I tried Mamu's Chai café on Chepstow Road in Newport

The menu

Mamu's Chai, located on Chepstow Road in Newport, offers over 20 dishes, serving a South Asian twist on the traditional Welsh and English breakfasts, a variety of street food dishes, burgers, curries and desserts.

Mamu's Chai menu (Image: Newsquest) Mamu's Chai menu continued (Image: Newsquest)

What we tried

At the café, myself and a colleague tried the desi breakfast, halwa puri channa, pani puri (6 servings), keema paratha, pistachio cheesecake, the viral Dubai chocolate bar, and two chai.

One of the seven dishes tried at Mamu's Chai (Image: Newsquest) Chai, translating as 'tea' in various South Asian languages, is a blend of tea, warming spices such as cardamom and / or cinnamon and milk, sweetened with sugar.

How much?

Prices for the dishes are very reasonable and good value for money.

6 dishes and 2 chai cost £43.70.

The bill for 7 dishes at Mamu's Chai (Image: Newsquest) This amount of food would be enough to feed at least three people (depending on diners’ hunger levels).

Decoration

The café has been decked out with all the bells and whistles.

Enjoy time in the booths or standard table seating, lower chairs for hanging out with friends, or even in Mamu's Chai's special seating underneath their signature logo.

Artwork in Mamu's Chai by two local artists (Image: Newsquest) The artwork throughout the store has been finished to high spec by local artists, @geminteriors_, and @mk_paints_, blending dark tones which complement the bright colours.

Subtle nods to the South Asian heritage of chai and the store are apparent through the store, and add to the history of the hot drink.

Mamu's Chai (Image: Newsquest)

The taste

We started off with the pani puri – a crispy, puffed pastry shell filled with a potato-based filling, served on top of a short glass of the pani puri liquid.

A lesson on eating pani puri: Soak a bit of the liquid by pouring it over the pani puri, and quickly put the whole thing in your mouth in one go before it disintegrates. These should not be left to sit after the soak, as they will get soggy.

Pani puri on a rack (Image: Newsquest) A great appetiser when done well, and Mamu’s Chai did not disappoint with the flavours.

The filling was cold, which both myself and my colleague agreed would work better if it was room temperature.

The keema paratha was one of the biggest highlights of the meal. Not greasy or soggy, using a mixture of familiar tastes and warming spices. The filling was light while packing a punch.

Keema paratha with dip (Image: Newsquest) A desi breakfast would be sure to fill you up for the rest of the day, complete with paratha (flat bread), chicken sausage, masala beans and omelette.

The chicken sausage and masala beans were the shining stars of this dish, offering a well-balanced flavour.

Desi breakfast (Image: Newsquest) Halwa, puri and chana – puri is the bread with which the bread is served, chana is the chickpea curry and halwa is a sweet, semolina-based dessert.

The puri and chana was cooked and spiced to perfection, not spicy but had a great flavour and tender chickpeas, which is just what you would need on a cold winter’s day.

The halwa was not for me, it was dry, a bit grainy, and there was a lack of cardamom flavour.

Halwa, puri and chana daal (made of chickpeas) (Image: Newsquest) The masala beans and chana are comparable to those found at other international chai franchises.

The puri wasn’t greasy, despite traditionally being a deep-fried dough. Eating that with the chana and achaar (pickle) on the side will transport you to exotic Pakistani pastures from the comfort of Newport.

Last but not least, the chai.

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I’ve had good chai and bad chai, and this is up there with some of the best. The texture was creamy, cooked out long enough to develop the flavours, and spiced with cardamom (elaichi).

It’s sweet without being overly so, and complements every dish we ordered.

The cheesecake was described by a colleague as 'lovely, with a strong flavour of pistachio, which can be hard to achieve... Many say pistachio, but fall short."

Pistachio cheesecake (Image: Newsquest) Read more: Run, don’t walk, to the only place in the city offering this viral TikTok treat

Future plans

Since opening the store, Mamu’s Chai has hired more than 10 employees.

Of this, owner Mohammed Waseem, said: “We hired local young people as I wanted to give them a place to start and help them work their way up.

“I was given the same opportunity and they deserve to have someone to give them side-by-side training.

Mamu's Chai 'Living the chaii life' sign (Image: Newsquest) “We worked on the menu for six months to make sure it was perfect.

“None of this would have been possible without my ummi (mum), who passed down the recipes that Mamu’s Chai is known for."

Along with plans to open up a rooftop terrace for long summer nights, the owner is looking to explore other ventures. We’ll keep those quiet until closer to their launch date.

Mamu's Chai artwork (Image: Newsquest)

Final thoughts

The food was familiar, each with a unique flavour, but with a Mamu’s Chai twist.

This is a place that everyone needs to visit at least once.

The café's long opening hours mean that you can stop by for a cup of chai after work as the night settles in, while engaging in some gup-shup (chit chat, with friends or family).

Opening times: 11am to 11pm, seven days a week.

The meal was purchased, with a discount, and all views are my own.