cwtch restaurant

Cwtch Restaurant – A Review

As you may have guessed, we love food! Which is very useful in our line of work. From researching local suppliers, tasting new ingredients and trying out new combinations, our work is our passion. We also love to sample new restaurants. Not only is it enjoyable, it’s a fantastic way to pick up new ideas.

We decided to share this knowledge with you! Lizzie and Simon, our Dynamic Dining Duo will be reviewing. From highly recommended to named and shamed, we will be bringing you the lowdown on restaurants across the country.

This week, it’s Cwtch, a beautiful restaurant in Britain’s smallest city, St Davids in Pembrokeshire.

Cwtch (pronounced Cutch) is quite literally, making waves. Winning two prestigious awards this year alone – the Wales True Taste Restaurant of the Year 2012 and the Good Food Guide 2012 ‘Readers Restaurant of the Year Wales’ they are well renowned for their fantastic atmosphere, great service and wonderful menu.

The Cwtch Website states –

“Cwtch was born from a passion for good honest food and great service. Working alongside Rachael is Head Chef, Andy Holcroft. Andy and his team make everything on the menu from scratch – working closely with the local farmers and fishermen to ensure our ingredients are the best we can find”

“Come here and you’ll discover that our ingredients are always fresh, delicious and locally sourced”

Well this sounds right up our street. Fresh, locally sourced and delicious? That’s the Vanilla in Allseasons way, and something we could not resist!

It seems that news travels, and we were not alone in our curiosity. Initially, we struggled to book a table. All earlier slots had gone, but they fitted us in for a slightly later sitting of 8.30. All three dining rooms were full to capacity throughout the evening, always a good sign!

We opted for the 3 courses deal for £30, not particularly low priced but we hoped that the food would live up to it’s repuatation. We weren’t disappointed.

After homemade bread topped with black olives and sea salt, our drinks arrived with an icy jug of water. We hadn’t asked for the water, but I liked that it came as a standard to every guest. A small, but thoughtful touch that I’m sure the majority of diners would appreciate.

Starters

As we were dining by the sea, we thought we’d be topical. For starters, I chose a delicious smoked haddock pate, which came with toast, a sweet red onion chutney and some peppery rocket salad. Simon selected a crab pate. This arrived with crème fraiche, toast and fresh rocket. The presentation of the dishes was neat, elegant and clean cut. Both were extremely tasty.

Mains

When it came to the main course, I stuck to a seafood theme and chose sea bass with a chunky red salsa, salty samphire and a fresh salsa verde. All of the elements of the meal combined beautifully and the dish was cooked to perfection.

Simon selected the Welsh sirloin steak with horseradish butter, slow roasted tomato and triple cooked beef dripping chips. The steak was cooked exactly medium rare as asked, and the homemade peppercorn sauce was delicious.

Sides of vegetables came as standard with both main courses, no need to order them as extras.

Desserts

A dessert was perhaps unnecessary after the two courses, but of course, we weren’t going to resist! After all, how could we bring you the full run down without sampling the sweets? Just for you, readers, we soldiered on.

Simon opted for sticky toffee Bara Brith pudding with full diary ice cream and an accompanying dessert wine. I stuck to the savouries and went for the local cheeseboard with crackers and homemade piccalilli.

As you may know, Simon is something of a dessert master and not easily impressed, however, the sticky toffee was exactly what he wanted it to be – light, sweet and melt in the mouth without being too dry or heavy, perfectly complimented by the accompanying dessert wine.

I had a selection of five (yes five!) different cheeses. These were beautifully presented on an olive wood board, served with crackers, apple, celery and the homemade piccalilli. Although it was rather a lot of cheese, it was great to sample such a varied selection.

Service & Atmosphere

The service utterly reflected the standard of food. Our waitress was happy and friendly but also efficient and subtle. Checking on us regularly, without being obtrusive.

Despite the busy evening, and large number of diners, we felt valued and well looked after. I noticed only two other front of house staff on that busy night, a sign of a well-run venue and a very well organised team.

Over all, we were both very impressed by the entire night. The restaurant is smart enough to feel like an occasion, yet has a wonderful, relaxed feel, which creates a great atmosphere.

As picky diners with a keen eye for service and detail, I am pleased to say that we really could not find fault with Cwtch. Fantastic, unpretentious food, cooked to perfection and served with style. This one comes highly recommended!

Take a look at thier website for more information here

Until next time!
Lizzie & Simon – The Dynamic Dining Duo.

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