REVIEW: The Restaurant at Ynyshir Hall, Eglwys Fach, Wales

I know I keep saying this, but it really has been a while since I’ve been blown away by a meal. Yes, I’ve had some very good meals, but I’ve not been able to stamp it with the word ‘outstanding’ for the past few months – until now. Something else remarkable happened too, this was my first time to Wales. Windy country roads, water cascading through valleys, lush green fields and sheep in the thousands you’d easily mistake my photographs for a dot to dot puzzle. To put it bluntly, I’m in love. Wales is the most beautiful place I have ever visited in the UK. Fact.

Ynyshir Hall is located in an area of Wales called Eglwys Fach, which is a short drive from the coast and minutes from the beautiful Snowdonia National Park. The restaurant here is looked after by Gareth Ward (previously Sat Bains) and has been awarded some astonishing accolades, such as inclusion in The Good Food Guide’s 2015 Top 50 Restaurants in the UK, one Michelin star and 4 AA Rosettes – the only restaurant in Wales to be awarded this highly from the AA. Inside its beautiful too, decorated a vibrant turquoise blue and finished with crisp white linen. It’s incredibly romantic, especially come an evening. Our experience started with a glass of Champagne and some exquisite bread. I’m bread crazy and Ynyshir Hall serve some of the finest. Slightly burnt and crisp on the outside, fluffy on the middle, a little chewy and full of flavour. The hand churned butter and whipped variant made for a bread affair I didn’t want to end.

Head chef Gareth Ward and his team here at Ynyshir Hall specialise in tasting menus, using only the best of Welsh produce and each course is created with precision and skill – everything we ate was quite literally a mini masterpiece. First to arrive from our eight course tasting menu was the ‘not French onion soup’, consisting of slow-cooked onions, miso paste, tofu, sea purslane, onion oil, pickled shallots and a fresh dashi broth. The dish had such complex and unique flavours which left us salivating after each mouthful. Mackerel was next to the table and served with contrasting flavours of shitake which had a lovely tart balance of sweet and sour, while our third course of dressed crab was draped in a blanket of shaved turnip – combining an earthy flavour with a fresh taste of the sea. I’ve had some good food in my time but the cooking here is special, everything has its own personality and quite unlike anything I’ve eaten before.

One thing the kitchen didn’t prepare me for was the sheer amount of food. The menu read eight courses but it was really much more than that, especially as one course came in four parts – though we’ll come to that shortly. Needing a whole paragraph of its own was this beauty pictured above. Wild duck with salt pear and shiso. The duck was cooked absolutely perfectly and with such precision, with the flesh of the meat so juicy and soft it cut through like butter, but still had a good bite and chew. The duck skin however was in another league of its own – crisp, light and crunchy all at the same time and with bold flavours to match. I loved this dish so much. Just before our next courses arrived an unusual root vegetable cave (celeriac I believe, though don’t quote me) was placed on our table, filled with fiery rocks of coal which let out wafts of smokey flavours across the table which passed through the blackened vegetable, preparing our nose and senses for what was arriving next.

Now remember when I said this eight course tasting menu was really much more, our next course was the culprit. Named ‘Wagyu 1 2 3 4’ this course was served as four separate dishes, all of which had wagyu at their heart – but each in their own unique form. I don’t like making big bold statements, it’s a risky and long-term commitment, but I feel safe saying this. These four courses of wagyu were the best fours courses I think I have ever eaten. I’ve dined at restaurants across Europe with no Michelin stars to three – but this was something else entirely. It started with slow cooked onions and mouth-melting wagyu fat lardons, followed by a mini-burger which was absolutely incredible. It may not look familiar, but its taste was undeniably recognisable. The meat was incredibly juicy and its flavours lingered in the mouth for minutes after, followed by a smokey finish. It was as complex as a fine claret. Star of the show still was fillet of wagyu meat. The texture was quite unlike anything I’ve had before. I’ve eaten wagyu, yes – but this took my breath away. Transitioning us from savoury to sweet was a piece of home-made fudge topped with wagyu fat. An unusual, but very welcomed experience.

Now no meal is perfect and for a restaurant which takes risks and plays with food and flavours, there are times when something just doesn’t work. And that was what happened with the first of our desserts, lager & lime. Every flavour in this dish was so intense and concentrated that altogether it was a little too much. Our final dessert of tiramisu looked nothing like we were expecting, but in true Gareth Ward style it was served completely de-constructed. As completely unrecognisable as it was to look at, it tasted just like the tiramisu we’re all so familiar with – but better. Crunchy, soft, light, airy and delicious.

Incredibly full by this point and ready to settle in to our sumptuous bedroom, the restaurant had one final surprise. A single light meringue-style petit four created right in front of you in the kitchen to solid form with the help of some liquid nitrogen. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better.

The Restaurant at Ynyshir Hall is without a doubt surely one of the best restaurants in Wales right now. The hotel is beautiful, the dining room a splendour and the food – utterly sublime. It’s been a good while since I dined in a restaurant which put local produce at the forefront and created dishes which were not only delicious, but intriguing. Every course that arrived had us talking and prodding – you sometimes have to wonder just how they create it all. Head Chef, Gareth Ward may already have achieved one Michelin star here – but I’ve no doubt a second is on its way very soon.

9/10