Munchesters- The Hayes, Cardiff

There's been a palpable feelgood factor to my Twitter feed recently. True, some of it is doubtless down to Sherlock's hair in all its tousled glory, but in the main Jay Rayner's fulsome review of Purple Poppadom, and the announcement of Hang Fire Phase II (as no-one in particular is calling it, and kudos to all those who kept the identity of the new venue under wraps, even under pain of mild questioning) seem to have the great and the good in expansive mood.

Enough about Hang Fire already; new residence notwithstanding (and I'm rather pleased Got Beef Co's stellar burgers will be stepping into their shoes, to mangle an idiom) I have wibbled on about them at length elsewhere. The other keenly-awaited opening of this Winter was Munchesters. The anticipation was easy to sum up for the curious: Anand George. The creative force behind Mint and Mustard, and latterly Purple Poppadom, was to open a new type of venue, centrally situated and intriguingly titled. Let's go out on a not-particularly-hazardous-limb here and say he has changed the way we eat, and think of, regional Indian food in this area. Chefs who have worked with him have gone on to establish their own menus (Pramod Nair at the relaunched Spiceberry, Sundaramoorthy Krishnasamy at the new Duchess of Delhi) but he remains the touchstone.

Managing to squeeze a last-gasp berth on the preview event, I had little time to sample more than a couple of dishes. With a  mixture of breakfast pots and freshly-made sandwiches, Munchesters offers a range broad enough to tempt most city centre diners- if a cheese butty is your thing, you'll find it here, though you'd be missing a trick. The specials board will tempt you with more of what you might expect from George. The standout- and a perfect antidote to a miserable Cardiff evening- was the chicken stew. Fragrant with curry leaf and caradamom-infused coconut milk, sweetened with tiny white raisins and boasting some impressively chunky carrots and chicken breast, this was guaranteed to put a virtual glow around you.

This was very much a dine-and-dash though, so it was only fair to come back and try more of what was on offer as a paying customer. It's worth noting that everything here is "fresh from the chef"; and when the chef in question is Kuldeep Singh, that comes with some serious pedigree. You don't work for the Roux family at The Waterside, or at Benares, without knowing your onions. And doubtless many other vegtables too. And that's where you see Anand George's hand, too; not just in the menu- perhaps most obviously in the Keralan stew I tasted- but in that attention to detail. The branding, the location, the staffing; there's a real desire here to get it right first time.

The sweet treats on offer demonstrate Chef's expertise with patisserie. sadly, I have no sweet tooth to speak of, so didn't sample. But they look purty, don't they...?

The coffee (courtesy of Clifton Coffee from that there Bristol) is superb. I love that Continental touch of serving a glass of water on the side. The hot chocolate was confidently assessed as "the best in town by miles... creamy and just the right temperature" by my companion.

The freshly-made but pre-packed sandwiches and breakfast pots notwithstanding Word had spread of the wraps as being a real favourite on that pre-opening taster. (Damn you, employment, and your annoying habit of insisting I stay til the end of the day...) With good reason, too. In the interest of Scientific Research, I ordered three. Because I'm good to you, Reader.

See what I mean about the branding? All ready to go from the outset. A clear identity, informed by a clear vision of what Munchesters- and its eventual successors- will represent. A 'loyalty card' scheme will soon be in operation.


 Roast chicken, diced cucumber, shallots. All the wraps had some well-thought-out contrasts of texture.

 Pulled pork, with a hefty kick of English mustard and long strands of smoked bacon. This one started to fall apart in its bearer's hands, due to amateurish handling. This was regrettable and Proper Pulled Pork Protocol training has now been scheduled.

 Slow-cooked beef;  red cabbage that retains some 'bite'. You know the script by now. Contrast and flavour are all.

 Consider your pork well and truly pulled. I refuse to use the word 'unctuous' here, because it's becoming (a) banal and (b) misunderstood.

This is on-the-hoof eating. Squarely aimed at City centre workers and shoppers, this is very much 'a quick bite'. But when the bites are this good, you could be forgiven for lingering, especially in the seats upstairs,with some of the very best snack and light meal options the City Centre has to offer. My only quibble would be with the playlist; Bryan Adams and Shania Twain may be popular with the staff but didn't light my candle. That said, some might find Nick Cave's Murder Ballads or a dose of Leonard Cohen an affront to digestion, so we'll call it a draw.

In short, Anand George has another winner on his hands.Next time you have 'the munchies', you know where to go.

UPDATE, 02/07/14

Anand George, the multi-award winning chef who founded Münchesters in Cardiff City Centre, has announced that it has closed its doors for the final time.
Styled as the home of coffee house cuisine, Münchesters, opened for business in December 2013 in Trinity Street, near Cardiff Central Market.
Our closure does not affect Purple Poppadom, the award-winning restaurant also run by Chef Anand George in Canton Cardiff, which is operated as a separate company.
Chef Anand George said: “I believe that as well as taking the plaudits for your successes, it is also important to face up and be open with people when a project falls short of the mark.
Commenting on why he felt Münchesters did not achieve his expectations, Chef Anand George says:
“We were trying something new and innovative in the sector with our ‘Fresh From the Chef’ concept, and we hoped to roll it out as a chain. But we were unable to roll out the project quickly enough to bring in economies of scale.
The loyalty we were gaining indicated that we would have made Münchesters sustainable. But we simply ran out of time. Our big sellers were our wraps and great coffee, but they were insufficient to sustain the business and we have had to close this chapter.
I would like to say we have learnt a lot from our Munchesters experience which will help us in the future, so it has not been a waste. I would like to thank my team who worked so hard and the customers and everyone who supported us.
I will now devote all of my time to further developing Purple Poppadom in Cardiff;  we are introducing new dishes and concepts and building on the tremendous success it has already achieved.”

Sad news.


http://munchesters.com/
22-23 Trinity Street
Cardiff
CF10 1BH