A café in a valleys park which is run by a chef that appeared on MasterChef The Professionals is getting a revamp with a brand new waffle menu. Caffi Lido in Pontypridd Park will be renamed The Waffle House at Caffi Lido serving waffles topped with buttermilk chicken to a full fry-up.
There's also sweet options like Biscoff, apple pie and strawberries and cream and the new menu will be launched when the café reopens on February 7. Nick Collins, a Cardiff based chef who made it to the semi-finals of MasterChef The Professionals in 2008 came up with the concept.
The founder and CEO of Cleverchefs has been running the café since its reopening in April 2020 following flooding caused by Storm Dennis. He said he came up with the concept to offer the people of Pontypridd and its visitors something different.
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Nick said: "We are giving it a new lease of life, to try and bring something exciting to the area. We think it is what people want to eat, something a little different.
"We opened it nearly two years ago, and we had a few close downs with Covid lockdowns, and the hospitality industry has had a bit of a crisis with getting the staff following that, it has been hard, but we are out the other end of it now."
Nick said he thinks the location of the cafe and the surrounding park is the "most fantastic place" and confirmed they will still have a range of other foods like grab and go sandwiches but urged people to try the new creations as he believes waffles aren't just for sweet food.
He said: "We've had some people saying you know 'are you still going to do your full breakfast' and we will have some other stuff still on the menu, but we will have a full breakfast on a waffle. We are also doing buttermilk chicken too, so it's not just about the sweet food."
Items on the breakfast menu include 'The Full Waffle', topped with two pieces of bacon, one premium pork sausage, a free range egg, butter roasted mushrooms and roasted tomatoes. There is also a veggie breakfast waffle available and a bacon and maple syrup waffle.
Fruity options include banana and peanut creation called 'Bannutty' and a strawberries and cream, as well as a blueberries and yoghurt option. Choice of sweet options include Smashed M&Ms, Biscoff and Humble Crumble (an apple pie style waffle).
Savoury options include Buttermilk Chicken, ham and cheese, a 'Wanna Pizza My Waffle' (topped with pepperoni, BBQ drizzle and grated mozzarella), as well as a Peppercorn Mushroom & Blue: a waffled toped with sautéed button mushrooms in a rich peppercorn sauce topped with rich blue cheese.
The café is closed throughout January but will reopen on February 7 with the new waffle menu.
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