However, around the back of the building there’s something far more interesting happening - The Pickled Radish has taken over.
Enter through the kitchen (and give the chefs a wave) and you arrive in a cosy dining room where the gloom has been lifted with a lick of paint and the addition of spot-lighting.
The Pickled Radish’s creative take on crowd pleasing dishes has perked things up even more.
Chicken liver parfait (£6.50) was described by Mrs G as the best she had ever tasted. Smooth, light and with just the right amount of richness, the jarful of pate was served with an ace Welsh ale and shallot chutney, well-dressed leaves and toasted brioche.
Cheeky Fish ’n’ Chips (£9.80) was a beautiful looking and tasting plate - perfectly caramelised scallops, crisp battered cod cheek, a whopping chip, lightly pickled fennel and text book tartare sauce all combined brilliantly. However, the dish’s name should be banished to Room 101 immediately.
DIY soup was a bit gimmicky but very tasty (£5.70). A pestle and mortar containing herbs, crispy onions and edible flowers was presented at the table. Once I’d bashed up the contents, a milk bottle of super fresh-tasting pea soup was poured over the top.
However, the herbs didn’t deliver as much flavour as expected and the onions lost their crispness after a good grinding… in fact it would probably have tasted even better if had just been prepared like a normal soup.
Peculiarly, pre-dinner snacks arrived after the starters; they were both lush.
Onto mains.
A tender fillet of hake (£17.50) was served with white bean stew made with a potent stock, buttered samphire, small pieces of that merguez and a butternut squash puree. The only criticism, the fish skin could have been crisper.
A 56-day aged sirloin steak from Rosedew Farm (£20), Llantwit, was intense in flavour and super tender. In fact, it was so tender that no steak knife was required. It was served with a buttery, fragrant béarnaise sauce, and chips.
For dessert, a gooey as heck salted caramel brownie, studded with bits of honeycomb, (£6.50) balanced salt and sweet perfectly. It was served with an ice-cold raspberry milkshake and light caramel ice cream.
Lastly, a flowerpot of creamy coconut cheesecake (£6.50) was crisp of base and topped with desiccated coconut and a scoop of ice cream. A handful of frozen grapes were a revelation - sweet yet refreshing.
Dinner at The Pickled Radish was excellent. Interesting, big-flavoured and generously portioned, they serve my kind of food. And with the super-friendly service and well-priced booze from the pub (a bottle of house pinotage cost £11), I’d highly recommend a visit.
The Details
Address - The Pickled Radish, The Laleston Inn, Wind St, Laleston CF32 0HS
Telephone - 01656 652946
Web - http://www.thepickledradish.com/
Chicken liver parfait (£6.50) was described by Mrs G as the best she had ever tasted. Smooth, light and with just the right amount of richness, the jarful of pate was served with an ace Welsh ale and shallot chutney, well-dressed leaves and toasted brioche.
Cheeky Fish ’n’ Chips (£9.80) was a beautiful looking and tasting plate - perfectly caramelised scallops, crisp battered cod cheek, a whopping chip, lightly pickled fennel and text book tartare sauce all combined brilliantly. However, the dish’s name should be banished to Room 101 immediately.
DIY soup was a bit gimmicky but very tasty (£5.70). A pestle and mortar containing herbs, crispy onions and edible flowers was presented at the table. Once I’d bashed up the contents, a milk bottle of super fresh-tasting pea soup was poured over the top.
However, the herbs didn’t deliver as much flavour as expected and the onions lost their crispness after a good grinding… in fact it would probably have tasted even better if had just been prepared like a normal soup.
Peculiarly, pre-dinner snacks arrived after the starters; they were both lush.
Mini honey & Welsh mustard sausages (£4) were not as described - they were in fact pieces of deeply spiced, tightly packed merguez sausage. Black olives (£2.50) served over ice were also of a high standard.
Onto mains.
A tender fillet of hake (£17.50) was served with white bean stew made with a potent stock, buttered samphire, small pieces of that merguez and a butternut squash puree. The only criticism, the fish skin could have been crisper.
A 56-day aged sirloin steak from Rosedew Farm (£20), Llantwit, was intense in flavour and super tender. In fact, it was so tender that no steak knife was required. It was served with a buttery, fragrant béarnaise sauce, and chips.
A plank of pork lived up to its plankful billing (£18). A heap of blushing pink pork loin, crisp curls of crackling, buttered spinach, sweet corn puree, crisp & smooth polenta chips and smoked paprika mayonnaise were all on the nail. A cube of belly pork was good but could have been juicier.
For dessert, a gooey as heck salted caramel brownie, studded with bits of honeycomb, (£6.50) balanced salt and sweet perfectly. It was served with an ice-cold raspberry milkshake and light caramel ice cream.
Another chocolate-based pudding (£7) dialled the richness up to 11. A light pistachio-coated chocolate marquise was joined by tangy raspberry sorbet. An accompanying slab of fudge was too sweet for Mrs G so I courageously stepped into the breach.
Lastly, a flowerpot of creamy coconut cheesecake (£6.50) was crisp of base and topped with desiccated coconut and a scoop of ice cream. A handful of frozen grapes were a revelation - sweet yet refreshing.
Dinner at The Pickled Radish was excellent. Interesting, big-flavoured and generously portioned, they serve my kind of food. And with the super-friendly service and well-priced booze from the pub (a bottle of house pinotage cost £11), I’d highly recommend a visit.
The Details
Address - The Pickled Radish, The Laleston Inn, Wind St, Laleston CF32 0HS
Telephone - 01656 652946
Web - http://www.thepickledradish.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment