Costing £75,000 and taking over three years of fundraising, design and other preperations, although there is no firm unveiling date as yet, it has been confirmed that the statue will take pride of place outside the Millennium Centre at the Oval Basin in Cardiff Bay.

Novello was born and lived on Cowbridge Road East in Canton in 1893, where a blue plaque can be seen near the door. He was schooled in Oxford and after serving in the first World War as a pilot (surviving two crash landings) he went on to star in two movies in the early career of Alfred Hitchcock, The Lodger and Downhill. He also wrote and sang his own songs, with the war song ‘Keep the home fires burning’ being one of the most well known.

His legacy includes the Ivor Novello awards (”The Ivors”), given yearly by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.

Nathan: Wok to Walk has locations in some of the most chic areas in cities around the world like Soho in London, Greenwich Village in New York and Amsterdam. What made you think that Cardiff, above other cities like Manchester or Birmingham, was the place to open your latest store?

Zishan: Cardiff is a young, dynamic and fast growing capital city. We believe that the Wok to Walk concept will compliment the city by providing a fast and innovative dining experience.

Nathan: In Cardiff Wok to Walk will be in close proximity to a range of big fast food restaurants, McDonald’s, Subway, Burger King and also just across the road from one of the most legendary culinary streets in South Wales, Caroline Street (aka Chippy Lane). What do you think will give you the edge above these establishments?

Zishan: Wok to walk is about quick, healthy hot food. We only use fresh produce that is prepared daily to ensure a high standard of quality. All our meals are made to order on the spot by our in house wok experts who will provide a feast for both the eyes and the stomach in an open kitchen environment. We want our customers to have freedom to create their own meals and experience the sights, smells and sounds as it is made.

Nathan: How long have plans to open a Wok to Walk in Cardiff been in the pipeline?

Zishan: 18 months

Nathan: What made you choose this part of the city centre above the main shopping areas of Queen Street and the shopping centres?

Zishan: St Mary street is a vibrant part of the city centre that is able to provide for the lunch, dinner and late night crowds and of course the stadium being behind is a big bonus!

Nathan: Did you have any difficulty in obtaining a license to trade from Cardiff council? What opening hours did you manage to secure?

Zishan: There were no difficulties with the council, in fact they were very helpful. We managed to secure the following times:

• Sunday – Tuesday 11am – 1 am
• Wednesday & Thursday 11am – 2am
• Friday & Saturday 11am – 4am

Nathan: What advertising will you be doing to get your name out there? Will there be any special opening offers?

Zishan: We will have a tester day to sample some of the many combinations and also some free extras when you buy a meal.

Nathan: Is there going to be anything different about the set-up of Wok to Walk to the other Asian fast-food restaurants in the area, such as the buffet style set-up at China China and Tasty Wok? Will there be anything technologically advanced? LCD screens? Computerised queuing systems?

Zishan: Wok to walk is a quick service restaurant and not fast food as this label has many negative connotations. We do not use any MSG or artificial colourings at all. Each meal is cooked for an individual rather being made in huge quanities and crammed in to bain-maries. I personally feel that buffets are like saying “our food is not that good, but you can eat as much as you like”. People are settling for quantity rather than quality. Our menu also offers healthy options such as whole wheat noodles, rice noodles, brown rice and a low carb vegetable dish. No LCD screens I’m afraid (although I like the sound of that!) just a simple menu, quick service and tasty food to eat in or on the go.

Wok to Walk are opening at 90 St Mary Street (near Edwards and Subway) on Wednesday the 17th of September.

The Le Monde group, which has run Le Brasserie, Champers and seafood restaurant Le Monde on St Mary Street for 30 years has sold the property that contained Champers to The Arena Group who run Ice Rinks nationwide under the moniker ‘Planet Ice’, including the new Cardiff ice rink.

Champers was closed to be refurbished at the end of July and will become MBargo, an expanding chain of bars that already has locations in Bristol, Swindon, Cheltenham and Coventry.

61 St Mary Street will become part of the trendy MBargo chain from Thursday 11th of September when there will be a three nights of opening offers, including a free drink voucher if you text your name and the date you would like to attend (11, 12 or 13th) to 07502 145 331. The Inside Cardiff team will be there too, so keep an eye out for us.

Cardiff is set to become one of only 8 other cities to have a Wok to Walk franchise. Others can be found in the bohemian capital, University Place in Greenwich Village, New York, the only store in the USA and SoHo in London, the only other location in the UK.

The 3-step menu at Wok to Walk is evidence of their claim to serve “fresh, nutritious, tasty food that is cooked in front of your eyes and served to you in minutes.”

But, what will set Wok to Walk apart from the other fast-Asian takeaways that have been set up in Cardiff, like China China, which is just down the street, or the Tasty Wok, around the corner on Wood Street? Granted, the concept is quite different, the others being buffet restaurants and not noodle bars; but will the new kid on the block be able to deliver the ‘fresh, nutritious, tasty food’ that they boast? InsideCardiff has been invited to take a look around before the grand opening, so hopefully we’ll be able to take a taste and answer that for you.

Wok to Walk are aiming to have all works finished soon and to open in the first week of September.

The Road House takeaway on Caroline Street was abruptly boarded up this morning in what looks to be a dispute over rental arrears.

The relatively new food bar that only opened last year had been closed until recently while a new license was obtained from Cardiff county council to secure later opening hours. Previously the Road House only opened until 11pm, but this was extended to 4am, Monday to Sunday, last month. This morning the premises were taken back by St James’s Place UK plc, a financial consulting and services company.

A spokesperson for Road House 1 Ltd was not available to comment when we tried to call.

The premises has been host to a number of businesses since the unit was opened up as part of the Brewery Quarter development. In 2004 it traded as vegetarian cafe ‘The Crockerton’, but for only a few months before they were also forced to close.

This is what can be seen of the new Cardiff library which has been in the works for more than a year. The scaffolding is starting to come down in preparation for the handover to Cardiff county council for the fitting out which is due to begin in early 2009.

24th May 2006