THE THREE EAGLES
by Carl Housbey
I don’t know how many tourists visit Llangollen each year but if my
recent trip is anything to go by it seems that the world, his wife, and
his 2.4 children plus dog had all chosen the exact same day to ride
on the steam railway and walk along the banks of the River Dee.
Fortunately for me they hadn’t yet heard about The Three Eagles so I
was able to get a table for lunch, which I will now tell you all about.
Any of our readers less than 100 years of age will be likely to know this
former coaching inn on Bridge Street as “The Wynnstay Arms”, but
apparently back in the 18th & 19th centuries it was known as The Three
Eagles, so when a local family purchased the building and then fully
refurbished it in 2018 they decided to reinstate its original name. I think
they have done an excellent job by being sympathetic to the magnificent
old building yet at the same time creating new modern and stylish
features.
In many ways the food created by Executive Chef Adam Gaunt Evans
and his team reflects the same ethos by using the very best traditional
Welsh ingredients in a thoroughly modern yet simple way. Adam honed
his craft at several Michelin starred restaurants in London then worked
his way through the Far East and Australia before finally returning to
his hometown of Llangollen. The influence these travels have had can
be clearly seen on the menu with dishes such as Khao Soi pork coconut
curry broth, or Five spiced honey lacquered duck breast.
The seasonal lunch menu recommends choosing two or three of the
small plates per couple as a starter, but this is Mr & Mrs Gastro Grazer
we are talking about so naturally we chose four followed by a massive
Tomahawk steak for main course and a couple of extra sides. The first of
the small plates that we opted for were two cold dishes, rare roast welsh
beef with pickled mushrooms, black garlic aioli, radish, soy & ginger, as
well as a salad of Ceiriog valley smoked trout with fennel, orange, capers
& watercress; both dishes were absolutely delicious and showcased the
high quality local ingredients.
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We also chose two hot starters, salt & pepper squid with Thai lime & chilli
dipping sauce, and J.F.C or Japanese style fried chicken with tonkatsu &
spring onion. The squid itself was cooked with care and attention so that
it remained soft and succulent contrasted by the wonderfully crunchy
tempura batter, and a dipping sauce that had just the right amount of
heat for western palates to cope with, whilst the J.F.C. was everything
you would expect from a famous high street chain of similar name but
without any hint of greasiness due to the fact that this version had been
cooked with care by a team of highly skilled chefs.
So far, each dish had been a fusion of World flavours, but our main
course was unashamedly Welsh with a huge Tomahawk steak sourced
from Stanley Jones Butchers in Rhosllanerchrugog (try saying that after
several beers). The Chef let the quality of the beef speak for itself by
cooking it to perfection on the chargrill so that it remained mouth-
wateringly tender and absolutely packed with flavour from the rendered
marbling of fat within and the very slight charring on the outside that is
so irresistible to fellow carnivores.
After such a mammoth feast I didn’t think I had any room left for dessert
until I spied on the menu a Welsh interpretation of affogato consisting
of honeycomb ice cream and freshly brewed espresso served with a
generous slug of Penderyn whisky, I enjoyed this so much that I almost
ordered another until I remembered that I was driving later. Next time
I am going to book for dinner and stay overnight in a local hotel so that
I can have two affogatos and then try several of the wonderful sounding
cocktails afterwards.
The quality of food and service during my visit was excellent and I can
highly recommend you give it a try for yourself when visiting Llangollen,
for more information and to book a table visit www.thethreeeagles.co.uk
or give the team a call on 01978 869595.
To see what else I get up to, why not follow me on Twitter @carlhousbey.