A restaurant where 'fun dine' rather than fine dining is on the menu has spoken of its "massive pride" after it was named the best in Wales and in the top 10 across the Ƶ.
The Michelin star Ynyshir near Machynlleth in Powys was this week named the Welsh winner of the highly respected National Restaurant Awards 2019.
It was also ranked ninth in Restaurant Magazine’s annual countdown of the top 100 restaurants in the Ƶ as voted for by a panel of more than 200 experts drawn from across the industry including Ƶ’s leading chefs, restaurateurs and food writers.
Chef owner Gareth Ward, , leads the team and says it is now all about ‘fun dine’ rather than ‘fine dine’.
Talking about the award, his partner Amelia Eriksson, general manager of the restaurant and rooms, said: "We are massively proud of the whole Ynyshir team.
"It’s a huge team effort running Ynyshir everyday and always pushing to get better.
"It's great to be recognised as a food destination and as somewhere outside London for people to travel to, to eat.”
Ward is passionate about using the best British ingredients to create dining experiences in his 20 course tasting menus rather than just a meal – he aims to "smash you in the face with flavour" whilst listening to all of his favourite albums on record.
The chef, who has been at Ynyshir since 2013, combines the best seasonal ingredients with influences from Japanese cuisine and ingredients like miso, dashi, mirin and soy.
Welsh farmers and growers are paramount to the cuisine, and the team is proud of its supplier relationships giving producers the utmost respect for their work.
Perhaps the most unusual local ingredient, which highlights Gareth’s interest in Japanese techniques, is Welsh Wagyu Beef.
Sourced from a farm in Montgomeryshire, the cows are reared on clover rich pastures and a daily bottle of Monty’s beer, giving it a unique taste and marble rich texture.
Ynyshir is the first restaurant in the Ƶ to have a fully-wrap around Himalayan Salt Chamber. Two digital displays show diners the current time that the beef has been ageing in days, hours, minutes and seconds.
The National Restaurant Awards prize if just the latest accolade received by the restaurant with rooms.
Ward was named as Chef of the Year in the Good Food Guide 2019 and Ynyshir climbed seven places in the Good Food Guide 2019 to No. 5 in the Top 50.
