COWBRIDGE
Huddarts
Valentine’s Dinner

Cowbridge is fast becoming a mecca for good quality restaurants and so it was a difficult choice deciding where to spend our Valentine’s night. On the recommendation of a friend, who enjoys a good meal,
we plumped for Huddarts on the High Street.

When booking we were informed that there was only one table left at 7pm and that they’d need our table for another booking at 9pm. That didn’t bother us as we had left our young son with his grandmother,
who didn’t fancy a late night, and after twelve years together we felt
that two hours in each other’s company would be quite sufficient!

On arrival, the restaurant was not too busy but that was to be short-lived, as it soon filled up. Huddarts has been decorated quaintly - above
a dado rail with plain anyglypta wallpaper and below the dado, with a floral paper - and it has a patterned carpet. The table looked very pretty with the added detail of little red hearts sprinkled across a pristine white table cloth.

The service was very attentive with the owner describing the extra dishes on offer, which included a very tempting lobster dish. As we deliberated over the menu, we were offered a small plate of delicious hors d’oeuvres to share of parsnip crisps and lightly battered mushrooms, both of which just melted in the mouth.

The menu was varied and included seven starters and nine main courses (ten if you include the special lobster dish) including Welsh Cheese Tartlette, Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef Fillet. Starters were priced around £5.25, mains around £11.95 for the vegetarian option and the beef fillet was the most expensive at £19.95.

There was also an impressive wine list to suit all budgets. We both opted for the King Prawn Tails to start. To say they were the fattest prawns I’d ever seen would be an understatement. They were plump, juicy and so fresh and the portion was very generous. As my appetite isn’t that big,
I wondered where I’d put my main course.

I took this opportunity to visit the ladies’ room. Now you may think that I’m obsessive compulsive when it comes to this subject, but I usually visit the Ladies before any ordering takes place. If I come back smiling, my partner knows that we can ask for the menu. If the powder room is spotless, then I feel confident that the owner has also taken pride in the kitchen. I may be wrong, but that’s been my guide for as long as I can remember and so far it has stood me in good stead.

Where Huddarts is concerned, the Ladies was small to say the least.
A half-lippied lady had to step into the corridor for me to go in, but the toilet was spotlessly clean and had good quality tiling and fixtures.
My obsession satisfied, I made my way back to our table, smiling, just
in time for the main course.

My fillet steak looked so good I prepared to soldier on. It was a good steak, if a little over the rare to medium I’d asked for but good nevertheless. My partner chose the guinea fowl which he said was
very tasty. There were plenty of vegetables, well presented on
separate dishes.

If I thought I was full after my starter, I was full to bursting after my main course but still the dessert menu was calling. I opted for the home-made cheesecake with butterscotch sauce (again a recommendation from our friend) while my partner chose the trio of home-made ice-cream. As we were both very full, we admitted defeat and both left half each.

I would heartily recommend Huddarts for a special occasion meal or an evening meal if you are feeling flush. The food was superbly cooked and presented, the service was perfectly timed and polite and the bill wasn’t a nasty shock to the system.



Huddarts
69 High St, Cowbridge CF71 7AF.
For reservations please phone 01446 774645
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VALE HOTEL GOLF & SPA RESORT
La Cucina
Dinner

We were greeted by a friendly staff member who presented us with the comprehensive and reasonably priced wine list and left us to ponder over the menu.

My partner decided to go for the duck braised in red cabbage with an orange and ginger sauce from the specials board. The duck was cooked to perfection. His only criticism was that there was too much sauce.
I went for my mainstay of 8oz fillet of black beef. This was accompanied by chips, and a flat field mushroom stuffed with smoked bacon, shallots, tomato and parmesan. The beef was tender and juicy, just how I’d ordered it. The service was prompt and as efficient as that of the wine waitress.

The restaurant was informal and relaxed, with the open-plan kitchen on full view - a good sign.

We were both tempted by the desserts, which were varied and well priced. My partner chose the three flavours ice cream and sorbets.
I chose the spiced crème brulee and ginger shortbread, which had just the right creamy consistency with also just the right firmness of topping. We finished our meal with a latté and filter coffee.

I would recommend booking as when we were ready to leave, only two tables were available.



La Cucina
Vale Hotel Golf and Spa resort, Hensol, Hensol Park CF72 8JY.
For reservations please phone 01443 667877
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MONKNASH
The Plough & Harrow
Lunch

My idea of perfect heaven is lunch in a country pub with my family. Having heard much about The Plough & Harrow we thought we’d give it a try.

Down the winding country lanes of the Vale we drove until we came across the pretty white-washed pub. I was delighted when I saw the open fire crackling away.

After ordering our drinks, we deliberated over the chalk board menu . My partner chose the homemade beef and Guinness pie with pastry lid and chips. I went for the chicken curry with chips and poppadum. Our son chose the homemade lasagne and chips.

You could tell that the food was home-made - none of this ping cuisine nonsense that you get in so many ‘country pubs’these days. The portions were good, very tasty and hot on arrival.

We managed a dessert each. We ordered bread and butter pudding with ice cream, sticky toffee pudding and custard and a tub of ice cream for the child. The adult portions were on the large side - no complaints here - and were delicious.

A reasonably priced bill, a latté and a filter coffee, rounded off a perfectly enjoyable afternoon.

Plough & Harrow
Monknash CF71 7QQ.
For reservations please phone 01656 890209
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CULVERHOUSE CROSS
The Copthorne
Theatre Dinner

The Copthorne has triumphed with this innovative combination of live Broadway and West End musical theatre performance with lunch or dinner.

We chose to go to the dinner performance of Swing Through Time and what a great evening we had. We had a drink in the Bruges Bar and were then seated for our starters of cream of roasted pumpkin and orange soup, which was served with a warm crusty roll. This was the tastiest soup I’ve had in a long time. The main course did not disappoint with a pan seared supreme of chicken with a selection of vegetables. It was then time for the first part of the show which took us back to 50’s Vegas and the songs of the Rat Pack. The story was entertaining and the singing was faultless.

The first part of the show over, we were then offered our dessert of raspberry crème brulee tart, which again was beautifully presented and tasted divine. Coffee and mints then arrived and we enjoyed the second part of the performance which was equally impressive. The performers were given a riotous applause at the end which was well deserved. We then retired to the Bruges Bar where everyone agreed that the evening had been a huge success.



The Copthorne Hotel
Copthorne Way, Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff CF5 6XJ.
For reservations please phone 029 2059 9100