The Pickled Radish
The unsuspecting village of Laleston has landed itself a great new restaurant. Awardwinning chef Nick Collins is pioneering it, determined to serve only the best of Welsh sourced produce.
With high expectations we ducked under the classic “slightly-too-small” rural doorway between the bar and the restaurant and were delighted by the cute yet smart interior that greeted us.
The room boasted rustic architecture that contrasted well with the modern furnishings. The atmosphere was warm, friendly and unpretentious.
We grazed on perfectly baked sesame and poppy seed crusted bread as we ordered. I started with wild sewin. It melted in the mouth like only the best fish can; its accompanying shrimp strudel had a spicy edge that was a pleasant reminder that seafood doesn’t have to be boring. J described his “DIY” velouté soup, which was poured over garlic and wild herbs that he crushed himself with a mortar and pestle, as a novel delight.
For mains J chose lamb on a bed of leeks and I couldn’t resist the beef. Both meats boasted that perfect pink middle that will forever keep me a carnivore. My truffled chips had a beautifully sweet twang that had half of them fall prey to J’s fork. He so enjoyed his lamb and its rich gravy that our ever friendly waiter had to wipe the table before dessert.
The bitterness of my dark chocolate and pistachio pud was complemented by tangy raspberry sorbet, with gorgeous chilli salted caramel fudge for a dash of sweetness. J tucked into a sharp lemon tart with prosecco sorbet that had its own great kick.
Creamy coffee was guzzled afterwards, though where we found the stomach space I don’t know. We were beyond contentment as we waddled homeward.
The Pickled Radish
Wind Street
Laleston
Bridgend CF23 OHS
01656 652946/07468 591743