverside Cantonese at 44 Tudor Street (tel: (029) 2037 2163) is popular with Chinese locals.

Merolas
, 181 Clare Road (tel: (029) 2039 8803), is a very good, family-run Italian restaurant, whilst Marchello's at Castle Arcade is reputed to serve the best pasta in Cardiff. Portos, at 40 St Mary Street (tel: (029) 2022 0060) serves good (and garlicky) Portuguese food.

A wise budget option is the Welsh National Opera Restaurant (tel: (029) 2031 1050) at John Street (tel: (029) 2046 4666) or The Kitchen at the Chapter Arts Centre in Market Road, Canton. Albany Road Fish Bar is tricky to find without the assistance of a genuine Cardiff local, but is allegedly one of the best chippies in town.

There are a number of restaurants in the Cardiff Bay area catering for the business traveller. Buffs Restaurant at 8 Mount Stuart Square (tel: (029) 2046 4628) serves continental cuisine at a reasonable price. Another option is Scott's Brasserie (tel: (029) 2056 5400) at Greenwood Lane, St Fagans, with its New World cuisine and views over the waterfront. The restaurant has a capacity of 130 and the first floor can be hired for corporate entertainment and private functions. The Millennium Waterfront also houses the most popular Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chip Restaurant in the UK (tel: (029) 2046 3334) which seats 300.

CafÉs
: Although still prevalent in Cardiff, traditional tearooms and coffee shops such as Truffles on Church Street or Rombouts Coffeehouse in the Morgan Arcade, are being increasingly outnumbered by trendy cafÉ-bars.

CafÉ Calcio
at 145 Crwys Road, Cathays is a local favourite. Nearby at Miskin Street, The Warm As Toast CafÉ, serves excellent breakfasts and is open all day. Another good breakfast venue is New Ramon's CafÉ on Salisbury Road which serves huge portions at bargain prices. The New York Deli in the Royal Arcade serves delicious coffee and bagels, while The Sports CafÉ is just one of several new ventures in the Bay area.



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