Yahoo News I tried the top restaurant on a stunning beach after its big change and ate 'the best chocolate cake'
There's always a sense of wonderful anticipation as you wind your way down towards Pembrokeshire's Coppet Hall Beach, through the leafy, sun-soaked country roads or across the irresistible sandy beach from Saundersfoot. The tiny, attractive cove has an undeniable pull, as you can park up and almost always just walk straight into the sea, tide-dependent, for a refreshing, invigorating swim or brief dip.
The option of a hot coffee and cake has always been there, but if you were after something more substantial the restaurant sitting atop the bay, Coast, was always reserved for a special occasion with a high-end menu. Not that there's anything wrong with high-end or taster menus, but I always felt Coppet Hall was better suited to a place where you could get a quality lunch or dinner with a broader menu appeal and it seems owners, the Seren Group which also runs nearby Grove of Narberth, thought similar as an overhaul of the menu and a new name, Lan y Môr, has recently launched which they hope will appeal to a "wider cross-section" of diners.
And after a dip in the sea recently, I was invited to go along to try out the new menu, newly and carefully pieced together by Seren Chef Director Hywel Griffiths, alongside Head Chef, Gerwyn Jones, and Hywel says of the relaunch: "The location at Coppet Hall Beach is the ideal location for a thriving, fun-filled restaurant renowned for easy dining for all to enjoy. I’m delighted to bring my ethos of locally sourced, fresh local produce, paired with great cooking to Saundersfoot."
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It's undeniably an A-star place to have a restaurant and before even perusing the menu, the view across Carmarthen Bay towards Gower will knock you out. My friend and I were lucky enough to go on a clear, sunny evening where the blue skies hovered over the golden sand with the glistening water in between. And it was in that glistening water that much of the mouthwatering menu was caught. Carmarthenshire 'frockels' (crispy cockles), Carmarthen Bay lobster, Saundersfoot-caught fish of the day - all came from a stone's throw of Lan y Môr, you cannot get more locally-sourced than that.
Lan y Môr's menu also has Gower salt marsh lamb burger, Pembrokeshire chicken and Snowdonia cheese cromesquis - a deep fried, breadcrumb ball bursting with delicious filling - so don't think it's all about fish! The menu is split into small plates or starters, pasture, sea and land. The restaurant itself takes in the soul-soothing view with floor-to-ceiling windows and there are flecks of rusticly chic coastal decor and modish Welsh influences to puncture a mainly elegant and pared-back appearance.
I've wasted enough time, so let's discuss what we ate. Pretty hungry after a dip we decided to share a few small plates as a starter. We had a portion of the wholemeal sourdough with burnt leek butter (£6), Monkstone mackerel (£9) and, yes, of course I insisted on the Snowdonia cheese cromesquis (£10). You cannot put a tiny, deep-fried, cheese-filled sphere in front of me and expect me not to order it, I absolutely love that stuff.
What an excellent trio of choices, accompanied fruitly perfectly by my large glass of Rioja Mayela (£9) and the signature Lan y Môr mocktail (£8) - a sharp, tart and utterly quenching drink that looked pretty, too.
The sourdough, soft but springy like it should be and the burnt leek butter elevated the simple snack to the next tier. The fresh mackerel was a bigger portion than I expected and came with fennel, watercress and sour cream. It was silky texture with enough rigidity to bite, the fennel was not overpowering and the watercress and sour cream added a freshness to the whole dish. It was good. But, and I'll bet you'll have already guess this, the cromesquis were utterly the highlight of the first course. Not only were the crispy balls of flavoursome, hot cheese an utter dream but they came on a bed of a top tier tomato sauce - the freshness of the tomatoes used was undeniable - and had shreds of ham garnishing the dish, not a paltry amount of shreds, there were enough of them to make it a substantial starter dish and well worth the £10.
For mains, we selected the fish of the day, and that was seabass, caught locally. The price varies on this, of course dependant on market price that day, but when we visited it was £25 for this main. I also tried the Gower salt marsh lamb burger (£16) and on the side we had fries (£6), hispi cabbage (£6) and Pembrokeshire new potatoes ( £6). It turned out we didn't need so many extras, but I just wanted to get a good overview anyway.
My friend was in love with the seabass, which came in a broth of coastal herbs, dashi leeks and miso - like the mackerel, it was silky to the taste and there was no doubt this was as fresh as if it had just come out of the net. The umami-ish flavour of the broth and the crisp of the leeks atop made it a great complete dish and the only complaint she had is that there wasn't more of it.
The Gower lamb burger came in a pretzel bun and was complimented with minted onions and Snowdonia cheese - again the flavours were spot on, and I loved the hardy cheese and minced lamb offset by the sharp mintiness running through it. The texture of the burger itself was a little smooth for my taste - I like a bit of resistance in my patties - but it was an excellent combo if you fancy a burger done a bit differently.
I must say I thought the side dishes were really lovely, fries are always good but these neverending chips had the perfect crisp to them. But I adored the cabbage - I really hope I am the first in the world to say that sentence - the big hunks of veg were charred on a barbecue and drizzled with lemon, mint and cumin. It made me want to jot down the method and use it at home forever. Same with the potatoes, they were a simple new potato but tossed in smoked garlic and thyme. Effortlessly unforgettable.
Just to add, we also tried the "arguably the best chocolate cake" for dessert, to share, £9. We couldn't leave that claim uneaten and to be completely fair, it was a bloody good chocolate cake. The cake itself was so light and airy it could have floated away, it had soft spongy layers next to ones that had a nice crunch. But it was the added extras that made the dish, light, chewy honeycomb and big round cherries steeped in a delicious syrup. It was undoubtedly a strong contender for its self-appointed title. We finished up with a coffee, they serve the local Gower brand, and it's no surprise that the brew was good, too. A full, even rich taste that's not too fruity.
A really good way to describe Lan y Môr is to emulate how I feel about its side dishes, effortlessly unforgettable. The menu is great, the food is executed to a high standard and the ingredients, stellar, as is the location. I think the menu is filled with excellent dishes that can please whatever your tastes prefer from steak and burgers to oysters and truffle. I also think that its price point tips away from a fine dining experience to a fair-priced, excellent dinner restaurant with unquestionably top-notch produce and skills going into it.
We visited on a Wednesday evening and as time passed the restaurant became full to capacity, but the service never dipped. A friendly, knowledgable and efficient crew, who were more than happy to go and quiz the chefs for my cabbage enquiry. I'll certainly add it to my list of must-vists for down west and you should all, too.
Lan Y Mor is at Coppet Hall Beach, Saundersfoot, SA69 9AJ and is open Wednesday to Saturday.
