Mintos
It’s rare I get surprised when eating out these days. The last example that springs to mind was back in December 2023 when I visited The Brass Beetle for the first time with my good pal Rashdi, leaving feeling completely blown away by their pizza, Hasselback potatoes, and cauliflower wings.
When I entrusted Rashdi with selecting a spot for Caribbean food in Cardiff and he chose Mintos, I was a shade apprehensive. Mintos relocated to Parkers Bar in Grangetown towards the end of 2024. The feelings of apprehension were only exacerbated when we walked in.
In the early 2000s, Glasgow was recognised as both “Europe’s murder capital” and “the UK’s friendliest city” within the space of a week. This was a little how I felt when we first stepped through the door.
It’s dark, there’s a pool table, and it feels a lot more like a con club. We aren’t sure where to sit so we order at the bar with a man named Marcel - the beer line up contains two banks of four that would put up less of a fight than Ivan Juric’s Southampton - and head for the back garden, which looks a bit like The Ivy had a baby with Wetherspoons. Rashdi orders a Guinness and at only £4, is not to go without a mention.
Their menu offers a confusing mix of traditional Jamaican cuisine, including jerk chicken and ackee and saltfish, plus the less conventional jerk chicken or prawn pasta, and some pub grub consisting of fish and chips, steak, and burgers.
Everyone we cross paths with engages us in conversation, including a gent smoking out back who asks if we’ve tried the food before whilst exclaiming his admiration for it.
The booths and decor add to all of the confusion. But then the food arrives.
Rashdi has ordered what was described as a ‘small’ boneless mutton curry, that comes with a mountain of traditional Jamaican rice and peas, slaw, and a small salad. Slow cooked mutton is fork-tender and simmered in a creamy coconut milk based sauce, infused with Caribbean spices and spiked with scotch bonnet chilli.
Using the term ‘perfect’ is extremely risky or potentially even naive when it comes to discussing food. Everything, and I mean everything on the plate is seasoned perfectly. This looks a simple meal, but the execution has been nailed. At £12, this feels like a steal.
I opt for a brown stew chicken - marinated chunks of chicken legs served on the bone, meat sliding away without much provocation. The stew possesses depth and fragrance from thyme, ginger, and spring onion. The seasoning is once again perfect. This is apparently what constitutes as a ‘large’ portion, for £13.
The gent we were chatting with earlier about the food is now sitting next to us, as I tip my head to nod him a seal of approval.
Marcel comes over to check on us, he’s delighted we’re enjoying ourselves. As if we hadn’t ordered enough, I’d requested some festivals at the measly cost of £2.
Jamaican Festival are a deep-fried cornmeal dough, not to be confused with dumplings, oblong in shape and typically attribute their sweetness to sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. These crunchy golden nuggets are versatile - often served as a side dish with Jamaican classics, but also considered a breakfast or street food item.
Mintos is more than worth a visit. There are big flavours in these comforting dishes, but make sure you turn up hungry.
I’ve been looking for a Caribbean food fix since Irie Shack closed their doors on Woodville Road in Cathays, looks like Rashdi has managed to find one.