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TABLE
FOR TWO AND TWO TODDLERS,Western Mail (Cardiff); Jun 3, 2006;
Rhodri Clark Western Mail; p. 21
Taking
small children to high-calibre restaurants isn't usually a good idea.
It's not that the little ones don't appreciate fine food - more that
the proprietors and other customers might not appreciate your little ones.
During a
family day out in Criccieth, my wife and I entered Poachers
Restaurant with some trepidation.
The
restaurant's website makes clear that it's a child-friendly
establishment, with a separate page to call up marked 'kids'.
But
casting an eye over the stylish, uncluttered interior and hearing the
relaxed quietness of a Saturday lunchtime, I couldn't help thinking
of the mess and embarrassment our children could cause.
We were
shown to a table with a bench seat under a tall bay window.
Our
three-year-old made a beeline for the bench. Before he could start
fooling around with the cutlery, two children's menus arrived with a
butterfly picture to colour in. They were soon followed by crayons
and a basket of soft bread rolls.
The
restaurant was established in 1994, when chef Martin Bischoff, son of
a German master chef, returned to his native area.
He and
his wife Jill, who now manages the dining room, previously worked at
the spectacular Banff Springs Hotel in the Canadian Rockies. The
couple's two children, of primary-school age, seem to have had some
influence on the restaurant's approach.
The
specials menu in our half of the dining room listed three appealing
seafood dishes - chef's speciality.
We
hadn't realised they were for evening meals (which wasn't stated on
the specials board) but the waitress checked and chef was willing.
My
starter was a tartlet of Welsh goat's cheese, served with a delicious
selection of salads including couscous with a strong flavour of
ground cumin.
My main
course was 'lightly Cajun spiced' red bream on a chunky sauce of crab
meat and leeks. The whole thing was a delicious combination, and the
fish was cooked to perfection.
The
spices were prominent, despite the 'lightly' description.
My wife
enjoyed her seafood medley in tomato, white wine and cream, although
she felt it was a little too hot for her taste.
After
further investigation she decided the culprit was the mashed potato
accompaniment, which she thought was peppered.
I chose
pear poached in mulled red wine, with homemade ice cream, for
dessert. The mulled wine did not overpower the pear's own flavour.
The nutmeg ice cream was the sort of revelation that makes eating out
a delight, in an age when supermarkets stock all kinds of produce and
recipes for seemingly everything are available on the internet.
My wife
opted for the rich chocolate and raspberry torte, which tasted more
of chocolate than raspberry and didn't feel heavy on the stomach.
Meanwhile,
the bench seat in the bay window was turning out to be a mixed
blessing. Halfway through his Nuremberg pork and herb sausages, our
son decided to eat Roman-style - reclined. Threats of ice-cream
deprivation eventually got him sitting upright again. Then he stared
at a woman parked on the double-yellows outside who was tucking into
a custard slice from the local bakery, thoroughly embarrassed by his scrutiny.
The
staff and other customers weren't annoyed even when our one- year-old
started demanding, in her one-year-old's way, to be removed from her
high chair. The people at the nearest table even thanked us for
providing entertainment
The
restaurant offers good value for money in a relaxed atmosphere where
children are genuinely welcomed.
Reviewed
by Rhodri Clark
Full
Text:(Copyright 2006 Western Mail and Echo Ltd.)
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