Wales’ best restaurant and chef revealed
ARESTAURANT on the edge of Snowdonia today scooped two top awards. Michelin-starred Ynyshir was named Wales’ best place to eat for the second year running.
And the Powys restaurant also lept 12 places to be ranked fifth best in the UK according to the Waitrose Good Food Guide 2019.
Chef Patron Gareth Ward was also named Chef of the Year in the guide, published today.
Ynyshir is the only North Wales restaurant to make the prestigious top 50 – as voted for by the guide’s judges – and one of only three establishments in Wales.
Bala‘s Pale Hall was the only other local restaurant to make the 2019 guide, which came in as only one of two new Welsh entries this year, alongside Canna Deli in Cardiff.
Mr Ward said: “I’m totally blown away with this award from my favourite guide and am so proud of everyone involved with Ynyshir, past and present.
“Thank you for the huge support from The Good Food Guide; we are just having fun and doing our thing.”
Boasting 5-star rooms, the Machynlleth eatery beat big names including Claude Bosi at Bibendum, London, the Gordon Ramsay Restaurant in London and Casamia in Bristol. Cornwall’s Restaurant Nathan Outlaw topped the list again, followed by Cumbria’s L’Enclume, London’s Core by Clare Smyth and Sat Bains restaurant in Nottingham.
An extract from the Good Food Guide, says: “After winning the award for Chef to Watch in 2015, Gareth Ward has justified the faith we had in him – he comes through as a passionate, enthusiastic talent, cooking to a level that demands to be considered among the very best.
“He doesn’t just ape trends, but is that rare chef who genuinely creates his own inimitable style with a 19-course extravaganza which includes foods that have been pickled, fermented and cured.
“To complete the experience, the bar and dining room have a wonderful simplicity, while staff are young and enthusiastic yet thoroughly professional.”
The Ynyshir holds several other accolades including five AA Rosettes, a place in the Harden’s Restaurant Guide and the Squaremeal Top 100. It was also named the Best Restaurant in Wales in the National Restaurant Awards 2018 and the Best Place to Eat in Wales in the National Tourism Awards 2018.