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THE GROVE AT NARBERTH
by Carl Housbey
Regular readers of this column will remember that in
July I visited The Beach House restaurant in Oxwich,
which has since been awarded AA Restaurant of the Year
for Wales. During my visit, I picked up some information
about the other two venues in the privately owned Seren
Collection, which are The Grove at Narberth, and Coast
at Saundersfoot. After a few delicious appetisers, we tucked in to our first course
of sweet, succulent hand dived scallops, smoked eel, and parsnip,
which had been drizzled with curry and lime, the Sommelier had
paired this with a mouth-watering Riesling from New Zealand
which matched perfectly. This was swiftly followed by a breast of
local wood pigeon accompanied by rich buttery duck liver, salt
baked beetroots, hazelnut cream and nasturtium.
The Grove at Narberth is a luxury country house hotel in the
heart of the countryside near the market town of Narberth,
and is an ideal base from which to explore the world-renowned
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park just a few miles away. The
main building houses fourteen individually designed rooms and
suites that are lavishly appointed yet still contain many of the
original period features that make them truly unique. The fish course was a fillet of beautifully moist and firm fleshed
halibut with caramelised cauliflower, sea vegetables, crab, and a
langoustine sauce that was packed with flavour. I was delighted
to see that our main course was to be a saddle of venison as it
is a particular favourite of mine at this time of year, and this
was a great example with the tender flesh perfectly cooked and
accompanied by roasted vegetables, button mushrooms and
chestnut puree.
I was with Mrs Gastro Grazer, and as we were feeling particularly
extravagant we had booked the Daniel & Elizabeth suite which
occupies almost all of the top floor, with an enormous Super King
sized Four Poster bed, and stunning views of the of the Preseli
Hills from every window. The room was so comfortable we could
have stayed forever, and it was only the fact that dinner was being
expertly prepared for us by Executive Chef Allister Barsby and his
team that made us move.
We have eaten Allister’s food before, when he was Head Chef at
the two Michelin starred Gidleigh Park in Devon. His style of
cuisine is distinctive modern European with a delicate touch of the
unexpected that focuses on extracting the full flavour from every
ingredient on the plate, and at The Grove he has the benefit of
some fantastic local produce from both land and sea, so we knew
we were in for a real treat.
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Normally at this stage of the evening you would expect a cheese
course, followed by a palate cleanser, but in thi s case, it was a piece
of deep fried Golden Cenarth with Gethin Cyder, fresh apple and
hazelnuts, and the pre-dessert was a refreshing “Raita” of yoghurt,
pickled cucumber, and mint granita – two examples of that touch
of the unexpected I mentioned earlier.
We had a fabulous stay at The Grove, and I highly recommend you
give it a try, as you can be assured of a warm Welsh welcome with
great food and friendly professional service. To make a reservation
click www.thegrove-narberth.co.uk or call 01834 860915.
Follow Carl on Twitter @carlhousbey.