The Kitchen is more of a coffee shop, and a great place to spend time between lectures, with its large comfy sofas and relaxed atmosphere.
There are usually four or more different fillings for paninis and jacket potatoes (┬ú3.25) on offer each day. Another hot choice is the carvery roll (┬ú3.50), which comes with stuffing and gravy. The Kitchen also serves sandwiches (┬ú1.60-┬ú2.70). Although the service is quick and the food is a good portion size, according to some students, it is not sufficient. Speaking to gair rhydd, an older student, who wished to remain unamed, was disappointed that the meal deals from previous years are no longer available. They said: ÔÇ£Some of the food is nice but you can get paninis where it is mostly just breadÔÇØ.
Nevertheless, drink prices are more reasonable at £1.10 for tea and £1.20 for coffee, plus, the Kitchen has a loyalty card where you get your fifth hot drink for free.
In the surrounding area, Pasha, Tucker, dough and College House are roughly equivalent to The Kitchen. They are mostly sandwich bars or tearooms, which offer a quick on-the-go lunch and have lots of meal deals and offers to entice students.
Sandwich bar, Pasha, aims to give students a quick stop lunch that they can take away. All the food is made in front of the customer so they know exactly what is going in the sandwich or wrap, which cost around £2.50. Pasha also offers a range of meal deals, including a panini or sandwich, with crisps and a drink for £3.00, which is a lot cheaper than the Kitchen. Drinks here are also cheap: tea costs £1.00 and coffee  just £1.20.
Tucker is more of a tearoom, but they also offer a large range of cocktails and alcoholic drinks making it a nice place to socialise. The food is more expensive here  than Pasha, but similar to the Kitchen in terms of the cost of a panini (£3.50).
However, the presentation and size of the food make up for the price, the staff are very friendly and there is a large selection of homemade cakes.  Third year student Maya Williams says she likes going to the tea room to people watch and treats herself to the tasty food. Like the Kitchen, Tucker has a loyalty card where you get your seventh hot drink for free. But drinks prices are again more than the Kitchen at £1.40 for tea and £1.50 for coffee.
DoughÔǪ is a sandwich bar where you can choose from a very diverse selection of sandwiches, bagels, baguettes and wraps, which cost between ┬ú2.50 and ┬ú2.80. They have a large choice of paninis (┬ú3.30) and jacket potatoes (┬ú3.00), which are all made fresh and cost less than in the Union. They also have a fax system where your order can be made ahead of your arrival to save time as it can get very busy at lunch time. DoughÔǪ also do meal deals for ┬ú3.40 which includes a fresh baguette, a drink and a cookie, cake, crisps or fruit as well.
College House is further away from Cathays but is very close to Talybont. The caf├® therefore takes advantage of the morning rush to lectures by selling drinks outside for just ┬ú1. The Italian caf├® has a smaller selection of food but it is homemade and very original compared to other caf├®s.┬á First year Nathan Wright said to us, ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a cool place to come and the food is really good, I like the focaccia.ÔÇØ The Italian menu includes whole pizzas for ┬ú5, burgers at ┬ú5, trancio and focaccia sandwiches at ┬ú3. This is more expensive than the Kitchen, but the portions are larger.
The Taf, the SU’s bar has a new, wide selection of food on offer, including main meals and snacks, such as baguettes (┬ú4.95) and jacket potatoes (┬ú3.25). The Taf also has a selection of offers on every night and a different theme, which encourages students to get better value for money and to stay at the Union in the evening. Although The Taf is more expensive than the Kitchen for drinks and food, the portions are bigger and the drinks are larger – it exists to accompany, not replace the Kitchen. The most expensive meal in The Taf is their steak, which is still reasonably priced, at just ┬ú6.49.
Drink prices are also reasonable at around ┬ú1.59 for a pint of beer. According to third year, Greta Sinkonova, The Taf has ÔÇ£great service and is good for students as itÔÇÖs good value for money.ÔÇØ
The Taf has rivals in places like KoKo Gorillaz , Caf├® 37, Ramons and The Woodville, which are pubs or caf├®s that have large main meals and greasy breakfasts to tempt students.
KoKo Gorillaz serves regular pub food along with their specialised Mexican dishes. Burgers cost around ┬ú4.95 and a side of chips is ┬ú1.95. This is slightly more expensive than The Taf, but there is a larger range of food on offer. Different cuisines on the menu include Chinese, Indian, Mexican and English, which can be included in a meal offer of two meals for ┬ú8.95. Other deals include an ÔÇ£All You Can EatÔÇØ three-course Sunday carvery. They are also open until late, aiming to catch students coming home from a night out. According to students talking to gair rhydd, the restaurant is ÔÇ£alright value for money but the sizes are a bit small sometimesÔÇØ. The most expensive dish on their menu is the Surf and Turf at ┬ú7.50 but it comes with a large range of side dishes. Their cheapest dish is nachos.
Caf├® 37 is more of a caf├®-cum-diner, and like The Taf, has a large range of different fried breakfasts. They also do burgers, which cost between ┬ú4.95 and ┬ú8.95. A side of chips is only ┬ú1.50, but jacket potatoes cost ┬ú4.25, which is more expensive than The Taf. The menu is very extensive, covering most main meal choices including fajitas, which makes the caf├® very popular with students. Caf├® 37 is ÔÇ£always busy and itÔÇÖs good for your local greasy spoonÔÇØ, says fourth year student Max Roberts. The portion sizes are pretty generous and the quality is good, so the prices seem reasonable in light of this.
Friendly caf├®, Ramons, offers hearty breakfasts as well as classics like pie and chips for ┬ú2.50. They have a have a range of specials that change every day, costing ┬ú3.50. They also serve burgers and sandwiches for ┬ú4.50 and jackets for ┬ú3.00. Ramons is very popular with students and it usually has a large group of them tucking into their massive fried breakfasts, which cost just ┬ú3. When asked, students thought Ramons was good value for money, the staff were really friendly, and they would happily go back. The most expensive dish is the mixed grill, which includes steak and sides and costs ┬ú8.95.
The Woodville is part of the chain of pubs called Scream (as are Gassy Jacks and the Flora). The pub sells yellow cards for £1, which give students discount on drinks and access to many other deals. The food is quite inexpensive: chips cost £1.50, jackets with one filling cost £3.15 and burgers cost between £3.95 and £5.75. Second year Jason Jones thinks that The Woodville has a good atmosphere and chooses the two meals for £6.50 deal when he eats there. The extensive menu gives the customer a lot of choice and the portion sizes are acceptable. Overall, The Woodville is quite a bit cheaper than The Taf and is situated centrally so it is very accessible for all students.
Generally, the Union is the cheapest place to get food and drinks, but if you are willing to walk a bit further to Cathays, you are guaranteed to find a great selection of restaurants. Most second and third year students choose to live in Cathays so it is more convenient to pay more and eat closer to home.
Jenny Morgan
Add Comment