Cardiff Market is fast becoming the place to head to if you want to try a range of different food. The market already has plenty of interesting places to try, but has had some new additions recently that make it well worth a lunchtime trip.
From Indian dishes to freshly made pizza, there's a wealth of different places to try on both floors of the market. The latest addition to the market's top floor offers more international cuisine, this time in the form of Polish dumplings.
Pierogi is the latest stall to open on the market's top floor, and joins the likes of Ffwrnes and Tukka Tuk. The stall officially opened on Monday and is owned by Chris Orzechowska.
Read more: How to get a meal at Cardiff's popular Pasture restaurant without waiting for months
Chris, 35, also owns dessert stall Kreme of Cardiff on the ground floor of the market, which opened in January. You can read more about that here.
Pierogi, however, is his latest venture. Seven years ago, Chris owned a restaurant called My Place on Broadway in Cardiff, and told WalesOnline that pierogi were their biggest seller. I went down to the stall today to see what's on offer.
The stall has opened in units 213, 215, and 217 in the market. The kitchen is open, so you’re able to see the pierogi being freshly made through protective transparent screens.
I got there just before 12pm, and there were already people sat on the benches opposite the stall enjoying the different flavours on offer. There were a range of flavours to choose from, including duck, cottage cheese and potatoes, spinach and cottage cheese, and buckwheat with mushrooms.
I opted for the duck flavoured dumplings, which came with fried onions and plum sauce for £7.80. All the dumplings were priced at £7.40, except the duck dumplings which cost £7.80. As the dumplings are freshly made, there is a short wait for food to be served, but with three staff working in the kitchen, the process moves along as quickly as possible, and there are seats for while you wait.
In one portion, you get seven good-sized dumplings, which is plenty - the servings are filling, and you won't be left hungry afterwards. My pierogi came beautifully presented, topped with chives and fired onions, with the plum sauce on the side. The dumplings are served hot and are boiled rather than fried, giving them a softer texture.
You can certainly taste that the dumplings have been freshly made, not only from how hot they are when they're served, but also from the taste of the dough used to make them - you can see this being rolled out while you wait. The dumplings were full, but the dough was strong enough to keep them in tact, making them perfect for dipping into the sauce.
The duck had a pleasant flavour, while the plum sauce that came with it had a creaminess too it. The sauce went well with the flavour of the duck and didn’t overpower it at all.
Soft drinks are also available to buy, ranging between £1 and £1.69. With seating areas offering views over the market, this new addition is bound to become a popular lunch spot.
Being able to see the pierogi made fresh while you wait is an added bonus and makes you appreciate the time effort that goes into the food much more. The range of flavours on offer means that there is something for every taste and you get a good sized portion for a reasonable price.
So, if you're looking for something better than a standard sandwich to make your lunchtime more interesting, I'd definitely recommend heading down to Cardiff Market to give Pierogi a try.
