Culinary Causerie
This month’s causerie take us from the elegance of a country house restaurant to the charm of a smart cliff-side bistro leading to a 4 star taste of tea and on to an oriental pub/ restaurant on Swansea Bay……
Fairyhill - Still casting that magic spell
The agile culinary genius of Fairyhill proprietors Andrew Hetherington and Paul Davies has ensured that this legendary hostelry still weaves its magic spell. Fairyhill started out over 25 years ago as a temple of fine dining, redolent of heavy creamy sauces, buttery vegetables and all things now totally passé.
Fairyhill has kept pace with culinary trends and today the food is light, modern, local and very appetizing indeed. All the old fads from fine dining to nouvelle cuisine to fusion and most recently the silly stacks and towers of food of the last decade have been left behind. We now have a very attractive, very superior country house hotel restaurant serving food of distinction. (I am happy to say that molecular gastronomy has bypassed Wales quite completely-it is now really very old hat.)
Nonetheless, the lunchtime menu I looked at was not simple by any means, featuring dishes as complex and tricky as an exotic home-cured ceviche of salmon and a chicken ballotine with morels. Local asparagus, fresh and tender, earthy goat’s cheese and wild mushroom soup with truffle oil all satisfy your need for extra-special food that is cooked with care and delicacy.
How excellent it is to be able to praise Fairyhill so extravagantly! This is a lovely, luxurious five-star experience, an establishment that Swansea is justly proud of.
The Bay Bistro, Rhossili
Perched high on the cliff edge, overlooking the astonishing beauty of Rhossili Bay is the Bay Bistro, a recent entrant to Swansea’s hospitality industry. Their surf shop beckons from the side and tourists will love the souvenir section.
On a hot spring day the Bay Bistro is very inviting. The smart outdoor picnic seating commands arresting vistas of sea and sand – the only distraction the wonderful savoury smells wafting out from the restaurant. Very good home-fried chips and things vie for your gustatory attention with an interesting array of Mediterranean bistro fare, including a convincing Moroccan tagine.
Giant cakes and gateaux demand your undivided attention – even if you are diabetic or need a gluten free-diet, you will find some delicacy designed for you. You can’t resist going in to take a peek. I promise you’ll be there all day enjoying the spectacular view and the aromatic food
A Taste for Tea
Tinkle your teaspoon, crook your little finger and you’re all set to take tea from a choice of exotic leaf-blends at the Marriott Hotel, Swansea. Sip some Oolong, lap up the Lapsang Souchong, or quaff a little African Red Bush ……the tea assortment takes you round the world, but the cakes, scones and cucumber sandwiches are as traditional as you’d want.
The Bay View Hotel -- Over a Century of Conviviality
The Bay View has stood on Oystermouth Road for more than a hundred years, a beacon of hospitality for travellers and locals alike. It has been a hotel, then a pub, and is now that wonderful combination-a local pub with an inviting restaurant.
Warmth and friendliness
The years of welcoming hospitality has given this large and spacious pub a glowing patina of warmth and friendliness—from the lovely mélange of scrubbed oak tables and chairs to the mellow ambience of the vast curving bar. What’s not to like?
Many faceted
We savoured our Thai lunch sitting by a giant window overlooking the bay marvelling at how the Bay View changes from chic Thai restaurant to lively football and rugby hotspot and swiftly on to live music on another evening. The pub takes on whatever character it chooses –and is always an interesting and lively Swansea venue.
A welcome new arrival - Lazy Jacques, Bryn-y-mor Road
It’s that laid back nautical feeling that really appeals to me and Lazy Jacques is certainly laid back.
Dining at the refectory tables it’s certainly not the place for an intimate dinner a deux, but if you want to have a fun night out, with great food and music thrown in then it’s the place to be.
The food is rustic and homely, just what you need after a hard day’s work – portions are plentiful and made for sharing. Crab cakes and chicken livers, moules and frites or fresh tuna steak were perfect for a greedy Friday night supper.
Bryn y mor Road is really making itself the place to head for an informal supper – try it – you might be pleasantly surprised!