BLOGGERS’ VERDICT ON CARDIFF FOOD
CAWL, rarebit, bara brith and laverbread – it can all seem a bit strange to someone born and bred on the other side of the world.
But two popular American bloggers didn’t let that get in the way when they travelled to Cardiff during their world tour to see what traditional Welsh cuisine has to offer.
After quitting their day jobs in San Francisco in 2015, husband and wife Eric and Allison Bieller run Youtube channel Endless Adventure, posting reviews and videos to help others follow in their footsteps across the globe.
And the couple, who have travelled throughout the US, Mexico, Cuba, England, Norway, Germany and the Netherlands, stopped off in Cardiff for a week with just one set of instructions from their tens of thousands of followers: to try Welsh culinary classics including bara brith, cawl and faggots with peas.
Heading straight to Cardiff Market, the pair spent time chatting with stall owners before visiting longrunning bakery and Welsh cake specialist Cardiff Bakestones.
Opting for the traditional bara brith served with butter, the Youtube stars started off seemingly impressed, comparing the “surprisingly delicious” tea-time classic to their own banana bread with a Christmas-spiced twist.
Taking time to enjoy what they described as a “cross between a pancake, cookie and scone”, traditional Welsh cakes went down well, before they headed to the Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn in Pentyrch. By far the most unusual of their experiments, a combination of deep-fried seaweed, oats and bacon appeared a little less satisfying for the international couple, with Allison comparing Welsh laverbread to a kind of “mozzarella stick without the cheese.”
Traditional faggots and peas also raised a few eyebrows, with the pair taken aback by the taste and texture of the pork offal delicacy.
However, with the group returning to the city centre for dinner, the day was saved by the appearance of lamb cawl and rarebit – with a winning combination of 12-hour cooked lamb and cheese at Pitch restaurant on Mill Lane.
Reflecting on a day full of food, Eric said: “That was pretty much the perfect way to end our time in Wales. we were pleasantly surprised.”
Allison added: “This has been one of our favourite food blogs – everything we had had very unique flavours and very yummy dishes.”
After leaving San Francisco with a total of $10,000, the couple survive on a budget of $1,000 per month for accommodation, relying on bargains on rentals website Airbnb.
Earning roughly $4,700 a month through blog posts, online mentoring and short-term contracts, the couple use their remaining budget to test food from countries including the Netherlands, France, Mexico and the UK.
Their adventures can be seen at www.theendlessadventure.co