Restaurant Spy

Lovely location and decent decor let down by disinterested service and uninteresting food. Last year's meal was good but this year the two meals we had - honey duck and rack of lamb were not worth eating. The lamb was pink all the way through, not just in the middle, and tasted of nothing very much. It's accompanying slop of mashed potato was equally tedious. The duck was over cooked and very tough. Nothing seriously wrong, just disappointing and tasteless. We should have complained but we didn't, I am going to write to the cardiff brewery though. mrve

'Dr Mortimer looked strangely at us for an instant, and his voice sank almost to a whisper as he answered:

'Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!'

As you take your seat in the baronial dining room of the Baskerville Hall Hotel it is not hard to see where Conan Doyle got his inspiration for 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' from. The huge windows give a fine view of lowering forest-covered cloud capped hills. The magnificent ceiling is dominated by a huge chandelier. You approach the hotel through an avenue of overhanging trees and the entrance hall is dominated by a huge double staircase. Exactly as Baskerville Hall is described in the book. The coat of arms over the door is a wolf's head.

We first went for a cuppa and I had a bottle of ginger ale and a slice of lemon cake. The ginger ale was delivered to the table still in its decorative brown bottle along with a nice glass containing ice. It’s little touches like this that make a turn a fizzy drink into an occasion. The lemon cake was just delicious.

We went back with some local friends for a lunch of fish and chips. We were nattering away when the proprietor came over and said: ‘I do apologise but I put your order in a while ago and when I went to ask about it, they’d mislaid it in the kitchen. They promise it will be out very shortly.’ When it arrived shortly thereafter, the batter was crisp, the portions large, the chips hot and all that stuff. Indeed the chips were real French fries: crisp, thin and spiky. The batter apparently from a recipe supplied by the chef at the Tate Modern (Newport has a big contingent of London types). The boss knocked one of the orders off the bill because of the delay. Everyone makes mistakes, but the best places handle them properly. And you go back and write nice reviews on RestaurantSpy.

Cwtch* is a modern restaurant on the main drag in St Davids. If you can ignore that daft and annoying asterisk you’ll probably have an enjoyable evening here.

We booked, arrived, were seated. We were in a low-ceilinged back room with painted stone walls of great thickness, nice where white, odd where not. I had belly of pork (forgotten which starter) and Maz had potted crab and something else and a wine I didn’t recognise from one of those less-shouted-about countries (you often get a good wine at a bargain this way). The food was very good. It was hot, delicious expertly cooked and all that. There was a young French couple at the next table being, well, French. The wine arrived and he went through this big deal. Not sure why he bothered really because just like with us the wine had arrived opened, wasn’t displayed, and may have been, like ours, fairly unremarkable. I’m not moaning about the wine, which was if I remember right Malbec, 2004 from Mendoza, Argentina at £22, but I do not expect it to be opened before I see it. And if they ask me to taste it and I say ‘No thanks, just pour it out’, I don’t expect a puzzled look. The deal ought to be: (1) show customer label. If he/she agrees it’s the one asked for, right vineyard and vintage, then (2) open it. (3) offer a little for him/her to check that it’s of merchantable quality. (4) pour out two half-glasses and push off. The service at Cwtch, while very friendly, was from young and relatively inexperienced – or improperly trained – girls. If they could match service to food quality, they’d have an even nicer restaurant.

St Davids [without apostrophe] Cathedral is a fantastic place. Very very old, slightly wonky everywhere, and showing the signs of being twice smashed: once by Henry VIII’s lot and then again by Cromwell’s soldiers. We wanted a cuppa and were directed through numerous huge wooden doors to a spanking new refectory, where we were instantly greeted by three smiling people. That’s amazing for a start. The refectory is architect designed (my equivalent of ‘pan-fried) - wood and space and fresh air. The tea, cake coffee etc. were all hot and/or delicious and we sat upstairs and looked down into the newly renovated cloisters. Only thing wrong was the confusing signage. At one point as I came through a big door only to find myself back in the Treasury where I’d started I began to fear that I would not escape with my life or ever see my cat again. Easy to fix this signage/wayfinding business, chaps! The proper-food menu was also recommended to me by a friend and if it is as good as the cuppa was, then you should be in for a treat at lunch or dinner. Well done St Davids.

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a country pub restaurant and want to see how it should be done then take a trip down to Carmarthenshire – Y Polyn sets the standard. From my warmly greeted arrival, in the pretty bar of this delightful black and white 300 year old inn, to my reluctant departure nothing, and I do mean nothing, disappointed. The décor is modern, but not so minimalist that you feel chilled to the bone. Deep pink and cream walls, decorated with the work of local artists, provide the warmth and the natural floor covering, unlike the current fashion for naked floors, allows you to hear yourself think. Service is informal, friendly and efficient but it’s the food that ensures that the 50 or so seats are full most evenings and even mid-week lunch (when I visited) was well attended.

The Cottage of Content near Hereford has as they say; ticked all the boxes. My wife and I and another couple have just spent the weekend visiting this little gem hidden off the beaten track near the entrance to the Wye Valley.

It's what a good destination pub should be about. The setting is Idyllic with no frills. The pub has stayed true to it's origins and simply delivers first class food in a relaxing and easy going atmosphere. Food is not cheap and this is relected in the quality of the produce used.

As I said on a recent review, I was on this canal boat for a late October holiday. The trouble with mobile phones is that people use them to ring you up with work queries while you are supposed to be away from it all. Don’t take it with you? But then you miss out on juicy jobs. Perils of freelancing.

We stopped one day, when it was coming down stair-rods for a drink and a bite to eat at a big white pub beside the canal. Right next to it. Ignore the address, it gives the wrong idea. Once inside, it was clear that this was one of those places with unoriginal old-fashioned food, with chips, ketchup, ice cream and all that. The décor was not at all to my taste and the menu reminded me of Harvester or somewhere.

We went on this holiday on a canal boat in October. You eat lots of soup and bits of bread and stuff out of packets so it was nice to park occasionally and wander off to a nearby pub or restaurant.

You reach the Corn Mill by coming down a steep hill into the excessively picturesque Llangollen. The building is unmistakable as it sits over the rushing rapids of the river. Just click on their website for some stunning views. The restoration of this ancient mill, once run by monks, has been done with taste and it all looks superb.

- Good authentic no-nonsense curries

- Real ingredients with not a jar of curry paste in sight

- Inexpensive and popular with students

- Try the house specialities 'Haand' meals

- I had the chicken achar

- Friendly, helpful service

- Highly recommended

El Lobo