The hotel’s decor is flamboyant yet tasteful with opulent wallpaper, wood panelling and velvet curtains all putting in an appearance.
The menu features bistro style cooking with interesting twists - a pan roasted halibut steak is served with red wine braised oxtail, chermoula and coriander oil (£20.95) whilst a trio of pork includes fillet, confit breast and braised cheek rissole (£17.95). Starters weigh in around £7, mains £20 and desserts £6.50.
A complimentary snack was more addictive than a bag of chilli heatwave Doritos. Warm and crunchy crackers were served with a light whipped mayonnaise dip with a good whack of garlic.
A complimentary snack was more addictive than a bag of chilli heatwave Doritos. Warm and crunchy crackers were served with a light whipped mayonnaise dip with a good whack of garlic.
I kicked off with a dainty mountain of meat (£8.20) - a bisected pigeon breast and slices of earthy black pudding and offaly faggot were interleaved with buttery spinach and coated in a sticky red wine jus. It was a lovely plate of food, let down marginally by one of the pigeon pieces being a touch overcooked.
A thick crab bisque (£5.50) had a good shellfish hit. In it bobbed a trio of golden crab dumplings that also delivered a good hit of crustacean but were a little bouncy in texture.
Mrs G’s main (£19.95) included slices of pink duck breast, a mound of shredded duck and new potato hash, and a meaty asian-spiced sauce that reminded me of hoisin. Tempura greens added crunch to the plate whilst segments of orange cut through the dish’s richness.
A roast “carri” of lamb (£19.95) was a new one on me and Google doesn’t shed any further light. Perhaps Lanelay Hall coined the term? Two flavoursome medium-cooked lamb cutlets were served with a stack of finely sliced and buttery boulangere potatoes, roasted cherry tomatoes and a bold port and rosemary sauce.
A panache of seasonal vegetables arrived with panache halfway through our main course. The nicely cooked mangetout, french beans, carrots, courgette, baby corn and cauliflower were coated in a liberal amount of melted butter.
Onto dessert and whilst Lanelay Hall’s chocolate fondant (£6.25) didn’t have a liquid interior, it retained a pleasing gooeyness. The tasty pud was served with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
If a dessert has cake twice in its name then it’s a must order, right? Baked carrot cake cheesecake (£6) saw a moist carrot cake base topped with a smooth baked cheesecake. The dessert was infused with the warmth of cinnamon and nutmeg, crunch was provided by a vivid green mint tuille and extra depth supplied by mint leaves and a spiced carrot puree.
We had a really enjoyable evening at Lanelay Hall - the solid but not faultless cooking, warm surroundings and friendly service all make for a winning combination. If you want a short hop out of Cardiff for the night then it’s worth checking out.
The Details:
Address - Lanelay Hall, Lanelay Road, Talbot Green, Pontyclun CF72 9LA
Web - http://www.lanelayhall.co.uk/
Telephone - 01443 558 309
No comments:
Post a Comment