Michelle's Birthday @ The Chandlery Restaurant

*entered in retrospect*


09 December 2010

Fine dining at The Chandlery Restaurant. This was our second visit to the lovely restaurant and this time it was to celebrate Michelle's birthday. The restaurant is a 19th century converted ships chandlery, family-run business. It has a modern decor mixed with some original fixtures, hence it looks modern but at the same time gives it a homely atmosphere. A very comfortable and inviting place to have a meal. To me, good service is as important as the food being delicious. The service provided at this restaurant is certainly professional but yet friendly.

The menu that changes weekly

Basket of bread slices

The complimentary basket of bread was soft and tasty, half of them had olive bits. The bread came with a home-made tomato based sauce with lots of herbs. A nice way to start the evening meal.

Seared Scallops and Braised Belly Pork

The starter was absolutely delicious and mouth-watering! Three huge scallops seared to perfection. You can taste the thick and juicy meat of the very fresh scallops well seasoned and seared but not over-cooked. All seafood in the restaurant is delivered fresh daily. The braised belly pork compliments the scallops very well with its layers of fat and lean meat. The smoked garlic, crackling and home-made sauce enhances the entire starter into the next level of cullinary excellence.

After enjoying the very lush starter, we waited for our main courses with anticipation.

Duo of Brecon Venison

The Duo of Brecon Venison was cooked pink and served with roast loin and shoulder gratin, butternut squash and spinach. The venison was from Brecon, a picturisque small town toward Mid-Wales. The meat was sweet and juicy with a very nice sauce to bring the flavours out. The venison meat well coupled with the gratin. The gratin offers many layers of flavours and different textures from potatoes, loin and shoulder meat.

Roast Saddle of Welsh Lamb

Wales is a country famous for its lamb and Welsh lamb "is regarded by many as the best tasting lamb in the world." Therefore, one should always try lamb when visiting Wales. The restaurant sources its lamb from the district of Monmouthshire "due to lush lowland pasture helping them take on a distinctive fresh, sweet and succulent taste". (as stated in the menu)
The lamb was served with crisp sweetbread and truffled mash potato. The lamb was cooked very well and slightly pink. True to it's word, the lamb tasted exactly as the menu has introduced it - sweet, succulent and fresh! Sauce, is an important part of fine dining, and the sauce in this dish is well balanced in flavour and taste that it enhances the sweetness and freshness of the lamb. The grilled small onion, the bed of spinach and the crisp sweetbread all complimented each other and the lamb very well. The chef really took care of very single detail of the dish. The truffled mash was very smooth and silky and ooze of truffle taste.

Real Chips

Even the side dish of this restaurant is so good that I have to give it a mention. The home made chips side dish is one of the best bowl of chips I have eaten in Wales. Very crispy on the outside and very smooth and soft on the inside.


The Chandlery Restaurant, excellent service, bringing fine dining into a homely atmosphere. I highly recommend this place for any gathering if you like good food!