Brother Thai, Cardiff
Full disclosure; it has been a while since I last ate at Brother Thai. It’s longer than I’d like to admit really but in the interest of keeping myself honest I’ll tell you now that it has absolutely been well over two years, probably three. We discuss the reasons why over dinner and come to a two fold conclusion. The first being that back then, when wages were low but dreams were big, I think rightly or wrongly we had deemed it quite expensive at the time. The second is the fact that Cardiff has its fair share of very good options when it comes to Thai food in the city and so when the craving does come around then more often than not it’s the likes of Moo Moo’s or Malai Thai which usually get the nod for me.
It’s only really after some posts and a great video from one of Cardiff’s most ardent supporters of its independents (Hey Hollowlegz) do I realise that actually, i’m being a bit of a tight arse who’s far too stuck in his ways and promptly see to it that I get booked in. A quick perusal of the menu ahead of our visit demonstrates that I was right in one aspect at least as I quickly notice that despite all of the lettuce headed economic buggery over the last couple of years, the prices at Brother Thai have barely changed and what once seemed expensive now reads like a downright bargain where you can get loaded roti at just £9 each, a few small plates which are even cheaper or a selection of rice bowls coming in at £12.50 a pop.
Starting with those Roti; a legendary Cardiff street food item that took Brother Thai to the bricks and mortar that we’re eating at today. I’m not going to tell you anything you probably don’t already know as I imagine anyone reading this blog is likely to have eaten it at some point in their lives but for the one or two who may be uninitiated, be assured it’s seriously addictive eating. The flaky, crispy, buttery bread is a perfect foil for its whopping portion of sticky beef that comes heavily seasoned with an unmistakable hum of fish sauce. There’s fragrance from coriander and heat from sriracha to make up an undeniable piece of Cardiff culinary history that has been perfected over the years. While the beef will likely forever reign supreme, the thai red curry chicken roti is a worthy challenger with its ramped up heat and a similar depth of flavour it makes for a great alternative especially if you struggle with the intensity that the fish sauce in the sticky beef can bring.
The fried chicken at Brother Thai is another superb bit of work and is a plate that demands to be ordered no matter how many times you’ve had it before. It’s so good that I think there’s an opportunity here to see it developed further into an actual chicken sandwich. The team has already worked with Honest Burger, twice in fact, to produce an iteration of one that has received great reviews but it doesn’t use the same chicken so it isn’t the same. I feel like a properly good sandwich on the menu, using the brilliant fried chicken would fit right in with their modus operandi at Brother Thai and I reckon would absolutely fly out out of the kitchen.
There’s more of that fried chicken that comes as part of the satay chicken rice bowls. A mound of boiled rice is surrounded by a broth that certainly has the profile of a good Satay flavour though I would say there could be a case for it spending an extra few minutes on the hob, reducing down and dialling up the intensity of flavour. A crispy fried egg on top comes as an added extra and it’s one that you should get too. There are some crispy WonTons which are ordered as a special but which worked especially well as part of the rice bowl itself rather than as a side dish.
