Words by  Caterina Dassiè

Just tucked inside the High Street Arcade, ┬áhides the cozy and delicious Bwyta Bwyd Bombai (3B’s) Caf├¿. The name stands for the food they actually offer; Bwyta Bwyd Bombai means ÔÇ£Eating Bombai(y) (Mumbai) FoodÔÇØ. The menu differs from the plethora of choice of other ┬áIndian restaurants in Cardiff because of their focus on Indian Street Food, something which helps keep the price down and being affordable for a student pocket.

Lets start with a bit of background story

When firstly moving to London from Mumbai, the manager of 3BÔÇÖs, Sakshi, mainly missed two things: food and family. ÔÇ£I started discovering restaurants in London that would offer Indian food.ÔÇØ But she admits to Quench that: ÔÇ£There was still something amiss. Although the taste was lovely, it still wasn’t the same as food from home.ÔÇØ When she moved to Cardiff, it was even more difficult for her to find traditional Indian food, especially Indian street food. Yet, one day she thought: ÔÇ£if we can’t find the right street food in Cardiff, we will bring it in. That thought gave birth to Bwyta Bwyd Bombai in October 2016 ┬á- popularly known as 3Bs Caf├®ÔÇØ.

Sakshi says that opening the Caf├¿ and establishing in Cardiff hasnÔÇÖt been that easy; one of their biggest challenges was introducing uncommon Indian dishes to the menu which instead are very popular in India.

Well, Quench went to 3Bs to try them out

Just as my friend and I made the first step inside, we immediately felt welcomed in this small and cosy place surrounded by a soft smell of spices recalling India together with the decorations and the Indian-style cutlery, plates and glasses. As we sat down and started reading the menu, our mouths started watering already, while the waitress offered a complimentary homemade chai latte with a small biscuit to keep our bellies occupied.

But apart from the ambience, did the food actually meet my expectations? Yes! We started with the explosion of flavours in the spicy, tangy and sweet veggie Chole Pattice ÔÇô round deep fried patties made from potato and green peas – topped with chickpea curry; the sweetness of the potatoes and veggies in the filling balanced the spiciness of the curry, not to mention the mint and coriander chutney and onion to finish it up, which gave a sense of freshness to the plate. WhatÔÇÖs more, this dish is entirely vegan and gluten free!

We also had the Chicken Grilled Sandwich – my friendÔÇÖs favourite. The crunchiness of the locally sourced bread (from Cardiff Market) was toasted and deliciously buttery; the chicken was spiced to perfection with aromatic spices (Masala) and just a tinge of lemon which helped cutting the chilli flavour.

Finally, we ended our lunch with Dosa Masala ÔÇô a lunch time favourite and a must at 3BÔÇÖs. A dosa is a crepe made of lentil mixture and rice. The plate was well presented and the dosa was served with cold coconut and warm lentils sauces on the side. The dosa had a cheesy aftertaste and was perfectly crispy. The different temperatures of the sauces made the spices stand out, while not masking all the different flavours. The dish was ÔÇ£light in its nature, yet fillingÔÇØ as the manager, Sakshi, likes to describe it.

The menu of course, has more options, ranging from small bites to whole filling meals and desserts ÔÇô basically everything you could have ever asked for! But the good news doesnÔÇÖt end here: they are moving to a new venue, just a couple of steps away from the original and welcoming spot. Why? So that you can enjoy their amazing food even for dinner. ÔÇ£The plan is to bring ÔÇÿMumbai by nightÔÇÖ to CardiffÔÇØ, Sakshi continues, ÔÇ£a lot is planned, and we can’t wait to deliver that to the people here!ÔÇØ

So, donÔÇÖt wait until the new place is open, grab some Indian street food for your next lunch; trust me, you wonÔÇÖt be disappointed!

You can find the 3Bs Cafè at

16 High Street Arcade,

Cardiff,

CF10 1BB

http://www.3bscafe.com/