Cardiff Arcades Project Christmas special… Madame Fromage: cornucopia of foodie delights

I know I seem to say this for almost every shop I photograph, but Madame Fromage is one I’ve been exciting about shooting for ages. After trying, and failing, to set up a time for me to go in since March, I was actually kind of glad that I missed any earlier opportunity as it meant going in just as all the delicious Christmas produce was coming in.

So… what better to feature as the Arcades Christmas special then this delicious set of photos of wonderful goodies…. don’t worry it’s not a total overload, there are other non-season-specific produce pics too.

But first, a potted history of Madame Fromage. It’s been in existence about as long as I’ve lived in Cardiff… which is about six or so years. Originally in the Duke Street Arcade in a much smaller unit than it is now, in the Castle Arcade, it started life as a delicatessen selling a variety of cheeses and so on (hence the name), with the restaurant element added later on.

After moving over to the new location, they also snapped up the unit opposite as a sort of overflow cafe, and it seems (at least from an outsider’s perspective) to be one of the success stories of the arcades, always jammed busy – especially on the weekends – it seems you’ll be lucky to get a seat in there.

And for good reason, the food is a mixture of delicious home-cooked meals combined with great value. And the cupcakes…  well, that is of course what Madame Fromage seems to be most well-known for throughout the city. It’s here that you’ll find all kinds of crazy concoctions, such as Oreo, jelly sweets or whatever else the imagination of the creator happens to come up with that day.

Also included in this set, are photos from the Madame Fromage pop-up shop that was in the High Street Arcade for a little while, on the same site as the much beloved Looby Loo’s. Although it’s gone again now, it was great to see the shop being used for something, and pop-up shops seem to be a great way of keeping under-used units going.

Now, I know what you’re thinking… stop waffling, start showing me pictures. Well, I’ll shut up now and allow you to enjoy these beauties – as always, comments, thoughts, reflections and anything else you want to add always welcome.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!