Bryn Williams at Porth Eirias

Colwyn Bay

Arguably the finest chef that Wales has produced, Bryn Williams has consistently delivered some of the UK’s most classical fine dining at the high-end London restaurants that have borne his name over the past decade. However, at Porth Eirias, a few miles east of Conwy, we are given a glimpse of a more whimsical and relaxed side to his cuisine. Set metres from the beach, with panoramic windows that afford stellar vistas of this bucolic stretch of North Wales coast, the glass provides all the clues you need as to what will be on the menu. A three-course set lunch comes in at an outstanding £17, where guests can expect the likes of a seasonal soup, followed by fish cakes and rice pudding. At dinner, the dish they flock from miles to try is Williams’ fish pie, rich and deep in flavour from a prawn-shell stock and packed to the brim with seasonal fish. On our visit, mussels were cooked with a lightness of touch befitting a chef who knows his location and how diners want to eat. The wine list is short but beautifully formed, with the pick of the bunch an excellent verdejo, great value at £24 a bottle.

Words by Angela Dukes. 01492 577 525 portheirias.com