Clifton Street stubbornly refuses to become yet another blandly identikit shopping precinct: it boldly reflects the diverisity of Cardiff's population. You can shop in a Polish delicatessen, or a halal butcher; you can eat Chinese food, Turkish kebabs and vegan food; you can even eat Indian food cooked by a Hungarian chef, buy a hijab and relax in a shisha lounge. It's enough to give Nigel Farage an overdue aneurysm. It feels local, somehow, though not in an Edward and Tubbs way: Cardiffian to the core.
And to this list we must add the newly-opened Amazonas, which specialises in Portuguese and Brazilian street food. And it's great.
It's a keenly-priced menu: none of the main dishes costs more than £6. There's no booze, so we opt for a cold pineapple Sumol.
We get stuck into bacalhau- crisp salt cod croquettes, coxinhas de frango (pear-shaped fritters of shredded chicken) and garlic-buttered bread while we wait.
Each of the six days Amazonas is open (they are closed Mondays) features a dish of the day; ours was fejoida, a stew of black beans with pork and beef which often serves as a Sunday lunch in Portugal, though this version with black beans is much more a Brazilian thing. Like so many great dishes, it has its origins in the way the poorest ate, a way of using up leftovers. It's a hearty plateful.
An attractive feature here is the time taken to explain a cuisine which is one of the less familiar European traditions, including tips for eating these dishes like a native.
Pastel porco refogado- a long, flat pastry- is unexpectedly light and crisp and stuffed with shredded pork. It's perhaps the clearest nod to classic hand held street food and absolutely delicious, but eating in gives you the chance to spike each bite with a tomato and red onion vinaigrette, which is a lovely touch. I make a mental note to eat the other six varieties as soon as possible.
We get stuck into bacalhau- crisp salt cod croquettes, coxinhas de frango (pear-shaped fritters of shredded chicken) and garlic-buttered bread while we wait.
Each of the six days Amazonas is open (they are closed Mondays) features a dish of the day; ours was fejoida, a stew of black beans with pork and beef which often serves as a Sunday lunch in Portugal, though this version with black beans is much more a Brazilian thing. Like so many great dishes, it has its origins in the way the poorest ate, a way of using up leftovers. It's a hearty plateful.
An attractive feature here is the time taken to explain a cuisine which is one of the less familiar European traditions, including tips for eating these dishes like a native.
Pastel porco refogado- a long, flat pastry- is unexpectedly light and crisp and stuffed with shredded pork. It's perhaps the clearest nod to classic hand held street food and absolutely delicious, but eating in gives you the chance to spike each bite with a tomato and red onion vinaigrette, which is a lovely touch. I make a mental note to eat the other six varieties as soon as possible.
Picanha, or rump cap, is a favourite Brazilian cut, and comes medium rare: it is apparently best enjoyed with a squeeze of lime and sprinkled with seasoned manioc flour.
Little skewers, (espetinhos) come in several varieties: chicken is very good, but the beef is superb. It's still pink, remarkably juicy, and we are advised to eat it as we did the picanha.
Dessert is Açaí na tigela; topped with granola and banana, it has an earthy taste to start but grows on you, and has reputed health benefits. It comes with sweetened condensed milk and milk powder to adjust it to your own preference. That's indicative of the excellent service here.
Amazonas is certainly well worthy seeking out, even if Clifton Street isn't normally on your radar. Finding somewhere like this is what blogging is all about. Cardiff has a new, unassuming but damn tasty little gem on its hands.
Amazonas Portuguese and Brazilian Street Food
140 Clifton St
Splott
Cardiff
TUES-SUN 8.00-20.00
Amazonas is certainly well worthy seeking out, even if Clifton Street isn't normally on your radar. Finding somewhere like this is what blogging is all about. Cardiff has a new, unassuming but damn tasty little gem on its hands.
Amazonas Portuguese and Brazilian Street Food
140 Clifton St
Splott
Cardiff
TUES-SUN 8.00-20.00
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