Machynlleth Restaurant Guide

“There’s nowhere quite like it!". – A middle-of-nowhere mid-Wales location only adds to the mystique surrounding Gareth Ward’s renowned country house hotel, whose (as predicted in our last guide) promotion to two Michelin stars reflects its current position as a major ‘darling’ of the UK fooderati. It’s hard not to be impressed by such a rapid rise to fame while charging £350 per head in the heart of the distant countryside. ‘Ingredient-led, flavour-driven, fat-fuelled, meat-obsessed’ is its motto and many diners remain “absolutely blown away by a meal here” and the 20–30 courses of “mind bending flavours” created by “a fantastic team performance” that provides “pure theatre”. Even fans, though, are starting to feel that “success has slightly gone to their heads” and even many who feel the food is “regally good” think it risks becoming “ridiculously overpriced” (with almost 1 in 3 reporters now nominating the place as their most overpriced experience of the year). And while it’s not like the place hides its maximalist, macho tendencies, these can also be a mixed blessing. (“Yes the food is amazing, flavours just jump out at you. But it is all so intense, dish after dish, 32 in all. The atmosphere is like a live performance and by the end you can’t cope and sit in a dazed stupor. It’s fun, but too intense and too alpha male”).

Ynyshir chef Gareth Ward is opening this wine bar / restaurant, named after his mother, to offer a more affordable taste of Ynyshir; head chef Corrin Harrison will be cooking 10-course meals for just eight diners. There are also plans to open a pizzeria next door, using a pizza oven bought from fellow-chef Peter Sanchez-Iglesias following the closure of his Pi Shop in Bristol. Expected to open in 2023; exact date to follow.