Colwyn Bay

Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias

20/10/23

Promenade, Colwyn Bay

We are in North Wales visiting Susan’s mum and the weather is frankly horrible. All thoughts of a pleasant stroll along the sea front are promptly vanquished by the distinct possibility of being washed away by the foaming grey breakers crashing over the barriers as we pull into the Porth Eirias car park. We opt to watch the sea from behind the safety of the massive picture windows in Bryn Williams’ excellent restaurant.

For my starter, I choose salt and pepper squid, which is served with spring onion, mint and a swirl of tangy lime mayonnaise. The squid is moist and gratifying, with the finest dusting of crispy batter. It’s faultless – and so are Susan’s roasted prawns. There are five of them, plump and juicy, and they come with chilli butter and a bowl of Bloody Mary sauce. Yum.

When the weather is foul, is there anything more gratifying than a fish pie? At Bryn Williams, the dish comes as a sharing platter for two, a hearty creation featuring chunks of cod and salmon, nestling under mounds of creamy mashed potato, the top nicely crisped in a hot oven. It’s piping hot and utterly satisfying. Brenda has opted for stone bass served with tender-stem broccoli, a perfectly cooked poached egg in breadcrumbs and chicken beurre blanc. She pronounces it ‘superb’ – the fish skin is beautifully crisp, and the egg yolk an enticing rich orange.

Lately, puddings seem to be the weak link in many restaurants, but not so here. Susan and Brenda both go for the Porth Eirias Baked Alaska, which is the standout of the day – sweet and succulent; chewy and crisp – while I enjoy the treacle tart, which again is a fine example of its kind, enhanced with a swirl of intensely flavoured orange jus and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

All in all, this is a note-perfect meal, vivid and vibrant enough to make up for the miserable weather conditions. Even our scramble to the car is a bit dicy as we are obliged to time our dash between incoming waves, but the impeccable standard of the food makes it well worth the effort.

5 stars

Philip Caveney

Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias

15/02/19

The Promenade, Colywn Bay

We’re in North Wales, visiting my parents, and we’re all eager to try renowned Welsh chef Bryn Williams’ new(ish) enterprise at Porth Eirias. Philip and I have had a sneaky peak – we met a friend here for coffee last time we were over – but we’ve not yet sampled the food.

These days, Colwyn Bay’s promenade is a delightful place to be: as well as revamped cycle paths, there are clean sands, quirky beach art, and, of course, Porth Eirias itself: a square, modern building, with a huge roof terrace. Fittingly, it houses a water sports centre as well as Bryn Williams’ restaurant, which somehow helps to give the place a real community feel: it’s here for people to enjoy. Inside, it’s bright and airy, all industrial pipework and high ceilings, with a glass wall facing out to sea. It’s frankly stunning.

We’re seated in the window, with a perfect view. It’s a remarkably sunny day for February, and the beach is looking fabulous. The service is friendly and relaxed. We order wine and sit back to peruse what’s on offer.

Mum, dad and I all opt for the set menu, which changes every week. Two courses cost a very reasonable £17, but naturally we all want three, which takes it up to £21. Today, our starter is scallops, served with salted grapes and a saffron emulsion. They’re perfectly cooked: charred just the right amount, with a delicious almost caramel aroma. The salted grapes are interesting too, a tangy counterpoint to the delicate fish.

Philip goes à la carte, and chooses the salt and pepper squid, which comes with spring onions, mint and a lime mayonnaise. It’s a generous portion: light, crispy and not at all greasy. He’s a happy chap.

The set menu’s main course is a beautiful piece of monkfish, with purple potatoes, charred leeks and a chicken beurre blanc that has me wanting to lick my plate, although I do manage to resist (well, I’m next to the window; anyone might see). We share some sides, of fries and roasted cabbage, and they are pretty decent too. Philip’s burger is an unusual choice for him, but he declares himself satisfied: it’s a juicy, meaty patty served in a brioche bun with lots of gherkins, and comes with fries & coleslaw. It hits the spot, he says, and eats it all.

For pudding, my parents and I have a pistachio parfait with chocolate and rhubarb, while Philip has vanilla rice pudding with a fruit compote and candied nuts. Both have the requisite naughty-but-nice factor that makes sweet food such a joy to eat. Yum yum!

We’re impressed with the restaurant’s accessibility too, and with the easy, breezy way the staff deal with my parents’ physical requirements (mum needs a seat with a lot of leg room, and somewhere to store her zimmer frame; dad struggles to cut up food, so they slice his into bite-size pieces in the kitchen: no fuss, just happy to help).

It’s a lovely place, and a really welcome addition to the area. We enjoy a gentle stroll along the prom, and pronounce ourselves content.

4.6 stars

Susan Singfield

 

Virgilio’s Pizzeria and Portuguese Grill

10245296_719117134807206_8570537672274469860_n

Colwyn Bay, North Wales

12/03/16

We were invited to a family birthday and the chosen location was Virgilio’s, which is tucked away on a quiet street in Colwyn Bay, where it has been a popular venue for many years. It features a pleasant, trattoria-style dining area, lively and bustling on the Saturday evening we attended and serviced by attentive staff. Though Portuguese in origin (the family originally came from Madeira) there’s also a wide selection of Italian dishes and Gluten-free food is available on request.

For starters, I chose some Spare Ribs, a generously sized portion swimming in a piquant sticky barbecue sauce. I made very short work of it and there was much licking of fingers in the process. (Try not to do it, it’s hard!) Susan chose a bowl of Mussels, seasoned in garlic and coriander and offered with a choice of cream or tomato sauces (she opted for the latter). The mussels were cooked perfectly, light, zesty, a splendid appetiser.

For the main course, I went for Spaghetti Carbonara, something of a default order for me whenever pasta is on offer. I love a good carbonara and they can be surprisingly hard to find, but this one was particularly satisfying, thick and gloopy, with crisp crunchy bacon and plenty of parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Susan decided on another Italian classic, Lasagna Al Forno. This too was delicious, cooked with a white wine sauce and topped with a thick layer of mozzarella, it came accompanied by a couple of slices of garlic bread. Glancing around the other diners, I saw that a couple of people had selected Espetada Carne, long skewers of cubed rump steak, marinated with rock salt, bay leaves and garlic. It looked great but sadly, nobody was offering me a taste! Up at the top of the table there was a whole Sea Bream, which appeared to be very well cooked and presented and the vegetarians among the party had chosen a Fungi Stroganoff and various types of Pizza, all of which looked pretty good. One point that I particularly liked was that everything that came to the table arrived piping hot, which isn’t always the case in trattoria dining.

The wine and beer flowed and spirits were high. Susan had baked a rather fancy cake, so there was no need to order dessert, but I enjoyed my visit to Virgilio’s and would go again, like a shot.

4.4 stars

Philip Caveney