FOOD A Real Star!
Our visit to the Star Inn near Llansoy was somewhat of an unexpected treat. You see, whenever we are due to do a review my wonderful husband, Dave, spends hours beforehand online researching the menu and selecting what he’s going to eat.
the menu, the only problem being that he’d spent hours researching the wrong pub’s menu leading him to declare that there wasn’t much going on. So, with this in mind I rammed a
T
cheese and coleslaw sarnie and two chocolate muffins down my throat ‘just in case’. Two days on and I am still regretting this! Set in some of the most
wonderful and beautiful Welsh countryside, owners John and Julie will celebrate their first anniversary at the pub this year. That year has been spent
perfecting their excellent culinary offerings, which by the way are superb and there was absolutely no need for the sarnie and cake. The menu is just superb.
Featuring a huge selection of starters and mains, alongside the accompanying specials board, the menu is brave, adventurous and well rounded. To start I opted for the halloumi
cheese and Dave chose the fishcakes. My halloumi cheese wasn’t just
any old halloumi cheese. It came deep-friend in rosemary tempura and was served with the tastiest chilli jam and a huge portion of fresh and tasty salad. If I am
honest, the starter portion would have suited me as a main course. Four large chunks of halloumi were encased in the lightest of tempura batters, nestled in salad – they were wonderful. So tasty. So, so tasty.
90 /
wearevoice.co.uk /MaY.2012
his review was no different – the afternoon prior to the review was spent researching
Dave’s
homemade fishcakes, he proclaimed were the tastiest fish starter he had ever had. The two golden fishcakes were packed with flavour and again came with a generous portion of fresh salad. Our main courses carried on the
theme – large portions, beautifully presented using fresh ingredients. My main –stuffed Monmouthshire
chicken roulade wrapped in smoked bacon – served with dauphinoise potato and a green bean parcel – came sat on a bed of the smoothest and punchiest peppercorn sauce I have ever tasted. It was incredibly. The chicken came apart like
butter and was perfectly cooked throughout. And the potato was creamy, soft and light. The peppercorn sauce and green bean parcel added wonderful flavours to this already sensational dish. Dave’s dish most certainly had
the wow factor. It looked so good it seemed a shame to put a knife or fork to it. In a bowl lined with a rich cider and sage sauce sat a neat pile of black pudding mash and red cabbage. Atop the
mash sat the thickest, most beautiful
piece of slow-roasted belly pork. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw it and the black pudding mash was proclaimed as the finest food combination ever.
The pork was perfect with crispy crackling and the
mash simply rolled with flavour and taste. The homemade apple chutney that was also served with the dish further expanded the flavour. Apparently every mouthful of the dish tasted different and amazing. I didn’t want to try any of it as I really didn’t want to intrude on the flavours that my main had left me with. By this point we were both verging on slipping into a
blissful food induced snooze – the food was so good and we had decided to skip dessert. However, the lovely Julie suggested that we share
one, which after such good starters and mains seemed like a good idea. The crème brulee was served to our table with two
spoons and a homemade shortbread biscuit. I have craved another of these ever since and really wish that I had had a whole portion to myself. With the appearance of ice-cream and a rich vanilla
taste accompanied by a generous and properly blow- torched layer of sugar on top I scooped up the last of it on the deliciously light and tasty homemade shortbread. My word – I could have easily eaten another one. Or two. The Star Inn is in Llanfihangel-Tor-y-Mynydd near
Llansoy, and just a four-mile drive from Usk. The food is superb; it tastes incredible and makes the drive well worth while (although it is an incredibly pretty drive which in itself is a joy). Open seven days a week, they serve food
everyday and you can book a table by calling 01291 650256. If you fancy just popping in, the postcode you will need will be NP15 1DT. Find them online at
www.thestarinn.org.uk – and whatever you do, do not eat before you get there! There’s a lot on at the Star Inn during the coming
bank holidays, including a family fun day for the whole family on May 7 and a beer festival during the Jubilee weekend.
voiceMaGaZiNe
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