Food critic TOM PARKER BOWLES shares his verdict after landing a coveted table in Ynyshir

It's not just dinner - it's a beguiling, dazzling and thrilling multi-sensory extravaganza: Food critic TOM PARKER BOWLES shares his verdict after landing a coveted table at Ynyshir - the secluded Welsh restaurant was recently crowned Best in the Kingdom -Uni
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Posted: 22:29 BST, Jun 25, 2022 | Update: 26 June 2022 12:56 BST

It's just past 10pm on the balmyest of Welsh summer nights and all the room trembles to the rhythm of a haunting bass. There is a disco light, cutting through the Stygian darkness, and half a dozen men dressed in black, their biceps heavily inked, armed with the sharpest knives.
In the center, their chief, towering over them all, his head shaved, his powerful carcass hewn, it seems, in the granite. A blade flickers menacingly in his hand as his eyes bore into my skull.
Under normal circumstances, I'd prepare to run like hell. Not the kind of guy you want to annoy.
But this isn't an edgy nightclub. This is a restaurant that has just been crowned the best in the UK, at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards.
And that fearsome character, Gareth Ward, is one of the most exciting chefs in the world.
Prior to my visit and confirming my reservation, the restaurant emailed me to say, "Warning, we may not be the best place for a business meeting or an intimate first date." That turns out to be a gargantuan understatement.

And getting a table in Ynyshir, near Snowdonia National Park, wasn't easy. With two Michelin stars, it was booked months in advance of this recent accolade. There's a better chance of that camel going through a needle's eye than getting a few seats here.
But I begged, begged and cajoled, before finally (thanks to the excellent blogger Brummie Simon Carlo, the man behind Meat and Two Veg) who managed to get a table.
Due to the national train strike, there was a vacancy. The next day. Hallelujah!

Travel Jul 9, 2022 0 95 Add to Reading List

Food critic TOM PARKER BOWLES shares his verdict after landing a coveted table in Ynyshir

It's not just dinner - it's a beguiling, dazzling and thrilling multi-sensory extravaganza: Food critic TOM PARKER BOWLES shares his verdict after landing a coveted table at Ynyshir - the secluded Welsh restaurant was recently crowned Best in the Kingdom -Uni

Posted: 22:29 BST, Jun 25, 2022 | Update: 26 June 2022 12:56 BST

It's just past 10pm on the balmyest of Welsh summer nights and all the room trembles to the rhythm of a haunting bass. There is a disco light, cutting through the Stygian darkness, and half a dozen men dressed in black, their biceps heavily inked, armed with the sharpest knives.

In the center, their chief, towering over them all, his head shaved, his powerful carcass hewn, it seems, in the granite. A blade flickers menacingly in his hand as his eyes bore into my skull.

Under normal circumstances, I'd prepare to run like hell. Not the kind of guy you want to annoy.

But this isn't an edgy nightclub. This is a restaurant that has just been crowned the best in the UK, at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards.

And that fearsome character, Gareth Ward, is one of the most exciting chefs in the world.

Prior to my visit and confirming my reservation, the restaurant emailed me to say, "Warning, we may not be the best place for a business meeting or an intimate first date." That turns out to be a gargantuan understatement.

Tom Parker Bowles bagged a table in Ynyshir, near Snowdonia National Park, which has two Michelin stars

And getting a table in Ynyshir, near Snowdonia National Park, wasn't easy. With two Michelin stars, it was booked months in advance of this recent accolade. There's a better chance of that camel going through a needle's eye than getting a few seats here.

But I begged, begged and cajoled, before finally (thanks to the excellent blogger Brummie Simon Carlo, the man behind Meat and Two Veg) who managed to get a table.

Due to the national train strike, there was a vacancy. The next day. Hallelujah!