In need of sustenance and with a bit of time to kill before a wine tasting down the Bay (Cardiff), I decided to eschew the dubious delights of the chains that infest the Bay.

Having heard from a myriad of people whose food opinions I tend to trust as to the delights of the Yemeni staple mandi, the handily placed Kingdom of Sheba hoved into view as I walked down Bute Street from Central train station, with Cardiff Bay Station seemingly out of action for the foreseeable due to the next phase of construction by Lyle Lanley Monorail,  from the people who bought us the (anal) Canal Quarter.

The menu is short on mains, just mandi,

although the sides are much more expansive. I had seen via the Internet the size of portions here, so I stuck to just a main.

I wanted lamb, whilst the seabass seemed to be very popular. The lamb (as at about 17.30 on a Wednesday) had sold out and I didn’t fancy fish, so chicken it was.

A very substantial plate was brought out,

with half a chicken, a veritable mountain of rice, a salad and a potato curry. This all came in at a mere £7. Now for that price it would not be unreasonable for expectations to be on the low side. I mean I paid nigh on 20 quid retail for a chicken from Forage the other week, which I hope at that price had an in coop hot tub, daily feathercures and the pick of the choicest grubs prepared by an “Michicklin” starred chef.

Notwithstanding the bargain price, the chicken had a nicely spiced (definitely garlic, chilli, cumin, cardamon and coriander, but also probably clove,  turmeric and cinnamon in the mix) crust to the exterior

and fell away from the bone with the merest nudge of the spoon. Nicely tender and juicy, with a good flavour to it, the spice from the coating having permeated through to the flesh. For the price, this was a very nicely flavoured bit of chicken.

The chicken was presented very much on the bone (they seemed to take the Caribbean approach of just cleaving a whole chicken into bits), which may not be to some people’s taste, and with the only utensil provided being a spoon it was very much a case of getting handsy with my mandi. Personally, I love getting down and dirty with my food and using my fingers is never a problem (unless Mrs. SF is with me, in which case I get the death stare should I even comtemplate a non cutlery food foray).

The bountiful rice was buttery, yet fluffy, and nicely spiced with cardamon to the fore.

A generous spoonful of chilli sauce (I was asked if I wanted it added and, of course, I said yes) had a fruity zing to it that gave a pleasant (rather than ferocious) heat to the proceedings. It added nicely to the dish, so I was glad I took up the offer.

A potato curry was a nice further addition,

with again a good level of spice having  been absorbed into the tubers and a nice aromatic, rather than hot, spiciness to the sauce/gravy.

A salad was undressed and a bit superfluous to requirements, but the leaves, onions and cucumber were crisp and, in fairness, added a bit of freshness to the dish.

For the £7 price tag, this was both a bountiful and tasty place of food. Very good value indeed.

Drinks wise

I fancied a lemon and mint juice, but alas it was (as with the lamb) not on. I wanted something cold and options seemed  (despite the menu) to be limited to water or pop). As a result, I defaulted to a Pepsi, which did the job of being wet and cold for a very refreshing £1 price tag (for a can).

The verdict

For the diminutive total price tag (£8) for whopping portion of tasty food and a can of pop, this place really can’t be faulted in terms of value for money.  It may be in a somewhat unfashionable part of town and all a bit rustic

but they serve a mean mandi and that was very handy in terms of meeting my pre – wine tasting fuelling up needs.

Very much the antithesis to the sterile chains that sadly dominated the scene a bit further down the road into the Bay, it is definitely somewhere I would eat again pre a Bay located wine tasting. Nice to now have at least some options down that way, with this place and Chan’s (I understand from reliable sources that The Sultan is not bad either).

Better a “Handy Mandi” (TM 😃) than a “Cheeky Nando’s” that’s for sure.

The details

Address: 188 Bute St, Cardiff, CF10 5HQ

Website: Can’t find one, but they are on Itsaamaaaaaazingram https://www.instagram.com/kingdomof_shebacardiff?igsh=Z3A4aHJxeTZpZXN4