High-flying chef Bryn brings the ultimate in fast food to ZipWorld
Zip World will open its Bethesda restaurant next month after developing a menu with celebrity chef Bryn Williams.
The Blondin Restaurant will open at Zip World’s Penrhyn Quarry site on September 7 – and they have started taking bookings.
The modern bistro-style venue features a menu developed in partnership with renowned Denbigh chef Bryn Williams.
Bryn has brought a mix of classic “Bryn dishes” and bespoke recipes, all of which celebrate his love of north Wales.
The 150-cover restaurant offers a combination of indoor seating and an outdoor terrace with views across the famous slate mine and over the waters of the lake in Penrhyn Quarry.
Just metres above the terrace is the fastest zip wire in the world, Velocity, affording diners the sight of adventure close-up.
The Blondin Restaurant is at the heart of the new three-floor Adventure Terminal building developed by Zip World.
The top floor is the Gallery, a private function space that can cater for parties, special events and meetings for up to 60 people, while the ground floor will welcome those starting their Velocity zip line experience.
The restaurant’s name celebrates the development of innovative equipment in Welsh slate-quarrying history as well as the links to today’s Velocity adventure at Penrhyn Quarry.
A “Blondin” was a type of aerial ropeway developed to transport slate in open quarries in north Wales, named after 18-century tightropewalker Charles Blondin.
Examples of these were used throughout Penrhyn Quarry with the nickname of “Jerry Ms”.
Sean Taylor of Zip World said: “North Wales is now a real dining destination and the Blondin Restaurant will be a great addition to the landscape.
“We’ve sourced some of the finest local products to bring a new exciting dining experience.”
Bryn added: “I’m all about showing off the best that north Wales has to offer and at the Blondin Restaurant that means combining a few signature dishes, such as Welsh beefburgers and Conwy mussels, alongside bespoke creations like my Zip World wings, that are prepared using sauce from an Anglesey chilli company.
“The combination of Zip World’s adventures and the Blondin Restaurant’s food are a celebration of what north Wales is all about.”
Earlier this week the Welsh Government revealed the impact that multi-million-pound funding has had on the tourism sector – adding groundbreaking attractions and improving the eating-out offering.
Tourism grant cash has helped create and support 400 jobs in north Wales since 2014, with major investments including Zip World, Dylan’s and the Erskine Arms in Conwy.
Major awards over the past 12 months include £320,000 to Zip World Fforest in Betws-y-Coed, £190,000 to Dylan’s new restaurant in Llandudno and £170,000 to Sport Wales at the Plas Menai centre.
Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “The Tourism Investment Support Scheme helps the industry to invest in better-quality facilities and accommodation, which is necessary to improve the tourism experience in Wales and grow the sector even further.
“Visitors are prepared to pay more for a higher-quality experience and investment supports higher performance and drives profitability.
“Recent investment in north Wales has been key in delivering iconic, reputation-changing attractions such as Zip World and Surf Snowdonia.”
Mr Skates added: “Lonely Planet’s listing of north Wales as number four in their 10 best places in the world to visit in 2017 was an excellent start to the year, especially as they mentioned the way the former industrial landscape has been reinvented and repurposed to create a series of truly world-class attractions.”