Street Food Circus, Cardiff

Street Food Circus is one of the many nighttime street food pop ups that are appearing throughout Cardiff in the coming months.

Every Friday through to Sunday in May and June, numerous local street food trucks roll up (roll up) to the big top in Old Stable Yard, John St. For those not so familiar with Cardiff, that's behind John Lewis, over the road and under the railway bridge. As soon as you're under the bridge, you can't miss the Big Top tent.

It's a foodies dream. I dragged Mr P along last Sunday on the promise of lunch and cocktails. I'd been craving some Greek food for some time now, and there's a serious lack of it around here. I heard Meat & Greek were appearing, and the thought of souvlaki drowning in tzatziki was enough to get me out of bed on a bank holiday weekend.

Entering the Circus, you're faced with a few vans and stalls before entering the Big Top tent. Take your time and wander around, don't go to the first stall you fancy! As there are another bunch of food trucks waiting for you the other side of the tent, and believe me, you don't want to spend all your pocket money in one go!

My advice, sideline a couple of hours and go for the atmosphere, as well as the food. It's definitely got great Friday night vibes, dress casual, grab some food and a couple of beers from the bar inside the tent, and settle in for the night with some friends. Take as many as you can - it's a lot more fun to share!

Not listening to my own advice however, I made a beeline to the ever so friendly guys over at Meat & Greek. I finally got my favourite, a salad stuffed pitta filled with grilled pork souvlaki, topped with a more than generous helping of tzatziki.

It was definitely worth the wait, as those Greeks certainly know their way around a BBQ! However, not the easiest thing in the world to eat, just try not getting any yogurt on your face!

Mr P had a wander, and his first helping came from the Patagonia Steak Shack. He plumped for a roll with 48 hour slow cooked beef, topped with crumbly stilton and sharp salty gherkins. Definitely hit the spot.

A little breather ensued while we chilled out in the tent and rubbed our bellies, before we were ready to go wandering again. At the back of the circus is a cute little pink van, making exciting candy coloured 'Kooktails'. The sun had come out, and it was glorious out in the yard, so a lavender and rose infused gin cocktail was defintely the one for me.

Normally, I find flowery infused food and drink items are a bit like munching on a washing powder tablet, but this was lovely. Lightly flavoured with a good slug of gin, it went down a treat in the sunshine. At £7 a cocktail mind, you won't be on these all night! The Mr went for a tequila and toasted marshmallow concoction, which was too strong for my liking on the tequila, but the toasted marshmallows on the side were a lot nicer than the standard cherry or umbrella!

As soon as the sun had appeared, our 5 minutes of summer were over and the dark clouds descended upon us once more. Everyone dived back under the protection of the Big Top while the heavens opened above us!

Thankfully, with two well stocked bars, plenty of seats and some funky live music going on, no-one was in a rush to go anywhere. Least of all us. People hovered around the edges of the tent, grabbing umbrellas and making a run for it out to one of the trucks when they got hungry again.

Me included. I'd been nosing on everyone else's food as they wandered around me in the tent, and kept getting a wonderful smell from the Bao buns that passed by. I decided I'd brave the rain to go try one for myself. I'd heard good things about Hokkei, and with two Masterchef finalists at the helm, it was worth a shot.

For £5, we shared a 'Moo Bao' which was an Asian steamed bun, filled with slow cooked beef brisket with black beans and kimchi, topped with lots of zingy coriander and tomato. I've never tried a Bao bun before, and I've got to be honest, I found it a little bit slimey and not my favourite thing. However, the slow cooked beef with those light flavours on top was wonderful, and tasted as good as the smell had led me to believe.

But after that, and a few drinks, you could have stuck a fork in and called me done. All I kept seeing after that were crispy churros, from Mr. Churro, with gleaming little pots of chocolate dipping sauce. I really, really wanted some, but my jeans zipper was not going to allow it.

That's the beauty however, because all these stalls are on rotation for the next two months, so I'll be back for my Churros at some point!

So pop over if you find yourself hungry and in Cardiff within the next two months! It's open from 5pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2pm on Sundays. Sunday afternoons are the best to take the whole family. Make sure you take enough cash, and wear sensible shoes. While I'm at it with the dress code - wear loose fitting clothes, you're gonna need them.

Tag me in all your photos, so I know what to eat next time! And remember...

Sunset Views

As sunsets go, Marmari packs a mean one. The village is based around the huge beach, an expanse of sand that seems to stretch on for miles. This means blissfully uninterrupted views in the evening when the sun dips it's head behind the islands of Pserimos and Kalymnos.

However, the most spectacular sights on the island are to be seen from the mountainside village of Zia. A short bus journey on a lazy Friday evening and we were looking down on Marmari from a few more hundred metres above sea level.

Zia is a teensy tiny village, not much more than a single street lined with numerous tourist shops and roof top tavernas. But really, that's all it needs. This place is all about the views.

We had a little wander around to see the sights and get our bearings, but the tourist buses were arriving in their droves, and the best sunset spots were being filled up. We eyed up the rooftop terraces, but there was only ever going to be one winner...

Taverna Oromedon boasts the best views of the sunset in Kos. If you've never heard of it, I'm pretty sure you'll have seen these iconic steps.

We managed to get a fantastic table at the front of the restaurant, sticking out over the mountain. This meant great views for us, although often interrupted by a few amateur photographers sitting on our laps!

Chilled rosé and a plate of calamari to snack on, we chatted the night away and watched the shimmering panoramic views change before our eyes.

Appetite woken, we ordered mains. I've actually never eaten moussaka in Greece before, despite my numerous visits in the last few years. I decided to remedy this, and I'm so glad I did!

Mr P wasn't too happy with the lack of lamb kleftico on the menu, however the slow oven roasted lamb that he did have proved quite the match! I love the meltingly soft meat that the Greeks do so well!

Snuggled up in our front row seats with full stomachs, we watched as the main event unfolded before us.

Have you ever seen a sunset like that? The pictures just cannot do it justice, watching the sun slowly slip behind the islands in front, leaving a glittering gold aura around everything.

 

Once the spectacle was over, we dragged ourselves away from our comfy chairs, and headed off for a bit of tourist shopping before jumping on the bus back down the mountain. Late night shopping is high up on the list of my favourite Mediterranean pastimes.

Kalinixta Kos. I'll be back...

Kos Town, Pt 2

Kos Town is an incredibly beautiful place, and especially so when bathed in the glowing evening sunshine. History oozes from the pores of the streets, with ancient monuments lying where they once stood strong, be that at the side of the road, against a bus stop or overlooking the town.

We jumped off the bus and dived headfirst into the maze of busy winding streets packed full of restaurants, cafés and tourist shops. Having devoured the guidebook whilst lazing around the pool in the last few days, I dragged Mr P off in the direction of the harbour, via Eleftheria Square.

Kos Town is an eclectic mix of grand church buildings and elegant, curvaceous mosques. Narrow pathways flowed like streams to great squares covered in wide spanning olive trees providing the much needed shade.

We did however come across a few scarier statues on the way…

Dawdling around the walls of the town, in a quiet shady square, we found the Plane Tree of Hippocrates. Legend has it that this current tree is at least 500 years old, and is said to be a descendant of the tree where Hippocrates taught his students the art of medicine under the shade of the leaves. The scaffolding around the tree is for support for the great reaching, but now hollow, branches.

A bit of "If I were a millionaire..." boat shopping then ensued and plenty of goofing around…

And then I found possibly the most iconic sight of Kos, those big white and blue steps of the most photogenic Ouzeria’s I have ever come across in Greece. Completely excited about the prospect of finding the place that I’d pinned consistently on my pinterest since booking a holiday, I obviously insisted on a million and one photos.

We decided it would be too much of a shame to come all this way and not actually dine here, so we grabbed a table with fantastic views and ordered a carafe of rosé to drink them in with. 

Followed up with veal stifado for him...

And prawns cooked in an ouzo, cream and dill sauce for me! Greek roast potatoes are the best. I don't know how they do it but I can never recreate them exactly no matter how much I try!

The food was incredible and we enjoyed every single bite! Well, when I say every single bite, I did have a little bit of competition...

I may have 'dropped' a little bit...how can you ignore those eyes!

We then trundled along a few more shops and got lost a few more times to walk our dinner off.  The town changes and comes alive with such a different buzz when the sun goes down, but with full bellies and bags clunking with souvenirs we headed back for the short bus journey back to our comfy bed.