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hand picked restaurants

The Stradey Park Hotel is an Edwardian mansion in Furnace, on the outskirts of Llanelli, overlooking Carmarthen Bay and the Gower Peninsula; located on a wooded hillside, it manages to capture all that is scenically best about this spectacularly beautiful part of Wales. It cannot be said often enough that at the heart of a good hotel is a restaurant that panders to the inner man, and Samphires with its modern take on Welsh cuisine is no exception.

It is named after the vibrant green plant that grows in many tidal estuaries, it has a salty and succulent texture which is frequently cooked briefly in butter, but responds so well to a little gentle steaming.

The blend of contemporary and traditional makes for a memorable stay in this large, independent hotel where the service is local and friendly. The comfortable accommodation ranges from twin rooms to The Stradey Suite and all points between. Eighty two rooms means that there is something to suit everybody and each room has been individually styled with contemporary en-suite facilities that include wireless internet access, telephone and fax facilities. A full Welsh breakfast is served in the picturesque Samphires restaurant.

Guests also have access to the rooftop lounge, needless to say the highest point of the hotel, with incredible views across sea and coast. Conspicuously art deco, the lounge is sensitively lit, has a gleaming black piano and makes an idea hideaway for complete relaxation, a quiet drink or an exclusive party.

In a location such as this it must be a great temptation to monitor on the fruits of the omnipresent sea which is such a wonderful part of the hotel but however much this might suit some guests a wider approach has to be, and is, considered. Cockle and laver bread fishcake topped with a fried quails egg on crispy bacon and mushroom salad, to offer a fine prelude to such dishes as apple wood smoked pollock on grain mustard mash and Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese sauce. Vegetarians are well looked after and leek and walnut strudel is served on cottage cheese and sweet potato mash with a ratatouille compote. Tradition is well served with pan fried medallions of beef with an oxtail croquette, winter root vegetables and a garlic and thyme jus.

Breakfast is clearly designed to equip guests for a healthy day out in the surrounding countryside, and whilst more restrained options are available the temptation of a full Welsh, complete with the uniquely Welsh laver bread, is one that many may be in no hurry to resist. Quite apart from anything else the Welsh have a way with sausages that is beguiling.

The area may be blessedly devoid of industrial or business communities, but lunch is still strongly featured and a three course meal offers exceptional value. Welsh rarebit and smoked chicken bruschetta with homemade piccalilli, or breast of chicken wrapped in cabbage and bacon on a casserole of braised puy lentils and baby potatoes with a roasted tomato jus is followed up by treacle tart with lemon custard.

And whilst there be sure to sample the local Welsh single malt, an anathema possibly to those north of another border, but well worth more than passing attention. Samphires ticks all the boxes, is available to non residents as well as those fortunate enough to be staying. Their Website will keep you up to date; the setting is timeless.

Wales, perhaps unsurprisingly when you consider the wealth of healthy ingredients that are produced in its rolling acres and mountainous pastures, never mind the clear waters of coast and river, has some real gems when it comes to eating out. If pleasure be about contrast Langostinos has it in plenty, with the natural beauty all around encompassing an attractive restaurant that speaks of style and elegance.

An award winning and talented brigade of chefs work to a set dinner menu, tapas dishes and an evening à la carte. Beef from the grill popularly known as 'House Special', Welsh lamb and local seafood are never far away, and after the bread, olives and oils, starters might include lobster linguine cooked with tomato and garlic, or a crab mayonnaise with avocado, cucumber, capers and tarragon. Given the quality and freshness of local seafood, the cockles and laverbread croquettes, or grilled red snapper grilled with olive oil, garlic and caper butter could well prove irresistible.

Delicious belly of Welsh pork is served with crackling, black pudding, or perhaps salmon from the local Towy would prove compelling, with sea bass, mussels, crevettes, quid and cod. No visit to Wales is complete without, for the carnivores anyway, a tilt at the famous Welsh Black beef, here manifested by a massive grilled 10oz grass-fed sirloin steak, marbled thus creating one of the popular tasty steaks. But for special treats look for the escalope of veal with shiitake mushroom and marsala wine sauce, or chicken ballerina steamed in Chablis with a hint of tarragon and cherry tomatoes, finished with fresh cream and baby spinach leaves.
 
It's a mistake to confuse tapas with small bites eaten on the hoof because there's no time for something proper. Tapas are just as much about relaxed eating as a five course evening meal, and they have the added advantage of producing a galaxy of flavours. At Langostinos some twenty or so tapas embrace such delights as white anchovy fillets with garlic olive oil and fresh parsley, mushrooms sautéed in paprika and garlic white wine, kidneys in sherry and rosemary jus, fried whitebait with tartare sauce, Spanish omelette filled with shallots, chorizo and potatoes, or peeled tiger prawns in garlic, chilli and olive oil prepared to perfection.

Sundays are celebrated at Langostinos, not with one of those menus the length of which leaves you with a headache, but a straightforward homemade soup or appetizers such as spicy Thai fish cakes with mixed salad leaves and chilli sauce, thyme-roasted spring chicken and a choice of roast of the day that includes Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and pan gravy, all for a price that represents unbelievably good value.

This, and all the other food at Langostinos, represents quality food that the majority of people understand and appreciate. Its appeal lies in its quality without pretension, still leaving the door open for the occasional quirk that transforms a good dish into something superlative. Their Website should fill you in comprehensively on what they offer.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

Brewer's Fayre restaurants offer a warm welcome to those who want a reliably tasty meal in pleasant surroundings, with plenty of choice, minimal fuss and friendly service. With a reputation going back 25 years they should have a fair chance of doing that, but don't take our word for it. Give them a try and see if you agree that this is how good quality pub food should be served.

Whether it's snacks, grills, pub classics, fish, Sunday roasts or side dishes they think their way through the options, talk to their guests, and then come up with the goods. Not everybody wants a full meal so they've considered the needs of those who want to keep the gap filled and the children contented, perhaps on a journey or a day out.

Hot filled baguettes are always popular be it sausage and red onion or a classic chicken club sandwich. Jacket potatoes are good on their own but filled with mature cheddar cheese and beans they take on a new dimension.

More paced occasions demand a wide menu, perhaps with starters of breaded butterfly prawns, chicken goujons or breaded camembert bites. Grills are there for the hungry and whole rack of meaty BBQ pork ribs served with extra sauce, chips and coleslaw can be very welcome. The days of the mixed grill are back - or did they ever go away - a 4oz rump steak, two pork sausages, and a gammon steak topped with a fried egg served with all the trimmings will remind you if they did.

Salmon and prawn fishcakes are served with buttered new potatoes, tartare sauce and a lightly dressed salad. A combination of sea and land comes with a rump steak, whole grilled chicken breast and breaded breaded butterfly prawns, served with chips and a side salad or garden peas.

The rise of eating out in pubs has brought into our daily lives a whole legion of what might be termed 'pub classics'. Many of them have their roots in what used to be called 'good home cooking' and include such dishes as sausage, egg and chips, beef and ale pie, chicken and mushroom pie and for the very daring a beef lasagne. Well, all of them and many more are on the menu at Brewer's Fayre, supplemented by such new regulars as vegetable Goan chicken curry, pork chop, chilli con carne and grilled chicken and bacon salad.

It has often been said that chicken tikka masala is now the most popular dish in Britain. Some may not really want to believe that, much as they love curry, but travel, population movement and other factors have widened our scope and they are probably pretty keen on fish and chips in Timbuktu.

What is certain is that the great British Sunday roast is exclusive to these islands, though copied maybe elsewhere or in ex-pat outposts. No surprise therefore that it's on the Brewer's Fayre menu. A trade of three roasts with an opportunity to trade up to a mega roast for a modest sum. With it come two Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, fresh seasonal vegetables and that important element - gravy.

A fine list of immensely tempting desserts may well bring the most ardent weight-watcher to their knees. A short but well thought out wine list offers all choices, except champagne, by the glass. Staying the night - check to see if there's a Premier Inn next door - chances are you'll be lucky.

A quick click on their Website is always worth while. The only thing that stays still permanently is the quality which is helped by a changing menu, and some very special offers.

I was always under the impression that stern Welsh religion, as practised in many a Salem chapel, and angels, did not make theological harmony, but I could be wrong. Certainly the Angel Inn in Salem ministers to the needs not only of the village of that name but an also an ever increasing flock from further afield, fired up by the simple but judiciously selected lunches.

However, these are but a prelude to the far more elaborate meals served in the evenings. Welsh ingredients feature prominently and dinner might consist of a pine kernel soufflé, medallions of the local beef in a tarragon rarebit crust with cannelloni beans and chorizo, followed by local strawberries with pannacotta. Service is friendly and efficient.

The wine list is worthy of the menu, drawn from a wide spread and at prices which make comfortable reading, with house wine from £11.

The recently rebuilt Restaurant 7teen and Deli can be found in the centre of Carmarthen in a beautiful Grade I listed Georgian building. The welcoming haven attracts customers from different walks of life - couples, groups, shoppers, and professionals - all pleased by 7teens warm atmosphere and tasty Welsh and gourmet food.

The emphasis is on local game and seafood, and the menu that changes up to thrice a week depending on the season consists of two and three-course specials at lunchtime and a full á la carte in the evening.

Lunchtime choices could include local picked mussels in a white wine and cream garlic sauce, and braised steak on a bed of mash with a red wine and mushroom gravy. In the evening, a mixed game terrine with warm onion marmalade could appear alongside lightly curried creamed parsnip soup and a main course of lemon sole fillet.

The oven-baked chocolate mousse infused with orange, ginger and hazelnut and topped with white chocolate sauce and strawberry tastes as good as it sounds. A clearly compiled drinks list embraces some fine numbers.