Tyddyn Llan (Evening Meal & Breakfast)

Tyddyn Llan

Llandrillo

North Corwen

Denbighshire

LL21 0ST

http://www.tyddynllan.co.uk/

Last weekend, we knew were were in for an exceptional treat when the much awaited, highly anticipated 'winter break' we had booked weeks ago at North Wales' only restaurant with rooms to boast a Michelin Star had finally arrived. We drove an hour and a quarter to scenic Llandrillo on a not so scenic Sunday afternoon, where we were warmly welcomed by the staff at Tyddan Llan (pronounced 'tuthin (c)llan', with that special 'll' sound). There was a fire roaring in the front room, and a quick peek into the restaurant suggested we were in for a real treat come dinner time. We retired to our room (which looked a bit unstylish and twee on the website, but was actually rather nice, with picture-perfect countryside views) and upon discovering the leather bound book that turned out to be an epic wine list, we set ourselves the happy task to decide which bottle to have with dinner. It was a tough choice between a 2008 Italian Morgante Nero d'Avola and a 2007 St Joseph le Grand Pompee, but in the end, we decided on the Rhone offering, and then had nothing better to do before dinner except sip champagne and watch several 'The Only Way is Essex' episodes (yes, we are a classy pair).

The humble kiwi- like a potato w/ poor eyesight

Dinner was a fine affair. We were a bit disappointed to be sat in the back sitting room (the one sans fire) for our canapés, but this larger room was also comfortable, and tastefully featured all manner of ducky decor (and one kiwi, which RR mistook for a potato). Having alerted the staff when reserving to my dietary peculiarities, we were brought out separate plates of canapés: RR's included a cheesy cracker, scotch egg, local welsh sausage with cheese and herbs and a spoonful of spicy minced pork, all of which he deemed amazing. My somewhat less inspiring trio of tastes comprised some black olives that were clearly out of a can (just like back in Ohio!), a cold potato skewered by a toothpick, and a sliver of smoked salmon. Interesting combo.

 

Next we were shown to our table in the rather fabulous dining room. Our table was set with our wine and a tall glass of crispbreads. Upon sitting, we were brought homemade bread and a small dish of wild mushroom soup that was amaaaaazing. 

 Then the starters made their appearance, and here is where the kitchen at Tyddan Llan started to really show off. RR had a langoustine and pea shoot salad, which he could only describe as tasting like eating directly out of the garden. I had five big beautiful scallops seared to perfection, with an intensely delicious tomato-pepper relish and a bed of rocket that was insanely good (rocket is usually pretty awesome, but this particular rocket was SPICY!).

  

The deliciousness continued to reign supreme with the mains. RR enjoyed his pork prepared 5 ways, but was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more of the filthy bit of pork with a crispy crackling-like top and a sliver of black pudding. My main was a very nice piece of white fish (forgotten which type) in an exquisite red wine sauce (yes! red wine sauce and fish!) and a leek-infused risotto. As a dairy and terrestrial meat abstainer, I rarely order risotto, but this veganized version was absolutely ace - a simple yet devilishly good main dish that I could not finish because there was so much of it.

  

For dessert, I had the wonderful privilege of picking both, and chose the warm ginger pudding (that's  a little cake to you American readers) and a scoop each of homemade coconut and blood orange sorbet. The ginger pudding was perfectly nice, but the sorbets... oh... my... GOD. They were out of this world. We were both floored. By two humble scoops of humble sorbet. Definitely extremely awesome.

Breakfast the next day was lovely too! We're not including anything about it in the ratings, but the pictures show what a nice spread there was (and there was also a full menu of cooked offerings).

Tyddyn Llan by the Numbers

Starters: 8/10
Mains: 8/10
Desserts: 9/10
Wine: 7.5/10 nice, but took some warming up (literally & figuratively)

Ambiance: 8.5/10

Staff: 8.5/10
Value for £: 8/10
portion size: typical British (i.e., medium)

Bottom Line: Definitely worth a trip to taste why Monsieur Michelin gave these folks a well-deserved star. A bit pricey to head there for an overnight stay without a special offer, but if you don't mind a long dark drive through the countryside after dinner it would be fine. Also, the Saturday and Sunday lunch menus look awesome and are very reasonably priced - we look forward to our next visit already!

The Groes Inn (Sunday Lunch)

The Groes Inn

Tyn y Groes

Conwy

LL32 8TN

http://www.groesinn.com/dining.htm

On an exceptionally bright and sunny Sunday afternoon, after spending the morning at the Welsh Mountain Zoo drinking in amazing panoramic views while watching penguins, sea lions, and snow leopards strut their stuff, we headed up the Conwy Valley toward the Groes Inn. Proudly wearing its status as the first licensed house in Wales (1573! Decades before the Mayflower set sail! Whoa!), we walked into the ancient inn cum pub cum restaurant and were instantly charmed by the thickly beamed ceilings and a warren of little pub rooms clustered around a well-loved bar. We were taken to our table in a bright back room, which looked onto a sun-drenched terrace with views of Snowdonia beyond.

For food, I started with homemade fish goujons (top picture), which were simply delicious (but you must know that I am a total sucker for fish goujons - don't know why, but they're awesome. Like fish sticks but soooo much better). RR had a concoction of bacon, mushrooms and black pudding, which he rather enjoyed as well. Mains were slightly less impressive, but perhaps this was just because expectations were set so high by the starters. I had a salmon filet with big chunky chips, mini-carrots and peas, which was nice, though slightly bland (though I appreciate I am likely to blame for this, as I asked for it without the dairy-rich sauce - Picture 2). RR opted for the mushroom and pastry parcel vegetarian main, served with a squash mash and new potatoes (Picture 3). He deemed the dish tasty, but not incredible.Desserts were sticky toffee pudding with ice cream and a mixed berry crumble, also with ice cream. Both were well executed and heartily enjoyed.

Groes Inn by the Numbers
Starters: 8.5/10
Mains: 6/10
Desserts: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Staff: 8/10
Value for £: 8/10
portion size: typical British (i.e., medium)
total for 2 for sunday lunch (w/ 3 glasses of wine & sparkling water): £54.00

Bottom Line: The oldest licensed house in Wales is definitely worth a visit, with a good value Sunday lunch in a really stellar setting, inside and out.

Jaya (Weekday Dinner)

Jaya Indian Cuisine
36 Church Walks
Llandudno
Conwy, LL30 2HN

01492 818 198

http://www.jayarestaurant.co.uk/

After seeing a flyer hailing Jaya (pronounced JAY-ah) as the most authentic Indian food that a particular restaurant reviewer had sampled outside of India, we decided it would make the perfect first stop on our quest to find good Indian food in North Wales. We drove to the charming and just a little special seaside town of Llandudno on a rainy Wednesday evening, and after passing through the brightly-lit throng of restaurants and bars on the promenade end of Church Walk, Jaya (and its sister operation, Space Boutique B&B) beckoned on the left side of the road as a large, nicely lit Victorian villa. Upon stepping inside, we were warmly greeted by Bobby, who, along with his wife Sunita, own and operate Jaya restaurant and Space B&B. Exuding professionalism and friendliness, Bobby asked us our names (and referred to us by our first names the rest of the evening - which was actually rather a nice touch), and led us through to the front lounge where we had a look at menus, ordered drinks, and indulged in several handfuls of rather tasty Indian nibbles. The interior of Jaya is tasteful and modern, combining original features of the Victorian villa such as wood floors, high ceilings, and intricate moldings, with inviting low lighting and plush furniture with a far-east feel. The only things detracting somewhat from the hip interior were the rather large plasma screen TVs mounted on the wall in the lounge (showing sport with the volume off) and the main dining room (showing what looked to be bollywood videos, again with the sound off).

But we didn't come for the interior design (though we were impressed by most aspects of it!) - it was our hunger for good Indian food that brought us here, and we certainly were not disappointed. We were halfway through devouring poppadoms with fresh, tangy chutneys when Bobby brought through steaming plates of fish pakora (AMAZING) and veggie mixed bhajia. Both were delicious, but the pakora was truly exceptional.  For mains, RR had the lamb karai- a dry, succulent curry bursting with flavor. I decided to be boring and go for the channa masala because I love channa masala, and I wanted to taste Sunita (the cook)'s take on this simple dish. It was expertly done - again, a much drier interpretation of this dish than what I've had in the past, but really exceptionally well spiced and cooked (and not too spicy, which, as a non-Brit, I'm always pleased when I can still taste after eating British Indian food!). The naan and roti were also delectable - soft, hot, perfect. As our bellies were rather full, we opted for no dessert. As I had quite a bit of channa masala and rice left over, Bobby very kindly agreed to package up my leftovers for me to take home (letting us take away uneaten food always counts for bonus points in my book).

Jaya by the Numbers
Starters: 8/10
Mains: 7.5/10
Desserts: n/a
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Staff: 9/10
Value for £: 7/10
portion size: typical British (i.e., medium)
total for dinner for 2 (w/ 2 beers & sparkling water): £46.00

Bottom Line: An Indian restaurant well worth the trip to Llandudno - we are delighted (and relieved) that excellent Indian food can indeed be found in North Wales.

Rhiwafallen (Sunday Lunch)

Rhiwafellen Restaurant with Rooms

Llandwrog, Caernarfon

Gwynedd, LL54 5SW

01286 830172

http://www.rhiwafallen.co.uk/

Might as well start with the brilliant little restaurant that's not 10 miles down the road from us, whence* we just returned from a highly satisfying Sunday lunch. The weather was extremely wet, cold, and murky (or, as the BBC weatherman described it, dull), but as we walked up the front path to the simple Welsh farmhouse, we could not have anticipated how warm, luxurious and welcoming the interior would be. Drinks and nibbles were served in a living room that was so tastefully yet simply decorated (and featured a very impressive fireplace) that I wished we could move in. Then it was through to the conservatory for lunch proper, where we dined with lovely views of an old stone cottage, a pond, and very green and wet countryside.

Now for the best part - the food! I felt a bit bad about putting co-owner and server Kate on the spot with my request for dairy-free starters and mains (her advice was that it's best to notify them of dietary preferences 24 hours in advance), yet they were able to concoct a gorgeous coconut pumpkin soup as a starter, and de-butter my sea bass main. RR's starter was a wee ramekin full of mackerel and other fishy friends sitting pretty in a cream sauce. Also deserving mention is the incredibly delicious (and WARM!) homemade bread, served with little dishes of olive oil and vinegar, and butter for the dairy-friendly among us.  For mains, I feasted upon sea bass and cabbage-potato mash, while RR ate his way through a generous and artfully-plated portion of roast pork and black pudding.  Ample side dishes of potatoes roast to perfection, parsnips, creamy leeks, and some really lovely steamed greens (cabbage and kale, I believe) meant that there was more than enough food on the table for a proper sunday lunch pig out.  For dessert, we had plum crumble with vanilla ice cream, and a lemon meringue parfait with (dairy free!) vanilla ice cream. Desserts were impressively delicious, and bowls were nearly licked clean (even RR's, who claims to have no interest in sweets... yeah right).


Rhiwafallen by the Numbers
Starters: 7.5/10
Mains: 7.5/10
Desserts: 7.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Staff: 8/10
Value for £: 8/10
portion size: typical British (i.e., medium)
total for 2 for sunday lunch (w/ wine & sparkling water): £48.00

Bottom Line: For an exceptionally enjoyable Sunday lunch in an enviably well-appointed country house, definitely check this place out. We'll be back.

* as we live in Britain now, we feel disposed to use words like 'whence' and 'hullabaloo' whenever possible

Welcome to Welsh Rarebites, A Blog About Eating Well in North Wales

When we moved to North Wales from Belgium & the Netherlands, many (mostly UK-based) friends of ours gave us sad, sorry looks of sympathy and expressed their condolences over the end to our adventures in dining and enjoyment of restauranteering.

Now that we've been here for several months, it is clear that we are the ones who should be offering our sympathies to aforementioned friends - much to our delight, there turns out to be a veritable cornucopia of fine, interesting, and downright delicious dining options in North Wales and environs. We hope that by establishing this blog, we'll be able to fill others in about the treats we discover tucked away in this stunning landscape of mountains and sea.

So, if you fancy something a little more palatable than soggy fish and chips or a bland Chinese takeaway, then read on, and prepare to be surprised, delighted, and very well fed. Mwynhewch eich bwyd / eet smakelijk / bon appetit, y'all!